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Friday, April 12, 2019

Ruyi's Interview with Nigerian Born British Writer, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Sam Akowe.






Ruyi: Tell us something about yourself, where you are based, and how you came to be a writer.

My name is Sam Akowe. I was born 63 years ago in Oza-Nogogo town in Ika South Local Government of Delta State of Nigeria. I am the youngest child of a family of six (4 men and 2 women). I left Oza in 1968 to Agbor in Delta State (then Mid-West) during the Nigerian civil war. I later relocated to Lagos in 1973.  When my father died in 1963, continuing my primary education became very difficult. When my mother could no longer cope, she withdrew me from school, therefore unable to complete my elementary education.  She handed me over to a local trader who also had a shop at Agbor to become a shop assistant at the age of 12. I left Agbor for Lagos in 1973 having served my “master” for three years without any reward.
On arrival in Lagos, I wanted to continue my education but my elder brothers who I had joined in Lagos where in no financial position to sponsor me. I ended up going into a local Commercial Institute (one room school) where I studied Typewriting, Shorthand, English Language and Accounting.
I secure my first even employment as a Copy Typist with a clearing company based at the Ikeja Airport, Lagos in 1975 – without any paper qualification!  That was how my life began.  As I began to earn, my quest for education continued to grow even stronger. After office hours, I will go to an evening private school. I continued to struggle and believe that I will make it. A few years later, in 1975 I sat for Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Examination in Typewriting Stages one and two (I & II) and passed. In 1979 I sat for my GCE O’Levels in Commerce, Government, Economics and Business Methods… Alas, I passed them all.  I worked in many companies in Lagos between 1975 and 1991 before I migrated to United Kingdom. My last job was with a Merchant Bank in Victoria Island.
On arrival in United Kingdom in 1991, it was really difficult to survive. As many other migrants before me, I did not have enough information about life in UK. I just wanted to travel, believing that getting there will solve all my life’s (economic) problems.  Anyway, I am still in the UK with my family of 5 – my wife and 3 children.
I became a writer through incessant social commentaries with friends and pals at work or public engagement. I am a positive minded person, very out-spoken and always have opinion on any given issue or topic and never afraid to express them.  Through positive response to the ideologies I profess from time to time, friends and those close to me began to impress upon me to document my thoughts. I started by Blogging, the rest they say, is history.

Ruyi: The master who did not reward you after serving him for three years only motivated you to bend the ugly circumstance to your favor. And I am glad you did. What genre do you really write and have you considered other genres?

My genre is Motivation.  I am very passionate about motivating and inspiring people.  It has helped me in my personal development and I have observed that it is a vital ingredient to the scheme of success. With clear, positive and realistic thinking anyone can achieve.
Hopefully, I will write a fiction book someday in the future. For now, I still have so much to talk about in self building and actualization of individual dreams through positive thinking and actions.

Ruyi: Tell us something about the books/contents that you have written or created and the story behind them. 

BUY
My book GOD, FAITH AND REALITY (Locate the Key to Your Door of Success) talks about positive thinking, defeating fears and believing in self.  It is a book that walks on the edge. As an African, we are very scared to express our opinion, especially if they are contrary to the belief of many people. Religion is one of those subjects.  For many years, though I was not born a Christian, I became a Christian and did all that is expected of a Christian.  However, when I experienced personal difficulties that defied professed solutions, I turned to God as I am taught to do all to no avail.  I began to think about the whole concept of Religion, God’s power to influence our lives positively.  I could not find answers to my problems, no matter how hard I prayed and fasted.  I look around myself, others around me, the society, the country (UK) and it dawned on me that my long held belief could not be sustained by evidence around me.  I began to wonder why Africans in Africa and indeed Africans in Europe, America and Asia struggle so much to improve life.  Majority of us are religious.  On the contrary, the Europeans and Asians are not as religious as us, yet we depend on them for our existence!  Something is not right!  Look at Africa, blindly following the teachings of Religion while disease and poverty ravage the continent!  What God will watch His people damaged this way? The reality is that we are the architect of our own destiny.  Great countries and continents are not built by faith – they are created and built through vision, integrity, hard work and scientific creations.

Ruyi: Sam, if Africa have more people like you, the continent will be able to solve most of her problems. So what place does writing or content creation hold in your life? 

Prominent!  Everything we use and enjoy in life begins with a simple thought.  Therefore, knowledge is crucial if you are to succeed in life.  I will continue to express myself through live seminars, videos and writing of materials that will inspire people to achieve their ultimate goals in life.

Ruyi: All right. What is your writing process or a typical writing day routine? 

BUY
I write better at night.  It is calm and serene.  On the other hand, ideas flow all the time. Whenever any thought comes to me, I must jot it down and expand on it later. Honestly, I do not have a rigid process. Ideas come to me from unusual circumstances, therefore I respond as they appear.  I could be driving my car, walking along the road or just being in a public place – always observing things and people.

Ruyi: What marketing techniques have been most effective for you? 

My book is published by Amazon Create-Space USA. They are the primary marketer of it.  Facebook had been very effective for me.  However, I have tried to promote it through my website, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Ruyi: Browse my blog. You will find over two hundred websites where you can promote your books. Some are free. Others you need to pay to have your book promoted. You can also list your free books on my blog. Send me an email if you want me to get your free books on my blog. Free books are great tools in the art of book promotion. Take advantage of it. You can discount your books on Amazon and promote them on some of the websites on my blog. What do you think makes a book or content sell, or makes a reader buy it? 

In my view, personality is first.  Much as a book may contain valuable information or story, buyers tend to swing heavily on the status of the writer – is he/she a public figure of controversial nature? Yes content is also a strong factor that sells a book, but it also depends on the marketing tool and process of the publisher to push the book to the buying public.

Ruyi: What's the most moving or affecting thing a reader has said to you? 

Wow… there are many readers who have expressed very encouraging and heart-felt appreciation for the privilege and benefit for reading my book.  It is priceless.  A reader wrote to me via Facebook (with a picture of himself with the book) and said: “This is a valuable book that must be read by all. Thank you, Sam Akowe, for defying fear to write this book”.

 Ruyi: What are your favorite books, and why? 

My favourite books are:
(1)   Things Fall Apart (by Chinua Achebe)
(2)   Gulliver’s Travel (Jonathan Swift)
(3)   Animal Farm (by George Orwell)
I      I love the three books!  Though I do not consider myself as a political activist, but I do like to know what is going on around me.  The three books are highly political and they highlight what goes on in our society and world.

Ruyi: Yes, I read the Animal Farm in high school. I agree with you that George Orwell’s book’s a classic. Who are your favorite authors and what do you like the most about them? 

My favorite authors are Chinua Achebe, Jonathan Swift and George Orwell.  I love their styles of writing; the satiric approach to social and political issues in society is marvelous.

Ruyi: Well, my favorite author is “Charles Dickens” and “David Copperfield” is my favorite book. Tell us about the works that you are currently working on and their progress. 

I am just gathering materials for my second book.  It will be based on relationships.  Relationships have become too volatile.  Those inside want out and those out – not really sure of what they want to get themselves into are eager to get in.  A small group has actually decided that relationships are not for them.  Relationship is a beautiful thing if you understand it, your role and ability to compromise. I feel I have something to say about creating a better understanding in relationship, offer information that might help couples make educative choice and gaining the ability to maintain a healthy relationship.  What out!

Ruyi: What challenges do you think are faced by writers and content creators like you, and what's the worst thing about the industry according to you? 

The challenges faced by writers and content creators are multi-faceted.  Creators of intellectual properties, especially new ones find it extremely difficult to find publishers to accept their scripts.  They will ridicule you by making you feel you have written nonsense material. When you finally find one to publish it, you are ripped off so badly.  Publishers are so powerful that they can make you forfeit your dream.  Authors are publishers’ Fat Cows – they milk you until you are dry.



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Ruyi: Apart from writing, what goals do you want to achieve in life? 

I want to mount some big stages around the world, delivering seminars and lecture, motivating and building champions around the world. That is my dream and I will make it happen!

Ruyi: Is there anything else you would like to mention?

First I am a Nigerian, then African.  Africans are great people but our mind set is drawing us back from really developing.  For us to progress, we must re-design our mind-set.  We must start thinking positively so we can effect realistic change in the continent.  At the moment what most people are doing is trying to solve physical problems with spiritual solutions.  It is not working and will never work.

Ruyi: You are right about people trying to solve physical problems with spiritual solutions. What is the title of your recently published book? Please include an extract of the book here.

The Title of my book is: God, Faith and Reality.

…here is excerpt from the book:

A great number of people across all ages and educational background are superstitious. 
This tendency can easily be traced to fundamental, cultural and traditional beliefs most people hold.  Irrespective of whether or not you are educated, your culture and way of life influences your thinking and reasoning when it comes to matters of poverty or success.  Superstition and blame culture prevents people from having positive view on matter of development and wealth, especially when things are not going so well.  This is very common among religious people who believe that only God is able to make good things happen.  On the other hand, the devil is responsible for all the bad things that happen to us.  This belief is prevalent among Africans and those from developing countries.  We are in the 21st century, yet many, particularly Africans, still believe that their failure to be successful in life is attributable to bad luck or misfortune caused by their enemies, usually within the family.
   Apart from witchcraft spells, there is also the issue of generational curse.  To many readers of this book, this may sound strange and confusing for you.  Do not despair too much as I will endeavour to explain it.  Many Africans particularly those that are religious are often told by their pastors and spiritual leaders that their poverty, ill health, barrenness, sudden death and so on is caused by certain curse that has been placed upon their past generations (ancestors) that they have inherited.  In other instance, they claim that generational curse could also be as a result of indebtedness to the gods for a pledge our ancestors made in the past.  These are speculations without proof, yet many still believe them.  Instead of dealing with issues that confront them, such as poor health, unemployment, premature death or failed business in a logical way, many resort to endless prayers, fasting and exorcism.
In recent time, there have been reported cases in Nigeria, Uganda and the Congo where children and young adults have been tortured and killed because they have been condemned by pastors as witches and wizards.  The question that begs for an answer is: after these children were tortured and killed by the fake pastors or spiritual leaders, did the problems facing these families subside or completely disappear?  The answer is emphatic No!  I have only cited these few examples to buttress the fact that none of these are true.  They are unfounded and are mere superstition.  They are speculations born out of sheer ignorance and backwardness.  The saddest thing about it all is that even educated people in our society are equally guilty of this calamity.
 The genesis of this problem is borne in our blame culture.  People always look for whom to blame when things go wrong.  Rather than search for real answers to their problems, they look for someone to blame.  That someone could be their mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, close neighbour or colleague from the office.  Some has gone as far as accusing their own children for their misfortunes.  Whenever things go wrong it has to be caused by someone who does not want their progress.  As ridiculous as this may sound, many don’t find it funny.  They will go to any length to find out who among their family members is responsible.  In so doing, they play into the hands of unscrupulous pastors and spiritual healers who take full advance of their stupidity and grave ignorance”.

Ruyi: Your book is fantastic! I hope every African, especially Nigerians get a copy. You nailed it. Africans are too superstitious. However, the synopsis of a book is important and most times determine how readers react. Add the synopsis of your recently published book here.

God, Faith and Reality, a Motivational Book. This book will inspire you to alter the way you think - from negative to positive thinking. We often wonder why we are not doing well, struggle endlessly to change our misfortunes, yet nothing seems to work. This is because, for many who trust God hundred percent, they trust themselves less. God, Faith and Reality will teach you how to work hard doing the right things - not the wrong things! More importantly, you will discover that when you trust and believe more in yourself, you will excel in all that you do. You are well endowed by God, therefore, use your given talent, wisdom, intellect and comportment to make yourself great. As a Motivational Speaker/Life Coach and Mentor, I am very passionate about change and helping others achieve their set life goals. We have grown into a society that depends on God for virtually everything: health, jobs, career, relationship and general well-being. Africans in particular, have relinquished their intellect, intelligence and talents in pursuit of God’s promise of signs, miracles and wonders for those who obey and worship Him. Consequently, they do less for themselves while spending their valuable time in Churches and other places of worship in pursuit of this fantastic vision. You are responsible for your own actions, therefore, your life. Remember, life is like a bank account, what you put in is what you will take out. God, Faith and Reality will inspire you to achieve great things in your chosen career, relationships, and general approach to life’s issues. We often wonder why we do not achieve our chosen goals while others around us, do great things. It is down to our individual fear and resistance to change, attitude, thought and desire. Therefore, to succeed in life, we must first conquer our fear of the unknown. To enable us do that, we must change the way we think, for, whatsoever we do begins with a simple thought. God, Faith and Reality will inspire you to change the way you think. To be successful, you must be prepared to do extra-ordinary things. Be your own master and take absolute control of your life! God, Faith and Reality will greatly inspire you.

Ruyi: You have a nice synopsis. No doubt, people will find your book interesting. What message do you want to share with budding writers and content creators? 

Never give up on your dream.  You will experience difficulty; humiliation and rejection by the powers that be (publishers) even your friends and family, but believe in yourself and do what is right for you.  I can assure you that the feeling when you open pages of a newspaper or a web and seeing your work published are indescribable. Your ability to create a legacy for yourself is priceless. Most importantly, research into your subject.  Readers are most intelligent and aware now, therefore be sure of yourself and the material you intend to put out there.  Get your work through professional editors before you go to press.

Ruyi: You are right about writers who are depressed due to rejections and your advised to them is priceless. Where can readers find you on social media?












Ruyi: Sam, thank you for everything!