Salau… Torching a candle on youth issues

SAM Oludare Salau is one of Africa’s leading authors on campus issues. He is equally a professional student consultant, having been dealing and speaking with students for the past 10 years. The national students’ coach, as he is fondly called by the generality of the academic community, has practical solutions to most of the problems students encounter in their academic pursuit. He is a regular speaker in most major students conferences in Nigeria and beyond. In fact, the University of Lagos trained Mechanical Engineer has published over 15 titles that are of help to the generality of students both in their academics and other areas of their lives. 

   As a young boy, Dare liked writing, he wrote on everything he saw. “I wrote on all the jotters I had and on all the extra pages in my class notes, then I turned to the inside cover pages of my note books and textbooks, I wrote on my desk, I wrote on everything write-able. Some of my friends got annoyed with me because I tore off centre pages of their exercise books to write cartoon stories. That was how much I love writing.”

  Once, his mother almost beat him up for writing on his white school uniform with blue ink. All he did was write, from poems, short stories, fiction and non – fiction. 

   “In my primary four, I wrote two poems and sent them to two popular soft sell magazines at that time. (Prime People and Vintage People) and both poems were published the same week without knowing anyone in the Publishing House. Also, in my senior secondary school days, a national daily newspaper in the country also published a story I sent to them by snail mail. So for me, writing is in my blood,” he observed. 

   He had always liked writing as a young boy, and that is why he still writes today. However, today, he does just write anything, like it was then. He has streamlined his writings to helping students become better academically, especially through his Student self Help Book Series, which has published over 18 titles that covers every area of any student’s life. Some of popular titles include: Secrets Of Successful Students, Boost Your G.P. and Make Money While In School. These four books are best sellers among Nigerian students, both at the secondary and tertiary levels having sold hundreds of copies, while some are also available in French.

    “This was in order to meet the needs of our neighbor countries whose major national language is not English. The success recorded with the sales of these books is probably why most of my social media friends online gave me the title Africa’s Leading Author on Campus 

      The first born of family of four children. “I grew up in Lagos state, first at Somolu, and later moved to Ijaiye, before my marriage to Edith, my heart throb, a woman of great strength and character. Together, we have live, loved and worked together to build a strong and lasting both of friendship, partnership, devotion and Godly trust which is the real essence of a Godly home. Our marriage is blessed with two girls and a boy.”

   The uniqueness of his writings when compared to other Nigerian writers is its relevance to students, and the numerous and enriching life – changing responses he has had from both students and lecturers alike. This god given ability, in his mind is like a boundless bounty where in he draws from, yet, boundless. “I still desire that, more students in our higher institutions will still have contacts with these materials so as to help prepare them for the challenges to expect at every troubled spot of their life.”

   Basically, he writes self-help books for students. And currently, he has 18 published so far. Also, he holds quarterly self-development seminars for students in the higher institutions, teaching them how to live a balanced and successful life on campus, so that their days in school can serve as a good pivotal stage which would eventually launch them into the great future they hope for and desired. These seminars have so far taken him round almost all of the higher institutions in the six geo-political areas of Nigeria, as well as the monotechnics, polytechnics, state owned, federal and private schools. 

   Indeed, hundreds of thousands of students have benefitted from his seminars, since the seminars are free of any charge; all expenses largely paid by him. This personal initiative, has given this dogged and determined trainer a rare opportunity to meet so many Vice Chancellors and top management staff and student leaders of these institutions who see him as dependable and amiable mentor of sort to emulate. Once in a while, he and his team hold relevant developmental seminars for secondary school students as well.

   Aside inborn writing ability, his speaking at students’ seminars and conferences which is a talent which he stumbled on while growing up, which has no doubt greatly complemented his writing ability), Salau is also into book publishing. He runs a firm, which, publishes his books.  The young author and publisher has to his credit over two hundred other authors whom he has been privileged to publish in the few years of his existence. 

But how exactly does this work and how was this been possible? This is how he puts it, “Years back, I carried out a survey that helped me to discover that a lot of potential authors never become one because of procrastination, fear to put pen on paper or simply because of lack of self will that they can, or lack of encouragement that it is possible. What came out of this were the different publishing packages we offer to new and existing authors, which has encouraged a lot of authors to get their books published. We deliver a world – class quality at the most minimal cost to the authors at record time. Part of the profits recorded in this publishing firm is what is reinvested into the Free Quarterly Peak Performance Seminars we hold for students. That is is why we have been able to do so much among students without any sponsors. This has been for us a modest contribution in build the youths who has our future leaders as a nation”.

   His publishing firm, SOS Publications, also runs a quarterly seminar for all authors, where they are taught how to package their materials to books that people will desire to read. “Contrary to popular view, Nigerians read. Most people believe that Nigerians don’t read. I beg to differ on this. It is not true. Books of so many foreign authors are being sold in hundreds of thousand copies in Nigeria every year.        

   Nigerians are only selective of what they read. So him and his team of guests teach these people how to make people want to read their books, and where they need to put their books to make it easy for people to locate them. This seminar too, just like the Quarterly Peak Performance Seminars for Students, is always free of charge. So far, we have had over a thousand people attend the seminars. Sincerely, I must confess that it’s been very fulfilling doing this. 

  They have issues with marketing their books. “On the contrary, I have no issues with book marketing my books; my books sell themselves. So I decided to help them. That was when we had the first edition of the Best Selling Authors Seminars (BSAS) in March last year. It was well attended with over 200 published and intending authors in attendance. By popular request, we made it a quarterly program, and every edition has been a blessing and an eye opener to the authors present”, he added with an enriching smile. 

   He chose to own his own publishing firm so as to monitor the quality of books he releases into the market. If he contracts the publishing of his books out, there will be very little influence that he will have over what he gets from them. “However, the way it is now, I have complete control on what is done, when it is done and how it is done and that is what many best authors may not have as an added advantage”.

   Since all he does is in a way related to my primary passion, it has been very interesting all the way. “For me, there’s never a dull moment in what I do. What more can I ask for? While I don’t consider myself rich, but I am enriched because life has given me the 3 F’s in what I do. Though young, I have found, fun, fame and minimal fortune.  And like they say it. I derive joy, inner peace, satisfaction and rest of mind from this enterprise and labour, in addition to some sizeable funds to put body and soul together!”

    The challenges have no doubt been there. They are the challenges of every entrepreneur in Nigeria, that is, irregular supply of power, multiple taxation, poor government policies, insecurity, unavailability of loans for expansion, and the likes. The good news is that, despite the challenges, he and his teammates are still forging ahead.

   “We get most of our new clients by recommendations from other clients who are pleased with the book productions we have done of them. While some authors in Nigeria are going online looking for publishing houses abroad, there are several Nigerian authors abroad that print with us here in Nigeria, and then ship it to other countries to market.  Our major strength is the quality of work we deliver to our clients. We always beat their imaginations, and that, at the most affordable cost”.

He believes that although the printing industry has made serious contribution to national development in the past years, it still has some serious challenges that need urgent attention. “The high cost of running business in the country, most times, puts Nigerian printers at a great disadvantage whenever they have to compete for print jobs with other foreign print firms, especially those from the Asian countries who are presently the preferred among Nigerian publishers for their very low and affordable cost.

His first hobby is reading. Most of his time is spent reading, especially when he is not working? 

   “I read motivational books, self help books, management books and leadership books. Once in a while, I read fictions. I have my leisure time too. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Since, I don’t want to be a dull boy (or man as this case is), I give myself ample time for leisure” 

   His wife says he is a workaholic, but he knows that he rests. However, it’s their definition of rest that differs. For me, “rest could mean lying down on his bed watching a movie or a documentary he had planned to watch months ago, but haven’t found time enough to.”

   She continues,  “as long as I am not doing anything actively with my hands and brain, that’s my kind of rest. It may be just strolling down the street with my daughter or son, or just sitting idly by the swimming pool, watching others dive in for few hours.  I also enjoy travelling to places I haven’t been before, as a form of leisure, especially when I have so much time to spare.”

   Being married to Edith Oluwaseun Salau has been a great blessing. The young couple will be celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary on Children’s Day this year. “We actually met in a night vigil in a church years ago, and she caught my attention where she sat. I think mine was love at first sight. I proposed to her few years later, and she wouldn’t oblige me for reasons best known to her. In fact, she turned my proposal down for nine years, before she actually gave it a rethink. Immediately she said yes, I took her to the altar same years before she changed her mind again (on a lighter mood…smiles). Since then, the truth is, I have enjoyed every bit of my life with her.  We are blessed with two beautiful girls and a handsome bobo.

  Salau is nowhere on the socialisation radar because of his nation – building activities. “There is not too much time for social gatherings, save for few weekends in a month when it becomes very necessary and compulsory to attend family functions like weddings, birthdays, or book launch of some of our authors, or outings with close friends. However, as a matter of principle, I don’t keep late night outside my family except it’s a church function or a very compulsory work pressure. My family enjoys the gift of having me around all of the nights.”