Still On Timi: An Analysis Between Self Development And Service

By Ijeoma Umeh

Now, to explore the vast internet space and  exploit whole new range of media training  opportunities that abound there  for yourself, both at home  and in the diaspora is good, that  is self development.  

When such opportunities land, you either fly first class, economy or take a luxury ride, sleep in the best hotels, wake up gallant, eat good food, drink choice wines, sleep on,  dream big dreams and get your certification and  per diem at the end of little academic exercise. Those are the perks of Self Development, and the journalism profession encourages it for professional growth. 

Now, let us look at service. You are the Vice President of your Zone, you are woken up in the midst of a beautiful siesta and alerted  that crisis brewed in one of the  States under your Zone. 

There may be breakdown of law and order  the following day except you intervened immediately. Your association will not continue to be in the news only for negative reasons!  

You tiredly check the time. It is past 3pm. Your siesta has been suddenly interrupted.  With springs on your feet, you jump off your coach, tell your family to help you pack a small travel bag, they should put a satchet of paracetamol in there, and then you announce to your bewildered family that you were going off to settle disputes in one of the States under your Zone. 

It is a turbulent night journey and you finally arrived. There is often no funding attached to these kind of exigencies, often times you have to fund them yourself because the state you have landed in for intervention  is in crisis, the Treasurer may have even bolted with the cheque book, the Secretary may not see eye to eye with the embattled Chairperson and would not honour a call for truce,  sometimes you have to stoop low to conquer, sleep in the homes of members, eat with them, all in a bid to ensure the work of entrenching peace is done.  

The following morning, aggrieved members of the association are dumbfounded to see you already seated at the pressscentre, ready to dialogue, with deep furrows of wrinkles of insomnia etched on your brows. 

Despite your tiredness, you are able to crack a few timely jokes,  laugh, make some worthwhile  renditions in songs which wordings are uplifting, you sing and they sing along, and soon the place becomes a dance floor rather than the battleground aggrieved members  originally intended it to be, everyone is happy again, and...what about  the rift. . .no one knows anymore what it was all about! 

 Resolutions on Peace become sealed.  Embraces are shared and the peace effort yields results. Lunch is served, and for the first time since the ordeal began, you are able to gulp down water and drop the cup! 

That is service! 

Timi made all that sacrifices and more for the association across states in the South South under her two tenures as VP, Zone F.  She rendered service. She put cushions of wool where people had sowed thistles. That is service, and the mantra of NAWOJ is "Dignity in Service" 

Think Service, Think  Timi...Vote Her in as your Deputy National President in the forthcoming National Delegates Conference in Minna and let this diligent and committed  service continue! 

NAWOJ...Dignity in Service!