Lessons from a nite club

By Tope Popoola

A man may give freely, and still his wealth will be increased; and another may keep back more than is right, but only comes to be in need.
—Proverbs 11: 24 (BBE)

Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
— Ephesians 4: 2

Last week Sunday, my wife and I were at O’Jez Nite Club and Restaurant at the National Stadium for the 78th edition of Highlife Music, tagged: ‘Elders Night’. Surprised? I didn’t go partying. The event was organised by the Committee For Relevant Arts (CORA) to honour two of Nigeria’s finest artistes; Sola Fosudo, an actor and director and Tunde Kelani, arguably Nigeria’s finest cinematographer. Fosudo, who also teaches at the Lagos State University turned 50 while Kelani turned 60. A day earlier, Fosudo had launched a Foundation to take care of widows and orphans.

This is one of the reasons I decided to be part of the celebrations, apart from the fact that Sola and I have been friends since my undergraduate days in Ife. For me, he symbolizes the quintessential artiste who is worthy to be called a role model for the upcoming generation of artistes. The seriousness of his mien and the dedication and passion he applies to his work, coupled with his astute commitment to family and Godly values make him a rare breed in the performing arts landscape in Nigeria. Kelani, I do not personally know, but have seen quite a number of his works, of which “SAWORO IDE” stands out. I will like to share with you a few key lessons I learnt from my nightclubbing experience.

THE WORLD CELEBRATES THOSE WHO HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE

Make your life so valuable to humanity that people would line up to honour your value, not your vanity. The difference? When the world honours your value, it begs you to do so. But when they honour your vanity, you actually beg and pay for it. Ask our leaders who daily sedate our collective sensibilities with all kinds of frivolous awards. Excellence earns accolades, it does not hunt for it. Even if no one sees you now, keep making a difference in people’s lives, one person at a time. Payday is around the corner.

POVERTY IS NOT A LACK OF MONEY. IT IS PROOF OF MISDIRECTED MONEY

As I studiously observed the environment, I saw tables filled with plates of fish peppersoup, bottles of various drinks, guys nestling with ladies whom they were obviously trying to impress, (considering the number of bottles and size of fish peppersoup they had before them!) I took a good look at some of them. You could see that they could hardly afford it. But they had to do it to keep up an appearance. From what I saw that day, most of the people in that gathering were not strangers to the environment. I tried to do a mental calculation of how much money was going in the wrong direction in one night and considering what I saw in the one hour or so that I stayed there, the figure I got was mindboggling even in its conservative estimation. Do I have a problem with people relaxing? Of course not. The painful thing about this is that the same cycle was going to be repeated day after day while the same people would complain about the economic hardship in the country.

PROBLEMS ARE NOT SOLVED BY THOSE WHO TALK ABOUT THEM BUT BY THOSE WHO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM

It’s amazing the level and depth of passionate discussions that go on in drinking joints about Nigeria’s problems at all levels. But none of the discussants ever actually position themselves to make the necessary difference. The same people will, at the slightest provocation, break bottles and fight themselves silly. And they will be back to do the same thing again the next day. Talk is cheap (unless you are doing it on GSM!). Action, through responsible, proactive engagement is what solves society’s problem.

THOSE WHO MERELY CONSUME VALUE WILL FOREVER ENRICH THOSE WHO PROVIDE IT

Many people would leave that place that night broke and the owners of O’Jez ( I saw someone that looked Chinese actually serving!) would have become richer at the end of each day. People do not buy products, they buy value. What do you have that adds value to others? Service, not commerce, is the world’s number one platform of prosperity. You prosper by selling something that people need. If you become wealthy without providing value, you are either a thief or a cheat. What of inherited wealth? Whatever produced it is what it will take to sustain it!
True wealth is produced by a disciplined lifestyle that learns to delay gratification in preference for future remuneration. It is predicated on the understanding that value that is not released is value that doesn’t exist!
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!