MILESTONE

Milestone is defined in the English dictionary as a significant event or stage in life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation. Nigeria as a nation joined the league of countries whose national flag got hoisted atop Kilimanjaro, this week last year March 2011 ,I had successfully summit to the highest point in Africa. Alexandrou Marios said : a milestone is a scheduled event signifying the completion of a major deliverable or a set of related deliverables. Milestones were originally stone obelisks – made from granite, marble, or whatever local stone was available – and later concrete posts. They were widely used by Roman Empire road builders and were an important part of any Roman road network: the distance travelled per day was only a few miles in some cases.Many Roman milestones only record the name of the reigning emperor without giving any placenames or distances. The first Roman milestones appeared on the Appian way. At the centre of Rome, the "Golden Milestone" was erected to mark the presumed centre of the empire: this milestone has since been lost. The Golden Milestone inspired the Zero Milestone in Washington, D.C., intended as the point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned. Decades ago,about two decades precisely as a teenager, I travelled with my late father Solomon Babafemi Awe(who accompanied me to my secondary school "Christ School,Ado Ekiti-Nigeria) as his official driver drove several hours from our Apapa G.R.A lagos residence through lagos,Ibadan expressway.I recall locating,seeing series of numbered markers placed along the highway at intervals showing up on the side of the road. During our journeys,the excitement the mileposts brought as we advanced during our 4-5hour journey came because every new milestone reassured us that the proper path is been followed, and also indicated distance travelled or remaining distance to our destination. Someone said: "Direction is more important than speed". Severally as we set out for school one lessons I learned with benefit of hindsight includes need to have direction as we travel through life. Too many people are so busy looking at the speedometers thereby forgeting milestones.Making time to mark,celebrate milestones is important.If you can plan to join me as I celebrate my anniversary of my successful summit up uhuru peak-Kilimanjaro.