Celebrating Felix Ekpa

I attended today an interesting interactive breakfast seminar on “Using Street Skills to Make Money Legitimately” facilitated by Felix Ekpa and friends. The highlights of the seminar were focused on how to employ and exploit the same skill sets used on the streets to con and dupe people out of their money to make money legitimately.

One of the things that struck me immediately I entered into the conference room used for the seminar was the array of young upwardly mobile-looking guys who you could almost bet your life on were some of the most law abiding and straight citizens of this great country. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them and at the same time feel utmost joy.

The former feeling was in relation to those who they who would have caused pain and tears; families they might have wrecked; businesses they might have jettisoned; lives they might have destroyed and so on; the latter feeling because they were seated in the room where a process of change was bound to kick off in their lives for the better.

That they were present in that room was an indication that they were not ultimately satisfied with the means by which they were living large. It pointed out to me that they had been there and back and were probably asking themselves if “this” was how they’d live all their lives. How much consolation could they derive from the fact that they would be cursed most of their lives by those whose lives they intentionally ruined.

But most importantly, I believe the reason they were there was because somebody’s life was a challenge and mystery to them. One guy who seemed to have performed the ultimate miracle -  live off the streets and make more money than can be made on the streets legit. One guy they’d been whispering about to each other “Have you heard?” they’ll say in hushed tones “Omo the guy  no they job again o but e still dey hammer, how the guy they do am?”  This young gentleman is who I am celebrating in this article. His name is Felix Ekpa.

If you are curious about his profile or want to find out more about his life on the streets please hit this link – www.felixekpa.com. Felix lived and thrived by making “magas” of people in times past. For a year and some now, he has been going legit and making huge chunks of dough as well. When he was still on the streets, he had successfully trained, mentored and employed tens of youths like himself in the trade.

Having gotten out of the quicksand which never seems to stop sucking you under the more you try to get out, he decided it was high time he took responsibility for getting others out of it as well. The result was a high brow seminar titled “Using Street Skills to Make Money Legitimately”.

How did I meet this great chap? I had heard a lot about him without meeting him from my mentor. Coincidentally, we share the same mentor so I can safely say he’s a brother of some kind. By the time I finally met him, I felt honoured to know such a brave man as he. Not many people would live uncertainty for certainty, especially when that uncertainty made you comfortable and the latter seemed void. He braved the odds and is the better for it now. Besides, by the time we met, his uncertainty had already become certainty. He was back on the money making track using the skills he had learnt on the streets to do it lawfully. In fact, as I learnt later, he had started returning in bits the money he had conned people out of to those he conned and could still get in touch with.

It was the rebirth of a great visionary. The making of a new man. Now Felix works as a leading Business consultant with Generis Solutions. He is a mentor and coach on financial intelligence among other things. He is a pioneer member and leading strategist of the New Nigeria Club.

Another feather that has been added to his cap is his crusade to convert street guys to legit guys and Saturday, 8^th March was when the maiden event took place. It was a huge success. The first of its kind and certainly the point of turnaround for his erstwhile friends and business colleagues on the street.

All I can say is Felix is fast approaching the state of a true Icon in the New Nigeria. If I was the president of this new country, I’d probably endow him with a national award – GCON – Grand Commander of the Order of the New Nigeria. KUDOS!!! THREE HAPPY CHEERS FOR FELIX!!! HURRAY! HURRAY!! HURRAY!!!