From Grass to Grace, this is one story that would inspire you. Tony Abeson is a successful entrepreneur who has come a long way, but the ups and downs made him who he is today.. keep reading
E PLUS The Storyteller: Good
Morning Tony Abeson.. Welcome to the exclusive Online chat interview: MEET THE GUEST..hosted by E PLUS the Storyteller👍
Tony Abeson: Thank you, and good morning.
Tony Abeson
E PLUS The Storyteller: Great! It's been such an eventful week, how has the Christmas and new year holiday, been?
Tony Abeson: It's been great, all glory be to God almighty.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Awesome..
And how has it been with managing a school?
Tony Abeson: Its been wonderful but also challenging because we are dealing with kids with diverse characters, still its been great.. thank You.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Good to know..snd it's quite interesting to also know, that you are into events and gas supply.
Tony Abeson: Yes, I am, its been a childhood dream.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Great! Now, everything looks all put together, I guess there is a story behind it?
Tony Abeson: Yes, I wasn't born with a silver and golden spoon.
I was born without a spoon, but always trusted God to find or create one. I am the sixth child amongst seven kids of my parents.
We all lived in a room, in Ajegunle
Growing up was terrible, we ate once a day, 12noon to be precise, but thank God now, I can afford to give my kids 5 square meals a day or more.
I was sponsored all through my primary and secondary school because we could not afford it.
I was a bike man in my university days, at OSU, (then Ogun state university) now Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye. I served in Benue state during my NYSC years.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Hmmm.. interesting
Tony Abeson: I later came to a point where I knew what I wanted, (a better life) so I went to my mum's land and used it for evening lessons, which has grown into three govt approved schools, today. I have always loved entertainment, I have been with the church choir for twenty years now, so I decided to go into full entertainment.
Now I own an event centre and a Gas Filling station. I have always been poor, never travelled but today, it's all changed.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Wow! Amazing👏🏻👏🏻. So, were there times, you wanted to give up?
Tony Abeson: Yes, but at the same time, No.
I never had a plan B, a plan be is a place of rest, comfort, many will say well if I fail, I have tried, giving up is a plan B. I always knew that there would surely be light in the end of every tunnel, so I never gave up.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Hmmm.. interesting
Tony Abeson: I had reasons not to graduate, no books, no accommodation, but I picked up used handouts from the groundnut seller to read. I had every reason to steal, to dupe, to join a cult, but I remembered the sufferings of a woman-my mother - never to bring shame and disgrace to my family, especially my mum.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Hmmm
Tony Abeson: I hawked groundnut oil, a.k.a ororo at boundary market in Ajegunle, sold matches, worked in a powder factory where I was paid #200 per day during vacations in secondary school.
E PLUS The Storyteller: So I guess, you would recommend that every child ought to learn the value of integrity, regardless of any circumstance?
Yes, It pays, It has kept me, formed me, guided me, made me, and it is still making me humble.
The first time I travelled out of Africa, I cried on the plane. A white man in front of me said:
"oh your first time?" as he assumed I was afraid of heights, but I was in tears because I was having some flash back of the days I could barely pay my transport fare to lecture, in school.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Awesome
Tony Abeson: Thanks
E PLUS The Storyteller: And what would you tell parents who continues to pressurise their children into making wealth by all means?
Tony Abeson: Hmmmm.. It's sad to hear that this still happens, well if it does, what goes around definitely comes back around
They should never force a child into such. See my friend, the same fire that pop's pop corn seeds into pop corn, will never do that to a bean seed. We all have different times and season, but a definite time for us as Christian to shine. If lekki phase one has power, I mean electricity on, and banana island is in darkness, does that make the latter a ghetto?
Definitely power will be restored to bannana island at the set time
E PLUS The Storyteller: Very profound indeed..
Do you still see those people who you worked for, during those days of struggling?
Tony Abeson: Hmmm...Yes a couple of them. Like the lady I once gave a ride, as a bike man that is now my wife today.
Few coursemates I gave rides to, who occasionally attends weddings and events at my event centre.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Wow!!!!!!
Amazing!!!!!!
Is there anything in particular that has changed about you, now?
Tony Abeson: Nothing... just that I now love and know God, the more
E PLUS The Storyteller: Great!
What word do you have for someone out there, who might just be thinking that all hope is lost?
Tony Abeson: Hope can't be lost when there is life
there is hope. In the midst of nothing, Jesus made dinner out of a boy's few fishes and bread. He turned water into wine, an impotent Abraham became the father of nations.
Now see, before all these miracles there was an exchange. The bible says profit in every Labour, give and you shall receive.
Abram had a ram that he received, and he got Isaac back and, became the father of nations.
The little boy gave the crowd and they were fed
No matter the challenge just getup the bible says faith without works is dead.
Giving up is a choice and, winning, staying alive and strong is also a choice
E PLUS The Storyteller: Awesome👏🏻👏🏻
Tony Abeson, it's been such an insightful time with you. E PLUS the Storyteller and the Creative team wish you more success in your endeavours.
E PLUS The Storyteller: Amen!
*************************************
FOOD-LAW-MANIA...hosted by Adejare Azeezat Ifemide.
GARNISH:
{FOOD}
v.
GARNISH
{LAW}
We're largely familiar with the action word that is attributed to the act of making our meals more presentable and inviting…
However, did you know, the word ‘garnish' is not a verb peculiar to food only?
“Garnish” in relation to food, is a verb which means to decorate, adorn, enhance, beautify, or embellish different food dishes.
“Garnish” in relation to Law, means to warn or give notice of a legal judgement to a third party, to pay money owing to a debtor, directly to the creditor. Under this circumstance, anyone owing money to the debtor (against whom judgement is made), will not be paying the amount owed to the debtor. Rather, payment of the owed amount will be to a third party, whom the debtor is also owing money to, by virtue of a court judgment.
While the former is beheld with joy and enthusiasm (otherwise known as the “longthroat" feeling), the latter on the contrary, is not a very palatable situation to be in, as it is a form of enforcing a court judgment against a willing debtor who otherwise, has no means of making good the judgment debt, or an unwilling judgment debtor, from whom the judgement debt needs to be forcefully obtained.
May we only ‘garnish’ and not be ‘garnisheed’!
Can I get an ‘amen'?
********"****************************"
@thatfoodielawyer takes your taste bud on a ride with her Asun recipe(spicy barbecued goat meat), with a twist. Click the link below, for more as you watch the video
@thatfoodielawyer voices out against xenophobia.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2HqgcYn149/?igshid=1357ikg15zvqz
email: thatfooddielawyer@gmail.com
LET’S ALL BE MAD BUT, BE NOT MAD.
Poem, written by Azeezat Ifemide .
Are They Mad?
They’re “western”, from the saner climes; they colonized a region and ruled by instilling unimaginable fear on the ‘subjects’; they segregate the people based on their skin color and social status, rained terror on the land, leaving everyone terrified of experiencing Nightfall in Soweto…
Are They Mad?
They light creatures of like-kind on fire, watching with satisfaction, as life seeped out of the victim in the most horrific manner! They justify their dastardly act, claiming these creatures have enjoyed “better prosperity” on their land, and therefore deserve to burn! “How dare they?” they ask.
Now, I ask…
“How dare you?”
Who do you pay, for the oxygen that you inhale and carbondioxide you exhale?
Who do you pay, for roaming the large expanse of land, on which you build, multiply and chase your dreams?
Who do you pay, for the sunshine and the rainfall that take turns to provide you comfort when you need it the most?
Is any man an island on his own!?
Are We Mad?
We respond in the exact same manner we speak vehemently against; becoming exactly what we condemn! Burning down buildings and businesses owned or co-owned by our very own; rendering our own already under-employed citizens jobless in the process. We create unrest in our own land, making a mockery of the unique privilege of experiencing a violent free independence of our motherland…
Am I Mad?
I am mad at the leaders, who have ruled and continue to rule my motherland; exchanging the baton of power as though they were running a relay race, and ruling the country with the same level of cluelessness, recklessness and irresponsibility!
I am mad at the leaders who have turned my motherland into a subject as well as, an object of ridicule that its own citizens would rather not reckon or be associated with.
I am mad at the leaders who have made successful citizens with admirable jobs, leave everything behind and flee the country under the ‘guise’ of migration, for a minus 45 degrees temperate region to rather earn a living doing ‘odd’ jobs on multiple shifts, just because the system at least, works!
I am mad at the followers, who have given in to the faulty system and would rather scam another, of their hard earned money; treating national currencies with total disregard, acting with reckless abandon!
I am mad at the followers, who have defaced my fellow resourceful, resilient and unbreakable-spirited citizens around the world, and renamed us in the most distasteful of ways!
Am I mad?
Yes, I dey mad over my beautiful country, Nigeria, a land overflowing with abundance of milk and honey. A 200 million population of the most versatile melanin dripping people, who ever graced the face of the earth!
I dey mad over the “ginger”, and the swag, and the ‘never give up’ attitude of my countrymen, which is responsible for the default statement that “oozes” from their mouths even in the most difficult situations:
“We die here!!”
I dey mad over my country, the preferred hub, which women from every race would raher marry from; I dey mad over the distinctness of the Kente, the Ankara, and the Adire fabrics, adorned by the most proportionate and sumptuous bodies of voluptuous women,
wey set die!!!
I dey mad over the robust African culture, the richest in the world, I dare say, expressed in Arts, in Craft, in Folklore, in Clothing, in Cuisine, in Music, and in several beautiful Languages.
I dey mad over the courageous and fearless bursting of the azonto, the etigi, and more recently, the shakushaku dance moves on the biggest and most prestigious stages across the world, in celebration of outstanding excellence!
I dey mad over the ‘baddest’ combination of the silkiest Amala, the slimiest Ewedu, the smoothest Gbegiri, and the rich local flavor of the palm oil stew, cooked firewood style!
I dey mad over the healthy contest between different versions of jollof, which has only ensured we an even wider variety of cuisine from Africa, to the world!
At the end of the day: We’re all mad here!
However, let’s all be mad but, be not mad…
Written by Azeezat Ifemide Adejare.
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