4 points for the next 4 years

On Thursday the Supreme Court of Nigeria laid to bed every doubt regarding the outcome of the 2023 Presidential elections. There is no other possible outcome. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is, and will remain President of Nigeria for the next 4 years, at least. The Supreme Court, to paraphrase the venerable Niki Tobi JSC, is not final because it is infallible, it is infallible because it is final. All other appeals, either to God or to the mob of public opinion, are futile. So, we must focus on the next 4 years.

In the initial phases of the current administration, even a blind person can see that it’s not proceeding very well. The Naira has cratered, to put it mildly. When I left Nigeria 5 years ago, I purchased 10 thousand USD from the black market at 2.1 million Naira. I was incensed and frustrated at such a horrible price. Looking back now, I must have seemed silly. Today, I would need about 11 million naira to get the same amount of USD.

The jakpa syndrome continues, and isn’t slowing anytime soon. However, a wise man once said to Emperor Nero at the height of his murderous excesses that no matter the amount of people he killed, he couldn't kill his successor. A new Emperor would rule Rome after he dies. Using the same logic, no matter how many people jakpa, you cannot empty Nigeria of young, bright, motivated and ambitious people.?

I hope to God that I am still all of those things - young, bright, motivated and ambitious. But, I do not live in Nigeria at the moment, and next Thursday will mark 15 years since I was called to the Nigerian bar, 16 years since I left University. I built my first startup 3 years earlier, while I was still an undergrad. So, I am definitely not in the early career lounge.?

But if I was, and at this very moment of Nigerian history, living in Nigeria, with no plans or ability to jakpa, here are 4 pieces of advice I hope someone would give me to prepare for the next 4 years.

1. Shut out the negative. This is the hardest thing to do. My first case as a lawyer was representing a national labor organisation. My appearance fee was 50 thousand Naira. At 2009 exchange rates, that was about 500 USD. If I earned that today, I would have less than 50 USD! Just writing this has depressed my spirit so I know how hard it is to stay positive in these times. But it is the principal requirement to persevere in hard times. You do not want to survive - perseverance is the goal. There is a reason ships are named perseverance - rough seas make for gallant sailors.?
2. Invest in yourself. It is a cliche, but the best time to build is in times of chaos. Baron Rothschild brutally put it this way - the best time to invest is when there is blood in the streets. Invest in yourself. Invest in quality relationships. Invest in knowledge. Invest in a solid workout routine. I left university in 2008, the year of the great financial crash. It was also the year Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper. I didn’t hear of Bitcoin until years later - I had the small matter of law school to dispose of, and a web development studio to run. But I kept writing code during the day and reading legal books at night. Today I am a Senior Product leader in the crypto world, as well as a Maritime lawyer. And I am still advising and building startups. The future is too long to let the current situation distract you from your greatest investment.
3. Get into tech. I don’t care if you just graduated from nursing, psychology, political science, public administration, sociology or even literature studies. Just find a skill in tech and keep stacking the knowledge. There is a very funny idea people often have - that “tech” refers to modern technologies like software and engineering. Actually it isn't true. Peter Thiel said it best - tech is any better way of doing things. In the modern world, it just happens to be driven by software. No matter the industry you currently work in, software will consume it and regurgitate something different. If you have just left the Nigerian Film School Institute, Jos, invest 10 dollars in a #100daysOfCode course. You do not have to work in the software industry - every industry is software driven. Those who can think like software engineers will eventually rise to the top.
4. Start a deliberate and consistent content venture. This is one place where I have a lot of regrets. I have always been interested in politics, and I wasted so many wonderful evenings involved in endless analysis and discussions with my friends. If I had started a political blog in 2008 and remained consistent, who knows what might have been. It’s not too late, but take the lessons from my error. You do not have to become the next tik tok content creator. Or the next youTube skit maker. Find your niche, something you are deeply passionate about. You don’t have to know anything about it when you start. Vitalik Buterin began that way. He started writing about crypto, and then moved on to writing crypto. This part is very important because writing forces clarity. A lot of horrible ideas make it out of our brain through the mouth because we do not commit them to writing. Conversely, a lot of basic ideas have acquired elegance when put through the labor of writing.?

Bonus tip - Learn the fundamentals of finance. While software is eating the world, finance is the enzymes that break down the consumed. All the ability in the world, without finance, is like a Ferrari with flat tyres. It’s going nowhere. Superior financial engineering is a principal? advantage that developed nations have over the rest. Find a way to understand the fundamental mechanics of finance.

That’s it. If you have any to add, please leave them in the comments. And for those who are 15-20 years ahead of where I am today in my career, I eagerly look forward to your inputs.