Succeeding beyond all odds

Title of book: Naija Commando

Author: Mike O. Nwangwa

Publisher: Royal Ray International Limited, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Number of pages: 198

Reviewer: Adjekpagbon Blessed Mudiaga

 

“Naija Commando” is a memoir of a young Nigerian writer, Mike Nwangwa. It talks about his struggles, resilience and triumphs from his primary education to secondary level at Command Secondary School, Jos, Plateau State, and onward to his tertiary accomplishments.

It is a 198-page book made up of Thirty-Seven Chapters, chronicling his struggles with school choices and overcoming financial challenges, vis-a-vis academic bottlenecks, societal expectations and future aspirations.

The themes in the chapters’ border on the importance of political awareness among young folks and the need to embrace good leadership traits from positive minded administrators and elders in the country.

Youth and entrepreneurship development, positive parenting and association with folks that have good goals oriented aspirations, are part of the meat and potatoes of the book’s musings. These and many other issues showcased in the book reminds the reader about a newly published book that dwells on leadership, inequalities, entrepreneurship and gender issues titled “Colours of Leadership and Inequalities,” edited by Adjekpagbon Blessed Mudiaga.

Through a captivating storytelling style, Mike the author of “Naija Commando” paints a picture of many challenges being faced by a typical Nigerian child, from primary school to tertiary level. With an engaging mixture of humour and salient issues affecting the Nigerian child, the author spreads his experiences from elementary school age to his tertiary attainment. The role good mentoring plays in the life of youths within and outside the school environment is also beamed on with counselling electricity.

Therefore, the book is a metaphor of the average Nigerian youth experiences, in terms of what the author passed through and endured, as he takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride about the ups and downs he wrestled with, in a Nigerian military school and beyond its environment.

Nonetheless, Nigerian youths who did not attend military schools can also relate with the author’s experiences, because they live in the same society where the military schools exist. The tumultuous waters of adolescence and a host of societal challenges and expectations in a country where the youths are continuously disappointed by some socalled elders and elite, from the grassroots to the national leadership system, requires a great deal of resilience to succeed in it.

The author’s diction is very clear for any average reader to understand. This makes the book an interesting read. The content is devoid of mechanical or channel noise; thereby making the reader assimilate the messages or information without psychological noise. The material is therefore highly recommended for Nigerian youths to read and adopt the spirit and need to embrace perseverance and good leadership traits, from any positive-minded politician or administrator in the country; rather than allowing themselves to be used as thugs for the settlement of political parties' disputes and politicians' differences.

Interestingly, despite being a Zoologist, the author has displayed that he is a good story writer, as he holds a first degree in Zoology from the University of Maiduguri, Bornu State, and a master degree in Communication Management from Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.

In conclusion, in spite of all the odds he encountered like many other Nigerian youths are still facing, the author has succeeded in various human endeavours, while he is still looking forward to achieving more. This is the hallmark of “Naija Commando”. Other books authored by Nwangwa include “I Believe Miracles Still Happen,” “The Call, The Gift, The Vision,” “Wisdom Of The Treasure Seeker,” “I Plead Guilty,” and “5 Secrets Of Christmas.”

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