HOW I BECAME A CELEBRATED WRITER, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER BY FOLLOWING MY PASSION
My unique personal story is a part of a larger narrative about the promise, hope and audacious pursuit of my passion which is embedded in the ‘Nigerian Dream’- the unity, peace, well-being, prosperity and happiness of Nigerians. And I owe my children and those coming after me a better Nigeria than I met.
I am just like YOU – I am the guy next door.
I am popularly known as TM but I am actually Onajite Malcolm TAGBARHA.
Born in the mid seventies and raised by a single parent (my mother) from relative obscurity in Sapele, a small town in Delta State, Nigeria. I had an improbable and extra-ordinary odyssey growing up.
I am the only child of my mother for my father but I have other siblings from both parents.
I was raised by my mother amidst the attendant challenges of a single parent.
I saw and experienced poverty like an elder brother who wakes me up every morning and through the harsh realities of the time reminds me every moment of my background, more so, whenever I encountered people from more privileged backgrounds, I pondered and wished I were them.
I remember how my mother usually comforted and encouraged me to wear my torn and often patched uniforms to school until she gets money to get me new ones, she also struggled and ensured I attended the best schools wherever she was posted to work as a civil servant.
I attended Oharisi Model Primary School, Ughelli, Palmer Primary School, Sapele, University of Benin, Benin City and the University of Abuja due to my insatiable quest for knowledge.
Back then, while growing up, I worked every forth night in the cargo ships that regularly brought wheat grains to Life Flour Mills Limited at Ogorode in Sapele. The quest to make money for my education also motivated me toregularly travel to Edo State in the back of Lorries with different rubber merchants at the time in the early nineties to buy Rubber lumps for onward processing at Rubber processing factories, just to assist my struggling mother in sustaining my education. In some cases where there was no money, my mother would sell some of her clothes and jewelries to buy my books and pay for my school fees.
It will interest you to know that I met my father for the very first time when I got admission into the University of Benin in the mid nineteen nineties.
In the early 2000’s, my insatiable quest for knowledge and audacious pursuit of information led me to stumble on an edition of Success Digest Magazine. I subsequently devoured every available editions of the magazine at the time and often noticed that the publisher keeps making reference to a particular book that transformed his life.
Curiosity led me to go in search of this book, and luckily I stumbled on it in 2001 while I was at a popular motor park (Edegbe Motor Park) in Benin City on my way to Lagos. A book vendor brandished a copy of the said book at me as I sat at the back of the bus.
I was on my way to keep an appointment for a visa interview at the American Embassy in Lagos, in search for greener pastures as a result of the challenges confronting the average Nigerian youth at the time. I then bought the book for N250 and hungrily devoured every page with positive anticipation until a line from the book jumped out and got me thinking and thus changed my life forever…(the world is in search of new ways of doing old things….all achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea)
And as it would turn out, I was fortunately or unfortunately refused the visa to the United States the day after. I cried my eyes out since I did not intend to return to Nigeria if given the visa.
It was after I finished crying that I remembered the life changing book that I bought on my way to Lagos the previous day. And in an attempt to console myself, I then picked up the book again and started reading and resolved to pursue the revelations that I will get from it.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, is the book that changed my world-view and perception to life thereafter.
It was this book that made me to discover my talents and my purpose on this side of the heavens and why I am born and wired to make this happen from Nigeria. And this became my inspired vision, the reason why I wake up every morning.
I decided to stay focused in developing my talents to pursue my inspired vision which gave birth to the ‘Nigerian Dream’- the unity, peace, well-being, prosperity and happiness of Nigerians.
This pursuit also gave birth to my first book titled, “Power to Serve – How to Become a Successful Political Leader : A Guide for the Youth, in 2001 and consequently created the opportunity that took me to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, 2 years later in 2003 as a personal aide to Honourable Napoleon Obukowho Gbinije(JP), a member of the Federal House of Representatives.
I thereafter worked in the same capacity for Rt Honourable John Halims Ochuko Agoda(OFR), another member of the Federal House of Representatives and subsequently wrote my second book titled, “Nigerian Passport to Greatness” in 2006 and got it published in 2010, to celebrate Nigeria’s 50 years anniversary, with a revised edition in 2014 to celebrate the Nigerian centenary.
While in Abuja, I bought and read every book of my interest and attended every seminar, conference or workshop that was geared towards empowering me in line with my inspired vision.
Inspired Vision Worldwide Limited was officially registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, on the 24th of February, 2010 while I was still living in the boys quarters of Rt Honourable John Halims Agoda (OFR).
I will not forget to inform you that I worked as a personal assistant and was often referred to as a ‘glorified’ houseboy and was constantly laughed at and humiliated all these years while I served my bosses obediently during these times. I however, took these jibes as positive motivation to continue working doggedly in improving my craft in speaking and writing as I continued the audacious pursuit to realize my inspired vision.
In 2010, I was selected and sponsored alongside 40 young outstanding Nigerians to participate at the 16th Nigerian Economic Summit Emerging Leaders Forum, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Abuja.
In December, 2011, I travelled out of Nigeria for the very first time to attend an International conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as a speaker.
While I developed my writing skills and eventually came up my books, I had to devised a strategy of meeting outstanding people in the society to write the foreword to these books in order to put credibility on my works and to provide avenue to easily get them published.
The first edition of my book, titled, “Power to Serve – How to become a Successful Political Leader : A Guide for the Youth, has the foreword written by Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, the Executive Governor of Edo State, while the first edition of my second book, titled, “Nigerian Passport to Greatness” has the foreword written by Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe, the former Minister for Niger Delta. The second edition of the “Nigerian Passport to Greatness” has the foreword written by Colonel Sani Bello, the Executive Chairman of Amni Petroleum Limited and Sani Bello Foundation respectively.
In May, 2014, I travelled to Geneva – Switzerland, Paris – France, Brussels – Belgium, South Holland and Kristiansand – Norway to celebrate the “Nigeria Dream” and the Nigeria Centenary and got a rare opportunity to be interviewed and featured in CNN in a South Holland. In September, 2015, I travelled to Washington DC and Denver – Colorado both in United States for speaking engagements.
My dear brothers and sisters, you will agree with me that I did not allow my background to keep my back on the ground. God raised me from relative obscurity in the streets of Sapele, Delta State and took me to the pinnacle of relevance as a celebrated writer, author and an International speaker while following my passion.
That same God that raised an obscure Onajite Malcolm TAGBARHA from grass to grace and from rags to riches will do the same for you too, if only you will believe in Him, yourself and stay focused and committed to pursue your inspired vision with passion and determination.
Thank you and God bless you!