When I said pastors should consider investing more of their enormous resources into businesses, industries and ventures that create jobs, produce goods and strengthen the economy instead of endlessly building bigger and bigger church structures, some people attacked me.
Now look at this.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is reportedly unveiling electric vehicles under the Falcon, Passion and OG series, moving beyond preaching into actual productive enterprise.
THIS is the kind of growth I was talking about.
A church building can accommodate worshippers.
A factory can employ engineers, technicians, designers, mechanics, marketers, drivers, accountants and hundreds of other people.
A massive auditorium may inspire people for three hours on Sunday.
A successful manufacturing company can put food on people’s tables for decades.
There is nothing wrong with building churches. But let’s stop pretending that every additional billion poured into another gigantic auditorium has the same economic impact as a billion invested into manufacturing, technology, agriculture, energy or transportation.
If religious organisations command enormous financial resources, imagine what Nigeria would look like if more of that capital was deliberately channelled into productive investments that create jobs, build industries and manufacture things Nigerians currently import.
This is not an attack on Christianity.
It is an argument for economic Christianity that produces something beyond another building.
And honestly, some of you owe me an apology.
You called the idea an attack on pastors.
I was talking about capital allocation.
There is a difference.
Nigeria doesn’t only need more people praying for prosperity.
We need more people with capital actually building the prosperity.
this is insane. i genuinely don't understand why ambitious people aren't shown this lecture before their careers start consuming their entire lives.
clayton christensen spent his career studying why successful companies collapse. in his final class, he asked students to apply the theory to themselves: if you keep allocating your time the same way, what life are you actually building?
he had already seen the answer in his own harvard mba class. everyone looked successful at the fifth reunion; by the 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th, many were unhappy, divorced, and living far from their children.
work shows you the score immediately. close a sale, ship a product, finish a presentation, earn a promotion, get paid.
an hour with your child may produce nothing you can measure today; it may take 20 years to understand what that hour built. so the next free hour goes back to work, one rational decision at a time.
this is how people build lives they never planned: through hundreds of right decisions that lead in the wrong direction, day after day.
money, titles, and headcount are easy to count. christensen believed a life should be measured by the people who became better because you were there.
he died in 2020.
one question remains: if someone saw only where your time, energy, and attention went this year, what would they think actually mattered to you?
the full 19-minute lecture is in the video below.
Do not let the illusion of urgency in this world deceive you. Slowness is sacred, and honoring your own pace is medicine. There is no rush to arrive. Take your time and allow life to meet you wherever you are.
I attended my neighbour’s 50th birthday yesterday. She’s a widow with two children. Her husband died about 10 years ago, and she has been raising them with support from her family.
It wasn’t a big party, just a few old school mates attended the party.
But something happened that stayed with me.
During her vote of thanks, she mentioned my name. My heart skipped.
She said, “I also want to appreciate Mr. David. Every night he puts on his generator because of the erratic NEPA light, he gives us power. My daughter used that light to read for her JAMB.”
Then she added, “She scored 303. Now she can study Medicine and Surgery at UI.”
I was shocked.
A small act I didn’t think much of meant so much to someone else.
That moment, I made a quiet decision to keep doing good whenever I can.
Because sometimes, the little things are not little at all.
The part that broke me the most was where he had to lie to them that he was not a Christian, but a Pegan. John must have thought that he’ll be freed if he says that. Then when the torture got out of hand, he shouted JESUS.
And these monsters said, “Oh! I thought you said you don’t know the name Jesus! I thought you said you don’t know the name! They insulted him and make mockery of his own JESUS”. They made him to denounce his own JESUS.💔💔💔💔🤧
Tonight, my heart is unbearably heavy…
I watched a man cry out in pain, helpless, beaten, and treated as though his life meant nothing and it broke something deep within me. Lord, how did we get here? How did we become a people who watch suffering and feel so powerless?
In his cries, I heard the echo of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who in His agony still looked up to You and said, “Father…”because even in pain, He knew You were there. So today, with tears in my eyes and fear in my heart, I call on You the same way… Father, please do not forsake us.
This land is hurting. The fear is real. The silence is loud. And for those of us who have nothing, no protection, no voice… it feels like we are left at the mercy of darkness. Lord, please arise. Let Your justice speak. Let Your mercy move. Let Your presence be felt again in this nation.
Please save that man, John… wherever he is right now, step into his pain. Hold him in ways no human can. Send help he cannot see. Fight for him when he is too weak to fight for himself. Remind him that he is not alone, even in that moment of terror.
Lord, I have no money, no influence, nothing physical to offer… but I refuse to be silent. So I give You this cry, this pain, this prayer. Please turn our tears into testimony. Turn this darkness into light. And remind us that You are still God, even here… even now.
Because at this point, Lord… You are all we have oh Jesus 😭😭😭😭😭🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
One of the cleaners at my former place of work, always with his Earpiece listening to music while he cleans, i greet everyone at the office like we're pals, hand shake and a "guy hug", eveyone, at the end of most months , i go around giving some of the cleaners 2k each or 1k depending on how much of my salary I've spent before e enter, including the security guys too, i do this because i know how much they earn, and i can tell you its not enough to survive in Lagos, Fast forward to about 6 years later, i had left the organization and i was part of a committee organizing an event for some executives for a retreat at a very nice resort here in Lagos, i never met the manager in person , but we spoke on the phone e few times and i was on the call most of the times with the concierge team. The day we brought the team, the concierge personel was introducing eveyone to the team, and a tall fine gentle man walked in and she said "oh here's our Manager, before i could even open my hand for a handshake, he screamed my name, hugged carried me off my feet, i was still trying to figure out who he was, and he said its me( called his name) , i couldn't believe it , he was the same cleaner guy at my former place of work, now a whole manager?!!!. I hugged him and carried him this time , i was super excited. Apparently while he was a cleaner he was also finishing at National open university, he told how he's always looking forward to the 2k from me every month.😁 . To cut the long story short, i got 70% discount on everything i did, the room, the food i paid almost nothing. 😁. God can lift anyone from anywhere, never look down on anyone , i treat eveyone with same respect.
I met a guy at a cyber café in 2019.
Every day, same routine:
He’d come in, pay for just 1 hour, and type as if his life depended on it.
One day I asked, “What are you always working on?”
He smiled and said, “I’m applying for jobs abroad. One must click.”
People laughed at him.
“Who do you know abroad?”
“You think it’s that easy?”
But he kept showing up.
Every. Single. Day.
Some days, he had money.
Some days, he didn’t—he’d just sit and watch others, learning.
Fast forward to 2022…
He stopped coming.
We thought he had given up.
Then one afternoon, someone walked into the café wearing a hoodie and carrying an iPhone.
It was him.
He got a job in Canada.
Not through connections.
Not through luck.
Just consistency.
Before he left, he said something I’ll never forget:
“Most people quit right before it works.”
It’s not always talent.
It’s how long you can keep going when nothing is working yet.
If you’ve been trying and it’s not clicking yet…
This is your sign not to stop.
Happy Mother’s Day to every mother out there.
You are a beacon to your children. The light you carry doesn’t just guide them, it shapes who they believe they are allowed to become.
I pray you continue to shine light on paths that help your children grow into people who are confident, kind and whole. Because sometimes, the greatest inheritance a mother gives her children is not money. It is how to see themselves in the world.
❤️❤️❤️
I really envy those that relocated and can move in and out of the country at will.
The economy is so degraded here.
Textbook analyst on TV will tell you otherwise but those that touch grass outside know otherwise.
Housing, feeding, transportation, healthcare are all so expensive and income has relatively remained stagnant.
Look at Valentine’s Day as an indicator. Sales and buzz would have been going on by now about Val’s day but Nigerians are unusually sober about it.
Na who fit chop go remember love.
Kings, tell your stories on social media, especially in video. There are now AI tools that make video storytelling easy without you being in front of a camera.
Talk about the highs, lows and everything in between. This generation needs to hear from authentic voices.
Be brave but wise. The trolls may come for you. Your enemies (and the government) may be envious and wait to destroy you. But don't shy away because of these. There's a hack.
Build protection through vibrant communities. When the world comes for one, it comes for all - powerful people in your network who have your back and will defend you.
To find a community, attend in-person events. At @mysonderplace, we host a couple every quarter. I'm sure your religious centre or industry has some too. Leave your house and go out.
When you get to a community, stop being extractive. Life is not about you. Be sacrificial. Volunteer. You will build incredible goodwill without you knowing it.
I really want my brothers to know that:
The season where no one is clapping, no one sees you is the most critical.
It is where roots deepen & character forms
Don’t rush out of that silence.
100% of a man's problem stems from his inability to sit alone in his room, in silence.