In our ideal world- a world we picture in our minds, we don’t see any odds. In this world we all see our dreams come true, we see the world cheering at us, lots of congratulations from friends and family, lots of achievement tagged to our name. We see a perfect world.

But in reality, that kind of world does not exist, it only exists in our minds. You live in the real world where odds can either be a motivation or a stumbling block to us. In this world dreams come true but you have to make them come true. In this world, it is not perfect. There are a lot of challenges, opposition, discouragement and so on. In this world you have to find a way of thriving to bring those dreams you see in your ideal world come true.

Now that we understand an ideal world exist in our minds, let’s see how we can thrive against all odds in the real world.

So what are the odds? Odd are the likelihood of an event happening. It is also the possibility of an event taking place. Thriving against them is like swimming against the tide because not everyone would like to go against the tide, they would rather go with the tide.

We can all thrive instead of striving. A person who strives is only striving because that’s the only option or only means of survival. But a person who thrives, thrives with a purpose, does not see thriving as a means of survival even if it might be the only means of survival at the moment but thrive to make a name and impact.

We can thrive against all odds if,

We understand what we are thriving for

We need to understand what we are up against, understand what impact or value it will bring to our lives. A basic understanding give us an insight of what we are up against.

Evaluate the odds

A good evaluation of possible odds help us understand the likelihood of achieving success. Evaluating the odds helps us to know what It is going to cost us in achieving our desired results.

Be prepared

In our ideal world we see no reason to be prepared because everything would always go according to plan. But in our real world, it is a different scenario, most dreams don’t go according to plan, we might need to make some adjustments in our plans in achieving our dreams as we go further.

A better preparation would be to consider all odds, know the likelihood of achieving success then have faith.

We can all thrive if we are determined, it won’t come easy but we can keep our faith alive if it is worth fighting for.

Nigerian singer Davido has announced his plan to get married to his heartthrob, Chioma, in 2020. The news came after he shared pictures of their marriage introduction on Twitter, with the hashtag, #chivido2020.

The “assurance” seems to be coming true, though it spans to 2020 and beyond, the marriage introduction is a good way to start.

There have been mixed speculations about his relationship with Chioma, with many saying it’s only a matter of time and she will take her place among his baby mamas. Davido’s previous relationships had turned out bad that it couldn’t result in any marriage. And his fans have been skeptical that his relationship with Chioma could scale the hurdle.

At a point too, Chioma was doubting if she can trust him with her heart. Even though they have been in relationship all the while Davido was making children with other girls. That was the more reason for the assurance song, where she was assured that her heart is safe with him, and Davido seems to be living up to it.

Although the details of the wedding were not given, Davido has urged his fans to get their traditional attire ready.

Last month, Davido and Chioma set a traditional marriage on fire in Imo State, with extravagant display of financial power. And Imo people can’t wait to experience another display like that.

Imo state is expected to be agog when David Adeleke and Chioma Avril Rowland are pronounced man and wife in a traditional style, and Nigerians can’t wait to see the London’s 02 Arena selling force in display.

I wish there was an individual who could  let Governments know that the current procurement procedures are comic, and agreements and contracts awarded are to be followed religiously to the later, that you cannot wake up and just decide to alter something that two parties have agreed upon even if one group was drunk or unprepared when the signing took place.

A nation should obey its laws and keep to agreements. When they start attacking these, they gradually slip into lawlessness and chaos and instability.

There should be continuity of economic policies, there should be continuity of capital projects, and there should also be continuity and predictability in the economic sphere . At the same time, procurement and award of contract is not the sole belongings of one man. Whoever that maybe.

The reason most foreign organizations may shy away from coming to invest in Nigeria is because they have no idea what to expect or whether contracts will be respected or whether policies will be altered the moment power shifts hands or even whether signed contracts are truly valid.

To some leaders, it seems to them that decisions at the executive level is the sole responsibility and business and problem of whoever is there,  without realizing that whatever comes out of there, the entire nation is roped together in it. So if Mr A makes a decision and leaves, Mr B can undo it since he wasn’t the one who directly took the action. Unfortunately that’s not how the international community sees it.

It would be very difficult for any international body to take us seriously if we can’t keep to simple agreements.

Economic decisions are being made with political minds and thoughts. Decisions are made or unmade based on political  interest or perceived interest.

You may be wondering where this is coming from,  I myself I’m wondering too.

I’m probably as lost and confused as anybody is at the moment .

Few days ago,  it was announced that Nigeria had lost about $9 billion to an Irish firm simply because we couldn’t keep our own part of an agreement ,if really it was an agreement . It’s difficult to blame a specific individual  for this because when and how this contract was signed is shrouded in mystery. A few suggests it was signed at the time the late President Musa Yar’adua was in coma . Whoever signed it! Anyway, I don’t believe in ghosts. According to Reuters –

“A judge in London said on Friday he would grant a firm called Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) the right to seek to seize some $9 billion in assets from the Nigerian government over an aborted gas project.

The company was awarded $6.6 billion in an arbitration decision over a failed project to build a gas processing plant in the southern Nigerian city of Calabar. With interest payments, the sum now tops $9 billion – some 20% of Nigeria’s foreign reserves

The judge’s decision, issued on Friday, converts the arbitration award to a legal judgement, which would allow P&ID to try to seize international assets.”

It’s not so difficult to understand why the government would want bail out of an agreement of such magnitude considering how the contract was awarded.

I don’t want to make assumptions as to why, but according to the Minister of Information :

“We want to place on record that the Federal Government views with serious concerns the underhand manner the contract was negotiated and signed. “Indications are that the whole process was carried out by some vested interests in the past administration, which apparently colluded with their local and international conspirators to inflict grave economic injury on Nigeria and its people.

“In view of the above, and in an attempt to unravel the circumstances surrounding the entire transaction, the  Attorney-General of the Federation, with the approval of Mr President, has requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to conduct a thorough investigation into the company, the circumstances surrounding the agreement and the subsequent event, which includes commencing a full-scale criminal investigation.”

As the whole process continues to unfold, I still hope and pray that the nation would come out triumphantly, somehow.

Remember that Nigeria had lost a  case to Cameroon in a 2002 ICJ ruling leading to the forfeiture of Bakassi Peninsula as a result of an agreement the Government of the day signed with the Cameroonian government during the civil war. 

One thing the Government and people in power should recognize is that the International community  expect agreements and laws to be respected and obeyed . They may not be interested in your internal political folklore , riddles and ghost stories.