Let’s Stretch Our Hands across the World

I was in Nairobi Kenya when Zain changed to Airtel, I didn’t know whether curse or bless. Few hours prior to this, I was showering praises on their One Network service. An interesting rooming service that allows me use my Nigerian Zain line in Kenya without having to incur to the high tariff associated with rooming services. With the One Nework, I get to make calls in Kenya at local rates without charges on incoming calls.

This change of name was abrupt: ends an all night party at 11pm; it cuts short my feeling of excitement on the network. But not too long to this change, I stumble on yet another blessing from the network- a television advert featuring 2Face (Nigeria), Ali Kiba (Tanzania), Amani (Kenya), Navio (Uganda), JK (Zambia), Movaizhaleine (Gabon), Fally Ipupa (DRC), 4x4 (Ghana). These guys are Africa’s finest music artistes, and with R Kelly as a group they chorus – “stretch your hands across the world”. This instantly became an inspiration, building an upsurge of faith to once again take my enterprise vision global.

The timing couldn’t be more apt; in two weeks time I am off to Washington DC for the Atlas Corps Fellowship flying through London Heathrow Airport. As I fly into Washington Dulles, Ify Ogo, the newly appointed consultant for my enterprise operations will be flying into Nigeria from the very same London Heathrow. She will be coming back from an incredible interface with UK organizations on providing work opportunities for African’s young and aspiring development leaders, and in the coming weeks ahead, she will be repeating this process in Southern and East Africa. Ify will be stretching our shared vision of Landmark Internship International across the world.

As Ify stretches her hands wide, mine wouldn’t be hindered; I will be doing the same across in the East Coast on the United States and in subsequent months will stretch to Southeast Asia. And like the One8 team of Airtel network, Ify and I will be stretching our hands, the network of Landmark across the world.

This year crescendos my very many attempts of stretching my hands globally: back in the in day, there were no physical hands to stretch, like a baby in the womb, my hands were inward, and all I could was stretch my imagination. I worked with one of the world’s biggest travel agency for students, wistfully I oversee travel tickets sales to very part of the world – students resuming to schools abroad, youth going for exchange programs, and international volunteers coming into the country. This was not the only ordeal I put up with; I also had the uneasy task of pitching international travel products to potential clients of all categories and never evidence my inexperience to international travels. Yet, I’d always stretch my inward hands across the world.

From once infantile to now fully grown, I stretch my hands not just to the world but towards a Higher hand; the hands that stretch the heavens and the earth into being. With this partnership, I am confident the entire world is now within reach, I am confident my reach will exceed my grasps and I am confident many more aspiring hands will stretch across the world.

If you would, let’s stretch our hands across the world.

1%: United Nations

Sometimes in the year 2001, my International Relations lecturer held the class hostage. The class was supposed to have ended by 4:00pm but my watch was saying 7:00pm. For everyone that tried to walk out of the lecture-room, it took a fresh register, we could not dare the implication of not getting on list, as it may worth of our test scores.

At the peak of our collective frustrations he made a prophetic statement - “You all have all come here to study International Relations but only one of you will become an Ambassador(, Diplomat or work with the United Nations)” he said. The resulting silence in the room was deafening, our growing feelings of frustration turned into gloomy mood of depression – most of us never felt qualified or blessed enough.

Having had the best of us, he decided to release us to our shells. We all left with divergent views of that encounter ranging from acquiescence to denial. At the gate of the university I sat with classmate ruminating over those words – “….only one of you will become an Ambassador, Diplomat or work with the United Nations”. Perhaps but for that extra investment of time we made, I might not have made that 1%. We both decided not to take the route of lecture-room but the social service way; we decided to lead a nonprofit from that every lecture-room and we did!

Many thanks to this decision, I now work as a Consultant for the United Nations.