I Know a Nigerian Star

Although he has been described by friends and fans as, “a writer”, “a scholar”,“a web designer” and“an entrepreneur”, I choose to call him a star! Yes, anyone who ameliorates the plights of fellow human beings and offers his shoulders for others to lean on deserves to be called a star. Muhammed Abdullahi Tosin is a star and he has proved that by every inch of the word. As a youth, Abdullahi has not only thrown sands in the eyes of mediocrity but he has proven that regardless of age, one can still make a difference in one’s chosen endeavor through hard work, discipline and dedication.

MuhammedAbdullahi was born on the 27^thof November, 1989 to the family of Mr. and Mrs.Otunola Muhammed and he is the last of 5 children. He was bred in Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos state where he had his primary and secondary school education and is currently a final-year student of law at the University of Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria.

Although his birth was never foretold by an angel like that of Samson in the Holy Bible, Abdullahi arrived the University of Ilorin like a ready-made star who was just waiting for the right opportunity to showcase what he had on the inside. Perhaps that opportunity came in 2010 when his hard work saw him to the top of the class earning him the title,‘Scholar Abdullahi’. He holds that title even till date. Though it may be expected that a student of Abdullahi’s caliber would out grow his boots and become pompous for his achievement, Abdullahi had an understanding; ‘the higher you go, the humbler you must become’. Thus, he remained lowly and committed to helping other students do well in their academics too.That is why he never fails to respond to calls for tutorials from his classmates and juniors whenever examinations are approaching. It is therefore not surprising that he bagged he award of the most outstanding student in the Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin in June, 2013.

Realizing that there was still something life could offer him other than just being a university scholar and that he could contribute more immensely to helping others, Abdullahi veered into writing, his age-long passion, in 2011. He worked as a freelance writer for IslamOnline.net, Qatar for close to one year producing news and analysis on Islamic issues and movements in Nigeria, interviewing relevant societal figures and providing insights and calculated predictions on the issues with a view to proffering lasting solutions. Today, Abdullahi remains a paid contributor at nigeria360.com where he writes on entrepreneurship and on other issues of national importance. His articles have also appeared on African Outlook Online and Sahara Reporters, YNaija!, Daily Trust, The Nation Newspaper, Gamji and Guardian News. He also volunteers as a newsletter administrator for the Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Nigeria.

As though the aforementioned were not enough, Abdullahi proceeded to show what mettle and foresight he possessed as he got for himself a platform for greater impact. Despite the damning consequences which it would have on his academics, Abdullahi proceeded to launch his website, www.naijawriterscoach.com, in August 2012. The website provides regular updates on essay writing contests, gives step-by-step guidelines on essay writing and provides general writing tips.Today the website has not only inspired and helped many youths achieve their writing dreams but it has also received commendations from many of its fans for quality service delivery. Nuhafoundation.org for instance has described it as“a resource for writers based in Nigeria” These facts are available online at www.naijawriterscoach.com/testimonials.

Also, In order to contribute his quota to nation building and to encourage scholarship among students of Nigerian universities, the annual Naijawriterscoach essay writing competition was kick started by Abdullahi in April this year with  well over 100 students from 22 universities across Nigeria participating.

Furthermore, in a bid to also help others realize their writing potentials, Abdullahi wrote two books entitled ‘Your Right to Write’ and ‘Vertical Writing’which were all published within the space of 4 months! The book ‘Your right to write’ which he gave for free to subscribers of his newsletters, received wide acceptation with more than 1000 downloads in just one month! The more recent ‘Vertical Writing’ launched in October, 2013 has also received wide acceptance for its quality and explicitness and is available on his website and selling like fuel!

When many thought Abdullahi would stop at just being a writer, he stunned his teeming fans with an offer in August, 2013. It was an offer to design websites for writers at the meager sum of 10,000 Naira ($62.5), an opportunity which many promptly grabbed, my humble self inclusive. Commenting on why he delved into web-designing, Abdullahi said: ‘I’m just an ordinary website owner with near-perfect knowledge and expertise at setting up and customizing websites. Ordinarily, this should not be my job. I’m a freelance writer and writing coach and that’s only what I should be doing. But I started offering this service because I hate to see people in distress!’

Abdullahi is a recipient of several awards but only a few are mentioned here;

Third Prize Winner, Annual Ramadan Diet Essay Competition August, 2013

Second Prize Winner, Annual Essay Competition of the Chartered Institute of Personnel

Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) September, 2012

First Prize Winner, Crystal Muslim Organization (CMO) National Essay Competition, Nigeria

May, 2012

First Prize Winner, Glorious Islamic Centre (GIC) National Essay Competition, Nigeria

January, 2012

In conclusion, Abdullahi is no doubt one of the very few Nigerian youths out there making a difference today even while still an undergraduate. Although he has only just started, for me such a youth should not only be commended and encouraged for his extraordinary courage and doggedness but should be emulated and followed after by all.