"Hello young minds, it's my pleasure to introduce one of the most successful public speakers in our country, NIGERIA. He was my friend in high school, although we never had a close relationship. This talented guy you're about to listen to is a young person like you and I who has not only impacted the society with his intellectual skill but has also impacted the society with his business strategies to make sure people grow the way he did. I'm actually excited that he finally made it to SPEAK OUT TEENS CONFERENCE 2025. I've been inviting him since 2023, but he never had the chance to come. Haha! Ladies and Gentlemen, Chukwuma Chimbuike!" Mira smiled at me immediately she gave me the microphone.
I heard her whisper into my ears, "40 minutes."
I turned to look at the timer, "Woo! You've already used 5 minutes out of the 40 minutes you gave me to introduce me. Haha!"
I didn't say that to her, though. I was excited to see the number of young people who were in the hall to listen to me. I wasn't going to say much, anyway. My lip quivered a bit when I turned to my left and saw professors and men of honour seated with their books and pen to jote down whatever this little boy had to say. You know that feeling when you see fathers listening to you, haha! So, I started.
"All protocols duely observed. Thank you for having me." I bowed.
"I would just share a little story with us. This story would cover whatever aspect I should touch in the topic Purpose Discovery. So you could just write in bracket Those Times. I actually made a documentary of most of my experiences in high school. I wrote the script and my team made the short movie. The media, kindly play the tape I tagged THOSE TIMES." I got a seat for myself.
"Why are you still outside, Stephanie?" Mr Tunde asked her with so much concern.
Stephanie drew closer to him. Her face rumpled like a cloth abandoned beneath a bag.
"Prof. Amadi asked me to leave the class, sir." She grew infant tears.
Mr Tunde gave her a look, "What was your offense?"
She let the cry out of the ocean, "He told us yesterday evening that anyone who has an incomplete note won't sit for his test. Obinna begged me for my note to update his own. This is 9:30am, he is not in school. I was sent out because of him."
Mr Tunde got very angry. " I will make sure I punish him for this. Let's go to the class, I will plead with Prof. Amadi."
"Good morning, sir."
Mr Tunde turned immediately. "Obinna! Why are you coming to school by this time?!"
Obinna took a deep breath. He brought out his handkerchief and cleaned his face.
"Hmm, Sir Tunde, it is a long story. Could you imagine that those drivers at Millverton refused to take my letter with them? I even pleaded with them to take #500 naira from me and deliver the letter to my parents, but they refused."
Mr Tunde could not comprehend what he was talking about, "I don't understand."
"Sir, you gave us an assignment to write a letter to our parents telling them how we spent our holiday. I went to waybill the letter to my parents, that's why I came now."
"Haha, Okay pause it a bit. Mr Tunde took him to the principal for proper punishment. But he was loved by many students. His presence in class made the class very lovely. Some people called him a clown, but he was one of the reasons why we can't forget our days in high school. Please because of my time take it foward to the scene where he failed in academics."
"The last position! The person that has decided to amount to nothing in life. The one that prefers jokes and making jest of people instead of working hard to make good grades, OBINNA OBIKE!" Mr Tunde handed him his result.
The announcement was made in front of everyone. Obinna felt very bad, "Excuse me, sir."
"For what?" Mr Tunde turned in laughter.
Obinna pointed at the direction leading to the rest room.
Mr Tunde waved, "Go and remove your shame there. Haha!"
Obinna left the class and walked down to the school garden. He loved flowers, anyway. He went there and sat beside a beautiful herbiscus. He cried silently.
"Okay, please pause the video. I have just five minutes to conclude."
"Wooooooo" The crowd murmured.
"Haha! Don't worry I'd complete the video later. Do we agree?"
"YES!!!" They replied.
"Okay so Obinna battled with academics till our last class in high school. He was hated by so many teachers because he wasn't good in academics until a young teacher who was employed mainly to take care of the garden discovered him. This young teacher helped Obinna to create a balance between his talent and his studies. Look, guys, you could be talented. You could be very talented, but not knowing how to balance both your talent and your academics as someone in high school would affect you. Obinna as I speak right now is a successful and high ranked comedian in our country today. He actually sponsored this movie. He was nutured by the young teacher who made him understand his talent, the need to make good grades, and how to create a balance between the both of them. So it's not just about discovering your purpose or your talent, but in creating a system where you grow in that talent and also grow intellectually. You might not be celebrated if you don't create this balance because you might end up loosing in both sides. Thank you, that's my time. Mira, please.." I smiled back at her while giving her the microphone.
I whispered into her ears like she did to me, "I took back the five minutes you used, haha."
She smiled and gave me a hug.
"Thank you very much Mr. Chukwuma. Did we enjoy his teaching?"
Everyone echoed, "YES!!!!!"
"Haha! He is a story writer. He knows his way around constructive presentations. You could see him after the conference if you want to have a personal word with him. Thank you very much, sir. We look foward to receiving more teachings from you, sir. Please don't postpone us, haha"
THANK YOU FOR READING.
THIS IS A FICTION. IT NEVER OCCURED.
