BRING IT ON: ONE OF THE HIGHPOINTS OF MY 2018

It is with all sense of joy and satisfaction that I say to you,"Bring on the bicycle, I am now a rider!" Sounds uninteresting right? As a toddler I already had keen interest in bicycles hoping to ride on one someday. A neighbor next door who had a bicycle occasionally did place me on it while he would ride a short distance to make me feel happy. This desire kept growing gradually. Then can a breakthrough. One sunny afternoon, I was led to pray and I did it with all seriousness not knowing what would follow thereafter. Just then, my dad walked in from the day's hustle with a package; I couldn't believe my eyes, it was a brand new kids' tricycle. I and my sibling were so excited. My dad assembled the toy and we rode on it with pomp and pride every other day. Years rolled by, our interest in the toy waned and somehow Dad discarded it; the toy had served us so well. I didn't get the opportunity to set my foot on a pedal until my fourth year in the university. I and my school mates were posted to a rural community in Southwest Nigeria to practise crop production within a period of three months. A young boy rode on a rickety bicycle into the compound where we were living; one of us requested to take a ride of which the boy obliged. I was moved within me; I wanted to also give a try. Then I took a bold step. I was given the bicycle and I mounted on it with excitement. Gosh! I just could not get a good grip on the pedal, my hands were shaky and the bicycle kept staggering. I was disappointed but didn't let go of my dream. The phase of my life that broke this jinx surfaced in October, 2018, barely a month after I joined the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Settling down to adapt to the rural community where I was posted to was no big deal, having lived in a rural setting previously. The greenery, the serenity of the environment, the presence of portable water, stable electricity and lively group of corp members made me feel comfortable. I was lucky to meet neighbors who had bicycles and were willing to train me on the skill. As it happened years back, I initially had difficulty riding the bicycle but like a popular Nigerian ex-footballer once said,"I was determined never to give up". I also had neighbors who encouraged me as I tried to ride. I would imagine myself riding along the street and I made sure thus imagination turned reality. Finally it did! Just a little push from a neighbor and zoom! Off I rode like a bird released from a cage. It was an amazing experience. This is one of my high points in the year 2018. I believe you've picked some positives from this piece of mine. See you in 2019!