DRIVE
My drive is an irresistible compeller presented to me as a friend in 2012. Not many of us get opportuned to get started without an ignition. Adebowale Oparinu happened to be the candle I can get lighted from to get properly aligned.
What we want in life doesn't always present itself in the form we want it to be, that was the case with my drive when I met him over 6 years ago. I was no lover of figures but there he was, exactly opposite; an iconic maths guru. He had the habit of taking to heels as far as reading text was concerned. Despite our paradox, representing our college in major national mathematics competition gave me an haunch that there was something bigger lying ahead for him. In spite of his wins, selflessness wasn't lacking in his character and that was a lead for me.
Distance tried to put us apart after college and there wasn't much time to discuss as such. Even at that we still try to stalk each other as regards personal development and all sorts. 3-4 years after we last saw physically, I came across this amazing tweet in which a mutual friend of ours was congratulating Wale on the feat he'd just attained.
He and his startup team had made it to the semifinals of a global competition where they were to be awarded 1 million USD if they emerged winners. As an inquisitive person, I decided to find out which competition it was precisely and yeah persistence gets you your call. It was the Hult Prize,Wale and his team had developed an agricultural solution that allows internally displaced persons to grow mushrooms in their own camps thus eradicating the issue of land tenure. As a student of Agriculture, his idea was mind blowing to me and I even felt he was beginning to encroach into my study space.
So my friend who was just around 18 as at then rising up to a challenge like the Hult Prize got me back to the board. Not eventually winning the challenge wasn't a set back for him, I learnt from him that failure is much of an equivalence to success, not giving up is key. Being selfless to not just friends, Wale went on further to build some other impact-focused initiatives and has won himself many awards.
The very first award I could remember him winning was the 2017 African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN) Youth in Agribusiness Award at Dakar. He then proceeded to becoming a finalist at African Development Bank's AgriPitch alongside notable entrepreneurs like Kenya's June Syowia (one of my inspiring young entrepreneurs on IG) and Benin's Sonita Tossou of Fenou packaging.
Most recently, he became one of the top 25 young Africans selected by Ashoka changemakers in West Africa. All of these were proceeds of persistence and hard work which is a drive that keeps me moving.
Currently, Adebowale leads Lifepro Food Mills, a food processing startup that raised over 20K USD for 0% equity in less than 5 months from inception. Their amazing product which I can't do without having in my soup - #Hiru - have designated shelves in supermarkets in Nigeria and have some clients in the US and UK.
Adebowale is an open book whose life and feat is forever an inspiration to me at various levels. My heart is gladdened as an avid reader and writer, knowing that I have a friend that I can always read and write about and also willing to share.
