Growing Up In Africa (ePub)

This book is about a man who had a dream at a very tender age and lived the dream despite all the odds that were stacked against him. With his missionary parents, working in remote parts of Nigeria in the fifties, a period where basic amenities were not available, the dream could have been described as a "pipe dream". Despite several episodes of events that could pass as miraculous and near-death situations, the writer marched on undaunted.
A ferocious civil war that claimed the lives of several of his friends did not deter him having survived it. A mouth-watering job opportunity with Caritas International at the end of the civil war for food distribution was rejected because it was considered likely to interfere with the opportunity of achieving the dream of becoming a doctor.
Every human being is born into the world with his or her destiny written on the palms of our hands. Only a few are gifted, and genuinely so, with the knowledge to decipher this.
The path we take towards achieving this destiny is akin to wandering through a maze. Finding your way through this maze of life is influenced by several obstacles all aimed at preventing you from finding your way through it doing so.
Success will depend on several factors of which divine intervention plays a significant part. Parental guidance, as is the case with me, is also a strong factor.
Right from childbirth, children show certain traits which ultimately determine what they grow up to become. It is the responsibility of parents therefore to show interest in the development of their children and to guide them all along the way towards achieving their destiny.
This responsibility should on no account be left at the discretion of teachers especially during the early formative years. The intense pressure and demands of modern life should on no account be an excuse to abandon this important parental duty.
My parents featured prominently in this book, and I owe my success in life to them.