Let me let you into a big secret. Are you ready for it? The recent failure in WAEC and NECO examinations is the result of lack of focussed practice – by way of homework and after-school studies by students. It is the same reason most Nigerian universities are producing unqualified, unemployable, un-entrepreneurial graduates. The problem then is: unqualified primary school pupils enhance their poor learning skills in secondary schools and fail WAEC and NECO examinations effortlessly. The rotten system permits such students to go into glorified post-secondary institutions and the few good ones which are bedevilled with poor instructional procedures. In the end, it is all about purposeless practice or complete lack of diligent practice leading to greater system failures.
No person was born a ready-made champion. No one was born with a complete set of formal education, skills and refined talents. Anyone who has achieved anything worthy of emulation or adulation, anywhere in the world, went through process, practice being a major aspect of that process.
…practice “when you do a particular thing, often regularly, in order to improve your skill at it…”
In contemporary times, world acclaimed Michael J. Jackson consistently practiced his songs and dance routine for a minimum of ten hours daily for decades. While his contemporaries were running around “enjoying” and throwing their new found fame around, MJJ was busy enjoying his work, practice to improve his performance. The result? He was the main issue in global music industry for several decades.
The Holy Bible tells us about the boy, David Jesse, who practiced the art of warfare, confidence, strategy, perseverance and absolute faith in the Almighty God of Israel with lions and bears, as a shepherd. He became adept at throwing stones with his sling and choking those beasts to death with bare hands. By the time Goliath showed up, David Jesse was the only man standing to confront a human colossus that had defied experienced ‘generals’ in King Saul’s army. Come to think about it, David Jesse also knew how to enjoy peace time. Yes, he practiced his harp playing and psalm writing skills. And soon, greater usefulness of these came his way.
The question now is: What have you practiced so well that the world should give you acclaim or pay you for? Acting? Soccer? Music? Singing? Dancing? Typesetting? Computer hardware or software development? Shoe production? Men’s, ladies’ or children’s wear production? Cooking? Baking? Printing? Surgery? Essay writing? Sculpting? Wrought iron works? Drawing? Public speaking? Direct marketing? Business strategy development? Grooming? Creative writing? Business administration? Make-over works? Tailoring? Athletics? Modelling? Photography? Carpentry? Human rights activism? Academic research? Post-primary and post-secondary studies? Whatever the category of endeavour one may consider, the leading names we admire and speak about animatedly, those who have really made good in these areas, got to the apex of their industry by dint of practice, which some refer to as hard work.
Among foreigners: Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Pep Guordiola, Alex Ferguson, Michael Schumacher, Henry Ford, T. D. Jakes, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama and Michael Jordan. Among Nigerians:
Phillip Emeagwali, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Aliko Dangote, Lagbaja, Buchi, Chimamanda Adichie, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Segun Odegbami, Austin (Jay Jay) Okocha, John Momoh, Dele Giwa, Genevieve Nnaji, Desmond Elliot, Sunmi Smart-Cole, TY Bello, Agbani Darego, and F. R. A. Williams. Others include Sam Amuka Pemu, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Peter Ogudoro, Ndidi Nwuneli, Tony Elumelu, Jim Ovia, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Tonye Princewill, Gani Fawehinmi, Ogbo Awoke Ogbo, Ben Enwonwu, Chike Obi, Peter Obi. The list is endless.
One thing stood these personalities in good stead to rise to the apex of their endeavours: good planning, practice and commitment to improvement. That is what makes practice beautiful; committing oneself to consistent improvement, even while others consider one to have reached “the top”.
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, PRACTICE is “when you do a particular thing, often regularly, in order to improve your skill at it”.
Can you identify one or two legitimate things you have worked on consistently in order to improve your skill? Practice makes better. What you don’t practice, you cannot get better at it? Do you agree? Leave your comment here.
