Posts

Time to Pull Out of OPEC By Ade Medupin National Concord, Nigeria — 1983

Image
I am delighted to share an AI-generated transcript of an article I originally wrote in 1983, more than four decades ago, and which was published in the National Concord newspaper. Looking back, this article brings back memories of an important period in my writing journey and of the privilege of contributing to a newspaper owned by the late Chief MKO Abiola (of blessed memory), with the late Dele Giwa as its Editor-in-Chief. Both men left indelible marks on Nigerian journalism and public life, and I remember them with deep respect and fondness. Here, I revisit my original work, preserving its place in history while making it accessible to a new generation of readers. Time to Pull Out of OPEC By Ade Medupin National Concord, Nigeria — 1983 The need for Nigeria to review its membership of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been generating a lot of debate. Only recently, Senator David Dafinone came out very strongly against our continued membership of...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE WISDOM OF THE JOURNEY: BEYOND THE YEARS

Image
There comes a time in life when we begin to understand that the true measure of our existence is not how far we have travelled, how much we have acquired, or how loudly the world has applauded our achievements. Rather, it is how much wisdom we have gathered along the way, how much more we still have to learn, how much love we have given and still have to give, how many lives we have touched and are yet to touch, and how much good we have done and still have the opportunity to do. Life is a remarkable teacher. It teaches us through triumphs and disappointments, through the doors that open and those that remain firmly shut, through the people who walk beside us and those whose departure leaves lessons that time alone can explain. With the passing of years comes a deeper understanding that not every battle deserves our energy, not every disagreement requires our response, and not every success needs an audience.  Sometimes, the greatest expression of strength is restraint;...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Enish Phenomenon

Image
Mr. Olushola Medupin, CEO, Enish Group of Restaurants  One of my greatest joys was the day Shola opened his first restaurant in Lewisham. When he first hinted at his intention to open a restaurant, I was rather sceptical. I shared my reservations with him, but he seemed determined to go ahead. All I could do was offer him my prayerful support. When his search for a suitable location began in earnest, he took me to visit a few premises. Eventually, he settled on one in Lewisham. Quite honestly, it was the last place I expected him to choose. The building, which previously housed a Chinese restaurant, was completely run-down. It had been vacated, left unoccupied and allowed to become derelict for more than five years.  Looking at it, I struggled to see what Shola saw. Once again, I expressed my reservations. But he remained convinced that this was the place he wanted. That moment, in retrospect, says something profound about the young man and his journey. Vision is o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Restructuring Nigeria: Let Every Region Build on Its Own Strength

Nigeria urgently needs a fundamental restructuring of its federation. The country needs a genuine realignment that brings government closer to the people and makes each level of government more responsible for its own development. Every state should have greater fiscal and political autonomy to generate and manage its own resources, while determining its development priorities according to its human, natural and economic resources. A state blessed with agriculture should be able to build around agriculture. One with mineral resources should develop its mining sector responsibly. Another with a strong human-capital base may choose to prioritise education, technology and services. The principle should be simple: the more responsibility you have for your development, the more responsibility you must accept for generating the resources to achieve it. Where two or more states individually lack the population, economic base or resources to remain viable, the Constitution should provide a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Art with a Purpose

Image
From what you have seen and read about my paintings and my book, you may have noticed that neither is offered for sale in the conventional sense. Over the years, I have carefully curated a selection of my paintings for display at my solo exhibitions. For me, however, these works are more than objects of artistic expression. They have become a means of connecting creativity with compassion, art with service, and personal passion with a purpose greater than myself. I am therefore happy to make selected paintings available to anyone who would like to have one, in return for a voluntary donation towards a charitable cause that is very close to my heart — the Matthew Adekunle Medupin Foundation (MAMF). The Foundation was established with a simple but deeply meaningful purpose: to support widows, orphans, and people living with sickle-cell disease in Ogidi-Ijumu and neighbouring communities in Kogi State, Nigeria. I believe art should not only be something we look at; it can also...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mind Is a Garden

Image
“The mind is like a garden. You can grow flowers or you can grow thorns.” Our minds are gardens, and every thought is a seed. What we repeatedly think about, dwell upon and give our attention to is what we gradually cultivate. If we water our minds with gratitude, kindness, hope, forgiveness and wisdom, something beautiful begins to grow. But if we constantly nurture anger, resentment, fear, envy and bitterness, those too will take root. The important thing to remember is that a garden does not become overgrown with thorns overnight, nor does it bloom in a single day. It is shaped by what we choose to plant, what we choose to water and what we choose to remove. We cannot always control the seeds that life drops into our minds. Pain, disappointment, betrayal and loss may leave behind weeds we never intended to grow. But we can decide whether to keep watering them. Sometimes, cultivating the mind means having the courage to pull out an old thorn, a painful memory, a destruct...
Post a Comment
Read more

Awolowo and Tinubu: When Vision Meets Strategy

Image
It is difficult to discuss Yoruba political leadership without eventually comparing Chief Obafemi Awolowo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Their political trajectories share striking similarities, yet their approaches to power could hardly be more different. Both built their political fortunes from the Southwest. Both understood the importance of political organisation. Both created formidable political networks and eventually sought to translate regional influence into national leadership. But here is where the story gets interesting. Awolowo was the visionary; Tinubu is the strategist. Awolowo wanted to transform Nigeria according to a clearly defined political philosophy: Federalism, Education, Social welfare, Regional autonomy and Disciplined governance. He built an organisation around ideas. Tinubu, on the other hand, has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for political calculation, coalition-building and adaptation. His genius, whether one admir...
Post a Comment
Read more