The Towering Twins

Lekan Fatodu

There’s something good out of London. It is a piece of news that reinforces hope in an atmosphere that is filled with frightening reports about black kids and in a society that is terribly short of role models.

Fascinatingly, young twin British brothers of Nigerian descent, Steve and Sam Williams, are those occupying the limelight in a very positive way and handing down inspiration for many others.
From the beginning of this year, the British government, especially the office of the Mayor of London, has expressed shock over the rising statistics of violent crimes amongst young black people in the country.

Recently, it was reported by a notable British daily, The Sun, that there has been over 89 suspected murders in London since January 2018 involving black youngsters.

And sadly British-Nigerians or young British of Nigerian heritage have dominated the number of the victims of many of these violent crimes in the UK.
The death of Abraham Badru, a 26-year old son of a Nigerian member of House of Representives, Mr. Dolapo Badru, was one of the cruel murder cases that gripped the whole of the UK, and touched many souls across Nigeria.

It was such an unfortunate incident that compelled many powerful voices to speak frankly to the people in power to double up efforts in curbing the crime rate. And also to strengthen programmes that are geared towards development and mentorship for young people.

Specifically, it was suggested that the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should do more to showcase the best amongst the youths to consistently offer inspiration and hope for a better life.

The news about the identical twins, Steve and Sam, is indeed one of such enthralling stories of grass to grace and grit and determination that will motivate and inspire a lot of young people anywhere.

Both 39, the Williams brothers, whose parents are Nigerians, grew up in a tough south London neighbourhood but became multi-millionaires by designing one of the world’s leading cryptocurrencies in their mother’s kitchen.

Their invention, the cryptocurrency named Populous PPT currency, which they spent four years on the software that enabled it to function,
helps small and medium-sized businesses with cash flow.

It was reported that within the first five days of launching in June last year, demand was so strong that the initial batch of tokens was worth more than £8 million.

Populous, according to reports, is now rated as the 51st most valuable cryptocurrency in the world out of about 2,000, with a market value of about £100 million.
Unsurprisingly, the amazing success of their invention has transformed their lives tremendously and has made them a positive response point.

However, like most of young black people living in tough communities in the UK, one of the twins, Steve, once had a bad time with the law early in life which hindered his freedom for some months.

But such, according to the accomplished entrepreneur, was a critical experience that changed him positively to make the best out of life and which he promised to share to impact the lives of other black kids in the UK.