June 7, 2021 – Osasu Oviawe

Today, I had the first of many public speaking sessions in Kaduna.

I always wonder what goes through people’s minds as I speak. Sometimes, that thought brings a smile to my face.

Maybe someone is wondering how I look naked, and thanking God for clothes. Or someone is wondering how much longer before refreshment. Worse still, someone might be hoping I choke.

Whatever the case, it is amazing how so many people can be sitted in the same place, and yet be in different spaces in their heads.

I used to hate people reading speeches from a page, but in a place that is not your stage, it is best to stick to the script. A slip can deeply offend sensibilities you know nothing about. It is best to leave feeling you could have said more, than to leave feeling you could have said less. Less is more.

I am thankful for a successful launch of the youth empowerment program (YEP) 2021.

Minority rule is the best example of how a majority in number does not equate to a stronger say.

The majority never rules.

Most calls for diversity and inclusion are a call for a stronger say by the majority, not the minority.

The greatest trick of the minority is the control of the spotlight, and hiding everything else in the shadows.

We are therefore forced to measure scale only within the spotlight, as we cannot see much else. The minority shines the light on where they exist, making it seem they are the majority.

Not strange, as even in nature, the majority is always in the dark. The light never shines on the whole.

What we need is not just to move the spotlight from the typical spots on the stage, to other parts of the theatre of life. What we need is more lights. Not on a spot, but for the whole theatre.

– Osasu Oviawe

Day: June 7, 2021

A launch

Minority rule