Article Title: EXPLOITS UNLIMITED
Author: Adekunle S. Opeyemi
Written: 19-05-2011
LOCATION: LAGOS
I believe when the human mind is set, whatever it wants it will get. Our determination for exploits is our first step towards ruling the world.
I challenge us to take a careful look at the way the construction industry in Nigeria is moving right now – it’s amazing if anyone of us thinks we can rule the world or do exploits this way. It‘s a solid NO!
We can’t continue with the ordinary and expect the extraordinary; we can’t put in regular everyday activities and expect mind-blowing, supernatural results. To put it cute, WE NEED TO CHANGE!
We need to develop a new mindset; we need a redefinition of what kind of future we expect. We probably think we are way too far behind our counterpart nations and therefore should settle for less. Yes, we are behind, but not buried. We are only that far behind because we have not allowed the future to compel us enough.
A quick scan of the construction industry in Nigeria reveals no goal-orientation. We mix concrete and stab them with reinforcement bars and decide in our hearts “this combination must not exceed this size”. That is not who we are. That is not the heritage we have. We are people who build to wow the world. We are people whose constructions stand the test of time. We are the leaders when it comes to shaping the earth. We are Africans and we love to touch the sky!
The Pyramids of Egypt stand today as pointers to the kind of people we are, lest we forget. Those blocks first became pyramids in the hearts of the people before they became physical manifestations. It took a people who were determined to put their names on the pages of history as “doers of exploits” and “achievers of the impossible”.
We need to wake up to our lineage. It’s high time Africa stopped being referred to as a jungle. We are more than this and our playing small does not serve humanity. We must lay hold of the exploits mentality. We must do the impossible. These all lie in our ability to grasp the ideology of doing exploits. We must take all necessary actions to restore our past glory.
The construction industry worldwide is brimming with inventions and new technologies. I salute such efforts, but there’s always a difference between acquired skill and natural effort. To us in Africa, we are naturally endowed for construction exploits. We are the shapers of the earth. Our built environment will one day surpass those of the currently developed nations in beauty, in style and even in size. Through our ingenuity, we will develop witty inventions, create new city models, discover newer technologies and ultimately lead the world construction-wise. The world is yet to see construction with an exploit mentality. We will daze the world.
These all begin with us as individuals. Firstly, we must believe in the industry, believe in our heritage of construction exploits, believe in our future as leaders of the construction industry, believe in our God-given natural skill at turning sand and steel into skyscrapers and organizing the built environment into paradise on earth.
Yes, I see us building thousands of over 100-storey buildings across Nigeria. I see the largest buildings, longest tunnels, fastest rails, most environmentally friendly cities. I see road networks without overhead cables obstructing the sky view; I see effective drainage systems, clearer and safer water bodies. I see new home-developed technologies, new plant and equipment fabricated in our factories. I see a new dawn for construction in Africa.
Today, Burj Khalifa is the World’s Tallest Man-made Structure but it’s not the tallest that will ever be built. It is only a fore-runner to the World’s Tallest Man-made Structure that will stand on African soil. No doubt, the Arabs have come a long way, the Middle East deserves our respect and the western world have proved their mettle. Let’s all wait to see the grandmasters of daring feats; people who shatter myth and who override legends, who trample on past records, overturn standards, create marvels; people who derive joy and fulfillment in doing exploits, people who love and cherish their environment, people who clink glasses at two-hundredth floor on African soil.
Now is the time to begin to take our place as sons of the industry. We are no slaves to it. We rule in the industry. We open long-shut doors, create paths in long-forgotten jungles. We bring forth light out of touchable darkness. That is who we are and that is what we were born for, Exploits Unlimited!
Author: Adekunle S. Opeyemi
Written: 19-05-2011
LOCATION: LAGOS
I believe when the human mind is set, whatever it wants it will get. Our determination for exploits is our first step towards ruling the world.
I challenge us to take a careful look at the way the construction industry in Nigeria is moving right now – it’s amazing if anyone of us thinks we can rule the world or do exploits this way. It‘s a solid NO!
We can’t continue with the ordinary and expect the extraordinary; we can’t put in regular everyday activities and expect mind-blowing, supernatural results. To put it cute, WE NEED TO CHANGE!
We need to develop a new mindset; we need a redefinition of what kind of future we expect. We probably think we are way too far behind our counterpart nations and therefore should settle for less. Yes, we are behind, but not buried. We are only that far behind because we have not allowed the future to compel us enough.
A quick scan of the construction industry in Nigeria reveals no goal-orientation. We mix concrete and stab them with reinforcement bars and decide in our hearts “this combination must not exceed this size”. That is not who we are. That is not the heritage we have. We are people who build to wow the world. We are people whose constructions stand the test of time. We are the leaders when it comes to shaping the earth. We are Africans and we love to touch the sky!
The Pyramids of Egypt stand today as pointers to the kind of people we are, lest we forget. Those blocks first became pyramids in the hearts of the people before they became physical manifestations. It took a people who were determined to put their names on the pages of history as “doers of exploits” and “achievers of the impossible”.
We need to wake up to our lineage. It’s high time Africa stopped being referred to as a jungle. We are more than this and our playing small does not serve humanity. We must lay hold of the exploits mentality. We must do the impossible. These all lie in our ability to grasp the ideology of doing exploits. We must take all necessary actions to restore our past glory.
The construction industry worldwide is brimming with inventions and new technologies. I salute such efforts, but there’s always a difference between acquired skill and natural effort. To us in Africa, we are naturally endowed for construction exploits. We are the shapers of the earth. Our built environment will one day surpass those of the currently developed nations in beauty, in style and even in size. Through our ingenuity, we will develop witty inventions, create new city models, discover newer technologies and ultimately lead the world construction-wise. The world is yet to see construction with an exploit mentality. We will daze the world.
These all begin with us as individuals. Firstly, we must believe in the industry, believe in our heritage of construction exploits, believe in our future as leaders of the construction industry, believe in our God-given natural skill at turning sand and steel into skyscrapers and organizing the built environment into paradise on earth.
Yes, I see us building thousands of over 100-storey buildings across Nigeria. I see the largest buildings, longest tunnels, fastest rails, most environmentally friendly cities. I see road networks without overhead cables obstructing the sky view; I see effective drainage systems, clearer and safer water bodies. I see new home-developed technologies, new plant and equipment fabricated in our factories. I see a new dawn for construction in Africa.
Today, Burj Khalifa is the World’s Tallest Man-made Structure but it’s not the tallest that will ever be built. It is only a fore-runner to the World’s Tallest Man-made Structure that will stand on African soil. No doubt, the Arabs have come a long way, the Middle East deserves our respect and the western world have proved their mettle. Let’s all wait to see the grandmasters of daring feats; people who shatter myth and who override legends, who trample on past records, overturn standards, create marvels; people who derive joy and fulfillment in doing exploits, people who love and cherish their environment, people who clink glasses at two-hundredth floor on African soil.
Now is the time to begin to take our place as sons of the industry. We are no slaves to it. We rule in the industry. We open long-shut doors, create paths in long-forgotten jungles. We bring forth light out of touchable darkness. That is who we are and that is what we were born for, Exploits Unlimited!
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