By Abiodun Segun
Being born in a poverty enshrined home can be disadvantageous to such a fellow. There are a lot of examples around. With the current poverty line of Nigeria, these types of stories and examples are well known. You are likely to know someone who was born poor, and mustered all the courage and perseverance just to escape this mirage. I have read autobiographies of great men and women, they talk about their struggles, and how they made it through, none has been as inspiring as the journey of Kehinde Thomas. The renowned business, financial and leadership coach who is based in the United States of America. The soft-spoken intellectual has remained a symbol of perseverance and grace.
Thomas who was born in Kabba, Kogi State, Nigeria, was raised by his mother after the sudden demise of his father. The death of a father tends to affect the male child more. Such children would be left with no father figure, some of them later get lost to life in the wilderness, and only the smart and lucky ones among them get to manoeuvre through this stormy phase.
Kehinde was one of the lucky few, with support from his mother. He was raised properly, he got educated and also trained as a professional athlete, he got to showcase this more when he finally left the country. The athletic spirit was a trait he had already been developing while he was in Nigeria, by the time he got to the United States of America,and coupled with the right equipment, ecosystem and more, it became easier and lovely to show the world a new side to him. When he finally got the opportunity, he was able to optimally maximize this.
From his brief stint as an athlete, Kehinde Thomas transitioned to being a business coach and financial expert, this was after he had been well grounded in the University. He also brushed it up more by attending conferences and seminars. In the last half a decade, he has smartly explored the use of social media to propagate his message. In a way, he is giving back to the society that made him, he has also helped a lot of people to get out of poverty.
While poverty might be a dreaded menace yet it has served as the perfect catalyst for growth across the world. People have risen from the bottom to the top, striving and doing everything humanly possible to get out of poverty.
Life comes at people in so many nasty ways, only a few fraction of the population have been able to come out victorious, Kehinde Thomas is one of the lucky few. His poverty-stricken childhood story has become the beacon of light for people, he has become the symbol of hope while at the same thing he remains a leading example amongst his peers. At fifty-six years old, there is no doubt that Kehinde Thomas has more to offer the world, this might just be the beginning.