I have seen collage of pictures from Google Photos capturing moments in 2022 but I am not sure those pictures will do justice to my 2022 Review. What a year it has been and I will try to capture the moments as succinctly as I can. It was January and myself and my wife had been knocked down by a flu. I often dread both of us falling ill at the same time in this cold North as it leaves the kids without proper attention. So January started on this note and it was Wunmi Rotimi who sent her husband Segun Rotimi a Bowl of White Rice and spicy stew one of those afternoon while I struggled to gather strength and take care of us. As we both began to recuperate, the reality of my 40th birthday began to stare me in the face. I have always wanted a 40th birthday party since my dad clocked 40 in September 1988. With February fast approaching, a long childhood friend called me to ask if I was still going ahead with my 40th Birthday Party. Prior to then, between myself, my wife and Kemi, we had been deliberating if I really wanted to have a party. Kemi reminded me of how she thinks it is important to me even if I didn’t want to own up to it. February came and yes my 34yrs dream of having a 40th birthday party happened. It turned out to be worth every bit of it with Friends and Families turning up with their energy. Then I concluded that yes a good DJ, good food can make a party rock but you also need people with the right energy and that I had.

Here comes March & April, torn between reminiscing on my 40th birthday and planning for my mom’s 70th birthday party in Lagos Nigeria. Now my mom’s 70th birthday was a big deal for her and the entire family but asides that, the opportunity to go back to my own Bethel (Lagos) was also on the table. Having moved to the North Pole in 2018, I tried going back in December 2018 but it didn’t happen as it takes a while to settle down in the Cold North. Come December 2019, missing Lagos life so badly, myself and my cousins planned to spend December 2020 in Lagos (Detty December loading). By Feb 2020, the longing to go to Lagos had crippled my patience, I told myself I wasn’t going to be able to wait till December. I booked a flight for April 2020 and began to count down. Then Covid happened. I tried to visit Lagos in 2021 but my passport expired so 2022 wasn’t gonna weave this on me. The anticipation was ripe and I was going to have my “Lagosarsm”. However the woe stories emanating from Nigeria began to weigh me down. As my trip to Lagos drew closer, I began to have panic attacks. I am a Lagos boy. I love that city in spite of its madness but it appeared I had given heed to these woe stories. I don’t doubt that some of them were true but some were also exaggerated. To pacify my anxiety, I began to listen to one of the tracks that generated the best vibe during my birthday gig- Feel Good by Mohbad. Plenty enemies, wey day follow me. Ma je ki won mu mi, even if na die minute.

The month of May came and I jet off to England to reconnect with my cousins and friends. The likes of Wunmi, Jumoke and DASH. My stop in England was good as it allowed me connect with families I had not seen in decades and almost a decade for others. My stay in England was over and I was en-route Lagos. The excitement in me was over the roof. As we flew into the Lagos airspace and I couldn’t contain the grin on my face, a lady next to me had to ask “why I was so excited?”. Landed in MM1 and yes the weather was hot but I grew up here. Come on! One of my very good friends had gotten me a driver and as we drove out of the airport, I initially struggled with the Honk by cars on the road, In a few seconds I struggled with folks jumping on the highway to cross the road but I was quick to remind myself nothing has changed, This is your Lagos and you are the one that got used to a sane environment in 4yrs. As we crossed the 3rd Mainland bridge and drove into Ikoyi, I saw a semblance with where I have been hibernating in the last 4yrs. Despite a lot of folks already scared me about driving in mad Lagos and how I may not be able to cope with the madness (That I shrugged off), as soon as the driver dropped me in my short-let and handed over the car keys to me, I had a shower and got on the road that night, For me, nothing has changed. I guess people exaggerated on the driving. If you wondering what my Lagosarsm was, it was reconnecting with friends that I grew up with. A lot of these guys are doing well in their right. It was sitting with Tayo and seeing everything he used to tell us about his dream while we stayed in Eko Hotel on NLNG’s bill as a young graduate. It was hanging out with Dipo and catching up on the days of ASUU strike while we felt stuck in ipaja to living together as a bachelor in Surulere and then moving to Lekki listening to him telling me about his dream of owning a profitable and credible real estate firm and now seeing all of those words become “flesh”. It was reconnecting with my Ex-Commandos and seeing everyone doing well. It was spending time with the likes of Babajide, Tayo Fadahunsi and Ojebode (as we used to call ourselves while living in Agungi – The Young, Rich and Famous) and cracking all of our jokes without any care of offense.

Back to my Mom’s 70th birthday. It went just as planned and I remain grateful first to my siblings that made such an event happen and to everyone that graced the occasion. It was a good occasion to reconnect with extended family and the party reminded me that I am a community child which made me feel 20yrs younger. Of course I am a community child as I was raised by several good meaning people looking out for me with the likes of the Olawales, the Eyiowuawis, Bamlat, Aunties and Uncles. As my trip to Lagos was coming to a close, I had a wave of nostalgia. You mean this place called home is now a place I can only visit at least for the foreseeable future. Flew back to the North Pole and I could only thank my wife for holding forth with my boys. I came back to Calgary and just the way I reset my mind when I got into Lagos, I had to reset my mind back when I got here. The rest of June went by with a bit of Sobriety while I reminisce on my Largosarsm. July came by and I had settled back to my routine and graced the Calgary Stampede with my family. A fun event that could have turned sour. August and September came by quietly. It is expected. This was the Calm after the Storm.

My wife’s birthday often clashes with Canada’s thanksgiving and though we were not planning anything, my cousins insisted they were coming over. Without any major planning, we had a lot of fun with the presence of Shayo, Kemi, Cousin Dami, Tope, Kola, RSK, Dara my content creator advisor and all the kids. It was fun! With a blink of an eye, we got into November and Vancouver called. After careful deliberations I answered the call to Vancouver and it was worth the trip.

Here I am in December. It is Fela’s 40th and party or no party, Houston here we come. Memories of myself and Fela goes way back. From playing the Super Mario Bros on Nintendo to riding bicycles on the Highway that leads from Magodo to Beger. Teenagers risking their lives. One more trip to Houston, maybe Austin but definitely San Antonio to see families and we call it a wrap. 2022 in Review