There was a British-born conservative writer based in the US before his death. He said that when he decided to pursue writing as a profession, his mother advised him to write what leaders read. I took this advice to heart, although I am not writing for a living. I must ensure that, even when I write copiously, the reader does not have difficulty digesting the content. Instead of dwelling on vocabulary as journalists or professional writers do, I focus on citing sources properly. Again, if you want to write extensively, you must read voraciously, as one Oyinbo man once told me at the workplace — granted you still have your Nigerian accent, you don’t search for words to express yourself. I owe that to voracious reading.

Thank you so much, Sir, for the kind remarks. I believe my luck lies in having witnessed the peak of Nigerian journalism – the mid-80s to the 90s. I was fortunate to have a job when I finished grammar school, allowing me to buy any newspaper or magazine I wanted to read. I was particularly addicted to The Guardian and Newswatch. When Tell magazine was launched, I was in my final year, and to continue buying The Guardian and Tell weekly, I sacrificed my breakfast. What I want to emphasise is that, yes, God created me, but The Guardian newspaper shaped who I am today. When I publish an essay, some friends might say, "That's great research, Alex," but no, there is no research — I write from my head. The only time I do research is when I need to get a name right. For example, since I am not into European soccer, I didn’t know the name of the Ivorian striker who scored against Nigeria, so I had to research to find his name. Also, I can type without looking at the keyboard – thanks to my American experience and being a Microsoft-certified System Engineer. My ability to write in various fields stems from a special programme I took at Harvard – to graduate, you must take eight courses across the Business School, Kennedy School, Law, Computer Science, Arts, and Social Sciences. Finally, knowing my audience, I use Grammarly software for editing and proofreading. Yes, I consider myself lucky to have the resources to develop my craft and friends and family members who supported me when I was addicted to The Guardian. This addiction was so intense that when I spent holidays in Lagos, Rutham House was where I spent most afternoons. I would walk into their large hall that resembles a university common room, buy a Coke, and relax watching the workers go about their tasks. My favourite writers, besides the Guardian journalists, included Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Nosa Igiebor, Dare Babarinsa, Onome Osifo Whiskey, and Dele Omotunde. That era was wonderful, and I gained immensely from it, which helped me understand Nigerian problems and how to address them.

Thank you so much, Sir, for the complimentary remarks. I believe what I have going on for me is that I am lucky to witness the pinnacle of Nigerian Journalism – the mid-80s to the 90s. I was lucky that I had a job when I graduated from grammar school, and I was able to buy any newspaper and magazine I wanted to read. I was specifically addicted to the Guardian and Newswatch. And when Tell magazine came out, I was in my final year at the time, and to be able to continue buying the Guardian and buying Tell weekly, I had to sacrifice my breakfast. What I am driving at is that yes indeed God created me, but the Guardian newspaper made me who I am today. Most of the time, when I publish an essay, some of my friends would say, That's great research, Alex, No, there is no research, I write them from my head. The only time I have to do research is when I want to get the name right. For instance, because I wasn’t into European soccer, I didn’t know the name of the Ivorian striker who scored that goal against Nigeria, so I had to do some research to get his name. Another thing is that I can type without looking at the key – thanks to my American journey and being a Microsoft-certified System Engineer. That I can right in various fields is a result of the special program I took at Harvard – to graduate, you have to take eight different courses that cut across the Business School, Kennedy School, Law, Computer, Art and Social Sciences. Finally, knowing my audience, I use Grammarly software for editing and proofreading. Yes, I count myself lucky that I have the resources to develop my craft and the friends and fa,ily members who stood by me when I was addicted to the Guardian. The addition was such that when I am spending holidays in Lagos, Rutham House is where I spend most of my afternoons. I would just walk into their big hall that looks like a University common room, buy a Coke and relax watching the workers doing their thing. My favourite writers, besides the Guardian guys, were Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Nosa Igiebor, Dare Babarinsa, Onome Osifo Whiskey, and Dele Omotunde. That era was great, and I benefited immensely, which helped me in my grasp of the Nigerian problems and how to solve them.