Badamasi Aliyu Bida is a millionaire and an award winning writer, in this maiden interview of LEARNING NEVER ENDS, he spoke with Bello Sagir Imam about his profile, sweet taste of challenges, his plans to travel to Japan and UK before the end of this year and others.
LNE: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Bida: Yes, my name is Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi but in the world of social media, I am known as Badamasi Aliyu Bida and as you already know in the literary circle, my pen name is 'Maximum Bodmas' and my nickname is 'The Merchant of Words'.
I was born in 1983 at Gwagwarwa Brigade Nassarawa local government. I did my primary education at Gwagwarwa Special Primary School. I did my secondary school education at Government Secondary Commercial School, Airport Road Kano. In 2003, I attended CAS Kano where I did my IJMB progrmmme. In 2007, I was admitted to Bayero University Kano where I studied Bsc. Economics.
I worked with an importation company in Kano for one year and a management consultancy firm for three years. Now am working for myself
LNE: What are you passionate about?
Bida: Well! Actually I am passionate about so many things. I have subscribed to the concept of Portfolio of Passions. I believe that one can pursue as many passions as he likes because life is meant to be interesting not boring. And we all know that monotony is boring while variety is the spice of life.
Personally, I have a very strong passion for continuous personal improvement and lifelong learning. This is what midwifed the birth of other passions in my life. I am passionate about entrepreneurship, Youth Empowerment, Information and Communication Technology, Literature and Advocacy to name but a few.
LNE: How did you start writing and what motivated you?
Bida: I started writing after I finished IJMB in 2005. Before we finished writing IJMB exams, I promised myself that I will not slow down at the rate at which I was reading. Fortunately, no sooner have we concluded our exams than I religiously started devouring novels by authors like James Hardley Chase, Sydney Sheldon, John Grisham Irving Wallace and many more.
Along the way I have a friend, a wide reader of course whom I used to discuss and digest the books I read and who also introduced me to many influential authors. This very good friend of mine is the one who inspired me to start writing a review of every book I read.
Another thing that further increase my writing skills and culture was Kabiru Musa Jammaje's English Club. I was among the first set of the club in 2007. KB and Mallam Abba Abubakar Hausawa have really influenced me to start writing.
LNE: What type of writing do you like and engage in?
Bida: Wow! BSI, answering this question seems like a Tall order to me. Actually, I seem to dabble in both the valleys of fiction and nonfiction writing. To be candid, I love nonfiction books more than any other genre. The reason is because I love learning new things and accumulating chunk of knowledge and I get that in the nonfiction. I read fiction because that's where I enrich my language stamina.
When it comes to writing, I am more of a nonfiction writer than a fiction writer but my audience will testify this very soon.
LNE: How many poems have you composed?
Bida: Well I can't be exact as you would expect but as I am speaking to you, I know that I have composed more than two hundred and thirty poems. Some of them I presented in Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) kano, Association of Fiction and Nonfiction Writers (AFINOW), Islamic Forum for Creative Writing and Enlightenment (IFCWE) fora and I have posted a lot in many online literary platforms.
LNE: Do you consider yourself as a writer?
Bida: Yes I am a writer. I consider myself a writer because everyone who aspire to be a writer of repute must first believe in himself and his creative, intellectual and imaginative abilities which are the indispensable prerequisites of the writing profession
LNE: Are you planning to publish a collection of your works?
Bida: Yes Insha Allah I am preparing for my debut in the next three months. I have a book that I finished and was edited by Kabiru Musa Jammaje and foreword by Mal. Muhammad former H.O.D languages at CAS Kano. The title of the book is Nuggets for Aspiring Writers. The one I'm currently working on is the one I want to publish first. Then I will publish a collection of my poems hopefully before the end of the year.
LNE: Have you ever received any award in writing? When? Where? And by whom?
Bida: Yes I am an award winning writer. In 2014, I was nominated to participate in a leadership essay writing competition by the executive members of Junior Chamber International Kano Chapter.
The competition is a requirement for a member of the organization to attend the Junior Chamber International Leadership Academy. The Academy is where young leaders are trained, prepared and equipped for leadership positions in their various communities.
As it turned out, twenty of us from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria were nominated to participate in the competition. When the result came out, I won the second position in the essay writing competition. Afterwards, we were sponsored by JCI Nigeria Senate Association to attend the association's Leadership Academy.
It was on the graduation day at Nicon Hotel in Lagos State that those who got the first, second and third position in the essay writing competition were awarded by the association.
LNE: What are your most memorable achievements?
Bida: I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I remember that I am a co-founder of Islamic Forum for Creative Writing and Enlightenment (IFCWE ).
Well I have achieved a number of my goals but some of my remarkable achievements recently are: I was appointed as the 2014 Junior Chamber International Conference Director Area D. The conference which many people in the other parts of the country thought would not be successful due to the security challenges in Kano turned out to be one of the successful. Also under my leadership, our area conference was the only one that met all the criteria set by JCI for hosting conferences.
This is an achievement that I would not forget.
Again because of my performance, the members of JCI Kano Chapter elected me in the annual convention in November last year as the 2015 JCI Kano Chapter President.
I am now the chapter President of this giant youth leadership organization with membership in more than two hundred countries in the world and with more than two hundred young, vibrant and active members. This organization is the only nongovernmental organization with a permanent seat in the United Nation. This really is a memorable achievement in my life.
Also I am a presidential award winner of entrepreneurship in Youth With Enterprise and Innovation in Nigeria, Youwin Programme.
Under this programme, I was opportuned to won some million of naira which I now judiciously used to start my company.
LNE: What challenge(s) have you confronted in the process of achieving your goals and objectives?
Bida: I have overcome so many challenges in my effort to realize my dreams. But like what the famous German philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche said, "Whatever doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you". The challenges are what refined me into what and who I am today.
As a writer, I have been wanting to start publishing my works, but I find myself in an environment where writing and writers are not getting the right push. I have attended many literary symposiums and conferences and have seen how young aspiring writers are supported morally, financially and strategically.
I don't want to mention names but I know many young writers in other states who have been successful because their immediate environment provided them with the right support they needed to kick start their writing career. The surprising thing is that we have here in Kano young writers with greater potential than those who are now known in the Nigerian writing community.
Also I have faced funding challenges to start my own business. I have struggled to save money to attend courses, trainings and seminars both within and outside the state. Sometimes I used to miss useful training events just because I didn't have money for travel and accommodation.
But all these are now history. Alhamdulillah! Like now I have set aside all it need to attend JCI Africa and Middle East Conference which will be hosted in Ghana in May. Additionally, I'm planning to attend JCI world Congress in Kanazawa, Japan in November this year.
LNE: What is your favourite success quote?
Bida:My favourite success quote is, 'The strangest secret is that you become what you think about most of the time'. Earl Nightingale.
LNE:What is your major driving force? And what keeps you moving in the direction of your goals?
What keeps me moving is the fact that we are all in a race. Every purpose driven person is out there to be somebody, to achieve something and to make impact. When I think about this and I remember that you can be, do and have whatever you set your mind to, provided you set clear goals and follow through with disciplined habit of execution.
This is what keeps me in the direction of my goals.
LNE: What are your future plans?
Bida: Hmm! I have big plans. I am a believer of possibilities and one of my mottos is, 'Go big or go home'. I want to first build my company into a world class ICT firm.
I also want to set up many start up businesses because I want to be a serial entrepreneur. Actually, I have many plans like going to UK to further my education and of joining the academic circle.
LNE: Who is your mentor?
Bida: I have a number of mentors in my life. My number one mentor is prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I have many people that influence my life like Brian Tracy, Zig Zigler, Warren Buffet, Robert Kiyosaki, Jim Rhon, Sydney Sheldon, Robert Ludlum, Brian Halligan and others.
These people have shaped my entire being and learned a great deal from them.
LNE: What is the name of your company, its address and what are your services?
Bida: The name of my company is Digital Marketing Networks, located at Sky Memorial Complex, Suite 166 opposite Unity Bank Zaria Road Kano, and our hotline is: +2348060663114. We are into Website Design, Software Development, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Graphics and Business Development Services.
LNE: Do you have any word of advice to give to other youths like you out there who want to achieve their lifetime dreams?
Bida: Yes what I want to tell youths is that they should be goal oriented, purpose driven and they need to believe in themselves. If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you and that is all that you need to succeed.
Also our youths need to know that this is 21 Century. You must develop learning orientation if you really want your boat to float in this day and age.
LNE: Prior to this interview, did you know about 'Learning Never Ends'? If yes when? And how?
Bida: I first learned about this blog during a presentation at ANA monthly Creative Writer's Forum last month at American Corner of Murtala Muhammad Library Kano State. It was after the presentation when someone mentioned that you run a blog on www.bellosagirimam.blogspot.com. I collected the address and saw the good work you are doing.
LNE: What impression did you have about the blog before and after giving it a visit and what message do you have to the blogger?
Bida: In the first place I know that it's going to be a blog that's worth my time because I know who Bello Sagir Imam is. So when I visited the blog, I saw what I have already expected.
My message to the blogger is that my company will help him to adapt the blogging tricks that are the vogue in the blogsphere. This I will do him for free.
LNE: Can you say one or two things to our audience before we wrap up the interview?
Bida: What I will say is that I wish everyone who check out this blog on a regular basis all the best.
Let's fill the space. Scott Jinsberg said, 'The world cannot resist a man on a mission'. Don't be afraid to set a big goal because you can only go as far as you push.
Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. Thank you also for promising to help this blog.
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