Monday, 10 August 2026
Tuesday, 21 July 2026
IGI OJIJI ( THE SHADOW TREE)
Thursday, 21 May 2026
10 Tips for Improving Parent-Teen Relationships
1. Remember that you are the parent.
Your job is to prepare your child to become an independent, fully functioning adult. Being a clear-sighted, compassionate mentor is way more important than being your teen's friend. They don't need your friendship, anyway. What they need is your moral leadership.
2. Remain calm in the winds of change.Nothing gets resolved when you're too stressed to think. if you can't respond rationally to something your teen did, take a break until you can.
3. Talk less and listen more.
Just like us fully-formed humans, teens want to be listened to with respect. Always be a "safe" and available person for your child to talk to. That doesn't mean you have to accept or agree with everything, but letting your teen talk openly (without interrupting), gives them a chance to hear their own ideas played out loud. It also provides a window into their problem-solving strengths and limitations. You can use that to help them.
4. Respect boundaries.
It's often a challenge for parents to grant their teens increasingly more privacy and autonomy. But in order to develop good judgment, they need lots of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. Encourage their learning.
5. They're always watching.
You want your child to be trustworthy, responsible, honest, resilient and good-hearted. Make sure you're modeling those values in your own life. And while you're at it, talk about the walk as you're walking it
6. Make your expectations clear.
When kids know your core values, have bought into the family rules and are aware of the consequences for breaking them, they're more likely to make healthier choices online and off. No guarantees, but your voice will be in the mix.
7. Catch your child in the act of doing something right.
Teens struggle with self-confidence. When they aren't dumping on themselves, their peers may do it for them. Don't add your voice to the chorus of negativity. Actively look for things your kids are doing right. Your praise shows you notice more than their faults. It will also increase their feelings of competency.
8. Be real.
Father/mother do not always know best. Admit your own confusion and mistakes. Apologize when appropriate. Show your kids that just like them, you too are also "a work in progress." That's all any of us can expect from ourselves and others... progress, not perfection.
9. Schedule regular unplugged time to enjoy being a family.
Cook. Eat. Walk. Bike. Bowl. Whatever. The point is: Relaxing together without screens in the way is a gift with long-lasting benefits.
10. Lighten up!
Humor is a great de-stressor. Remember, no one stays a teen (or the parent of one) forever!
What wisdom have you learned that's helped you as the parent of a teen?
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 10: OMO OLOORE YOUNG PERSON/CORPER OF THE MONTH AWARD
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 9: I COLLAPSED!
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES
STORY 9: I COLLAPSED!
In 2012 while I was still Commissioner for Youth and Sport, the Ministry organized a series of events at the time. One of such events was the Oyo State Job Fair/Empowerment program for young people.
The idea of the empowerment part of the program was to provide young people with skills, start-up kits and a seed fund with which they could commence operations when the program was over.
We had this program twice in my tenure and over 2000 youths were trained through that program and the skills acquisition ranged from Barbing to Hair dressing to Fashion designing to Graphic design to Event management to Photography and Videography.
Here is how we selected the participants – we created a website and people were directed to apply to be a part of the skills acquisition program.
We gave a 30% slot to public office holders who had candidates interested in the program while we gave 70% to the members of the public who would be selected based on merit.
A screening committee was set up with my humble self as the head. I wanted to be sure that only people who merited to be in the program got in so I really rolled up my sleeves and got involved. I wanted to be able to beat my chest to say ‘yes, only those who merited to be in the program got in.’
Being a part of the program was such an eye opener for me. After we released the names of those who had qualified, we invited them over to verify their credentials.
Among those who had applied to be selected were people with two Masters degrees. In fact, there was someone with a PhD who applied and I was just like – ‘whao!!!’ It was then I confirmed my conviction that we were sitting on a keg of gunpowder with the issue of unemployment in the country.
All these discoveries made me doubly committed to see the event through to fruition.
We got trainers in different skills sets – we made sure they were people who had built pedigree in their vocation.
During the period of the training, we had a top government official come around to talk to the participants and just admonish them. This time, it was the deputy governor that we had invited so he came two days to the end of the program.
Just before it was my time to mount the podium to speak, I realized that I was feeling feverish. I was seated next to the Deputy Governor and then, next to me was the Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sport.
I was in my seat and I knew that I was getting out of shape. I was extremely tired and it felt like I’d collapse in that chair on which I sat. The MC called my name to come over and give my speech – he had no clue what was going on with me. I leaned over to the Deputy Governor and told him what I was going through; then he signalled to the Permanent Secretary to go up and read my speech on my behalf.
As the Permanent Secretary was reading the speech, I mustered all the strength in me and made my way out of the auditorium.I got out and I couldn’t find my driver, obviously he had gone on to chill.
In the end, he was found and then I told him to take me straight home. Before we got home, I called my brother and told him to meet me at my place. I can’t remember how I made it to the door but as I entered the house, I collapsed on the floor. I was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Now, this incident happened two days to the closing ceremony of an event that we had worked so tirelessly to put together and the Governor himself was billed to come during the closing ceremony in two days’ time. I was on medication and I had drips being passed into me. The doctors who attended to me told me I had to be on admission for some more days. My mother came to the hospital to be with me, my brother and a couple friends also came too.
On the third day when the Governor was coming to close the event, I was still in the hospital. It was also the day we were supposed to give out the start-up kits and the seed-funds worth millions of Naira to the beneficiaries of the program. That morning, with the drip line still in my hand, I sneaked out of the hospital. I had made arrangement for the event’s branded t-shirt and face cap to be brought over to the hospital and so I changed into the outfit inside the car. Then, we headed straight to the venue of the event.
As I appeared at the venue, people saw the drip line and began to ask why I had come when I wasn’t fully okay yet. The event opened and it was the Speaker,Sen. Monsurat Summonu who came up first. Immediately she saw me she also asked why I had come.
Then came the governor, he saw the drip line too and he was furious. He scolded me big time and he directed that we completed the program on time so I could go back and rest. I couldn’t bear to be in a hospital bed while such a big event was going on.
I had dragged myself there because I just wanted to make sure that everything ran smoothly and thankfully the event went as planned.
After the Governor gave his speech, we took him round to show him the things we were giving out and he was really impressed. He handed over the startup kits to a few participants for picture-taking and documentation while the rest would be done by us as he had to leave and attend to other state matters.
As he was leaving, I walked him to his car and when the convoy had begun to move, I headed back to the auditorium. Then, people began to signal to me that the Governor was beckoning to me and I walked up to his convoy. He said he noticed that I was going back to the auditorium and he directed that I should head back to my car right there and then; and go back to the hospital. I said ‘yes sir’ and after he had left I went back to the auditorium. We made sure that we distributed the kits and the funds and it was a successful outing.
To my dismay, as I was leaving the venue of the event – we saw a couple of people boldly selling their startup kits right there in front of the hall!
The people for whom I had sneaked out of the hospital were selling the things we had put in place for them right where we had given them. If I had died when I snuck out of the hospital, that is how they’d have gone on to sell their kits and life would have moved on and I’d have remained dead.
I learnt a big lesson - no matter what you’re doing in service of the people give your very best but also, prioritize yourself. Stay alive.
(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)
#OmoOlooreStories
#OmoOloore
#DLA
#DapoLam
#anabifelele
#polomasinga
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 8:ASSET DECLARATION SAGA
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES
STORY 8:ASSET DECLARATION SAGA
One of the things the constitution requires of anyone leaving/going into a public office is that they ought to declare their assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau(CCB).
When I resigned from the Oyo State cabinet as Commissioner for Industry,Applied Science and Technology to run for the office of Member House of Representatives, I did as the constitution had stipulated.
After I had declared my assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau, I shared the declaration with people on social media. Then came the attacks – people came up to say the assets I declared were not true. Someone even made a bold assertion that he knew of certain properties which I did not include in my asset declaration. I found that allegation disturbing and at the same time interesting.
I am not one to ever shy away from a challenge especially where my integrity is at stake, I told the said person that it would be nice if he lodged an official complaint against me to the authorities and let them know that I lied as he had claimed.
The person refused to do so, yet he maintained his grounds that I had falsified my assets in my asset declaration.
Then, he challenged me to a public, open discussion. I told him to choose a place where he felt safe that we could meet in the open, sit down and talk face-to-face about his allegations against me and that the conversation would be recorded and uploaded online.
I told him I’d gladly show up without any security just to iron the matter out with evidences and hear him accuse me to my face. He chose the Sango Motor Park, he picked 6th January,2014 at 1pm prompt; and we had a deal.
On the day that he chose, I got to the venue at 12:35pm and immediately I dropped from the car, shouts of ‘Up sooting’ (a popular slang for Shooting Stars of Ibadan a club I rebranded when I was a commissioner) and ‘Omo Oloore’ rented the air as transporters and polytechnic of ibadan students who were at the park could easily recognize me.
I was with about three guys (My P.A,A media guy and a friend)– they were supposed to record what would transpire. We had come with cameras and other recording devices; no security. We got to Sango and called the guy to let him know I had arrived. He said he was around too but he refused to show up; he said he could see that I came with thugs.
It was funny because, first, I don’t keep thugs around me and second, we were in a public place – a park for that matter; and a place he chose by himself.
At some point he said he had moved to the Petrol Station opposite the Motor park,so we moved there and still no trace of him.
After we waited for a while and he hadn’t shown up, we went to a nearby canteen inside the motor park had meals and waited, hoping that the guy would call to say he had eventually decided to reveal himself.
We called him again after waiting for about 2hours and this time he said he was writing exams in school.
It was at the point that I made the last phone call to him which I put on speaker that everyone at the park knew what I had come for.They all applauded me for taking up such challenge to clear my name.
When it was obvious that he wasn’t going to show up, my people and I took pictures, made video recordings and left.
I came back to social media to let the people know that the guy who had accused me of falsifying my assets and had chosen to meet with me in his safest zone refused to show up.
He saw the post and, once again, began to claim that I came with thugs to the location. He provided no proof that I had come with thugs. It was a very heated matter at the time.
The interesting thing was that even though I had shown pictorial evidence of me at the location and the people I was with, people did not take the guy up on why he refused to make an official complaint to the appropriate authorities and why he had refused to come out.
People watered the gravity of what he had done and quietly, the issue went away. Till now, no complaint has been lodged against me regarding the declaration of assets I made at that time.
As a people, we have found ourselves in the place where we don’t trust our leaders anymore.
While trust has been eroded truly, we as a people should encourage leaders who try to do the right thing.
I appeal to us to use the same energy that we use to criticize bad leadership to applaud good ones.
When you applaud people who do the right thing, you encourage them to stay on the right path and you make the ones who aren’t doing the right thing to sit up and get on board too.
However, when you distrust the ones who are trying to do the right thing then what incentive do they have to do the right thing when – eventually – you’d still lump them up with those who don’t do the right thing?
It is very hot in there and anyone who comes out unhurt must have a lot of scars inside of them.
In Naira marley’s voice……It is not for children.
(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)
#OmoOlooreStories
#OmoOloore
#DLA
#DapoLam
#anabifelele
#polomasinga
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 7: CHASE THEM - E lé wọn
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES
STORY 7: CHASE THEM- E lé wọn
At the start of my campaign in 2019, I had told my supporters and security details that I didn’t want any form of violence or bloodshed.
My security comprised mobile policemen and civil defence officers and I told them that whatever happened must be taken as the will of God and there must not be any casualty as I didn’t want a situation where people would say someone was killed during Dapo Lam’s campaign.
My decision had led to a serious argument with my security details: “what if something bad is about to happen to you?” they had asked. I told them, “just protect yourself and let no life be lost on our account.”
So ahead of the 2019 elections, the campaign took us to a place called Elekuro in Ibadan South East Local Government where I met with some of our constituents.
As we were leaving, a group of young guys came out of nowhere and began to harass us – there must have been about 30 to 40 of them.
Maybe the sight of armed security officials got them agitated, before we could figure out why they had trooped out, they began to hurl bottles of beer and soft drinks with their contents still in them at us. All our supporters scattered - everyone just scampered to safety. It was a very bad situation.
My security details guided me into one of the agbooles. One of the owners of a house in the agboole called to the security people: “Se Omoolore ni, e je ko wo’le sibi – is that Omoolore, let him enter here”. The family provided their house for us as shelter.
After we’d stayed in the house for a while, the head of my security team informed me that we staying in that place, we were sitting ducks; the guys would get more reinforcements and they could get more agitated. We needed to get out quickly before things got more intense. I asked him what our options were. “We have just one option,” he explained, “the only way out is to face the violent mob gathered head-on.”
I saw the tactical sense in what he proposed and so I agreed but I reiterated my stance at the start of the campaign – hurt no one, even if our cars are damaged, do not inflict any harm on anyone. He then asked how we would get out if they were not allowed to go fire-for-fire. I replied: “I would lead”.
While they were still pondering over how I’d lead, I rose to my feet and headed for the door; I did not know where the courage came from. As I stepped out of the house we were hiding in, our supporters and constituents began to come out from wherever they had hidden.
We started jogging towards them as they were throwing bottles at us. We dodged the ones we could and as we got closer, I shouted – “e le won – chase them!” Once they saw we were unafraid of them anymore and the security detail posed as though they wanted to shoot, the boys took to their heels.
As we chased them, and everywhere in the vicinity fell silent. Then more supporters came out chanting, “e le won! e le won!!” In the end, we caught one of the boys and trust the people, they’d begun to beat the one that got caught.
Realizing how much they’d rough-handled him, I directed them to stop. Since there was a police station down the road, I told them we’d all walk down there and hand him over to the police.
That was what we did and It did not take very long before calls began to pour in from all quarters, people pleading on his behalf and saying, “constituent e noni – he belongs to your constituency” and all that. In the end, we caved in and he was released.
On yet another campaign, the leader of the people who attacked us at Elekuro came again.
This time, he wore a hoodie so that no one would recognize him. My security team, identified him despite the hoodie and the leader approached me about the discovery and their intention to arrest him. I gave them a go ahead to do what they had to do. As he was arrested, people began to beg that we should release him.
The security guys were furious as I had to ask them to let him go.
If they had not released him, what you’ll probably read in the news is that a certain Honourable in Ibadan got his constituents arrested; you might never hear the other part.
Next thing, claims of misuse of power would fly around with a politician at the centre of it all.
I’m sharing this story to let people know that things don’t come as easy as you may have imagined. It is never a walk in the park. Your dream is valid but you have to put in the work.
To achieving your goals, there is no soft-landing, no short-cuts. YOU MUST BE READY TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP WHEN THE NEED ARISES.
(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)
#OmoOlooreStories
#OmoOloore
#DLA
#DapoLam
#anabifelele
#polomasinga
Oyemal Film's Production®: A 38-Years-Old Zookeeper Impregnated A Female Ape ...
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 6: YOUR DREAM IS VALID - GO FOR IT!
THE OMO OLOORE STORIES
STORY 6:YOUR DREAM IS VALID – GO FOR IT!
I was privileged to have joined politics very early – 1998 while I was studying Electrical/Electronics Engineering at the Polytechnic of Ibadan, Eruwa Campus; but I didn’t make any attempt to run for office until 2009, four years after I had graduated from the University of Ibadan with a degree in Agricultural and Environmental Engineering. When I chose to run, I ran for a seat at the House of Representatives.
At that time, loads of people criticized me for my decision. Some opined that a position like that was for the elders and not for young people.
Others felt I was over-ambitious for a young person – they recommended that I should start from a small position like councillorship or Local Government Chairman.
Unfortunately, a large chunk of the people discouraging me at that time were members of my generation.
I was convinced that I had something to offer if I got into the office and so I never listened to them. Besides, the people who were in the office were only humans too; they didn’t have two heads.
The elections were conducted in 2011 and I lost. Losing that election became an eye-opener for me; I learnt from that electoral exercise that I lost from within my own party (ACN). Once word got out that I had lost, the people who had warned me came out of the woodwork to remind me that they’d told me I couldn’t win.
I was announced as Commissioner and these people came back again. They felt that I was too young to be a commissioner and knowing that they got their eyes on me, expecting me to underperform, kept me on my toes. I knew I had to perform - it was the only option I had. I held two offices as commissioner and then I resigned to run for the same office I lost in 2011.
Once again, I began to receive messages/calls telling me to drop the ambition because I wouldn’t win but unfortunately for them In 2015, I won and every one of them fell silent.
I am telling this story for as many young people reading this to know that their goals are valid and that they should never give up. No matter what anybody says about your dreams, you will surely achieve them so long as you don’t give up.
The first time I ran for the office - when I thought the odds were in my favour - I lost. The second time I tried, it was a stiff contest. The person I contested against in 2015 was stronger politically than the person who defeated me in 2011 and so it looked largely impossible that I would defeat the person that was stronger than the person who defeated me. I came out nonetheless and won.
Years after my experience,I see a lot of young people who have been inspired by the bold steps I made and have run for offices that many once thought were beyond the reach of young people.
I have seen people in my generation vie for office(s) and delivering fantastically well.
Dear young person, you don’t have to come from a special household before you can get involved in politics. Stories abound of people whom no one knew what home they came from and they navigated their way around and rose to prominence. I want to encourage everyone to get involved.
Some would tell you that politics is very dangerous and you’d need to get fetish to succeed in politics. My reality tells me that this is not true.
There has not been anytime when I dabbled into anything fetish and I have been thriving in the little way that God wants me to thrive. You don’t have to do any of the unpalatable things that people make you believe you have to do to run for office or to succeed in politics.
To the young person whose goal is to run for office, be a person of substance, build the capacity to make an impact and to move our society forward because a man can only give what he has. No matter how hard he tries, if he doesn’t have it, he cannot give it.
The old people who gatekeep our political system can try their best but their best can only be as far as what they’ve got to offer. This is why the educated and well-groomed young people must get involved.
The only challenge I have now is: looking at the calibre of young people coming out to run for office, are they genuinely running to make positive impacts or just going there to fill their pockets because they believe there is so much money in politics?
As much as it is important for young people to contest and get involved in the decision-making process, it is much more important that they get involved to make a difference when they get the opportunity.
(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)
#OmoOlooreStories
#OmoOloore
#DLA
#DapoLam
#anabifelele
#polomasinga
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THE OMO OLOORE STORIES STORY 3:THE PHONE IS TRULY MINE While I was serving as the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, every time Shooting ...
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1. Remember that you are the parent. Your job is to prepare your child to become an independent, fully functioning adult. Being a clear-sig...
