Diamond Candle

Vast, whose real name is Nwachukwu Ozioko, the lead Singer of the Nigerian HipHop group, 'The Brackets,' grew up in the same street as me.

He was just one of us-boys of slaughter road nsukka, who woke up every morning to go and fetch water at ''work and Pay''  or  bore-hole and on saturdays, to the Timber shed to fetch saw dust used as fuel for cooking. I got to know him through  Ambrose Onah, my clasmate during our confirmatiom cathechism classes and I remember him-Vast, shaking my hand with both of his, as a mark of respect, when I got admission into UNN. But, the last time I saw him in Nsukka amist cheers of ''yori yori'' from all and sundry, especially the numerous Children that hawked one thing or the other, at Enugu road junction, I was too scared to walk up to him and shake his hand.

How could I have mustered the 'liver' to move close,  to greet or shake hands with a celebrity who moved in the company of big shots like Emeka Mama, Dekumzy and Emeka Onyishi- peace mass transit CEO? That was a guy I used to look down on, during the days of our youth, because  I saw him as one of those street kids who did not do well in school.

You see, life is a very long and strange journey. One in which where you have been does not have much influence on where you are going. It is one in which that single diamond candle which your maker put in you when he made you can, one day, in a heart beat, easily calm whatever dusty storm you are passing through or have passed through, and illuminate your way up to the sky, enabling you to be among the stars as one of them. If only you will look-out for it-that Heaven made Candle and light it up.

It doesn't require a University degree for you to do that. It doesn't matter that you were born without a Silver spoon. It does not require that you must be handsome or beautiful, tall or short.
It does not require that you must be brilliant.

This same Vast of a guy attended the worst school in Nsukka (Nru boys). He was born out of wedlock. He was often dirty just like any of us then. He was often in a hurry, running errands for his grandmother who used to fry Akara at Enugu road junction.

Who could've predicted then, that he would be living in Lekky by now? Who could've thought that in less than five years after secondary school during which he spent his free and break periods rapping Tupac to entertain his classmates, that he would be standing on the stage now, with the very best of Nigerian Artists?


I've been listening to their latest Album and the track 'only time' has been on repeat for two days now. In the song, he enjoins anyone, every youth struggling now, to look at them(Brackets) and, their story, and know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. He sings:
   
 
''I remember when we dey beg for money because 'Happy day' wey we sing no dey bring us money and our producer dey vex with us say him dey invest money but him dey get no return. But, see us today. We be Brackets and we sing song of the year. We feature Psquare and Tuface, MI and Banky....frustration don go away.
My brother, in whatever you do, just dey work hard and pray and surely, one day, God go bless your work...''


There are many more guys like him who made it from no where and ,you, my guys out there, can always look up to them as examples of what your God given talents can do for you. You can name them:

Tuface, Psquare, Mikel Obi, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Jay Jay(Pa Jay) Okocha, Victor Moses. Just name them. They are so many, more than I can count.


I'm proud to be an Nsukka boy and Am proud of you 'Vast',
Nwachukwu, nwanne Oluchi.