Nigerians need mind shift to overcome challenges

In order to overcome the myriads of problems facing both the country her citizens, Nigerians from all walks of life have been advised to attempt a ‘mind shift’ and start asking critical questions regarding how they got to their current situation. That way, the advice continues, would they get, not only answers, but also begin the process of entrenching genuine change that would usher them into their desired destination and away from failure.

This was the prevailing view of speakers at the launch of Mind Shift: Unleashing Your Creative Essence last weekend in Lagos. The book, written by an entrepreneur and public speaker, Omololu Ogunmade, seeks to engineer a new way of looking at things among readers away from how they have been handed down to them. Indeed, Mind Shift encourages mental shift that questions the status quo for fresh perspectives to emerge.

Chairman of the event, Mr. Osahon Idemudia, commended the author, who he described as a man of many parts (life coach, church man, brand person), for writing the book. He said Nigerians needed a mind shift to overcome some of the problems they were facing, especially those that appear self-inflicting.

“Mind Shift is a very interesting book. As a matter of fact, it’s a very honest book, as it talks about simple things that are the challenges of life. Why do the things we encounter every day overwhelm us? Our Christian beliefs sometimes prevent us from doing things we ought to do. But we should begin to act differently. One of our tragedies is that we’ve allowed the ‘other’ to determine how we perceive success. Let’s begin to apply our senses. Why am I here on earth for? Why am I overwhelmed by the things around me?”

Idemudia also lamented the dearth and downward spiral of intellectual culture in the country, saying it is a battle Nigerians must fight and win if the country is to emerge on top. He described the current craze among politicians to rotate from one office to another: from governor to senator and vice versa; minister to governor and vice versa, saying it is the most absurd thing to do.

“We live in a country where we have the inmates running the asylum and the rest of us are cheering them on. In the last few years, intellectualism has dropped in our country; intellectualism has taken a backward seat in our lives. It’s a losing battle, it does appear with our country. But it’s a battle we must fight and win. It’s a battle of mind shift!”

Also, Director of Joseph Consulting Ltd and Million Dollar Business Club, Mr. Ugochukwu Omeogu, who suffered polio as a child, but who wants to run for political office his native Imo State, stressed the centrality of books in the life of modern man, as the only enduring change agent that society must court for its survival.

According to him, Books are the fundamentals for any change. Omololu’s Mind Shift is thorough. All men are born equal except for the mind that they cultivate through books. The fundamental change society needs is mind shift, mind change. We need to build the people to build the country.”

Earlier, the author, Ogunmade, said the book is a product of his experiences, noting, “I’ve lived a life trying to identify where my place is. I described myself as a non-conformist. If I were on the other side, I would be called a radical. I’ve always felt that things should be different; we just can’t be satisfied with the way they are. Well, I thought it was something I’d only share in church, but it turned out not just for church.”

Reviewing the book was Mr. Nseobong Okon-Ekong, who declaimed Africa’s unquestioning mentality that accepts everything as dogma and for its face value. He noted that such attitude produces indolent, worshipful adoration of worthless things or beings and probably accounts for the many gods on the continent, arguing that it is largely why Africa has remained backward and undeveloping.