Daniel's Ascendance - 6

"So, Daniel, were you able to come up with an answer for the question you asked me yesterday", Midas asked Daniel as they resumed their conversation from the previous evening.

"No sir, I could not think of a way for you to make yourself and your travelling companions as big and fearsome as the lumberjack, without training." Daniel replied, a bit down-hearted.

"But that wasn't the question you asked me yesterday, was it? You asked how the fact that the lumberjack was big and fearsome, which made me loath to attack him, changed my life." Midas responded and not waiting for a reply, he continued.

"When I looked at the lumberjack, I saw a unique opportunity to meet a specific need by using the abilities the lumberjack had - and that, Daniel, is the simple way to amass wealth. It is not only about what you know or have; it is about how you can identify the needs and problems of people and find practical solutions to those problems. Do you have the answer to your question now?

"I think I do. You realized that you and your companions needed the kind of protection a fearsome physique afforded the lumberjack. If you had all been as big as he was, you might not have been attacked. Your vulnerability was the problem you needed to solve.", Daniel replied excitedly, feeling pleased with himself.

"Exactly, my boy! Exactly! Well done, you are catching on." Midas said with an equally pleased tone. "As I said, amassing wealth involves identifying the needs of people and creating practical ways to meet those needs. Remember, the key word here is "practical". A solution that can not be immediately implemented is no solution." Midas continued, happy that his investment in Daniel was beginning to pay dividends.

"Your vocation or occupation doesn't matter; whether you are a farmer, miller, baker, blacksmith or even apprentice, you provide solutions for the problems of people and they reward you for it. It's as simple as that."

"So, what was the solution you came up with?" Daniel asked.

"Hmmph!” Midas exhaled heavily. “My initial solution involved a risky alliance which I later regretted. However, it taught me some very valuable lessons for future use. That's another story in itself and I will tell you now."

Daniel's Ascendance - 5

"You mean the lumberjack was one of the bandits? " Daniel interjected, unable to hold himself.

"Lords , no! " Midas, replied. "The lumberjack reminded me of the bandits because of a certain resolution I had made; to do all within my power to make them pay for the pain they had caused me. Part of that resolution was to train myself to be a big and skillful fighter and the lumberjack looked like one who could crush the skulls of two men in one of his enormous palms," Midas explained further. "of course, I made that resolution in a flight of fancy and didn't really intend to pursue it - no amount of training would make me strong enough to take on all the bandits at once."

"You said your meeting with the lumberjack was the turning point in your life; In what way did seeing a giant lumberjack help you turn around your life? " Daniel inquired,  his confusion evident in his features.

"The meeting with the lumberjack did not directly turn my affairs around, it was an idea that came as a result of my meeting him that actually set me on my future path. You see, the moment I saw him, I thought to myself: "this is not a man I want to attack".This singular thought was the real turning point of my life." Midas said as he looked eagerly to see if the young man before him understood the import of his words.

Poor Daniel stared back, more confused than he was before. Not wanting to attack a man who could crush the skulls of two men in one palm was just common sense. How could that change a man's life, he thought to himself.

Seeming to read Daniel's thoughts, Midas said, "You don't seem to understand, I would have had no intentions of attacking the lumberjack, even if he was a weakling. It was the fact neither I, nor any man with his senses intact, would attack him that mattered to me. Imagine how differently things would have turned out on the night of the ambush if I and my companions looked like him."

This explanation seemed to make things sink in for Daniel. "I thought you said you did not plan to train to be big,  how did you intend to make yourself, much less your traveling companions, look like him?" Daniel asked as he started to align with Midas' train of thought.

"That is what I will tell you tomorrow. It is quite late and past the time responsible men retire to their families. I am enjoying recounting my experiences to you; go home and ponder and see if you can think of a way to answer your question," Midas concluded, as he made to retire to his quarters.

Daniel's Ascendance - 4

"I promised to relate my story to you, yesterday. Now I will tell you how I started from almost nothing to the man you can see today," Midas said to Daniel,  who was seated across him in the tastefully decorated chamber they occupied.

" I started out like every young man in this town - with virtually no property to call my own but a strong desire to work and prove myself. I was apprenticed to a blacksmith and my intention then was to learn as much as I could from him, so I could strike on my own quickly. My master often traveled to other towns to acquire rare metals for ornamenting the less noble metals in his forge. On one of these trips, we were ambushed at night by bandits on our way back to Otapiapia with the precious metals. This event made a big impact on my psyche because I was the one on watch duty when the attack happened and I seemed to be at fault for the vulnerable condition in which the bandits met us.

I felt a lot of guilt initially, but I later decided not to blame myself for an event that was entirely beyond my control. I had worked very hard during the day, so it was quite understandable if I couldn't consistently maintain the required level of alertness for a watch duty. Even if I had managed to detect the presence of the bandits early enough to forewarn my companions, there was very little we could have done, as we were outnumbered and outmatched. Needless to say, my master was cross with me. Though,  I suspect he knew within himself that his anger had little basis even if he never showed this.

I have often heard that every cloud has a silver lining: well, the silver stolen from my master definitely clouded my life with lines of trouble. On getting back to town,  I noticed my master treated me differently from other apprentices and it seemed I had permanently incurred his ill will. I resolved within myself to leave him but I had no idea how to go about doing this." Midas said, pausing for a while from his monologue.

"I hope I'm not boring you; I warned you the tale would be long," Midas asked when he noticed Daniel had not moved a muscle from the time he started the story.

"No sir. Your story is quite interesting. I haven't moved because I was paying absolute attention," Daniel replied hastily, not wanting the story to end.

"Alright, that's quite okay. I continued with my master like this while contemplating what to do.  I could think of nothing until one day when I went to deliver a new axe head to a lumberjack. The burly look of the lumberjack seemed to remind me of something but I couldn't exactly place what it was... until he spoke. Then I remembered - the bandits!

Daniel's Ascendance - 3

You can read the earlier parts of this series Daniel's Ascendance - Prologue and Daniel's Ascendance 2.

Daniel wanted to kick off his quest before the sense of urgency left him and he became complacent. He decided he would immediately pay a visit to the man who seemed to have the most of anything resembling power in Otapiapia - Midas.

Midas seemed to have a lot of wealth without actually doing any work, unlike other rich tradesmen. His primary business was providing all sorts of money-related services including lending, storage and safeguarding. He had a team of well-trained guards who protected merchants, their goods and money when they traveled to other towns for business. However, Daniel suspected his money business was not his only source of wealth. He had to be involved in something else. It was this "something else" that Daniel was most eager to discover by visiting him.

That evening, he paid a visit to Midas' home. "Good evening, sir" Daniel greeted when he was ushered in to see Midas.  "Good evening, young man.  If I'm not mistaken, you are the son of the Council Man Danta, the baker?"

"Yes sir.  I am his son, Daniel," Daniel replied.

"Welcome to my humble abode. Please take a seat," Midas continued.  "I assume your father sent you to see me on his behalf.  Does he have any intentions of expanding his business soon?" Midas inquired.

"No sir. My father did not send me,  I came of my own accord."

"Really?  You seem to be a responsible young man, what would you want with a man of the note like me?" Midas asked, surprised.

"I did not come for anything related to money. Huh.. actually, I did come for something related to money, just not borrowing it." Daniel replied, almost losing his nerve.

"That's interesting. What can I do for you? Please try to go straight to the point, I am pressed for time as I have some urgent money-related matters to see to," Midas said, with a mischievous grin.

"Umm...sir, what I need from you might take some time. Maybe I should come back when it is more convenient for you," Daniel said, with no trace of the conviction he had when he first entered. It was somehow unnerving being in the presence of this man.

"Young man, Daniel is your name right? I granted you audience because I thought your father had sent you but I still wouldn't want the time I have spent so far to be wasted. Tell me, directly, what you want." Midas said, with a much more serious tone of voice.

This brusqueness emboldened Daniel. He could feel the courage seeping back into him as he made to reply.

"I want to be your protege.  I want you to mentor me and show me how you became the great man you are. I have heard it said that you were not always like this, but started from relatively humble beginnings.", Daniel responded, his new-found courage resonating in every word he said.


"Hmm, that is indeed a strange request. Most of the young men who come to me see either come to borrow money for business or to seek work. None has been as bold as you - I like that. For me to show how to be like, I must first tell you about how I was once was and how I manged to become who I am today. The story is long and I can't tell you now. Come tomorrow evening and I will tell you all".

Daniel Ascendance - 2

Daniel Ngote stood stock-still, for the words he had just heard had seriously shocked him.  Nebu-Chad, the son of Senior Council Man Cyrus Nezzar, had just made him a challenge he could not refuse. Nebu, as  he was often called, though he preferred the better-sounding Chad, had not only insulted him but also his father's livelihood.

The insult had been subtle, almost undetectable, but he had picked it from the undertone of Nebu's words. Nebu had slyly implied that his father, Cyrus Nezzar, was the de facto ruler of Otapiapia, holding sway over such "common" artisans as the smiths, weavers, farmers, millers and bakers - including Daniel's father Council Man Danta, the baker. If such noble trades were common, then the trade of the orator, which Nebu's father practised was definitely lowly - even with the moving effects his sweet words could produce.

As Senior Council Man, Nebu's father indeed had some authority over the Coucil of Otapiapia but the position came with little in the way of enforcing his will. Apparently, Nebu thought the post was hereditary. This thought brought a smirk to Daniel's face and lightened his heart a bit; Nebu would be in for a rude shock  when the time came to choose a new Senior Council Man.

With motivation born of the desire to prove Nebu wrong, Daniel decided he was indeed going to hold sway over Otapiapia... and other places beyond. Not by holding a position that barely gave him the power to get anything done but by holding valuable resources. Beginning from that moment, he started taking actions - actions which would lead him to places he never even imagined.




By the way...
Hearing Nigerians speak, a stranger would think us insatiable from the innumerable things we desire, especially when we know we cannot get those things. That's purely on the surface though.
Deep within, we really are contented with the things we have. We don't desire more. When given something we are not used to, we simply modify it to suit what we know even if that means damaging the thing; as they say: better the devil you know than the angel you don't.

This is why the public officials we choose to represent us forget their mandates the moment they reach the seats of power, even creating mini-dynasties in the process. Sometimes, it can even become a family affair. This is not a bad thing in itself, as long as it serves the public good.

The only way to cut down this trend is when the people hold valuable resources. Which people, you ask? Well, everyone other than those who currently hold the resources - including YOU and I. How do we go about getting these resources? There are a lot of people who presently hold valuable resources which they got by the dint of hard work, not by plundering public funds, and we could simply study and emulate them. We know them, don't we?

Daniel's Ascendance - Prologue

Otapiapia, the African Utopia, was your run-of-the-mill small town. It had all the basic necessities for human survival, and indeed the people thrived. Every citizen had a source of sustenance and it was almost impossible to differentiate the "haves" from the "have-nots". Such could be expected from a town with simple artisans and tradesmen who applied their skill to create value which they exchanged for money or any other necessities.

Life wasn't perfect but the Pians, as people from Otapiapia are known,  were happy. The farmer could always trust that millers would buy his corn and the millers in turn knew that any flour they produced would be purchased by bakers. Well, the Pians could very well not do without bread and pastries, so the bakers never had problems with sales either.

Young Pians could grow without any fear of having no jobs to do when they became adults. As long Otapiapia existed, it would have people, and those people would have needs that could be met in exchange for money. A young Pian only needed to apply himself to learning and becoming excellent at one vocation and his future was secured. After all, the average Pian had only modest ambitions and could make do with the income from any of the many trades available. Except, of course, for some who aspired for more... far more than Otapiapia could give. One such youth was Daniel Ngote. Daniel wanted to own and personally define the limits of his destiny? He had big dreams and he was going to do all he could to see them come to fruition.
Will he succeed? How?


Otapiapia is what I would want my country to be like; a place where anyone willing and ready to work for want they want would be assured that their dreams could come to fruition; just as long as they are willing and ready to work towards those dreams. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not as it should be. Not as it could be. There is a potential... yes, plenty of it. However, much of this potential lies unharnessed and can not be fully developed. There are many factors acting to inhibit the tapping of this potential including the mindsets of Nigerians, the lack  of any drive to want to push beyond the obvious and even when that drive is there, simply not knowing how to go about the process. These issues must be addressed... and they will be. Someday. By whom?  Well, you are reading this, aren't you?


Share your thoughts in the comments below on how you think Daniel can achieve his dreams.

Also, what do you think has to be done to lift Nigeria from its present state?

One Reason To Succeed - God

We only need #Onereasontosucceed

One reason you can succeed is God. The very concept of a God requires the being to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. There is no reason why a being that has the power to do ANYTHING, knows Everything, and can be EVERYWHERE should be a failure. The benefits of these abilities also reach all who believe - no matter their circumstances.

Alfred was a young, newly-married father of a beautiful daughter - Cecilia. As a junior executive with a private oil-prospecting firm,  he earned a comfortable living. Alfred, his wife-Joanna, and their daughter had taken a short vacation to visit his country home - a visit they had all found refreshing and enjoyable. Especially Alfred, who wanted a short break from the rigours of full-time work. Then, had come the time to return home to the city.

On their way home, a man who looked well-off had flagged them down and asked for a ride into the city as his car had broken down at a deserted, remote place. He told them he had been trying to get help for over an hour but people had just driven past. While driving, Alfred received a devastating text message - a sum of 50 million naira he had authorized for a foreign supplier had somehow disappeared. In his state of shock, he lost control of his speeding and drove into bushy ravine by the roadside. Only the man they had picked on the escaped unhurt; Alfred and his family slipped into various stages of unconsciousness. Cecilia, delicate as she was, went into a coma.

Alfred woke up in a hospital with minor fractures a few days later. He was informed that Joanna was physically fine; she had only lost consciousness because of the shock. However, Cecilia was under observation but the outlook was positive. Then, he received another text - the money had been found. The wire transfer software had experienced a difficult-to-detect glitch and had sent the money to a wrong account. This new text he received was from the man he had picked on the road.

Apparently, the man had friends who were into international finance. He had gotten to skip bureaucratic measures and conduct an intense trace for the money, after having made sure Alfred and his family were receiving the best medical care.

Alfred, above, is like a man called Job in the bible. Job was an affluent man who through a bizarre set of events lost everything he had - including his health and children. He experienced a temporary period of difficulty which tested his will and resilience. Job showed his faith in his God during this period and rewarded him abundantly with good health, material wealth and children.

Your God is not a poor God; He is not a God of failure. He can see you through your most difficult periods even when you don't ask for help- like Alfred. If God is all you have,  then you have everything you need because he is always looking out for you. He is #onereasontosucceed .

One Reason To Succeed - Haters!

We only need #Onereasontosucceed

There is this feeling of exultation that comes when we attain success in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Especially when those obstacles come in the form of other people - haters. Or "bad-belle", as they are often called. These are people who get a perverse pleasure from the failings of those around them - smiling when they see others in pain.

Haters, for reasons which can sometimes be difficult to understand, devote their time and resources to thwarting our efforts. The time and resources they put to such negative ends could be put to more constructive uses if they had the mindset needed. They forget that when they devote their resources to stopping the progress of others, they have nothing to use in progressing, themselves.

Even if we have nothing else to motivate us when the chips are down, the thought of preventing that smile of glee from appearing on their cynical faces should keep us going. Just when they think we are about to give in - to capitulate under the pressure, we surge forward with one final push. If that single push is not sufficient... well... we push one more time.

Our success is guaranteed; and if that means our antagonists will have frowns on their faces, so be it. If they are not willing to change and share in the joys of our victories, they can keep languishing in their pits of hate. Our triumphs can come in spite of them, no matter how deep the pits they would see us fall into.


Just as long as we remember to rise one time more than we
have fallen, we will have #Onereasontosucceed.

One Reason To Succeed - The One

The very special #Onereasontosucceed .

The one person with whom we share a bond so deep it's inexplicable. The one for whom whom we would freeze a volcano and melt a mountain. The one who causes our hearts to beat erratically at the thought of them. That person we cherish more than we can express; they might be our wife, husband, fiance, fianceé or intended. It gets even better when you consider that they have the same affection for us.

If there is anyone willing to go any length to make sure we succeed, it is our partners. This is because of the strength of the bond we share with them - a bond so strong it can be put to the accomplishment of great, sometimes destructive, purposes.  History is littered with stories of the wonderful effects a partner can have in your life.

There are those stories which would make you cringe at the thought of having a partner; like those of Samson and Delilah, Paris and Helen of Troy,  Romeo and Juliet and that of Lancelot and Guinevere. These are stories of couples who, by their affection for each other, shattered families and brought about the downfall of nations.

Then there are those stories which bring smiles to our faces and mirth to our hearts whenever we hear them - stories of partners who stuck with each other through thick and thin and impacted positively on their environment. These include the stories of Napoleon and Josephine, Pièrre and Marie Curie, Odysseus and Penelope and that of Nabal and Abigail.


By putting your partner at the forefront of your thoughts, you would be leveraging a power so great, it makes you almost invincible. This is when you are at your most potent - when there is no fear of defeat and victory seems assured.

In whatever situation you find yourself, whatever the nature of the challenges you may face, just remember you have someone - the ONE - who has got your back, front and sides. The one who will always, always, be there.

Be assured because they give you #onereasontosucceed .

One Reason To Succeed - Our Children

They are #Onereasontosucceed

Children are gifts entrusted to us to nurture and protect. They are treasures whose happiness we are directly responsible for , being their first point of contact with the world. It is our responsibilities to bring them up in the ways of the world and to make sure they have a soft landing. Every action we take, in some way, has an effect on them.

As infants, children demand a lot of care and attention. They will scream and rave, take away our sleep and almost make us question our sanities. Even when they have reached a certain level of maturity as teenagers, they still need love and attention - even though they pretend to resent it. Teenagers will question our authority, we might even feel like putting them up sale on the black market sometimes.

In the end though,  the result will be worth the effort because children are blessings personified. There are few things that can compare with the joy of a mother who sees a smile on the face of her satisfied infant child. Or even with the pride of a father when the child first utters the magic word "dada". Parents share vicariously in the joys and achievements of their children when they are successful; glorying in the fact that they succeeded in raising someone who could impact the society positively.

Whether you have children now, or you are an aspiring parent,  always ask yourself if your offspring will be proud of your present actions. When the cares of life weigh you down, and you feel you can no longer carry on, think of the smiles that will leave their faces if you don't succeed. Let their smiles and happiness be your source of strength and belief.

Remember, they are depending on you and for them you must have #onereasontosucceed .

One Reason To Succeed - Our Parents

Papa and Mama - where would we be without them? They are the very means by which we came into existence. Mama with her warm bosom to nourish us in infancy and Papa to act as our inexhaustible reserve of everything we need.

In our childhood, everything we do is geared towards pleasing Papa and Mama. We know they reward us with treats for being nice but in truth, it's the discipline for being naughty we try to avoid. Everybody loves Mama because she tends to be the first to praise our efforts, no matter how little they are. She is also the one to advocate our case when we are naughty and Papa wishes to mete out the required punishment. However, Mama's wrath when kindled, can indeed be very great. Even Papa knows not to plead our case when this happens.

Papa and Mama are our very first heroes; they shield us from the realities of the harsh world until adulthood. Sometimes, even past that. They provide for us materially, psychologically and spiritually. They make sacrifices, most of which are not obvious,  to give us the best. Nothing but the very best. And they do all this without expecting anything in return.

We can be heroes ourselves someday, by emulating these great models and keeping them in our hearts as #onereasontosucceed .

One Reason To Succeed

One only needs #Onereasontosucceed

I read somewhere that we might have a thousand reasons - excuses - for failure but we only needs one reason to succeed. Just one. One true reason to act as a lighthouse guiding us to the comfort of the shore, even when things go dark.

Success hardly ever comes by chance and this is to be expected. If the events of our lives are left to the dictates of chance then the most likely outcome is failure, because there is usually only one way to succeed and many ways to fail.

Take a die in a game of Ludo, for instance. To make the initial move in the game, a player throws a 6-sided die and hopes a '6' appears. However, the '6' is only one of six possible outcomes. There are FIVE other outcomes which would indicate a failure in this instance; though, those other outcomes could become favourable as the game progresses. The meaning of this is that we are 5 times more likely to FAIL than SUCCEED if things are left to chance in this case.

Success is an end-result of continuous, focused efforts at a pre-determined goal. Consistency is easier to achieve in this process when one has a concrete reason to succeed.

Succeed:
              for yourself;
               for your parents;
                 for your siblings;
                   for your partner;
                     for your children;
                       for your haters;
                         and for your God.

Just find #onereasontosucceed .

Difficulties... or Blessings?

It's sometimes said that every difficulty is a blessing in disguise. That's not entirely true.
Difficulties don't directly equate to blessings; the blessings are in the lessons learnt and the new abilities obtained by surmounting the difficulties.

Take a lady stuck on a deserted interstate highway with a flat tyre, for instance; she has a difficulty, which she can not even see as a blessing. However, if she has watched her mechanic switch her tyres before, she could simply take out the tools required and fix in a spare tyre. In doing this, she would have learnt a new and valuable skill - which is a blessing.

The skill gained is the blessing, not the difficulty itself.

The Benefits of Helping People

In trying to help others, you discover new things you never knew you had in you, and you end up helping yourself as a result.