Mentorship

I'm entering a writing competition that explores the issues of mentorship, a topic i am very passionate about. In my opinion, Nigeria lacks greatly in this department and this could greatly explain the issues with have with our society...contemporary Nigerian society i mean. How can a society exist when it does not cater for its future?
I have been very fortunate to have been born last to a family where every one's got your back, especially if you are the youngest. Being last, one could argue that i grew up rather quickly; my parent's inhibition on my case letting me explore and learn faster. This exposed me to accessing people i wanted to choose as mentors or life coaches in my future decisions. Some would argue that the role of the parent falls into this category but we all know that to be partly untrue, after all; there is only so much one can tell his parent....
I was sixteen or seventeen when i first met Funmi Iyanda. I was gawky, badly dressed and i think dreadfully shy as one is at that age. I smile as i think back to the time....what possessed me to do such unthinkables? I had an idea though and followed it through with the raw passion of naivety open to only the young. After the first few sentences, FI (as we call her) rushed me out to lunch and implored me never to stop trying. Well it didn't actually turn out that way, i lie!! We had a long conversation about all sorts of things but i think the most important thing i will take away from that meeting is the analogy of the Bumble bee and its defiance of nature's laws. I never forgot that...
I met Ade Bakare a couple of years later. An immensely talented designer and visionary, i told him that his foray into the Nigerian market would end in disaster...his reply? Well, he has successfully set up a branch in Victoria Island's Sandiland Arcade in Lagos and that is just the icing on the cake. His story has taught me more than anyone else's that you get what you want only if you want it badly enough.
To digress a little bit, isn't it funny how little pockets of inspiration come from the most unlikely places. Turns out i know the person behind uknaija, one of the blogs i totally appreciate; anonymously of course. It is a small world they say. Funny thing is, when i met uknaija in person (i wasn't a blogger then); i was very inspired by his intelligence and listened intently to all he had to say, telling myself that this is someone who could inspire. And then his alter ego does the same thing. I remember leaving a comment on his blog ages ago, something corny but precise. Well i do know him and for all those who read his blog, there's no arguing that there is intelligence there.
This society, British society i mean has learned the trick of the trade. They learned it ages ago. Mentorship is such an important structure of the mechanics of society; it should never be ignored. How can one have a present if your future is not taken care of? The Nigerian society has failed its youth, again not a revelation. As the Nigerian society continues to fail, then we will all have ourselves to blame. It is afterall our individual duties to make sure our futures are certain and this can only be done by ensuring future generations are provided for. What have you done about it?
Read about Funmi Iyanda here and Ade Bakare here.