DAMIAN CHIEMEZIE

Sages Publications

ISBN: - 978-978-054-735-7

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 DAMIAN CHIEMEZIE

Copyright Damian Chiemezie 2020. All rights reserved.

Published by Sages Publications.

ISBN: - 978-978-054-735-7

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Sages Publications-Ebook

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For Amarachi and Ugochi

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Memoir
Series

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READERS’ VIEW ON BENEATH THE GLOSS:

 I am marveled at the level of wisdom encapsulated in a single work. It

offers wise counsel to young adults on how to handle critics, financial
education, discipline and diligence to duty, the benefit of living a decent
life, even in marriage - to enable them live a happy, successful life. This
book lightens the sparks of hope within me and keeps them alive. It is the
motivation and advice the youths of this generation need.— Russells
Apuam Enogha

 A nice companion. A Great book with life directions, told with an African
unique style of storytelling.— Pegba Fajinmi

 I found this book worthy of rereading million times, for there's a lot of
wisdom embedded in the text. In fact, the author is an outstanding witty
writer— Ridman

 It's wonderful how Damian, the author, succeeded in embedding several

life lessons into one book, striking the point in each case. Surely the author
has a lot to offer and I'm poised to learn from him — Anthony
Chukwubuikem

 I learnt so many things in the book. The need to apply wisdom

everywhere. In marriage, to build yourself eveñ when you don't have
anyone to support you. I enjoyed the book and since it's a personal
speaker... I felt it was all in reality like my daddy advising me— Emelda
Esmond

 Wisdom, they say, is the principal thing; this book “Beneath The Gloss” is
a piece full of wisdom, not just wisdom from anybody but from an elderly
man with great personality, experience and knowledge, and who had paid
the price to become great to serve as a noble example. This book gives
insight for those who crave for knowledge and wisdom; a balanced, joyful
and fulfilled life — Oluwadamilare Emmanuel
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Also By The Same Author:

Steps To Take In The Computer Building

Illumination

What Makes Your Writing A Masterpiece

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The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living

from the dead- Aristotle

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TABLE OF CONTENT

PREFACE ......................................................................................................... 11

ABOUT THE BOOK. ..................................................................................... 16

BOOK 1:…………………………I WANT TO LIVE THICK ............... 20

BOOK 2:…………………………SHOW ME THE WAY...................... 27

BOOK 3………………………….FRAGMENTS ...................................... 36

BOOK 4………………………….MAGNETS ........................................... 49

BOOK 5:…………………………PREPARE ME FOR WEDLOCK ... 62

BOOK 6………………………….WHERE DO YOU FIND JOY?...... 73

BOOK 7………………………….BENEATH THE GLOSS .................. 79

BOOK 8:……………………………….NERVES OF STEEL .................. 94

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................................................................ 101

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PREFACE
The experience I had on the last day of last year was enriching.
My friend and I visited the traditional ruler of our hometown.
This was a man I had heard about so many times but never
set eyes on or had the privilege to speak to.

So the opportunity came when my friend came back from

school and told me they were given the assignment to visit
elders in the community and make an enquiry about some
strange cultures in the Igbo cosmology. After debating on the
rightful elder that would have in-depth knowledge about the
cultures and traditions of our land, we concluded to visit this
elderly, wise, and knowledgeable ruler of our community.

This was not the first time we made this kind of trip to elders
in a quest for clarity of some strange practices in our tradition,
but this particular visit was satisfactory. It gave me amazing
insight and foresight about what we should know but don’t or
perhaps what we knew a little about.

The short journey was a bit hard for us as we tiresomely asked

for directions to his home. There we were, at last, sitting with
a great ruler of our community; a man respected and
honoured by the many clans held under his rulership. Even
though he was aging, his mind was still active and retentive.
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Without being fuzzy, he cut across the questions we threw at

him.

Like Ugochi and Amarachi, the two characters in this book, my

friend and I sat thoughtfully and listened attentively to his wise
words; words spoken out of an experience, not merely
knowledge. The great man, as we learned from his married
daughter, had industrious offspring who had achieved
relevance in the country. So, no one would have doubted his
exploits seeing his achievements--most importantly the
mantle of rulership he held.

I may not sell this experience for anything as I gathered

wisdom and intellectual values from this elderly man. We were
cleared of some things we doubted, and he even went further
to touch on those we never expected. I am not surprised we
left late for home that day as we were spellbound by his
company. The traditional leader who also believed in God
made the crossover night a memorable day in our life. Before
we left, we knelt before him and he blessed us.

I, therefore, say: this book is birthed, perhaps, following this

experience. The wisdom and knowledge assembled from an
elderly man who had supped the wine of life to its dregs. Also,
following the books I have sipped from about life, marriage,

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relationships, and wealth. And to be candid, the inspiration

came from personal experience. Because as a great writer
once said: “Don’t sit down to write when you have not stood
up to live”.

Can I tell you more? You would agree with me that what you
hanker after in life is directly proportional to the results you
get. A man who desires wisdom and knowledge can never be
compared to the one who has an inordinate appetite for
material possessions or who wish after them. And little wonder
a man who seeks first wisdom and knowledge will still achieve
material possessions more than the one who skips them.
Hence, it is wholesome to seek first wisdom and knowledge
before anything so that you will be guided against self-made
failures. Do you still wonder why those who continually learn
advance more in life? It is no longer wonder—that is if it has
ever been; because all that you need in life are hidden in good
books or the lips of a wise man. To avoid some of these
unwelcome situations in our life, it is then advisable that you
must be eager to learn. And the opening of this book may be
a great step to enlighten you.

You see people who bask in ignorance and waste life without
purpose. The result? Unfulfilled life. Some of these people
think material possessions are the ultimate wealth. And as a
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man thinks, so he is. For that reason, they do anything,

however sly or dubious, to make money. They do not know
that to create wealth and live abundantly, you must have a
purpose to create an impact on humanity—it is this purpose
that will then attract wealth and other good things of life. But
to achieve this, you must sit down and think about why you
were created and how you will use your vision to sustain life.
Not hanging around and chasing after money, even where it is
not. And Jim Rohn declared: “Money is not chased, it is only
attracted by what you become” What are you planning to
become? Maybe the opening of this book will reshape your
mindset about money and purpose.

Do you talk of people who have lost their values in the name
of fashion? They pander to the fashions. Their minds are
projected to what is in vogue not what they need. Or what is
reasonable or acceptable. It is painful and ironic that our
desires are not actually what we need in life. One day you will
understand that five minutes of reading will prevent you from
unhelpful desires and emotions. Did I say one day? The day is
here. You have just picked up a book that will do it. Good luck!

“Literature is a process of producing beautiful lies that tell

more truth than any facts,” said Julian Barnes. So even though
this book is fiction, it has relatable truths about life which if
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followed rightfully will aid you and as well make you achieve
the ideal life.

In this fictional memoir, Beneath the Gloss, the chief

character, Ezugwu, like the elderly man we met, entertained
his children, Amarachi and Ugochi, with life stories like the
ruler of our community. So, you would think as you read this
book that your father is directly speaking to you. And who
doesn’t pay attention when his father speaks to him? In this
spirit, I know you would not hoard the knowledge and wisdom
you shall gather in this book, would you? Rather, I hope you
will share it with people around and beyond so that they too
will glean from the values you acquired.

Meanwhile, it is said that nothing is new under the sun. No

knowledge is entirely new. Voltaire would say: “There is no
originality; only judicious imitation.” This book is not an
exception. You may not find something new, but, maybe, you
shall have a rethink about life. All the same, if anything said
here does not appeal to your perception, feel free to discard
it.

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About The Book.

In childhood, while you go through life, you often think life is
a bed of roses. Especially if your parents are born with a silver
spoon. Your parents hold the responsibility to care for you.
They educate you as much as they can—so that you shall grow
and become better in life. Some of your parents swear to
impact you till they are satisfied you will never misbehave, no
matter the gloom of the environment you live in. They show
guidance as much as they deem proper. You are cared for,
guided to make the right decisions.

But what of the poor children in society who are underfed and
malnourished. Whose parents are uneducated or unwise? How
would their children grow to become better in society?
Especially when these parents cannot afford to send their
children to school.

These children are born in poverty and they grow to suffer

what they didn’t expect or what they have no control over.
Except by the intervention of the Almighty, most of them who
didn’t get an education because of their poverty resort to crime
to feed themselves---at least to keep the body and soul
together. If caught in the crime, the laws of the land shall be
heavy upon them. Some are fired, hanged, or sentenced to

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hard labour or life imprisonment, depending on the gravity of

the offense and its penalty. The law is blind and does not have
mercy if not, one would beg her to temper justice with mercy
when these youths are found guilty. Because most of them
commit these crimes—compelled by hunger and ignorance.
Hunger is too heavy to bear. And ignorance is heavier.

But they didn’t want to be illiterates, anyway. They are

because their parents cannot afford their education. And an
uneducated mind is wont to commit crimes. And perhaps
waste in society. So no one tells them they can grow out of
poverty even though they are poor. Unfortunately, they
continue to huddle under their misery. With no hope to expand
and impact humanity. They only find consolation in their
seeming, everlasting wretchedness, which has hitherto
become a norm to them —so gummed in their minds that they
think they can never change it. Only a few people grow out of
this misery.

In this book, a child, Ezugwu, who is born poor, challenges his

status quo. He doesn’t think like the rest of the children who
are born poor. His thinking is different. He does everything he
could to make life meaningful for himself and his children.
Though he is poor, he rejects poverty and works hard; he
commits his entire life to make a difference in society.
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His is even bitter as his father is an illiterate drunk---who lives

his life, drinking and lazing around in the village. And not only
that. He is slothful and weak. One would have taken solace if
he is hardworking but devoted to pleasure. In his case, he is
lazy and epicurean. So engaged in a pleasure that he climbs
his wife now and then. This desire makes him give birth to a
dozen children. He mindfully creates abject poverty for his
children.

But someone comes and says he shall not toe the footsteps of
his father. Ezugwu makes sure he achieves greatness despite
his destitution. Imagine you achieving greatness without a
helper. But this excuse is long overdue. For him, nothing
should prevent one from achieving what one wants if truly the
mind is committed. He commits his mind and focuses on the
possibilities. As he begins to walk in the way, the way appears.
He sees opportunities and what he could do to make life better
for his generation.

He has a calling to be a warrior to ward off injustice in the

land. He craves peace in the land and he thinks being a warrior
will make a difference. There is no money to learn to fight, and
his uncles are not concerned about his future. Not minding
those obstacles, he manages to start somewhere. He starts
fishing and the little money he gets; he saves them for the
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bigger dreams. From there, he learns to fight and keeps

educating his mind. He learns how to read and write and later
becomes a counselor. His life grows larger than life. He grows
his influence to make an impact. As a warrior, he conquers
many lands; and as a counselor, he saves folks who have lost
hope in all kinds of situations.

He becomes a beacon of hope to all the suffering people out

there who think greatness cannot be achieved if one is not
born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth. Because he achieves
greatness despite his poverty, he chronicles his experiences in
a book. His journey to marriage, purpose, wealth, and many
other engagements birthed this book. So in this book, it is filled
with his experiences. Using his stories as a specimen, he tells
his children what they will see on the rocky road of life and
how they would better handle them.

And he intends that his memoir shall serve as a guide to his

children and extensively to the world. Being so creative and
educated, he divides his life experiences into books. And each
book pinpoints a fragment of his experience. Through that
way, he runs a series of his life experiences to educate
humanity.

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Book 1:
I Want To Live Thick

Y
ou won’t believe what he told me. And he said to me:
“Ezugwu, you are very wise. I can’t believe you did
that.” I didn’t understand this was a mockery until he
continued: “How could you have done that? The woman that
all the villagers despise, you went to-- to show mercy. You
want to show us you are more sympathetic than anyone else.

“But I don’t see any reason this woman should be neglected.

True. She at one time committed adultery, but she had
repented. It is already past.” I said, looking downcast.

“It is already past. What are you saying? This is unforgivable.

Let her suffer the repercussion. The community has
pronounced her deed evil. She should even be thankful she
wasn’t ostracized.” Akpaka maintained, his eyes red with
anger. He almost punched me.

Before I knew it, my name was on the lips of all the villagers.
What did I do? I helped a woman carry her heavy loads to her
home. People rebuked me. My name lingered on the viral lips

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of almost all the villagers. I broke out. I felt like leaving this
world in an instant.

You will never believe what happened next. I didn’t eat for
some days. I lost my appetite. I only found consolation in
tears, huddling under the succour of sorrow. This happened
when I was a youth.

Now, my son. I appreciate you have come to your father for

counsel on how to live a thick and fulfilled life. Let me tell you:
it is a world filled with all kinds of humans, namely the haters,
jealous, envious, wicked, unkind, inhumane, wasteful, riotous,
and wild. Son, I can go on and on to list them, however, that
may not be as relevant as what I am about to tell you.

Ugo, you are my only son, and to succeed me and hold the
kind of reputation I enjoy, you must, without hesitation, do all
that I shall prescribe for you, and this, I believe will lead you
richly in this decaying world.

Do you consider your haters or critics? I mean, do you think

about them? If you do, son, you will never live a happy life.
Have you not asked me why I was always happy over and
over? I have not told you ever since because I sensed you
merely asked to know what made me happy. You weren’t as

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serious as you are right now. But today, son, I will tell you
because I have seen in your heart, a troubled soul, that if not
guided will decay and die. This counsel before you will mean
so much to you because you have come to seek it compelled
by experience. You had no experience the other time you came
to ask me to show you the secret of my happiness and so if I
had told you, it may not have meant big to you as now you
have come out of a personal experience.

Ugochi, you said you have a detractor, hater, who pokes at

you here and there. Whatever you do, he criticizes and
whatever you say, he attacks. Good, welcome to a new
experience that will shape your understanding. Son, did you
know that when you were a child, you challenged your peers
that attacked you? You challenged them to a duel. I can
remember vividly, in those duels, you always won and went
home feeling on top of the world and sometimes walking like
the proud king who had just slaughtered his enemies on the
battlefield. That time, you supposed your fellows should not in
any way challenge what you said or did because you thought
they shouldn’t — because you thought we are all entitled to
our opinions. Even as tender as you were, son, you understood
everybody ought to hold their opinions strictly and shouldn’t
be lambasted or despised because of them. Hence, you fought

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whoever disagreed with you rudely. Even though I understand

you did it because of your sincere antipathy for intimidation in
those years, I must say, if you continue like that in adulthood,
you will die prematurely.

Son, in those years, you beat your peers that insulted you,
probably because you thought you were stronger than them
and could correct them through your strong fists. Beating
them, in your understanding, would serve as a deterrent to
others who had contemplated doing the same or whose habits
spoke contempt. There, you won, won and won. You made
yourself king among your equals--simply because you were
stronger and needed to use your strength to fight what you
did not like in human behavior.

Listen, son, I want you to understand you are now a grownup.

Soon you will get married. Stop thinking it is still far. Time is
like a river- constant and flowing; it ticks every second and
each of the second brings you closer to manhood--then to
marriage and finally to death; that is if fate does not determine
otherwise. Because you are now a grownup, son, your lifestyle
should change. Did I say lifestyle? No. First, your perception
should change. It is not the way you perceived life as a child
that you should do as an adult. Your childhood perception
says: whoever insults me should be ready for my reproach or
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attack. That perception should be erased from your mind if you

want to live thick.

Just like the story I alluded to. In those years, I perceived life
prematurely. What people said about me made me feel bad.
So I have been there too. I know what you pass through right
now.

So those people you call your haters. Those you just told me
trouble your heart now and then should be handled like this:
don’t let what they do or say move you. Do you remember I
told you moments ago how you treated your critics as a child?
That was great of you — you were truly the son of your father,
African warrior. However, if you do the same as an adult, you
will live a plagued life. Sadness and worry shall torment your
life. And in case you don’t know, the new-found sickness called
Worry kills faster than any other chronic disease. Therefore,
when you hear a side story, act as if you didn’t hear; it is the
best thing to do when your haters buzz around you like the
annoying mosquitoes.

As a child, you challenged them and won because you were

stronger than them. Each time they insulted you and ran away,
you went after them; you knew where to get them. But right
now, Ugo, your strength has limitations. You can’t beat all of

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your detractors now even if you had the strength. One reason
is: Some of them, you don’t know. You just read an article in
the newspaper or other media and see one of them,
anonymous, tongue-lashing what you did or said. Just as the
one you told me follows you everywhere. Keep calm, what they
do or say should not stir you. It is part of life, and if you ask
me, that makes life a bit interesting.

Here is another way to handle it. To live a reputable life, you

must be different and do well to steer clear of the crowd. The
rest of the world may be moved or troubled by insults and
attacks pushed on them, but you mustn’t. Some people tend
to retaliate. The result? It rebounds and leads to a war of
words or fists. Don’t be among these people. Steer of such
people as friends, too. They feel retribution is golden. They
feel it should be strictly followed that they hurt people that
hurt them. But this, I tell you, leads to eternal sadness, for
their hearts shall never know peace as long as their haters live.
Meanwhile, when your haters hurt you, please, son, to live
long, act as the camel whose master beats him steadily until
no amount of lashes could hurt him. It must interest you to
know it is how I live my life, and this is one secret of my
happiness: what people say or think about me does not trouble
my heart. After my experiences, especially the one I recounted

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to you when I was a youth, I had to develop a thick skin--- to

handle without emotion what the rest of the world say or think
about me. If an action is right, I just do it without minding
whose ox is gored.

So you want to develop thick skin? Then live that way. Shhh!
Leave your haters to rant—they are angry with you because
they think you are better off. Live your heart desires and you
shall live thick and long. And never forget the old couplet:

Once I did bad, and that I heard ever.

Twice I did good, but that I heard never.

People do not always appreciate the good things you do. They
focus on the bad ones. So open your eyes. Beware of their
hurting remarks. I bid you a fulfilled life.

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Book 2:
Show Me The Way…

A
mara, my daughter. Welcome to the warrior’s
chamber. Sit well and compose yourself like a
woman whose presence matters most. And Feel
relaxed for what I am about to tell you needs your serenity. It
is the warrior’s chamber, I know, but the warrior is your father
and will not in any way contemplate hurting his only daughter.
These blades, sidearms, swords, and all these weapons you
see here are not intended to scare you. Be poised and listen
and never panic.

However, I am not as concerned about your fear of those

weapons as I am about your fear of men. I have heard it from
people several times, but I kept quiet. What is this I have
heard, you must ask? Good question. People close to me had
come in a row to inquire if I had troubled you in any way
beyond forgiveness. I wondered about the inquiry until they
told me your mood these days is sober. I had assured them I
know my daughter and how to make her happy, but not until
I discover what eats her up. Even before you came to ask me
to show you the way to start a new life, I had had a
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premonition that there was something wrong with your

emotion. Equally, I had noticed something was wrong before
outsiders’ concern and was waiting for the right time to strike.

I do not take to heart what people say about my daughter or

son, but what Mr. Ibe said yesternight was troubling.
Coincidentally, you have come to seek my counsel and I shall
through this platform talk senses into your mind. The truth
here is that you are tired of men who keep on breaking your
heart; you are wary of men who keep on promising you a
better life. Your hopes have been completely shattered. I
doubt if you still have hope of ever locking hands with a good
man that will finally pay your bride price. It is the dream of
every woman who is old enough to procreate. Right?

Mr. Ibe said you rarely greet him these days. This is a man
equal in age to your father. This is a man who was my saviour,
so many years ago, in the war between our land and the
Amansis-- enemies of this kingdom. The Amansis, our eternal
enemies, I know, would never rest until they reoccupy the land
we took from them after the war that almost consumed your
father. But honestly speaking, Amara, the land rightfully
belonged to us and the gods of our land knew it and helped us
in the battle. We won and retook our belongings. Sorry, my
daughter, I had drifted a bit from our focus and had thrown in
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a story that reminds me of blood, tears, and angst. But, I want

to remind you that if not Mr. Ibe, the man you ignore even
though he is a respected warrior of our land, your father would
have probably been laid to rest in his grave a long time ago
and you might not have been born.

Amara, if your mother were alive and found out you ignore
him, she would be unpleased. And sure, she would rebuke you
as I am doing. Hear me, my daughter, when someone else
mars your mood, do not let it affect your relationship with
others and never transfer the aggression to anyone. I know
how bitter you feel right now because men have broken you.
Nevertheless, that should not be enough reason to ignore
people or hate men in general or not to love again. Good men
shall come and you will enjoy one. Men are not ghosts,
befriend them as you had been doing; don’t be afraid of them
as if they were demons, but be careful with whom you choose
to date. And never in your life have such insular belief that all
men are alike. There are still good men out there but until you
meet one, you may not agree with me. I promise you, one day
you shall see a man whose heart and soul are in tune with
yours. Only then shall you clutch him by fists and walk him to
my abode where I shall bless the sacred union in good faith
and spirit.

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Amarachi, my daughter, to get the kind of man I described

above, there are sacrifices to pay and that is the way I ought
to show you. Only when you follow this path, shall you get
suitors rushing to you. Your mother (May her soul rest in
peace) paid the price before she caught my attention. I wasted
no time and ran to Umuugwu, her hometown, and paid her
bride price.

You see, I am glad you have decided to cool down and have a
rethink of your life. Because you thought well and seek my
counsel, I will not turn my back on you. Wait. I want to review
your previous relationships. I want to point out the errors that
led to their failures. Before I go on to count your weaknesses,
I would like to apologize for bringing you back to recall the
agony you passed through, perhaps because of your
(partner’s.) frailties. Forgive me, but I have to do it to cut
across clearly where I am headed and be able to drive home
the points and lessons.

Now, pay attention, my daughter. Most of the pains you

passed through were self-induced. How do I mean? Just
Listen. Do you remember when your Mama was alive? From
time to time, she kept warning you to dress becomingly. She
persuaded you that a virtuous woman is first known by
appearance before character. I overheard her sometime
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before her demise, oh! May her gentle soul rest in peace; I
overheard her, yes, tell you that if you continue to dress
provocatively that you would continue to attract men whose
desires are but only your body. She went on…she told you that
a real woman of African descent was not supposed to show her
nipples or buttocks like the western people, whose culture, I
think, does not frown at such attire.

What did you do thereafter? You paid a deaf ear to her

instructions and dressed as you deemed fit or perhaps as your
friends thought appropriate. You suddenly forgot you had
come from a warrior’s home whose reputation is widely
recognized in the land. You nearly forgot she was your mother
and wanted only good for you. And you talked back at her for
reproaching you each time she discovered a misdemeanor. At
a point, she became tired and left you to choose what you
wanted and that she did out of frustration. I saw all of that but
as a warrior traveling from one place to the other in
commitment to restore peace where there was none, I hardly
had time to talk to you or maybe give you some peaceful
lashes- so that whenever you remember them, you would
comport yourself. I failed in my shared responsibility to train
you so that you shall bear a good trait of African womanhood.

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Forgive me. I thought your mother would single-handedly take

care of that. She did all she could anyway, but you treated her
words with disdain.

Nonetheless, it is not yet too late to correct, my daughter, and

that is why I am happy you have come to know the rightful
ways to follow after your failures. So, from every indication,
you did not get a good man because of the way you dressed;
it did not attract good men or potential suitors. It only
attracted riffraff, random people with no virtue in them. And
what made you think those kinds of people would ever have
any intention of getting married to you? What they usually
want is a pleasure- in the shortest term, sex. Immediately they
take advantage of your body, they would find fault in the
relationship, as a matter of fact, a feeble excuse, and use it as
a ground for separation. That is how they operate on each
woman they meet by such first impression. Nudity, my
daughter, is no virtue and will never be, and when you
understand this, you will get a good husband.

What else did I discover? Good, I just remembered. I learned

you are impatient with men. You have a penchant for patient
men, but you are not one yourself. You need someone who will
pamper you, who will cosset you like a newborn baby; who will
treat you like gold, yet you get angry at every slightest
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provocation and bandy words with your elders. I really don’t

know where you learned this attitude, my daughter because it
is not in our genes to be bitter or aggrieved at people who
have lost their sense of doing good or behaving well. We only
try to correct them through our own attitude else we don’t
blame them-- for everybody can never think rationally as you
do or put up with the way you think.

And here you are with an impatient attitude towards men. You
go to them with an untoward approach when they reason
differently from the way you do. Who keeps such a woman at
home, whether in courtship or wedlock? None. I want you to
understand that it is a weakness to be intolerant. You don’t
expect every man to be as you cherish, otherwise you will
never settle with anyone since no one will ever reason as
exactly as you accept. Only try to know what they love and
are pleased doing and what they hate and are frowned doing.
Living peacefully with your partner would be a chase after a
shadow until you understand his heart. When you get this kind
of spouse you have taken time to understand, then you have
found the good man I have been noting. For no man is good
among all women. It is the ability of the woman to identify the
good in them more than the weaknesses that matter most.
Likewise, no woman is perfect before all men but the ability of

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the man to recognize the good more than the faults that makes
all the difference. Wear this kind of attitude and you will be
sure to get your heart desire.

Smile for me, my daughter. I thought I apologized before I

began my rebuke. Yes. Good! That is my daughter. You
resemble your mother in every way. Your hairstyle is akin to
hers. She usually put up a brittle hairstyle, standing skyward,
held by a hairslide; and each time I looked at her hairs, I
remembered heaven. To date, anytime I perceive a similar
fragrance of her hairspray, I am drawn to remember her
coiffure. And your lips soften as hers, even though hers were
a little more relaxed. Her nose had a bit of an opening like
yours. And it was such a good-natured nose that one hardly
heard its noise when answering the call of nature. Combined
with her body language, the way she walked and
demonstrated her speeches was a wonder. Most charmingly,
the way you smile reminds me of her glinting, dimple-laden
face. How she smiled cheerfully and trod softly on this rocky
road of life amazed me. She always wore a smiling face as if
her life was devoid of challenges. And when I asked her why
she always possessed such an enlivening spirit, she told me
this: “nothing, however tragic, is worth taking away my
happiness” Here is the bottom-line. You can be happy no

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matter what. So I encourage you to initiate that attitude of

your mother in your life if you must tread softly as she did.

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Book 3
Fragments

H
e left Nzutobia at twenty in search of greener
pasture. After being tired and bored with his
community— where he tasted poverty and smelt
humiliation, he decided to change the narrative. The will to
succeed in life pushed Ikuku to make a decision- a decision
that took him five months before he was convinced.

The poor boy, who had a passion to make it in life, traveled to

Omolo to learn a skill or rather to improve on the one he had.
Before he left, neither his parents nor his relatives gave him
an endorsing encouragement, let alone give him some money.
Nevertheless, he pulled through the difficulties as he scraped
off any discouragement that would have preyed upon him.
Because he had decided to succeed, he let nothing stand in his
way. None of those challenges kept him in the village.

Omolo was a town fraught with busy, hardworking, and fervent

people— who were ready to make wealth. It was where you
could hardly see a lazy man. Now and then, people traded with
fun, laughing away their worries. The shoe menders worked

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with enthusiasm and made sure no one’s footwear was bad;

the artists created portraits that stunned the globe- almost
putting life in them; cattle rearers supplied enough to the
butchers; thread weavers made wonderful designs; teachers
instructed with fervour and without pretension; traders sold
with passion. It was such a cultured town that anyone would
have loved to be, at least to experience peace for some
moments.

My son, did you know that when Ikuku arrived, what he saw,
however, was terrible? His master was hurting, niggardly, and
high-handed. He made sure he would not eat his three square
meals daily. But even on his empty stomach, Ikuku didn’t
evade his responsibility. He never complained, neither did he
groan to elicit pity. He worked as though he ate like the
elephant when he ate like the ant. He knew that to succeed in
the hands of his cruel master, he had to endure every bit of
his molestations. He had sworn never to go back where he
came from without success- and he was ready to bear almost
anyhow. He never expected tougher times as he migrated but
he said to himself: “nothing will on earth or beneath the earth
make me withdraw from this journey”.

He treaded softly amid the agony, learning both skills-- the art
of relating with his master and the art of his main job. What
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was his area of training? Ikuku was gifted by his ancestors with
the ability to make portraits. He could draw you, Ugo, until you
hardly can differentiate the real you from his work. But
because he needed to horn his craft and make wealth through
it, he left his comfort zone—to a far place where he thought
would open doors of opportunity. He knew opportunity rarely
came with comfort but hardship.

Nzelibe, his master, trained him till he mastered difficulties.

Each time he misbehaved, he would whip him, deprive him of
food, and send him out in the middle of the night to sleep
outdoors. Each hurting rebuke strengthened him. His focus
was to learn the work till he becomes excellent and begins to
make a profit. So, whatever he saw, however painful, made
him more focused, brave, and determined.

Fortunately, after three years, Ikuku left his master to begin

his own business. Seeing how exceptional his work was,
people rushed and patronized him. People who recently
worked with his master left to work with him, as his work was
so outstanding. Suddenly, the fire of his master was
extinguished, and he came threatening. His fierce-looking
master said he should leave the enclave within which he
operated. He was afraid had he stayed longer in the region, he
would take away all his clients. Ikuku, not wanting to quarrel
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with him, left the region and went farther to continue his
business. This time, he was more fortunate as fortunes
favoured the bold.

In Akpata, the territory he moved to, he made art the subject

of attention. People, especially children, would come around in
his workshop and watch as he did magic with his hands. People
of the community were astonished when they saw the portrait
of the eldest man in the village in his workshop. He drew and
painted him beyond improvement. No one else could have
done better. Henceforth, all and sundry, patronized and
honoured him. He felt like the universe belonged to him; like
he was the only person who could do art to the extreme.

Ugo, like I told you- Ikuku had always desired to be rich, and
that was why he left his hometown. At this moment, he was
getting the money but could hardly recount the way he spent
them. The skilled man remained stagnant, neither growing nor
shrinking financially. Year after year, he never improved in
finance. To double his money and increase financially, Ikuku
resorted to gambling. Gambling is as old as mankind. In
Akpata, everyone thought it was the easiest means to gain
wealth, hence, he joined them.

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Driven by his ambition to make excessive money, every day,

after work, he went to gamble. He became frequent at it until
he was addicted. He made money and sometimes lost. He
continued enjoying the game. But in a few years, Ikuku lost
his fortunes to gambling and was forced by hunger to come
back to Nzutobia after so many years of striving to make it.
Today, Ikuku is poor, wretched and hardly can feed his
children.

Son, you have insisted I teach you the secrets to create

wealth; good, but you must pay attention. Listen, let me tell
you what the wealthy class hardly disclose to poor people:
first, to create wealth, you must find something you are
passionate about and swear to use it- to create an impact. You
must be exceptional at it, no doubt, but it doesn’t stop there.
Ikuku was so good at art that everyone recognized him, but
what happened? No one creates wealth by merely being
excellent at what they do. Ikuku was so good at gambling, but
what happened?

No one creates lasting wealth through gambling. I could list

my friends who lost money through this scheme, but that will
not be my focus.

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Here comes the interesting part. Twenty years ago, someone

I once counseled visited me to show appreciation. He shared
with me the secrets to wealth apart from the ones I knew.
Obiora was a wealthy man who started from scratch like your
father. He was born and bred in a typical village, but didn’t let
this become an obstacle. His ancestors blessed him with the
gift of making sculptures — he made statues or monuments
that were almost in competition with the ancient carvings. As
he toiled through poverty, he always remembered that the gift
of a man-made way for him. His sufferings will shock you. He
trekked a distanced river to fetch water; he ploughed
hundreds of heaps in people’s farm to get paid; he labored-
doing anything, however difficult or time-consuming, just to
make sure food was on the table. Even with all the strength
and competence with which he displayed his expertise,
sometimes he would go home without wage-- with an empty
stomach. Should I recount all his sufferings, Ugo, you would
cry out and pity him. Nevertheless, he scaled the wall of
hardship and came out triumphant.

How did Obiora do it? To be wealthy in this world, son,

something must drive you; you must have a purpose that
comes from within. A purpose that breaks away from excuses,
evasions, and derelictions. A persistent purpose that succumbs

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to none of the surrounding forces- be it hardship, misfortune,

heartbreaks. Whatever!

When Obiora discovered that he was born in poverty but gifted

as a sculptor, he made no excuse, rather, he worked to
unleash the talent. He began saving the money he got from
the menial jobs he did. He pulled out what he called fragments
from the money he earned. And the fragments, as he said,
should not be less than twenty percent. He paid ten percent to
himself and ten percent to the Most Highs for security. Because
he was determined to leave his hometown and establish a
business around his talent, he engaged in a lot of self-denials,
depriving himself of the good things of life just to make sure a
part of what he earned belonged to him to keep-- no matter
how less he earned. Material possessions didn’t trouble him.
Even though his peers showcased these possessions: costly
garments, bracelets, and necklaces. He didn’t mind, because
he knew his purpose was greater than those instant
gratifications.

Ugo, at the end of everything, Obiora saved up to the amount

he needed and left the village to establish his dream business.
Did it stop there? No. The journey had just begun. As he made
statues and get paid for the job well done, he learned more
about wealth. At this moment he could buy any expensive
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material he wanted, but he chose not to. Why? It is because

one principle of wealth frowns at spending and wholly enjoying
your life when you have not invested. He sought knowledge
about investment, where, if he puts his money, it would
multiply. Eventually, after seeking knowledge from experts in
the area he wanted to invest in, Obiora invested in building
houses for rent in the town he resided. Boom! His money
began to grow, and he continued to multiply it until he was
convinced no matter how much he spent, his generation would
never be poor.

Ugo, no one ever becomes wealthy without financial literacy.

This thing called money is untamed and most times a master
to the foolish. It controls and makes people slaves, which is
why only the few who can have control of it and understand
the simple laws that govern its acquisition, make it. The
difference between Ikuku and Obiora is not farfetched. One
was financially reckless while the other was financially
intelligent. You could make all the money in the world, but if
you lack the discipline of wealth, you will lose it in a second.
Son, this is the reason you must first seek wisdom before
wealth. If you could gather wisdom before wealth, you will
never in your life lack it, but if you seek the latter first, you
will lose it all. Had anyone told Ikuku he would lose all his

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money in gambling, he would have doubted because the

beginning of anything that leads to doom always comes out
shiny. The bitterest poisons, they say, come in the most tasty
mushrooms. He won enough money gambling when he
started, and this made him lose focus on the appropriate ways
to make wealth. What followed? Doom. But if he had sought
wisdom, I bet you, Ugo, he would have made it.

My son, everyone can be rich, but not everybody will. This is

because creating wealth requires wisdom. It is not learned in
school and this is why most of your teachers and high-profiled
tutors are poor. They are carried away by the joy of the salary
they receive that they lose focus on the main thing- which is
planning on how the money will work for them. But the issue,
Ugo, is that none of them agree they are paid enough, let alone
establish a business with it. But the same people spend
extravagantly in gratifying their desires. Listen, let me tell you,
my son: desires and wealth do not work in congruence with
each other. As a beginner, as someone who just started on the
road to creating wealth, you must leave one to attain the
other. A wise man once said: “Beware of little expenses. A
small leak will sink a great ship”. Until you make it, do not
disturb yourself with the temporary pleasures of this world.

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The wealthy class stays wealthy because they have little

wants, unlike the poor who have a lot of wants. This agrees
with what the ancient philosopher, Epictetus said: “Wealth
consists not in having great possessions but in having few
wants” To really make it, my son, you need to differentiate
wants from needs; you need to make sure that any dime spent
has a hundred percent appreciated value; you need to put up
a ledger and record your financial activities- at least to stop
worrying about where you have spent all your money. Most of
what we call needs are wants, I repeat; so you must be careful
with what you call priorities. If the passion to make wealth is
really burning in you, you could do anything to make it just
like Obiora and I did. You could wisely minimize the normal
expenses you make or eradicate them.

Did I tell you? I almost forgot to eat just to make sure I saved
up money to learn to fight. The purpose was greater than my
flesh, hence, I did the unusual; I did most things my peers
could not do because I had something inside that worried and
haunted me. I wanted global peace— the situation where the
world can exist without repression or marginalization, without
chaos or disorder, without discrimination or prejudice. So I
thought my bit skill of fighting and education combined with a
plethora of efforts from other people would scare away

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enemies of good governance and put an end to insecurity and

injustice. I thought about global peace, my son, but I had to
start locally. I began fishing and from there, moved to fighting,
until, after a decade of struggle, my master conferred me with
the honour of a warrior. Today, kingdoms consult me for
counsel. Through my purpose, I carved out wealth. Do you see
it?

Because I have always had a penchant for studies, I gathered

a lot of wisdom about making wealth. So while I struggled in
the race, I was very careful with the paltry amount I gained to
avoid losing it in the hands of fraudsters. Son, can I be
completely honest with you? Swindlers abound. So here is the
caution: be careful of how you part your money with people
you don’t trust. Not every one that talks about money is rich;
not everyone that writes about money is rich; not everyone
that dresses superbly is rich. Our people say: Obughi ihe niile na
amuke bu olaedo. All that glitters is really not gold. There are so

many fraudsters out there who want to make money by hook

or by crook. Please, shine your eyes, so you will not fall victim
to their fraud. Avoiding some of these sad situations, also,
contributes to making wealth. Because I have seen rich people
suddenly become poor. Why? They were duped. Beware.

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Here is another way to think about it. Make sure you are
determined as you quest for wealth. I won’t promise you an
easy road. And to be candid, there are no easy roads. You only
have to put on an armour of persistence and continuous hard
work, bearing in mind that it will all end well. You will
encounter failures, disappointments, and heartbreaks just like
Obiora and I did. But never let those obstacles stop you.
Remember, if it is easy, everybody will do it. So the difficulty
differentiates you from the poor — because the poor see ore
in every gold while the rich see gold in every ore. Obiora, while
he rutted in poverty, saw his poverty-stricken lineage as an
opportunity—the opportunity to change his appalling history
and leave a legacy. He became the first person to be great in
his descent. Do you see it? A poor mind would have taken his
poverty as an excuse to remain poor.

This man called Obiora had a stout heart. He once disclosed to

me how he endured his private tragic life--the life behind the
scene, usually hidden from the public. People he owed,
insulted, humiliated, and threatened him. Son, in the race to
make wealth, always remember there will be rainy days. That
time when you will have nothing and have to borrow. But when
you couldn’t pay back at an agreed time because of accidents
in life, don’t panic or run away from your creditors. None of

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that solves the problem, instead, try continuous negotiations.

It is only diplomatic moves that will lead to the settlement and
make you keep their friendships. Same also when someone
owes you. Do not threaten them, because life is already
difficult for almost everyone, rather, continually use a peaceful
approach. However, you should not lend any money you are
not willing to lose. This is to save friendship when the debtor
couldn’t make it at the agreed time. But be beware of how you
weigh all this; most times friendships are more important than
money.

Son, these are some rundown guidelines that I think will help
you. You must follow them lest you stumble in the race. And
like I will always tell you, don’t depend on my riches. The gifts
thrust on you differ from mine, so you must find it and impact
humanity through it. As you work on the gift, in all your
thinking, think wealth—because money makes possible the
enjoyment of the best the earth affords. Good luck!

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Book 4
Magnets

S
pears zoomed, swords clanked, blood gushed. Men
with vigour and courage had remained on the
battlefield. At the hardest moment of war, where no
one will be willing to surrender or retreat, you know who has
got the most skills of combat. I made sure my men handled
the situation without fear. At intervals, I shouted to them: “Do
not put down your weapons and never be intimidated by their
size. You won yesterday. Win today. Win! Win! Win!” I sang
the song of victory amidst the splashing of blood.

My daughter, I was paid heavily to lead these warriors to the

battlefield, and losing to me was an abomination. I had trained
them for six months in the expertise in using spears, arrows,
swords, and other petty weapons at our disposal. Hence, as a
warrior, anything other than triumph would be a disaster to
my reputation. Therefore, I continued with a stout heart,
making sure I, as a leader, remain motivated to keep others
in high spirits.

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The war continued. A good number of warriors had been killed.

We were only ten at this time whereas they were fifty.

“Don’t be afraid. Conquer!” I kept chanting invigorating words.

Each time the war seemed impossible to win, I remember how
the king of Egodia lamented about these monsters. “They had
snatched our five plots of lands in the boundary between
Egodia and Igodia.” He had said, almost shedding tears. If
sympathy was enough, mine would have healed his wound.
“They had done that because they felt they were more
powerful than we were,” he continued, feeling more
embittered. This line hurt me. If there was anything I hated as
a warrior, it was seeing one kingdom intimidate the other with
power and might. “The enmity between Egodia and Igodia is
so hot that my people now live in fear” he cried out. I watched
sweat drop from his brow to his lips down to his regalia.
Amarachi, that was the first time I saw a king troubled so
hotly. He paced back and forth in the palace in anguish. If all
kings should be troubled like that when their communities are
threatened, then, I guess, there would be nothing to worry
about in times of troubles and people will stop moaning about
leaders’ indifference.

The king finally sat down. At this moment, his jittery had
evaporated. “Mmonwu ndi iro” he addressed me with my title
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name. “Ezugwu, the great warrior,” he continued “I need your

help. Show them the gods of our land have mighty men. I have
hired you for this job because I know nobody else who can do
it better. I have heard about your exploits in the land. Frighten
these wolves, or rather wipe them out so that we shall have
eternal peace. I do not care one man birthed the two
kingdoms.”

I wept as two kingdom brothers, Egodia and Igodia, swarm in

chaos. Efforts by arbitrators to settle the dispute proved
abortive. From Odumani, the king of Egodia, I came to know
the Igodians started the fight. Irritated because the younger
kingdom intimidated them, Odumani fired back but lost in the
battle. Sooner, they came back in the middle of the night and
almost destroyed the whole village. Odumani and his
household narrowly escaped death. It was his fury regarding
how his people were maimed that inspired his vengeance.
Fortunately, he heard about a great warlord and without ado,
invited me. Even though I was a warrior and counselor who
had seen various problems, I honestly felt pity for this
kingdom.

Amarachi, as I remembered the agony of Egodians, I swore in

the war front that I must leave with a victory. Right now, ten
warriors were left on our side, but I still made heating moves.
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My flesh had tasted swords, I never died. Arms had wounded

my body, I never succumbed. I had been a victim of arrows, I
survived. “So why would I lose this battle?” I asked myself.
You could imagine how I made self-talk to get energized even
while I was engaged in the blood field. Self-talk had helped me
more than any weapon in my fighting career. It was the last
weapon I used to win when it seemed other weapons were
blunt.

The commander of my opponents, I noticed, was a great

warlord too. He had led the previous fight and won. Only his
stature scared warriors. He had a heavy chest but a flat
tummy. His muscles jutted as well as his shoulders. His eyes
were fiery, teeth, cluttered, feet, crooked. But who cared
about those things? On the battlefield, no one looks at your
bodily features. I was only wary of his tactics as he had used
deception on us. In the beginning, the fifty warriors fighting
now were kept aside unnoticed. It was when we were on the
verge of winning that he made a sign for the rest to come out.
In a flash, all of them surrounded us. Aah! Ten against fifty.
There was no escape route for us. Besides, we didn’t look for
it as we had sworn by the blood of our brethren to go home
with a conquest.

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Seeing things had gone scarier, I kept amusing myself with

pep talks: Whatever you have to do to win, do so. Win this
war, Ezugwu. Win this war, Ezugwu! Suddenly, I regained the
deepest strength I never imagined. Amarachi, I never knew I
had this strength until I saw we were greatly in danger
regarding the numbers that challenged us at the moment. I
learned it is when things get difficult that one must be brave.
So, blistering with anger, I slew twenty warriors in a few
minutes. Among the remaining ten by our side, I saw two
taken away by an arrow. “What!” I exclaimed. “Thirty against
eight” I muttered to myself. Pressured by this, I decided to
face the commander, seeing how skillful he was with swords.
But each effort made to reach him was to no avail as his men
blocked me on the way. “No retreat No retreat! Surrender is
no option!” I shouted, encouraging my men. Each of my chants
gave them courage. They were never as daring as I made
them. I remember seeing one of them butchered the opponent
in fury immediately my words motivated him. I saw their
valiance taking a heating effect.

My daughter, thanks to the Most Highs, I finally reached the

mighty commander who had bitten more than he could chew.
But before I could reach him, I had sustained an injury as the
warriors in the way hit me.

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Blood gushed and pains floated within. It was terrible, but I

didn’t mind. I tore off a strip of cloth to make a rough bandage
and then wrapped it on the wound. I adjusted my armour and
continued the fighting. Driven by the fury of seeing my blood,
I made sure to bring him down. I was convinced once I get
him down, the rest would surrender, hence, I focused on him.

“Mmonwụ ndi iro, I have heard the story of your exploits, but
today, you shall be taken by my sword.” Ezennaya, the
commander said to me.

“Prove it in action, not in words” I retorted. “The hunter brings

home a grasscutter and beats his chest. What about the
elephant killer?”

“Oh! You think you are the elephant killer! But be it known to
you that the fire that grows into flame is always
underestimated until it consumes the whole house. Don’t dare
doubt my guts, Ezugwu!”

“The empty vessel makes the loudest noise”

“You call me a noisemaker. The swords shall prove who makes

noise”

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“As cheerful as I may look, remember every cobra is

poisonous, whatever its gloss” I smiled wryly.

“We shall know who is more poisonous” the commander

roared.

“And you shall know I am the dry meat that fills the mouth
and the fire that burns without faggots.” I said, my red eyes
roving.

“No more words, let the fight begin” he thundered. And the
fight began.

Amarachi, did you know even though I had been seriously

injured, I defeated him? Yes, I did, and not because I was
stronger but because I was driven by pains and anger. The
rest quickly surrendered and your father went home with a
victory.

My daughter, I am sorry if the horror of the story made you

feel bad. I understand how women feel a deep sense of
revulsion at stories such as this, but bear with me as I only
want to incite a lesson. I had stayed many months on the road,
stressed out, but while I was away, something kept ringing in
my mind. There was something I missed. Each time I left
home, my mind would not be at rest until I got home. What

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was that? Your mother’s meals. The meals she prepared for
me were awesome. I loved abacha, and she knew how to
prepare it very well. When I came home, worn-out, she
prepared the meal for her sweet husband. I began to regain
my strength and forgot the memories of the war. Sounds
unbelievable? Listen, your mother knew my heart, and she
knew what I loved most. Constantly, she made sure I got what
I wanted in bed and meals. These are two things that could
keep a man running home.

So, my daughter, attempt to have something you could do

very well that your husband will remember each time he is
away. I wouldn’t deny I found no unique things in your mother
that no other woman could give me better. You may not
understand how men love good meals; you may not
understand how men love the pleasures of the bedroom until
you get married. These are the overlooked ingredients in
marriage, but they are the magnets- they bring spouses
together faster than you can imagine. And she who could learn
the skills very well will perfect her marriage. When you get
married, never forget these.

A man once came to me in search of my service. He arrived

very early in the morning, just a few minutes before I had left
my study. I remember this incident because it was the day I
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first opened a book that transformed my life greatly.

Amarachi, this book had been on my shelf for so many years
but didn’t get any attention. Sometimes, solutions to your
problem are within a book close to you. But the problem with
the youth is that they are overwhelmed by the pleasures of
life, that they hardly get busy with their books. Be different,
my child, because most of what you need in life are hidden in
good books. Therefore, to get ahead of your contemporaries,
make sure to be a good reader. I always want you to follow
my footsteps so you shall be respected among men.

What was I saying? Ok. The man had come for something
urgent. I took a glance at him and noticed he was wary. I knew
how to handle such people when they visited. Seeing remnants
of snuff in his nose, I came to know he loved it. Noses that
took them were obvious. My wife was in the kitchen, so I sent
her to buy snuff for him. Kola nut was in a wooden disk in my
chamber, so I made for it. Quickly, I rushed to Omaga, the
palm wine tapper, and paid for one pot of palm wine. He had
just come back from work, and so his wine was still fresh and
appetizing. The foams jilted. The man was now looking with
gaiety as he had seen attractive wine. My daughter, I
supposed the sight of the wine removed eighty percent of his
worries.

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“Onye wetera ojii wetera ndu” I said, grinning. And truly he

who brings Kola nut brings life. He replied “Iseeee!” I beckoned
the gods of our land for health and fruitful harvest. And most
paramountly, for our present needs. I broke the kola nut and
found it was three lobes. When he tasted it, he confirmed its
quality. To the wine, I had already put some into our drinking
horns. He sipped it and exclaimed. The wine tasted good too,
and he loved it. “Who made it?” he asked just as he cocked his
head. “Omaga, the great palm wine tapper of Nzutobia” I said,
stressing the name. I wanted him to know that no one tapped
palm wine better than him. I saw his face gleaming “I can’t
endure this. I must meet him before I go” he said, chuckling.
I made sure he was satisfied before he struck a conversation.

“Ndewo” he appreciated and went straight to why he had

come. “I have come for something I am ashamed to say,” he
said, looking down in disgrace. “But I can’t keep silent lest I
continue to get hurt.” His voice was weak as he recounted his
suffering. In a flash, our enjoyment of the wine dissolved as
he let in the sad story. “It sounds crazy but…” he paused and
swung his head “I have to do it,” he said, nodding.

I could not decipher from his mood the exact problem, so I

waited for him to arrive. “I want to let my wife go because I
can’t enjoy her in bed. But… but my scruples keep me off the
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decision.” He snapped. “She does nothing terrible apart from

this. I have come to seek your counsel, wise one”

Amara, my daughter, this thing breaks home more often than

not. Unfortunately, spouses feel shameful to talk about it
openly whereas it is harmful to a marriage. Pray to get a
husband whose sexual behavior blends with yours and you will
erase a huge percent of marital problems.

As a wise counselor in Nzutobia, there was a time the king

requested me to address the community about the issue. The
day occurred to be a day he celebrated his survival. A
prolonged illness had afflicted him. Oh! Amara, you should
have seen how the infirmity made him gaunt. When I went to
see him, people surrounded his bed in utter agony. I saw some
women crying and sympathizing with his wife. One felt as
though he was her husband as she played a very concerned
role while I stayed. A few minutes after I arrived, the king
begged for privacy and they all left, assuring him revival.

“Can I survive this?” he asked, despaired. I gave him a

fleeting, reassuring look and nodded. What I saw made me
speechless: his body was strewn with rashes, feet, swollen,
flesh, thin. The medicine men in Nzutobia confessed it was a
rare infirmity. Most of their efforts to heal the king proved

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ineffective. However, they continued to research, going miles

away into the forest in search of herbs that will best cure him.

I heard one even went to Agbatobia forest, the only forest that
men were afraid of. My daughter, because I had been curious
all my life, I made sure he recounted the story of his
experience in the forest to me. When he came back, I was the
first to summon him to narrate his experience to me and
gracefully he obliged…

“Your Majesty, feel hopeful that nothing will ever happen to

you and it won’t.” I told him, still examining his condition.
Actually, the illness was serious, but I believed when any
illness defied all medications, the only proper medicine
becomes hope.

“Hope, you said?” he asked, slightly aggrieved.

“Yes, your Majesty” I assured him.

“Anyway, I have heard from Ezugwu. What else shall I say? I

believe people who study deeply like you, have the best
emotional medicine to offer in a tragedy like this. You are such
an African genius.”

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“Thanks, Your Majesty, for your compliment. I am only

privileged. You shall be well indeed.”

No death occurred, Amarachi. After some time, the king

became well. It was in this happy moment that he told me to
address the issue which had been plaguing various families.
Men and women had severally come to him for marital advice-
especially on the part affecting sexuality. As the first son of
the soil, he offered them advice to the best of his knowledge.
But he told me it had been a burden to him and so he needed
my special assistant in the task-- to tackle it once and for all.
This led me to address hundreds of spouses on the issue, and
without surprise, it drastically reduced the regular occurrence
of divorce and quarrel in wedlock.

The bottom-line is: what people overlook or are ashamed to

talk about in a marriage brings separation, quarrel, and
divorce most of the time. Therefore, always be free to talk
about your sexual worries with your partner. It is not a taboo
to share the issue and where there is breaking, both should
attempt to mend.

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Book 5:
Prepare Me For Wedlock

U
go, my son, what you asked for is not only crucial
in a man’s life but mandatory if a man is to live a
happy married life. In that regard, I will do well to
attend to your craving with delight. It is such a delight a father
feels when his son discovers what will help him in life and
quests for it.

As much as I have always want you to succeed in anything you

put your effort into, I mostly love it when you seek my advice
rather than I forcing it on you. The reason being: First,
because you have asked for it, it shows your willingness to
know better and you will give it more attention. Second, it
convinces me you are old enough to understand that avoiding
misfortune through counsel or experience of others is nobler
than experiencing it yourself. This brings me to handshake
your boldness for seeking what the youth of these days avoid.

Good, I will start by telling you a bit about my journey as a

youth. Through my experience, you shall see what you have
sought after. My son, I had gone through life in the days of my

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youth as a pauper with no hope. I drank the wine of life to its

dregs, whereas most people soaked the bubbles. I came from
a poor family with no possession to boast of. We hardly ate
three square meals daily. Even though food was not so much
of my concern, I must admit it was difficult battling hunger. I
thought the hunger was endless because as we advanced in
age, things became worse instead of better.

My father, I am sorry to say, was slothful. His laziness was

alarming, yet he produced a dozen children. This led to our
abject poverty. And it seemed he enjoyed his gloom as a poor
man because he never showed remorse for being poor. I
remember seeing him fall in a ditch beside the village square.
I rushed to the spot only to find out he was drunk. I wouldn’t
have left him there, and so I slung him at my shoulder and
took him home. I was lucky no one saw me as I made home
in pain on leaden feet. If any of my peers had seen me, I would
have been the object of ridicule the next day. I would have
been taunted as always, this time, because of my irresponsible
father rather than our poverty.

What wounded me most was his libido. As a child, I could

remember my mother bemoaning he was incapable of
providing for the household, yet he kept forcing himself on her
in search of pleasure, and this act usually led to conception.
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In retrospect, I would have been happy if mother had resisted,

but I learned later he would have battered her if she had done
that. Was that not craziness, son? It is silly in this part of the
world, people produce children more than they can take care
of. This was my father’s most unkindness to his children. We
embraced the suffering my father put us into. As a farmer, we
helped him plough most of his lands, sold the proceeds to keep
the body and soul together. But sadly, he rarely showed hard
work in his vocation even when his fellows were putting
everything they had.

At a point, son, I stopped complaining and did something so I

will, at last, harvest life like a stalk of grain. I put in the effort.
I had to stop spilling venom at my father so I would be calm
to plan for my future. I was very lucky to discover that his
laziness and poverty would not affect me if I challenged my
thinking. As the first son of the family, I wanted to design a
generation that would not in any form resemble my father’s.

I loved women like my father did but I was afraid to toe his
footsteps seeing how unfruitful it was. Hence, I shut my desire
for women and began to create a better future. I had a taste
for beautiful women and to achieve this, I thought I should be
rich first to enjoy them. Therefore, I had to follow the path to

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greatness and delayed every instant pleasure and gratification

I had known.

Every morning I left for Nzute River. Fishing was a lucrative

business in those years, and so I endeavored to profit from it.
My master was helpful to me- he gave me some days off to
attend school. I was irregular at school but I didn’t get much
of the headmaster’s rebuke because, in the olden days, the
Europeans begged people to attend school. It was difficult
combining business with education, but I had to pass through
that yolk to change my narrative. I was hungry for success, so
I didn’t bother about the difficulty.

I began saving money to learn the skill of fighting. I loved the

fun of using arms to bring peace when every step to do it
peacefully was unmet. I had to gain the skill — the skill of
using swords, guns, and fists. I gained the skill also because I
loathed enemies invading quiet communities to take away
their possessions. After so many years of learning the craft, I
came out to be an exceptional warrior. Kings of various
communities sought for my service each time their peace was
in jeopardy.

Plus my education, son, I made huge money attending to

people with counsel. That was something I saw no one could

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see. Imagine most of my peers sidestepped education and

went after what only gave them money. The Europeans
begged and begged, but only a few opted for the journey. The
journey of education was fun and illuminating, but until you
agree to taste it, you would think it is a harsh requirement.
Few of us who took advantage of it are today the most
influential. After this journey had seen me successful, I began
to think of marriage.

Ugo, these are just fragments of the whole experiences I

gathered as a youth. If I were under duress to entertain you
with the whole story, honestly, you would be in my arms with
your ears plugged in my lips listening to an unending story for
the rest of your life.

What am I saying, son? I have to keep it short and simple

because brevity is the soul of wit. I am convinced from my
brief story you have learned that the first preparation for
wedlock is: finding something that will fetch the family
boundless wealth. What will I find? Anything provided it is your
passion; provided it will benefit others. From that purpose, you
shall serve people and consequently build a well of wealth. As
your father did, go find something you shall be willing to die
for and follow it until you see results. Never depend on
harvesting from your father’s wealth because you might be
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even greater than your father. It all depends on your gift from
the Most Highs and, most importantly, your fervour to unleash
your greatness.

Son, it is not over even though that should be the first step.
There is another mountain to climb after building for yourself,
the richness sufficient to take care of the family’s needs. I call
it positive deception. I know what you are thinking. In your
mind, something negative might be going on about what I just
said, but be calm, listen, and do not judge early. I call it
positive deception because not everyone can be deceptive
positively. It is really difficult. It takes a witty man to use
deception wisely in the affairs of wedlock.

What do I mean, son? Just pay attention. When you gain

wealth, women shall flock around you in search of your gold,
not you. Do not mistake these kinds of women for wives
because once the gold is gone, they are gone. To win a real
wife, try using deception, which is—making sure you appear
weak when strong and strong when weak. Most youths who
gain wealth and are on the margin of getting married display
their possessions too openly. Somehow I don’t want to blame
them because this thing called money is powerful, influential.
And if one is not strongly built in mind, it controls one and

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equally leads one to doom. To put it mildly, doom is his that

allows money to control him.

My son, the youth who gains wealth without educating his

mind properly, shall be tempted to lavish it on the woman he
intends to marry. This, without a doubt, is not good because
it poisons the perception of the woman. Her thought would
focus on the wealth and don’t be surprised she will not live
with you beyond the end of your richness. I don’t want to say
all women are wired that way, but from my experience, most
women love money more than they love love. That is why one
— the youth who intends to marry should be careful in the way
he sounds the trumpet of his wealth.

Do not be among such people, else you shall find it difficult to

get a wife of your destiny. Even though you are rich, forsake
displaying it for them just for merriment. If you do so, they
shall be more interested in the possessions than you, and you
will find it difficult to find the golden one. Now, do not be
mistaken about this: to appear weak when strong. It does not
mean you should amid abundance starve yourself to feign
poverty for the woman you intend to marry, maybe to taste
whether she will stay with you in hunger. No. It just means
you should be wise enough not to impress her with your wealth

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and if possible not let her know you are wealthy. This is not
stinginess, it is wisdom.

Moreover, as I said, appear strong when you are weak. This

means as a youth, when you are still passing through obstacles
of various kinds to make wealth, never appear as if the storm
of hardship is blowing only in your direction. You will only
achieve eliciting pity from people. It is unmanly and only
shows weakness. Let me tell you, there are millions of others
who pass through the same hardship but the reason they still
breathe livelily is that they have a different attitude towards
their troubles. They know adversity doesn’t last and so they
pass through it with ease believing that one day it will all be
history. When you wear the same mindset, you shall be strong
in your weakness. This time, your potential wife would not
know what you are passing through let alone pity you. She will
never know because you have succeeded in concealing your
tough times in the shiny garment of smiles and laughter.
However, make no mistakes of concealing your troubles if
telling her will provoke solutions; but if it would only attract
pity, never permit such because it changes nothing.

“Appear strong when weak” note this advice should be

followed with an open mind lest you stumble. Study every
problem before you and know when to seek help, but while
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seeking help, don’t give the impression that you are on the
verge of death so you could be helped without disregard. The
truth is that you will not die in the storm even if the entire
world turns against you. Even in the heart of the storm, you
shall live as strong as ever, if only you keep retreating into
your mind and assuring it that nothing terrible happens.

Let me tell you more, my son. There is a situation of a youth

being widely known that he can’t hide his wealth. This is the
most difficult time of all because all the creatures of the world,
including ants, know you are wealthy. Here, I must say, kneel
before the Most Highs and ask for a good wife. You may
practice all that I taught you and still fail because women as I
know from eighty years of living are unpredictable and can
never be understood. Therefore, I encourage you to seek the
intervention of the Most Highs before any move.

Now, having learned that, there is a unique quality to build on

your way to matrimony. This value has no substitute. What is
this? Endurance. Endurance is a virtue that only a few spouses
have. For you to enjoy wedlock as anyone who has succeeded
in the journey, you must learn how to endure your partner’s
misdeeds; you must learn how to endure her aging body.
There comes a time when your love for her fades, and you

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may want to look for a new woman to love and enjoy. Be

careful, infidelity is a threat to marriage.

Love in marriage is limited. The fragrance of love in marriage

is warmest in the beginning. As time goes, you shall discover
what you do not love in her but didn’t see in courtship—maybe
because love blinded you. As time advances, you shall also
notice irredeemable faults that would push you to divorce her.
But do not divorce her, my son, unless you are not such a
nobleman that feels dishonoured to marry a second wife
because of what may appear flimsy a reason to great minds;
second, unless you are perfect — which is unattainable.

Therefore, my son, endure, endure. Even as golden and

faultless as your mother seemed, there were things I endured-
things I would be unpleased to tell you. So, own your
marriage; only you can make the relationship strong every
day. Without your enduring spirit, you shall quit too soon and
before ten seasons have passed, you might have married
dozens of them.

Remember, if your wife is loving, you shall meet more loving

women; if she is charming, you shall meet more charming
women; if she is romantic, you shall meet more romantic
women; if she cooks very well, you shall meet women who

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cook better. What else? There is perhaps no quality your wife

will possess that you won’t find in another. But when you are
content with her and admire more than you rebuke, you shall,
no doubt, enjoy her companionship. Good luck, my son!

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Book 6
Where Do You Find Joy?

I
have lived long today, my daughter, because of where
I find joy. This is because where you find joy mostly
determine how long you will live. This question came to
me unawares. Nevertheless, I will be quick to feed your
curiosity. You have done well to seek what most people avoid.
It is the most thoughtful question I have ever seen. And I am
glad it came from my dear daughter, the beautiful one.

Honestly, you have roused my passion-- which is an eagerness

to counsel people when they seek. Now listen with open ears.
A few weeks ago, I fell sick. You witnessed the number of
people that trooped into my chamber to express their regret.
Most of them were sent by lieges. Only a few were friends and
acquaintances. These are people I mean so much to; they love
and cherish me; hence immediately they heard I was
bedridden, they ran to my home with such speed as leopards
scampering for safety. They came with edibles, which, as you
know, were plentiful. No doubt, the perishable ones among
them will decay before we could finish them. Why all the love
from these kings and loved ones? Here is the secret: your
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father is a servant. I served kings. I helped them win wars. I

trained an army of warriors that are active and proud of me to
date. Some of these warriors have trained warriors that still
recognize me.

Do you talk about how many people my counsel has helped?

They are uncountable. To mention but a few: I have saved
thousands through words; cured psychiatric problems through
counsel; prevented many marriages from divorce; incited
courage where there was despair; warded off a breakdown of
relationships; educated timid minds and motivated a
downtrodden minority. Tell me why people will not love me.
But not that your father has no foes. I have so many of them.
It is just that the joy you get from serving people outshines
any adverse project of the enemies.

Picture it this way. It feels good seeing people you have served
tread softly in life. It is where the greatest joy lies. The feeling
that after your life you shall have people who will follow in your
footsteps is amazing. For the sake of continuity, some of them
will take up the mantle of leadership from you as you get old;
and you shall rejoice even in the grave as your legacy tastes
eternity. They shall become the young suckers that will grow
when the old banana trees die.

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When I was thirty, my master set me free. I rejoiced like the

morning birds whose warbling could be heard by heaven. Just
imagine the chirping birds at dawn. How they are excited they
have experienced the warmth of the new day. Imagine how
they chorus pleasant sounds. That is exactly how I felt. Amidst
my excitement, my master looked at me and nodded. I
thought this showed his good opinion of me and my freedom.
He looked at me again and swung his head. I wondered. What
has suddenly changed his mood? Before I returned from my
thoughts, he called me to sit. I sat down with a negative
thought. I feared he would plead I stay longer with him. Far
from it, he unveiled to me the greatest way to achieve joy.

“Ezugwu” he called in a soft tone. “Master” I answered with a

trembling voice. Fear gripped me. I thought I had done
something wrong in oblivion.

“Today is a great day in your life,” he said, looking into my

eyes. I, too, looked straight into his eyes with a bit of
dizziness. That was the first time I looked at my master eyeball
to eyeball. I had never done that because even though he was
a cheerful man, his face, especially his bulky eyes, were
frightening.

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“Feel relaxed. I have come with a goodwill message” he

assured me after sensing my discomfort. “Today is a great day
in your life” he repeated, stalling time, perhaps to think up the
next line of words that would best express his feelings. This
whole thing only kept me confused. He had repeated those
words as if I hadn’t known it was a great day in my life; as if
I was noticing it for the first time. If he had known the day I
started anticipating the great day, he wouldn’t have reminded
me. Alack! I needed none to remind me what had dwelt in my
mind for ten years. Because he knew better, however, I had a
feeling there must have been something he found out that
made him emphasize those words, so I listened attentively.

“Because…” he paused. A cough interrupted him. He cleared

his throat. My master was sick, but he liked concealing his
illness. He didn’t like people feeling pity for him at all. “Today
marks the day you shall begin on your own journey of service”
he continued. “If there are words, I will live you with, they are:
this is an opportunity to serve the world with your skill, and by
so doing, I promise you, Ezugwu, you shall be great and have
your name carved on the Sand of Time,” he said, with his bulky
eyes still flashing at me. I listened anyway, this time with
poise. I guessed it was a revelation, so I needed to listen

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deeply. I didn’t want to miss a word. It appeared to me as

sage advice.

“Never use your skill as a warrior to intimidate humanity” This

echoed in my mind. “Instead, my son, restore peace where
there is none; forestall danger where it looms; scare enemies
away when they threaten; champion liberty where there is
repression; train warriors that will succeed you; and most
importantly do these with humility. Serve people because you
think you have to, not because you are obligated to”

He scratched his grey hair and said finally: “Serving people is

the secret of my joy. It is why I have lived up to this age. Go,
and do likewise. I wish you endurance in service. Farewell, my
son!”

Amara, have you seen where I find joy? It is mostly in serving

people that you get joy. Therefore, I ask: what will you do to
serve? What will be your unique contribution to make life
better? Women are not excluded from this service. So, my
daughter, go look for something within you that will add value
to your fellows. I think, no one wise wants to live this life
empty. None. Be among those wise people who desire to make
an impact before joining their ancestors. And I bet you, you
can do it. If not for anything but the joy of it.

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Beware of men who tell you women are inferiors; that woman
should be only helpmates. No, they are more than those
opinions. We are all humans, and so women can achieve
anything humanly possible. For that reason, I encourage you
to look for something to hold on to as a channel to display your
values. Listen, my daughter, when you finally get married,
your husband should not be the only source of income. Before
your mother passed on, I was not the only source of income.
As you know, she made clothes and handled the farm most of
the time I was away. She worked tirelessly to put things
together. To my surprise, she was so industrious she could
plough great heaps on our farm. Oh! How I lost a workaholic.
Obioma shall never depart from my memory.

My daughter, to be like your mother, remove the sense of

entitlement; that belief men only should provide for the
household. There are bills you should foot single-handedly
without bothering your husband. But how will you do this if
you are only confined to the kitchen? If what you present is
only good meals; if what you do is only restrained to the bed.
Therefore, to avoid being a victim of what womanhood is
strictly opined to be in this part of the world, make moves to
be different. As you do this, I wish you endurance in service.

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Book 7
Beneath The Gloss

H
e slept in the forest. In the middle of the night when
darkness thickened, mosquitos came in multitude
around him. They divided the labour: many buzzed
into his ear, which was more annoying, while some tormented
his flesh. He woke up to a fight he, perhaps, was unprepared.
He groped for his torchlight. Bringing it out, he flashed it and
saw how determined they were to suck his blood. The combat
began just as instant as he viewed them. He slapped his hands
many times in a hostile attempt to kill them, but they were
clever enough. Seeing how futile it would be to struggle with
common flies, he left the scene to a different location where
he thought had more ambiance. There he slept off, though not
without disturbance entirely.

Ugo, this day, the hunter had stayed three days with no catch.
He had hunted day and night. Still, every animal seemed to be
careful enough not to fall victim to his arms. Nevertheless, he
continued, knowing he would make it home with a large hunt-
big enough to attract a great market.

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Days had passed and yet nothing to show. The hunter wept
and wept till tears dried up. Why did he feel this distressed?
Someone he owed had given him an ultimatum to pay his
debts or be humiliated. He threatened he shall make his life
miserable if he defaulted by the end of the deadline. For this
reason, Ogugua left for the forest to strive for the money so
that his dignity shall not be tainted. He had hoped to clear the
debts immediately he made a hunt large enough to equal his
debts when sold. But unfortunately, his hope was slowly fading
into the thin air as he had stayed for days in the forest without
a catch.

Ugo, men loathe being humiliated, especially because of debts.

Hence, Ogugua swore not to go home until he gets a catch to
avoid the advance embarrassment. What stood in the way
became the way; he persisted. When he was telling me the
story, even though the experience was gone, he felt sorrowful
as he reminisced the heartbreaks: How he battled with hunger
in the forest, shot countless times without hit, endured the
plague of mosquitoes and bees, withstood the gloom of the
forest and ailments. But who or what could stop a heart as
stout as the iroko tree from achieving his aim? When you know
what you want, you focus on the results and nothing ever will

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stop you unless you stop yourself. Ogugua knew this and so
made his stumbling block a solid stepping stone.

This man had been hunting since he was a youth. So it was

not as if he was still inexperienced in the vocation that made
him struggle for several days without a catch. No. My son, it
is just that in life, when you need things most is when it will
appear tough, but to win, you must appear tougher. Ogugua
direly needed money to pay his debts to avoid humiliation.
Hence, life took hold of him, made sport of him, and taught
him lessons that no one or nothing else would have taught
him.

Before the adventure, Ogugua prided himself as the greatest

hunter in the community. He had said that all the animals
respected him and bowed in obeisance each time he moved
into the forest. He put it funnily: “Each time I appear in the
forest, leopards run to me and would ask if I had come to hunt
them. If I said yes, they would all prostrate and beg for mercy.
They would say: spare our life today, master. Please, we desire
to catch more fun before we leave this earth. I may have
mercy depending on my mood, but if they were unlucky that I
had woken up on the wrong side of my bed, I would take away
their life without remorse. I do not even consider boars, they
submit themselves at my sight. You talk of cheetahs, even
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though they run fastly and cleverly, they can’t escape my

target. How can they? Enh?-when I spent countless years
learning how to shoot with arrows and guns”

My son, Ogugua knew his expertise very well that he was

never afraid of getting into the bush without prey. But this
time, his ability suddenly melted into nothingness. It was as if
he wasn’t the great hunter whose presence made animals
scuttle for safety. But why did this happen? Maybe life wanted
to teach him humility; life wanted him to learn that nothing is
done by wholly human power; life wanted him to learn how to
persist when the wind of adversity blows his direction; life
wanted to prepare him for uncertainties of the future. It
wanted to acquaint him with this knowledge: in life, dark days
are certain, but it is only the bold that will conquer.

Ugo, the battle ended in praise when, after some days, Ogugua
made home with three leopards and two boars. They were so
huge and heavy that he couldn’t have carried them once and
so he suffered back home and brought a carriage. He carried
them straight to the market for sale. While he waited for his
wares to be sold, a wealthy man passed by in search of bush
meats. In those days, one could hardly tell a rich man by
appearance. Normally, Ogugua didn’t have to go sell his
merchandise; people booked for them. But because he owed
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someone desperate to harm him should he default, he had to

hurry to the market to sell them. The rich man, who was
supposed to be a good jester, made sport of his wares. He
underpriced them in such a way that a rude marketer would
have howled at him. But Ogugua was no longer his old self, he
had been taught great lessons in his latest adventure;
difficulties had refined and tamed him, save that, he would
have mounted on him in fury and given him some punches—
imagine punches coming from an iron hand of a hunter. Who
could have survived the blows? A wise man once said: “After
crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser” So Ogugua
humbled himself and made him understand the cost was
bigger than what he bargained.

The rich man, as I said, was a good jester, but he appeared to

be serious. That is to say—he knew the worth of those wares
but he just wanted to try the seller. The politeness with which
Ogugua attended him caught his attention. Guess what? The
man bought the products ten times more than the worth and
went on to improve his life. As a lover of bush meats, the rich
man placed him on a huge salary every month. He was paid
handsomely even at times he couldn’t provide bush meat for
the rich man. Onwards, Ogugua became successful after
toiling for years with his almighty skill. He smiled, laughed,

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jumped, and almost went mad with excitement. Going home

that day, he settled his debts and enjoyed his life.

Ugo, did you know that this hunter survived only on water for
a good number of days? Did you know that he almost gave up
on the race after a series of challenges? But what did he get?
Envy and jealousy from people who knew nothing about the
bitter process he went through.

Ogugua, in his mishaps, once confided in me—that he would

take his own life so far that hardship could not do it for him.
He told me his wife changed and became sullen when the
storm came. She would hardly give him her routine: kisses,
hugs, and smiling faces. And these meant so much to him.
What he cherished, those routines that made his marriage
heavenly just faded away in a twinkle of an eye. He would
have imploded in pain had he not consulted me. I followed him
closely and made sure he regained his composure for the
challenges. Each time I felt he was distanced, I checked on
him, offering hope along the way. So when fortune located
him, people began to envy him, including his relatives who had
long forgotten him while he wedded with hardship. Some
lamented he wouldn’t help his people. They thought because
they were close to him, they should be entitled to his wealth.
Nonsense!
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My son, I am sorry if I have just spoken with anger. But I want

you to know: people do not know that beneath the gloss of
success are tragedy, misfortunes, and heartbreaks. They often
think you are lucky or favoured to be successful and so resort
to envy and jealousy when they see you successful. They do
not know that there is no such thing as luck in the sight of
great people and if there is anything like that, it is often
disguised in hard work, failures, disappointments, rejections,
and tears.

Son, look at it this way: would you call a fisherman lucky who
for years so studied the habit of the fish that with each varying
wind, he could cast his nets about them? Would you?

Would you call a thread weaver lucky who for years mastered
the art of sewing that no thread in his skillful hands could
prove unsewn?

Would you consider a writer lucky who for years dined with
thousands of books and produced hundreds that hardly could
he admit unfamiliar words?

Would you think a counselor lucky who for years red books
and experienced life that hardly could he welcome a situation
beyond remedy?

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Would you call a physician lucky who for years studied the
anatomy of the human body and its vulnerability to diseases
that hardly could he declare an illness untreatable?

Would you consider a lawyer lucky who for years studied the
laws of the land that hardly could anyone get away with
injustice?

Would you call a warrior lucky who for years learned the skill
of various weapons that he could slaughter a good number of
opponents on the battlefield within some minutes? Or the
hunter who for many years mastered the complexities of
animals that hardly could he go hunting without a catch? Name
them.

Now have you seen there is nothing like luck, Ugo? You have
to work it out for years to master it. So, please, never envy
successful people. As you go in the race of life, maintain your
pace. Don’t look back and don’t look sideways to evaluate
people’s progress or faults.

Life will never forgive you if you treat it that way. You will live
a miserable life if you are nosy about peoples’ progress. What
did Socrates say? “Envy is the ulcer of the soul” Train your

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mind, Ugo, to the extent that it looks straight and never be

carried away by the fortunes of the next person.

I have told you time without number that our people continue
to say: igwa ogbenye ihe eji abu ogaranya osi ka ya buru ogbenye.
And it is true—when you tell a poor man what it takes to be
wealthy, he will rather accept poverty than being consumed in
the marathon race to make wealth. So if a poor man could
willingly accept poverty after being revealed the road to
wealth, he should never envy the rich. This will sound so
unusual but I have to tell you: no matter how they made the
money, it is none of your business and you mustn’t spend your
time condemning or envying them. If the source is good, it is
none of your business, if the source is bad, it is still none of
your business. But remember: no one who gets wealth by evil
means lives a happy life. Therefore, steer your life in the
direction that will give you happiness, for, in the end, it rules.

Some people hate me today because they think I do not offer

them help whereas others love me because they think I am a
philanthropist. My son, in life, everyone will not love you and
you can’t help everybody. Never be troubled by their hatred
as long as you continue to contribute as much as you can to
humanity. When you make it, no one has the right to tell you
whom to help and whom not to. It is your wealth, not theirs.
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Always remember that too, because if you don’t, you will

continue to feel guilty when you can’t help as many people
recommended for you.

The least people that trouble my heart are those who didn’t
help me in my road to victory but would have the mouth to
speak against me or expect heaven and earth from me. Not
that I do not help them, I do, because you don’t pay evil with
evil. Do you? But I want you to understand that they are not
entitled to your wealth and you bless those you feel
compassionate about.

You have often heard that good people don’t last? Enh? One
reason is they try to carry everybody along; they want to make
everybody good and in the end, they face difficulties in their
own life. Be wise as much as you are good. Know when what
you are doing for the next person is sacrifice and when it is
stupidity. The world is so cruel that we often use good people.
Beware!

Here is another interesting part. While I struggled with poverty

when I was growing up, I was laughed at by my friends and
ridiculed by my own relatives, including my uncles. Oh! The
journey was scary. My friends whom I thought were the
shoulders I should lean on turned to be wolves in sheep’s

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clothing. You will think people are with you when they are
actually against you. Ugo, beware of these people! They would
come around and claim they love me but turn their backs on
me when things go wrong. Some of them taunted the way I
dressed, looked, and walked. These people made me look like
I would never be great but I kept doing the little things I knew
how to do: studying and working. These were things they
despised and thought didn’t matter. What they did was plunge
themselves in pleasure, carousing, now and then.

The maidens in the community flocked them as they dispensed

their hard-earned money. For those who earned at all. Most of
them didn’t earn but took from their parents and lavished them
in trifles. My son, while they did all this, some of them that
thought I didn’t love women came teasing me. Whereas others
whom I shared raunchy conversations with—who knew I loved
women began to mock me when I intended pulling back from
that path. Who doesn’t love women as a youth? In fact, I loved
women like my father who gave birth to twelve children he
couldn’t train. But I was faced with the choices of continuing
to love women and working for greatness. The latter prevailed,
so I withdrew from women and had an absolute concentration
on my dreams.

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Son, we ought to bale the water from the stream when it is

only ankle-deep. Youth age is the best time to plan your life,
not old age. Old age comes with a bunch of regrets for those
who didn’t do what they were supposed to do. So, stand now
and take responsibility for your life. See, those things nature
demands we should do, sometimes, as a youth, you have to
let go to be successful. Who on earth will deny the desire for
women as a youth? Absolutely, none. Who on earth doesn’t
love sleep? Absolutely, none. Name them. So? To be great,
those things that nature demands we do regularly, sometimes,
you have to put a bit of restriction. They are painful
abandonment, however, if you do not bear them, you will
hardly reach greatness. Just a little patience and you will enjoy
them later.

Son, when I put a bit of restriction on some of my inordinate

desires, suddenly, these people I called my friends
disappeared. Hmm! It was a total abandonment. I walked
through the lonely road. I suffered it all alone. But one thing I
believed was that—the sweetness of the honey is not
determined by the pot which carries it. So while I was passing
through difficulties, I maintained my composure; I maintained
whom I was destined to be. I didn’t allow the hardship to
dictate my thoughts; I never allowed the sorrow to overwhelm

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me. My son, in hardship, don’t be surprised when those people

you think are your friends leave you. Therefore, if you really
want to be great as your father, there are friends you shouldn’t
keep.

When you see your dreams are not in tandem with theirs, don’t
feel a compunction to bid them goodbye. Let them go because
you cannot afford to miss greatness in exchange for
unwarranted, miserable people.

Before I pushed them off my lane, I remember a few of them

debating who could drink a pot of palm wine in a sitting without
feeling intoxicated. If you see how they disputed this with
passion, my son, you would be forced to feel sorry for
mankind. They made what was unimportant to look important
and made what was necessary to look unnecessary. Chai! I
thought the world would explode because of man’s ignorance.
I didn’t denounce them, anyway. I, myself, drank palm wine,
but I didn’t make it look like I live to do it and I never made it
look like I couldn’t do without it. I knew my father was a drunk,
and this contributed immensely to his poverty and laziness. So
why would I tread the same path? Ugochi, life is too short to
indulge in the addiction of such. You will only live to regret and
the pain of regret is worse than any torment.

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After the long claws of fate, your father came out with a
victory. But what did I get? Envy and jealousy from people
who were my friends and relatives. The same people that
ridiculed me; the same people that threatened my life; the
same people that thought what I was doing was baseless. Oh!
The same people that thought they were wiser. If I had given
them a chance, they would have poisoned me to death. They
quickly forgot what I passed through and only looked at the
gloss of my success, demanding that I should kill myself for
them.

After I became successful, Idogwu, my uncle, suddenly

remembered he had a nephew—a nephew he had abandoned
for many years, only sponsoring his children. But I didn’t
blame him as I learned later that no one owed me a better
living. No one, including my parents, owed me a living. Even
though I came through them, they didn’t owe me a great
living. Since I discovered the bitter truth, I scraped off every
excuse that blocked my way. That was how I began fishing
after so many attempts to get help from Idogwu. Son, nothing
inspires a really passionate person more than challenge or
doubt. I took my uncles’ indifference to my future as a
challenge and began to make an effort to prove them wrong;
to let them know that without them nothing shrinks.

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So, my dear son, you have got to look deep into anyone’s
success. If you look deep, you shall see misfortunes and
sorrows that no one knows about until they utter them. And
because of this reason, do not envy successful people, rather
strive in your own standing and achieve success. You can do
it because it has been done by so many great people out there,
including your father.

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Book 8:
Nerves Of Steel

U
go, the stories of my exploits can never be
uninteresting. When I regale people with them, they
listen with attention; they close their ears against
distractions to make sure every word that proceeds from my
lips is digested. After taking notes of my feats, some people
respect them and make use of the lessons whereas others who
are narrow-minded opine the gods favoured me.

Listen, my son, let me take you to falsehood: great men are

only favoured. This falsehood is what I have been battling
almost all my life. It troubles me more than ignorance and I
can tell you it is the reason why most men are inferiors. The
belief kills more dreams than hardships.

My son, unveil your ears. Leave those flies alone, they have
come to distract you. They know the knowledge I want to
delight you with shall be fruitful in your life- that is why they
have come to make you lose focus. You can’t kill or chase all
of them, therefore, concentrate. It is already nightfall and as
you know, this is the time they come home to complete their

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assignment which is: tormenting people. Especially people

that have the guts to stay outside their houses, taking the last
breeze before they fall asleep—as we are doing. But as soon
as it troubles you harder than you can bear, I suggest, you
express your discomfort so that we shall take cover under the
roof.

Now, Welcome back, and listen with more attention. The year
that announced my fifty years of existence was hectic. People
who for long desired to see me but hadn’t got the opportunity
took the advantage. I promised them time. I was willing to
spend those periods only with them. But a man who was
among the lucky ones I counseled shocked me:

“I have always dreamt of greatness. I have always wanted to

be a warrior like you. But I have this belief that I might not
win wars.” I listened with utter disdain. You can imagine that
contempt you have for empty words or those who talk too
much without meaning. “Master, I am afraid to ask this but I
have to” he continued. “Does your power come from the gods?
I mean, are there kinds of people they choose to favour?” he
asked. I saw curiosity in his expression; I saw doubt in his
voice; I saw timidity in his appearance. I was stunned.

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“Yes, there are kinds of people the gods favour.” I said. An

awkward silence followed. I think he tried to decipher why I
had said yes. But being unable to discover that, he assumed
he was right “Aah! So my thoughts were right after all” He
almost shouted after waking from his deep thinking.

“Yes, they are” I took sides with him. He was right, anyway.
But I had wanted him to be more curious. I waited for more
questions but didn’t see them. I then broke in—into the
ignorance he basked in.

“You fail to ask what those kinds of people do before they

attract favour from the gods,” I said to him. He looked at me
in astonishment. “You do not ask what those kinds of people
do before they attract favour from the gods” I repeated; my
voice still confident and firm. If he didn’t get what I said clearly
in the first place, I thought he would in the second.

“Listen, young man” I began to enlighten him. “Truly, there

are kinds of people the gods favour but these people have one
thing in common—one thing the gods like” I looked at him and
saw he was eager to hear the one thing. I imagined what could
be going on in his mind. Perhaps he expected I would highlight
the one feature all warriors should possess: strength. Not at
all, it was never that. I said to him thus: “It is the spirit of

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winning. The mindset you can achieve anything that drives

you”. Son, if you see how he paid more attention, you would
notice this man had always wanted to succeed but his belief
and ignorance had been keeping him off the path.
“Immediately you allow this pattern of thinking to set off, you
will succeed” I continued. “Go home, young man.” I said
politely “Just believe you can be a warrior, then work towards
it. Only then shall you see the favour of the gods” I concluded.

Son, why I am honoured is similar to why the lion is honoured.

We have nerves of steel and bold minds. Remember the king
of the jungle, the lion, is not the strongest animal. I learned
this from my master when I was fifteen. He was the first
master I passed through. Fish master, as I fondly called him.
I respected and honoured him very well because as our people
say: a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for
his own greatness. He had skill in fishing that no one else had.
I remember he caught several fishes within twenty-four hours,
whereas, as a beginner, I couldn’t catch any. It was
unfortunate I didn’t stay long with him. Fishing was not my
calling, so I had to leave when I got money for the bigger
dream. What was I saying? Okay. The lion you see today is
not the strongest animal. My master told me he was not the
smartest too. There was another feature he named: he is not

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the wisest. But, even though he has none of those qualities,

he is honoured before other animals. Why? Because he
believes he is the strongest and makes the belief manifest in
his attitude.

He throws himself around in the jungle as the strongest animal

and this scares every animal away. Fear grips anyone that
sees him because of the way he carries himself. Period! If it is
his face, I do not think he has the scariest face in the jungle.
I learned the elephant is the biggest; the fox is the wisest; the
giraffe is the tallest; the cheetah is the fastest. So why his
honour? Belief.

Son, the secret of the honour I receive from men is just the
same as the lion. I have always believed there is nothing
impossible for me to achieve. I set out to achieve feats that
others panic at. I am not the strongest warrior, neither am I
the smartest, but when I tell people I will win this war, I win
them. Because of this, kingdoms, far and beyond, invite me to
handle chaos in their land, thinking I am the strongest warrior
or the wisest counselor. No. I am none of that but I believe no
war is beyond tackle. In times of trouble, I don’t sit down and
watch people die in fear and bondage because no one is
courageous enough to stand their ground and act.

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And no problem is beyond counsel. If I cannot offer counsel in

a particular problem, I make sure I direct one where he will
get it but I never leave one unattended.

Today, my son, I am a champion because I always think things

are possible and no surprise they yield results. That is why
men honour me. Go, and have the same belief.

Ezugwu continues his stories in the book: Illumination. To find

out more, go to the next page and download.

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ILLUMINATION:

Damian’s latest work, as it were, is a one-size-fits-all. In a

captivating and moving style, he takes his readers through a
wide range of man’s quests and foibles such as financial
sagacity, classic wisdom, sheer betrayal, knowledge, love, et
cetra.

Illumination is not just another book; it is a reference material

for all who desire to get frank life lessons to problems plaguing
man from time immemorial. Don’t just get a copy for yourself;
get some for your loved ones, too. —Idowu Olusegun [
English Language Tutor & Serial Network Marketer

Download: https://paystack.com/pay/x35cda5vun
ILLUMINATION

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About The Author

Damian Chiemezie has been writing since he was sixteen. His
passion for writing led him to discover Sages Publications. He
lives in Enugu, Nigeria.

He is kind of weird: he cherishes staying alone, thinking, and

writing than being honoured as the next world’s president.

Under the shadow of words, he desires to live among nations.

He despises some words, however, and never use them-
namely, pulchritudinous, lackadaisical, flibbertigibbet.

Damian believes in his two crazy dreams: to touch millions of

people with words and to read all Shakespearean’s works---
before death visits him.

You would like to connect with him:

Mail
damianchiemezie8@gmail.com

Facebook
https://web.facebook.com/damian.ugwuoke

Twitter
https://twitter.com/damianchiemezie

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 DAMIAN CHIEMEZIE

Do you need our writing, editing, and publishing

services @ Sages Publications?:

Send mail here sagespub@hotmail.com

Mail

You want us to tutor you in writing, sign up here:

https://paystack.com/pay/bi7w67stx6
Sign Up

_____________________________________________________________________________________
__

Do you want to be a writer? Do you want to learn how to write,

check some of the views on Damian’s work about writing - to
get a copy. There you go to the next page. Good luck.

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DAMIAN CHIEMEZIE

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ENDORSMENTS

Growing up, I haboured the ambition of being a writer but lost

interest because I thought it was impossible. This piece simplifies
writing and is a vivid illustration of the saying that writing is for
everyone. Succinctly put, this is a master craft. ---- Kweku Nuamah
[Grammarian & Co-founder of Youth Alive for Africa]

It is perhaps becoming a cliché to say that Damian writes forcefully

and naturally. I am particularly impressed with the finesse he employs
in explaining some knotty details associated with quality writing in a
simple, yet flowing narrative. At last, some of the nuances of
professional writing skills have been dropped on our doorsteps.

Budding and accomplished writers have one or two new ideas to learn
from a writer who practices what he preaches. What Makes Your
Writing a Masterpiece is a must-read for any serious writer who
wishes to take his writing to the next level --- Idowu Ismaila Olusegun
[ English Language Teacher & Serial Network Marketer]

The impact of this book is massive. Too many values I can’t even
count. Damian’s use of words and examples drive home the point
without struggle --- Adeyemi Faith Kehinde [ Writer]

To get a copy, click here : https://paystack.com/pay/wnuslpdnkk

What Makes Your Writing A Masterpiece

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To God Be The Glory

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