By Dapo Ipoola

Bill Strickland is an American journalist, book author and editor whose work focuses primarily on the sport of cycling. He has spent over thirty years transforming the lives of thousands of people through Manchester Bidwell, the jobs training center and community arts program he founded in Pittsburgh. Working with corporations, community leaders, and schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and build a better, brighter future.
In his book, Strickland shows how each of us, by adopting the attitudes and beliefs he has lived by every day, can reach our fullest potential and achieve the impossible in our lives and careers—and perhaps change the world a little in the process. Through lessons from Strickland’s own life experiences and those of countless others who have overcome challenging circumstances and turned their lives around, the book teaches us how to build on our passions and strengths, dream bigger and set the bar higher, achieve meaningful success, and inspire the lives of others.
Without sounding immodest, the life’s tapestry and trajectory of Honorable Leke Joseph Abejide, member of House of Representatives, Chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise, representing Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopa-muro federal constituency is a classical example. His belief and passion have been that of service dedicated to humanity. Advancing the course of others most especially the underprivileged, brings greater joy to him. Even before his foray into partisan politics, Hon. Leke Abejide has always found himself lost in the service of others. This he does without prejudice, favoritism or discrimination as this could be attested to through his all-encompassing representation in the House of Representatives, as his representation transcends political party, color, race, and tribe. Just as MHR Leke Abejide is not a run-of-the-mill representative but always on the one man’s crusade to inspire others to dream bigger and achieve the extraordinary.
Through his dynamic representation, he has been able to complete more than 60 capital-intensive projects, some of which include the construction and rehabilitation of hundreds of kilometres of roads, free WAEC payment for students in 5 LGAs i.e. presentation of bank drafts for the payment of WAEC fees for almost 2000 Yagba students where the number of WAEC candidates were increased from the earlier 1,397 to almost 2000 candidates due to the adjustments and inclusion of those that were not captured in the first place, with the payment of administrative charges directly to the school account so as to abrogate sending students away from school because of administrative charges. Hundreds of women were empowered with N20,000, ten(10) persons per wards across Yagba federal constituency; over 47 Highlander SUVs were donated to all the graded traditional rulers in Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro LGAs; construction of 380– Capacity ICT Centre, construction of classrooms, non-stop empowerment of widows, youths and persons with disabilities, boreholes, rural electrification; distribution of food items and clothing materials worth millions of naira to the over 6,500 widows across Yagba Federal constituency; provision of free medical outreach to 300,000 constituents; food items and empowerment materials like cars, water pumps, tricycles, motorcycles, sewing machines, hand dryers, generators, mechanical and electrical tools to artisans were distributed to the constituents in all the 34 wards in Yagba federal constituency in order to ameliorate hunger and hardships so as to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy and help many people to establish small-scale businesses.
In his bid to further reposition the dwindling standard of education in his constituency, over 15,000 textbooks were distributed to all the public schools in Yagba, and the books were meant for the pupils who are in primary 1-6 and Junior Secondary Schools students from JSS1-3.