16. On the Ground
I fought Murphy’s Law and won.
The first time I arrived in Nigeria, it was the summer of 2012 and I was 18 years old. I felt a mysterious sense of homecoming and purpose that I had never experienced before, and still don’t understand. I went again in the summer of 2013, but it wasn’t until last week, summer of 2021, that I was able to return again. So much has changed over the past 8 years, but it was a relief to arrive in Lagos and feel that familiar mystery: I had come home.
The moment you step into something with incredible potential, the first thing you find is euphoria. The next thing you find are problems.
Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The platform that was supposed to process my Nigerian permit to fly wasn’t working. I got stuck in France for 30 hours and was unable to leave the airport due to customs and the torrential downpour outside. When we finally arrived it was too late for proper rest, and then I learned my subsequent flight to Abuja was scheduled for the day before. The trip was already short — I was only in Nigeria for a week for the purpose of gaining exposure and showing my face to potential partners — but it was cut in half by traffic, flooding, delayed flights and bad timing.
But I consider the trip an overwhelming success, if only because the people who I’ve dedicated the next stage of my life to serve are clearer than just a memory. I broke out of my privileged American bubble and faced the land that I plan on moving two within a year’s time. I fell in love with it.
We had some incredible conversations that helped correct our assumptions and clarify our goals. Now we’re not going to be based in Abuja — that will be our pilot location while we build a larger center on my co-founder’s land in Uguta, Imo State. We have yet to meet one person who does not believe in our cause; everyone wanted to help, and we look forward to solidifying those relationships to see the benefits for our future students. We may be hiring more people soon, a growth which is needed to help carry the weight that Odiso Leadership Academy is growing into.
Like any other country in the world, Nigeria has many problems, and education is only one of them. I’m a multi-national with heritage ties to the US, the UK, and Nigeria. My family has expressed concern that I’d risk facing the challenges that Nigeria has to offer instead of playing it safe here in the US. But every effort towards the good of our people is worth it, and now that I’ve faced chaos and come back with progress, I’ve grown in confidence that these are the people whom I desire to serve, and this is the place where I want to be.
