I didn’t ride into politics on my father’s shoulders, says Lai’s son

Folajimi Mohammed , a member of the Lagos state house of assembly, says he did not ride on his father’s shoulders into politics.

The legislator, who is the son of Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture,  spoke to an audience at the ‘Unstuck Conference 2017’ in Lagos.

He was among the young panelists who shared success stories at the motivational conference with the theme: ‘From Stress to Success’.

He attributed his political sojourn to his strong will, determination and bravery, with only a very little of his father’s influence.

Mohammed said that his father, initially, was not favourably disposed to his decision and so he had to find other ways of accomplishing his mission.

“I told myself I had to find other ways to achieve my goal even if my father won’t support me,” he said.

“So, I was going around to meet people, telling them of my intention to contest as a lawmaker in the state. Gradually, I was getting support and I even raised money from my supporters to fund the project.

“There was a time I was even told to step down from contesting because they said it wasn’t my time. I encountered these problems and more. But these problems were not enough to stop me.

“By the time I put everything in place, it was too late for my father to stop me. Those who say I became a lawmaker in Ikeja because of my father’s name do not know the story.

“It was a story of stress, struggles, determination, and focus, but I thank God for where I am today; I thank the people for believing in me, and my father for his late support.”

Mohammed urged young people to set goals for themselves and pursue them passionately until they brought them into fruition.

The lawmaker also told the audience that the road to success was always strewn with stones and pebbles, but advised youths to brave the odds to achieve their life dreams.

Also speaking, Nelly Agbogu, founder of Nelly’s Confectioneries, charged youths to see opportunities in problems, rather than whining about them.

She said she came about her flourishing business because of the need to eat healthy foods after she was becoming obese for consuming junk foods.

“I came about this business because I was not comfortable with my big size. I was eating all sorts of things and it got to a point that I couldn’t do things again because I was weighing over 150kg,” she said

“And I said to myself, I need to start eating healthy and do exercise. So, I went to YouTube to learn how to prepare healthful foods.

“So, an idea to solve a personal problem soon became a business. Now, we are overwhelmed with orders from everywhere. There is an opportunity in every problem, she said.”