I cruised through Montgomery Road and on sighting House 33 on Little Road, and the voice of Mr. Ojo filtered through my mind.
‘…gentlemen…that is why we can’t wait…we just can’t wait…’
That was Touchstone’s unwritten mantra which surprisingly burned like a wildfire razing down a dry forest on a hot winter afternoon.
Short and catchy, encapsulating the organizational thrust in a single-lined positional statement. It gradually became part of our corporate culture and drove a sense of urgency into our activities. The result was a fiercely loyal and nasty-speed work culture.
I chuckled at the sight of the colonial-white bungalow at the Montgomery and Little Road intersection. Small company, great culture.
So why the fuck should we wait?
My Ojo was happy to see me.
My trusted mentor who always calls himself a Yaba boy.
Schooled in Unilag. Office on Little Road. Church on Akinwumi Street.
The wife works in Yaba, kids are all schooled in Yaba.
Of course, he is the Yaba cowboy.
I sat in his office and we gisted for a long time.
COVID-19 and the disruption.
China and the rest of the world.
American institutions.
Dwindling global economy.
Futurism and space exploration.
E-commerce.
Advertising.
Elon Musk.
Bill Gates.
Jeff Bezos.
Google.
Goals and dreams.
Family, life, and faith integration.
Mr. Ojo would go on and on.
A powerful orator with a magnetic string.
If he were my agemate, I would say ‘what’s up nigger’.
When he delivers, he hits.
He believes in the world beyond the box but will always blend the age of wisdom with the vibrancy of youth.
He never lived in the past.
He will always kill when he knows a new life is in the coffin.
Creative horse-rider, restless, techy, intelligent.
He’s one of the best guys around.
After 2 hours of intelligent conversation, Mr. Ojo rose.
‘Victor, find a day and come. Let’s spend an entire day talking. I want to learn from you’.
I froze.
Is Mr. Ojo on weed?!
How can I mentor my former CEO?!
An intelligent man like Mr. Ojo?
He leaned closer.
‘You have grown and had acquired vast experience. I’ll love to learn from you’.
He declined all my refusal attempts.
‘It is called reverse mentoring’.
Humbly, I accepted and traveled back into the past.
Only Mr. Ojo could do this.
It takes a powerful mind to see growth as a lifelong rumble.
With that in mind, I looked forward to spending a day with my Boss in reverse mentorship.
In case you ever meet a dapper man in Yaba with bow time,
It is Mr. Ojo.
Say Hi to him.
He’s a good fella.
#EKO.
