Monthly Archives: September 2022

Meet 11-Year-Old Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke – The Autistic Artistic Genius Who Is First African To Win The Prestigious Flame of Peace Award

When Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke was reportedly diagnosed with autism when he was only 3 years and 6 months old, many other parents would have become gloomy, depressed, and given up on him. Luckily, though, Kanye’s folks were not such people, and it has worked out perfectly for him today!

Although limited in verbal skills by his physical challenge, his parents noticed early on, too, that he was an exceptionally gifted artist, and they wisely helped him to develop it fully.

A resident of Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria, his mother disclosed that they noticed that Kanye was always drawing on walls and any surface he could find. Hence he was enrolled in an art class, and he began to communicate by reflecting his emotions in his works and painting.

He has since grown into a remarkably renowned autistic artist who helps other autistic kids by raising awareness about autism.

In 2021, Kanye was awarded the prestigious Flame of Peace (Flamme des Friedens) award in Vienna, Austria. Described by many art critics as spectacular and phenomenal, the young Nigerian is the youngest ever awardee and the first-ever African in the history of the award to win it.

Flame of Peace (Flamme des Friedens) is an award granted by the Austrian non-profit organization Vereins zur Förderung des Friedens (Association for the Promotion of Peace), which promotes world peace.

Kanye was reportedly discovered by an art enthusiast who visited the Nigerian ambassador to Vienna, Austria, and saw his outstanding works on display there, and the rest is history.

His work was subsequently displayed at the prestigious annual OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) art exhibition. The premium yearly art exhibition brings together artists from around the world to showcase their works. Kanye stood out among over 70 other renowned artists and the crème de la crème of the art world present at the competition.

Speaking about the award, his mother, Sylvia Tagbo-Okeke, said: “We are happy that Kanye won the award. We have noticed his artistic skills, and we are sure that he would go places.

This award has shown that Nigerian kids can go places if given the opportunity and enabling environment. This award is not only for us but for Nigeria as a country.”

Also speaking on behalf of the institution during the award, Dr. Kolja Kramer added: “We are delighted to be able to inform the public that the selected Artist, Kayne, will receive a medal by the Flame of Peace Association handed over by the President of this institution HIRH Archduchess Herta Margarete Habsburg-Lothringen during the opening ceremony of the PEACE exhibition.”

And having received recognition from such a well-respected global organization, Kanye was also awarded the United Nations Young Artists For Peace Award.

From being diagnosed with autism before he was four to becoming the first sub-Saharan African child to receive such a prestigious award as the Flame of Peace, Kanye’s life teaches us all one crucial lesson: It is only those who quit that fail in life!

No matter the odds or how high they are stacked against you, there is always something inside you that God has deposited there to help you get through it.

When life attempts to break you with some harsh and unforeseen setbacks, never become depressed or seek to throw in the towel. An enormous gift may just be lying fallow within or around you, and God has permitted that setback to happen so that you may be still, look to HIM, and HE will surely direct you to that which will liberate you inside of you already.

His parents also teach us a great lesson that no child is useless or an unbearable burden, no matter their physical, mental, or psychological conditions. While many would have given up on the boy, they did not, and today they are reaping the fruits of their persistence and divine wisdom to hold on and help him develop his innate abilities.

Never let your present situation and challenges cloud your judgment and box you into making hasty permanent decisions.

Meet Tanitoluwa Adewumi – Youngest National Chess Master And Best Selling Author At 11!

The story of Nigerian chess prodigy Tanitoluwa Adewumi is one that not only inspires many others still stuck in rot and trying to make better lives for themselves, but even those with seemingly established lives yet with one mental or physical challenge or the other.

If there was anyone who should never have had the mind or willpower to play, let alone excel at chess, it was Adewumi because of the harsh and life-threatening circumstances he was born and grew up in.

Before he was 8 years old, Adewumi and his family had to flee northern Nigeria and seek asylum in the United States of America because they were worried about the incessant attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram and other extremist militia groups in that region of Nigeria.

They lived in a homeless shelter in Manhattan, New York, after moving to the USA, but in 2019 the little star in the home shone brightly as the sun, and his light dispelled the darkness in their lives and home.

Adewumi won the 2019 New York State K-3 Chess Championship, and later that year, he became a national chess master, making him the 28th youngest person to achieve that feat.

That championship title win came a flow of financial support that ran into more than $190,000 in just four days for him and his family, and their lifestyle and testimony changed for good permanently.

His outstanding chess prowess also won him several other prestigious trophies and accolades. Now, the 11-year-old maestro has begun practicing for more than 10 hours daily for over a year because his new goal is to become the youngest-ever grandmaster in the history of chess. What an inspiration!

That’s not all there is to this fantastic young master, though. Adewumi now also runs an organization called the Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundation, which focuses on helping other refugees and immigrants.

He is also an accomplished writer and author with his books “My Name Is Tani…and I Believe in Miracles” and “New Home: A Refugee Finds Hope and Kindness in America,” already rated as best-sellers with 5-star ratings across many literary platforms worldwide.

What is your excuse for keeping your light buried in obscurity and not exploring the greatness the Creator has put inside you? What is that challenge and limitation that you have allowed yourself to be subdued and constrained by?

If this remarkable young boy could break out of his daunting mental and psychological limitations to become a master at chess from the age of eight, why do you still believe that you cannot do the same and even more today?

You have a world of limitless potential and abundance within you. Reach in and break out today, and the whole world will rally and celebrate you, too, because that is what you were created to be: a celebrated star and icon!

Stay blessed always.

Meet Alena Wicker – The Youngest Black Person To Get Into Medical School At 13, And Remarkable Inspiration To Many Others!

The story of 13-year-old Alena Analeigh Wicker, who recently made history by becoming the youngest African-American person to be accepted into a medical school in the United States of America, is not only super inspiring and deeply touching, but it holds some critical lessons for many others worldwide, too.

Although the amazing young girl is reportedly almost done with her undergraduate studies at both Arizona State University and Oakwood University in just one year, she has also set her eyes on becoming a medical doctor.

And her goal, which she plans to have achieved by the time she’s 18, is already aided by the fact that the University of Alabama is already interested in her following her feat at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine.

After reportedly being initially accepted into ASU’s engineering program, she promptly discovered that her love for sciences was in another field. According to her: “It actually took one class in engineering for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go.

I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there and engaging with the world. I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do.”

Alena also revealed: “What I want from healthcare is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help, that we can find cures for these viruses. I want to inspire the girls. I want them to see that there are no limits.”

The young prodigy started a foundation at 12 that provides resources to exceptional minority students through scholarships and mentoring as they transition from college to career life. The foundation is known as the “Brown STEM Girl foundation.”

A profoundly deep part of her journey and story can be seen in how the fantastic young girl celebrated her mother on Instagram after receiving her Med School acceptance letter recently. Alena said:

“Today, I’m just grateful. I graduated High school LAST YEAR at 12 years old, and here I am one year later. I’ve been accepted into Med School at 13. I’m a junior in college. I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams.

Mama, I made it. I couldn’t have done it without you. You gave me every opportunity possible to be successful. You cheered me on, wiped my tears, gave me Oreos when I needed comfort, you never allowed me to settle, and disciplined me when I needed. You are the best mother a kid could ever ask for. MAMA, I MADE IT! You always believed in me. You allowed me space to grow and become and make mistakes without making me feel bad. You allowed me the opportunity to experience the world.

I pray God blesses me so big you never ever have to want for anything in this earthly life. You sacrificed so much for me (people have no idea what we have been through), and here I am while it seems so far away, the end of this college chapter is going by so fast. MOMMY, I MADE IT!”

Even if we don’t repeat anything about Alena at this point, we think the vital lesson in her remarkable story is pretty obvious already. No matter what happens in life, always ensure that you do everything within your power to give your children the very best of everything you can offer always.

Also, never forget that you are your child’s first cheerleader, motivator, confidante, inspiration, and beacon of light and hope.

If you give anything less than these to any child, you have set a bad precedent and example for that child, and you are unknowingly hindering their potential and purpose in life.

May God helps us to raise our children right and never become a stumbling block on their path; Amen!

Meet Egypt’s Abdulrahman Hussain Dubbed “World’s Smartest Child” After Astounding Feat In Arithmetic Tournament!

A 13-year-old Egyptian boy named Abdulrahman Hussain was recently dubbed the “smartest child in the world” after besting 3,000 other competitors at a global academic competition.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Intelligent Education Group (IEG) in Malaysia, the firm hosted a tournament tagged the Intelligent Mental Arithmetic International Competition, and amazingly, Abdulrahman reportedly solved 230 complex arithmetic problems in a record-breaking 8 minutes!

Held at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Malaysia, in December 2021, there were children from over 70 countries vying for the coveted title and prize at the IMA International Competition, and they were all put through a series of grueling tests during the competition.

After emerging victorious, Abdulrahman thanked his teachers and family for their guidance and support, as he acknowledged that they were why he succeeded at the tournament.

According to reports, the boy had begun training in 2012 using the Malaysian mental skills development program and had also participated in several other competitions.

His teacher, Batul Mohammed Montasser, also reportedly revealed that he had been training his mental capabilities for five years in preparation for the competition.

In a statement published on the IEG website, they believe that “child prodigies are simply children who have received an effective early education,” which is why the organization makes resources available for people to learn from the Intelligent Mental Arithmetic Programme.

“According to a scientific study, the so-called ‘child prodigy’ is but a common individual who happens to have developed an earlier and better mental faculty.

For the schooling children, the method will be of great help to them in their ability and capability of calculation, response, concentration, and memory, which in turn will assist them to balance their brain power and strengthen the function of both their left and right brains,” the IEG says.

An important lesson everyone can learn from Abdulrahman’s remarkable feat and rise to glory is that nothing just happens in life. Whatever greatness you aspire to, you must prepare and work hard for it!

The days of “Que sera sera” where people idly stood by and hoped things would fall in place for them no longer cuts it – it never did before, too!

With the help of his parents and teachers, Abdulrahman reportedly prepared for that arithmetic tournament for 5 years, and the result of such hard work paid off tremendously!

What is your child skilled and naturally passionate about today? Are you helping and encouraging them or a hindrance and burden? Please make the right choices for yourself and them today!

Meet Barnaby Swinburne, The 12-Year-Old English Schoolboy Smarter Than Albert Einstein!

When Barnaby Swinburne felt the Christmas spirit and asked to take the IQ Test for his Yuletide present, little did he or even his folks know that it would be a defining moment and step in his life.

This test is carried out by the renowned High IQ Society, Mensa, which carries out their evaluation by conducting two tests – one with images and sequences and a second one with a lot of languages and they use the highest result.

At the end of the test, Barnaby raked up the highest possible score for a child and scored among the top 1% and the top 4% of the world population, respectively, on the two tests.

Now, the 12-year-old English schoolboy from Bristol, United Kingdom, is regarded as one of the most brilliant kids in the world after scoring an incredible 162 on the IQ test.

According to reports, this is the highest possible score for anyone under 18, and it is also reportedly higher than that of Albert Einstein, whose IQ was thought to be 160.

A German-born theoretical physicist, Einstein is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. He is also well renowned for developing the theory of relativity and made important contributions to developing the theory of quantum mechanics.

Barnaby has now been accepted into Mensa, the High IQ Society, after they received his top score at the end of December 2021.

Mensa takes in members whose IQ range falls in the top two percent of the world’s population, and Barnaby’s score earns him a place in the top one percent.

A lover of mathematics and chemistry, Barnaby reportedly wants to become a programmer and is already checking out university courses. He plans to attend Oxford University in England.