Am I Still Alive

A few days to my birthday, i got this mail from a friend Micaiah Omowale and i had to feel my pulse to know if i am still alive or dead.Enjoy the piece.

Oluyemi Adeosun Stands Taller than Most

I have never done this before; few people that have seen did them posthumously. Early this year, Fola Adeola wrote a masterpiece about his friend and colleague Tayo Aderinokun (GTBank) of blessed memories. It was an expose that am sure if Tayo read while alive, death would pause for a while. Those words really don’t mean anything to the dead; they only inspire the living and remind others to live a good life that someday something might be written in the dailies about how they lived their lives. But what about if it is said to the dead while they were still alive, am sure they will live a better life than they did.

Today, I celebrate a special friend who stands 6ft 7 inches tall, at least head and shoulders taller than the average man. His name is Oluyemi Adeosun, but because of his height, I simply refer to him as Tallest. We met few years ago in ways events of our lives together cannot easily make me remember. You will easily notice Tallest because of his height but much more than that is his strength of character, integrity and selfless service to make the other person a better being.

Tallest is from a very humble background, but learnt to be independent very early in life. By my analysis, he is more of a choleric who sees and finds a way out of all situations. He could likened to the biblical Joshua and Caleb, who lives with the attitude that God has given us the land we only need to take. He is not easily discouraged by events for he believes the next action might lead to a breakthrough. While doing his M.Sc. in Economics, Tallest needed a job so he went searching. He got to a consulting firm and ask if he could volunteer to work for free, they were taken aback but said ok the problem is ‘you can come back later, we don’t have a PC in place that you can use’. My friend was about to give up, so he said, ‘I have a PC at home, can I bring it and start immediately’. Now tell me if you were the employer would you say no? Tallest doesn’t wait for the ship to come to the shore, he swims hastily but slowly to catch it. I have been infected with this can-do virus that all things now to me are possible.

In 2010, I was spurred by Tallest to take action towards helping Nigerian students seeking admission to tertiary institutions by authoring the book titled: “A Guide to Tertiary Institution Admissions and Careers.” Because he has similar passion to help young people, he did not only encourage me when I seem slow in progress, he became my first editor, criticizing constructively and contributing professionally from his personal experience. At a point he was as though Tallest has been paid to make sure the job is completed because he won’t allow another student to experience failure in securing admission. When I look back today, I am an author in part because I had an encourager who would not let me rest until the job was fully completed.

Often when people leave school, school leaves them too and they say bye-bye to education. Tallest is committed to continuously increasing his knowledge through books and training. I earlier said he volunteered to work for free with his own computer, due to his commitment, the employer thought it would be a great injustice to allow this enviable young man come here every day without an appreciation, so he gave what one would term transportation allowance. One day a bookseller came to his office and my dear friend used over 50% of his monthly transportation allowance to buy a book so voluminous but highly resourceful that I often can’t resist reading anytime it comes to my view on his book shelf.

Tallest is not only committed to developing himself, he is what I refer to as ‘self-sponsored people-equipper’. He is an author and a public speaker. He produces and presents a Personal/National development programme twice weekly on Gold FM 95.5 Ilesha Osun State (5:55am Mondays & Wednesdays) and once weekly in Yoruba language on Amuludun FM 99.1 in Ibadan (8:30am every Monday) for an NGO (Young and Excellent Club which he co-founded), this he sponsors personally and sometimes with assistance from like-minded individuals. He is of the opinion that when majority are educated and enlightened, government would have less burden to worry about, and if you are not ready to be enlightened don’t go near him. I have shared the podium speaking to youth on diverse topics – pro bono – with no other person than Tallest, we’ve traveled far and wide in order to make sure no one suffers from ignorance, this to me is the hallmark of people who not only desire a great country but also do something about making it great.

He is a family man – married to one of the most humble lady I have ever seen, a medical doctor, precisely a cardiothoracic surgeon in training, little wonder she has a large heart. If you are not married, you would love to if you find yourself in their company….lovebirds don’t stop before ‘I do’, to them it is a lifetime experience. I could go on and on, to tell of his passion and desire to see Nigeria take her place as a first-world nation and his effort in ensuring young men are guided rightly through several programmes under the initiative of Enviable Youth that we both host in schools, churches, NGO and youth centres. My quest is not to do an exhaustive on the influential life of Tallest, but to challenge you to pause and think about the people whom God has brought into your life – your friends. Celebrate them while you have the time, let them know they are valued and their effort & contribution in whatever good they have found themselves committed to is noticed and appreciated…. I am grateful for this and other friends I have because I am successful today in part because we are friends.

If you are in need of a friend, please find one that is tall, not only in height, but also in character, integrity, selflessness and great commitment to the development of his fellow man and service to his creator. Don’t let another day pass by without celebrating a friend that is one indeed, Tallest is and I’m thankful for his life. As you celebrate another year today, I know your dreams are Tall, but they are very reachable…with the way you are going, they might suddenly be achieved too soon and you would have to dream again….dream more brother, Happy birthday Tallest….keep growing!