All Civil and Traditional Authorities
Distinguished
Guests
The Academia
Dear Book lovers
Ladies and
Gentlemen
I am delighted and
appreciate the opportunity accorded my humble self to review this life-changing
story From Zero to Hero: A Psychologist’s journey of Grit and resilience from
Cameroon to Global Impact by by Dr. Azinwi Terence Niba, Published in United
States, North Haven, CT, 12th April, 2024. I may not be the right
person to do it, I might not do it well, or do it the way you wanted it done,
but my conviction is that God had destined it.
1.
General
Over view
3. Our assignment
4. Setting/Scene
5. Taking note of the following
6. Azinwi’s top secrets (Message)
7. Lessons learned
8.
Message
to the Author
General Over view
When
I saw the invitation as chief launcher for this book, and later on as a book
reviewer, my mind quickly landed on a book with similar title by Alan Mushegan
(2004), titled “From Zero to Hero.” I asked myself, what new does Dr. Azinwi
has to offer different? Alan Mushegan outlines 17 principles (theories) of becoming
a hero. But I discovered that Azinwi is an embodiment of resilience who lived
practical life not theorizing principles. In contrast, Azinwi Terence Niba’s “From Zero to Hero”: A Psychologist’s journey
of Grit and Resilience from Cameroon to Global Impact, is an empirical and pragmatic,
not dogmatic or theorizing principle/approach. It is about a life lived. It is about
an experience. It is about hopelessness to hopefulness. It is about
powerlessness to powerfulness. It is about dependability to in dependability. I
must confess that From Zero to Hero is compelling, appealing, engaging,
thought-provoking, captivating story that held me spell-bound. I got a copy of
this book on Thursday at 1:30pm and began voraciously devouring non-stop,
without eating, nor resting. By 9:00pm of that day, I informed my friend and
brother, Mr. Baka Derick that I had finished reading the book (7hours).
From Zero to Hero Concept
The
question: Who is a Hero? What/who is a zero? It is a concept describing a rapid
transformation from a position of low success, low esteem, low-skill to
becoming highly successful, popular, or accomplished. This journey typically
requires identifying clear goals, building a growth mindset, practicing
consistency, overcoming failures through resilience, and forming strong
positive relationships and overcoming poverty. Cambridge dictionary refers to
this as a situation in which someone changes from being unpopular or
unsuccessful to being very popular or successful.
Our assignment
From Zero to Hero is a
story of movement, promising to narrate the story of a boy born into
uncertainty, who consistently persistently journeyed through loss, struggle in
life, enduring years of instability, distractions, detours and mistakes, the
discipline of education, the realities of survival, the building of a career
and the mission into global impact. It is a journey with a mission. The story
of someone who had been there! Rescued through resilience and adaptations in
every step taken on this journey. It is ISBN indexed with a beautiful water-proof
cover page. The writer uses simple journalistic narrations with fine,
well-balanced story highlighting risks and vulnerabilities of orphan-hood.
The
story is narrated on 306 pages divided into five main parts with themes
presented through 21 chapters.
Part
I – Foundation, has 5 chapters
Part
II – Detours and Discovery, has 3 chapters
Part
III – Choices and Direction comprise of 4 chapters
Part
IV – Building and Becoming, with 3 chapters
Part
V – Purpose and profession with 3 chapters
Part
VI – Breakthrough and Impact in 2 chapters
Part
VII – Legacy – 1 chapter
And
a Final section
Setting/Scene
The
story starts from Fundong, to Bamenda, Buea, Yaounde, Douala, back to Bamenda, then
Limbe, Addis Ababa, and now global scene. Dr. Azinwi uses fine details to
describe each of the above locations that visibly present the conditions he
lived and passed through. Not fiction!
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Each chapter has a main
caption followed by a subtitle and closes with a key reflection. The
autobiographic story begins in Chapter 1 presenting Azinwi’s Humble beginnings:
subtitled born into uncertainty, raised by resilience. He asserts that “your
beginnings may be uncertain, but they are not powerless. Even in absence,
something can still take roots and grow”. The series of movements begin in
Chapter 2 from the “Fundong to Bamenda” in which he narrates his early
transitions and new realities. He insists that “new environments demand
adaptation. He also affirms that growth often begins where comfort ends.” A
transformation space is offered in Chapter 3 at Mbong’s Compound: growing up in
structure and survival. In this setting, Azinwi learned that discipline formed
under pressure can become the foundation for future strength and stability. The
author’s predicaments started in Chapter 4 with “The first big loss: losing
Niba Ngwa, his father. The lesson with this is that loss changes direction, but
it does not have to end the journey. As if that was not enough, another tragedy
stroke in Chapter 5 with– Losing his Bih, his mother. Here with courage he
narrates the colours of live, how live looks like without parents. In this
situation, the author, God knows why meaning “Azinwi” in Bafut”, who is the
main character in this work, describes orphan life, when support disappears,
responsibility begins. Strength is often born in moments of complete
vulnerability and hopelessness.
A consequence of this
life without parents is taking short-cuts to life by indulging in addiction,
distraction, and drift (an uncontrolled boat in the sea) losing track. He
acknowledges that distraction can slowly redirect a life and that not all paths
that feel easy lead forward, Chapter 6. An account of turning point, the day
everything changed is recorded in Chapter 7. He notes that one decision can
interrupt a negative cycle and begin a new direction. This ushers us to Chapter
8 with the rebuilding after the fall: from failure to focus. Failure is not
final unless you stop moving. Consequently, the author talks about choosing a
path: between science, arts and possibility where clarity is not always
immediate. Sometimes, choosing a direction creates the clarity you seek, in
Chapter 9.
After discussing the path
he chose, the next chapter carries us the university in a new city, Buea where
he faced a new struggle. He learned that new opportunities come with new
struggles and that progress requires both courage and adjustment. (Chapter 10).
The movement from zero began with the first job in which he learned
professional life the hard way. We learn from Dr. Azinwi that every beginning,
no matter how small, is a step into something greater. This did not last as he
moved to face disappointments in Yaounde, realizing that expectations are quite
distinct from reality. In Chapter 11, Azinwi reports that reality may not match
expectations, but disappointment can redirect you toward something more
meaningful. Anthropologically, in a failing African support system (which
should normally be provided by aunties, uncles, sisters in Bamenda and Douala,
Azinwi did not fail. He did not give up. God sent one person uncle Che timely
intervention to transform Azinwi’s academic/educational, physical, social and
psychological transformative life changing journey.
The transformative journey
is described in Chapter 13, The radio years: passion without pay in Douala and
Limbe. As a journalist, the author affirms that passion often grows before
reward. Not everything valuable is immediately visible. As the saying goes home
is home, and there is no where as home. Faced with this handicap, the author
returns home, Bamenda to rebuild from nothing and with nothing as discussed in
Chapter 14. He demonstrates that starting again is not failure. It is the
courage to continue from where you are, not where you ended or failed. After
readjusting in Bamenda, the author took a new direction in Chapter 15, from
media to impact. Growth sometimes requires leaving what is familiar to embrace
what is unfamiliar but purposeful.
Furthermore, to increase
impact, Azinwi took training as a counselor, moving from calling, insisting
that your calling often emerges from your experiences, not in spite of them.
The building of career in counseling involved practice, growth and persistence as seen in
Chapter 17. To succeed in this requires consistency, not speed, builds a
lasting career. The movement from grass to grace led the author into humanitarian
frontlines where he served in crisis contexts characterized by people passing
through psychological, financial and
physical trauma (like him). In this role he discovered that impact is not found
in comfort zones. It is found where challenges are greatest. Chapter 18.
With a burning desire to
increase impact and visibility, he had an academic breakthrough in which he
began his journey into the Philosopher’s Degree (PhD) program, a journey that
led to apex of academia. 1n chapter 19. The journey to hero came when the
writer entered the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), expanding his
impact from regional (North West and South West) national (Cameroon), and now Africa
continental/global impact. This taught him that persistence over time
transforms effort into achievement. After this rugged journey, he lays a legacy
in motion on the rails of building, giving and leaving behind. I am of the
opinion according to Azinwi, that preparation meets opportunity at the point
where growth becomes visible to the world even from the soil of Cameroon to
global impact. According to him, true success is not only what you achieve, but
what you build, give, and leave behind – even though he has not yet left.
Taking
note of the following
1. Growth
does not happen by accident
2.
It happens through intentional action
3.
Wherever you are now begin from there
4.
Your journey is still unfolding, make it count
5.
Be intentional
Azinwi’s top secrets
1. Your
starting point does not determine your destination
2.
Discipline is often built in environments
that offer no comfort
3.
Responsibility begins when expectation
ends
4.
Pain, when understood, can become purpose,
and shapes a life
5.
Growth requires movement, even when
clarity is absent
6.
Resilience is developed through
experience, not inherited
7.
Small decisions, repeated over time lead
us to unexpected destination, hero
After
carefully perusing this honest, objective autobiography, we have learned that
1. To
every child who began with uncertainty,
2.
To every young person who has ever been
told they cannot make,
3.
To every orphan, every dreamer, every
fighter
4.
Inspirational, Memoir, autobiography, a
thrilling movements, self-discovery and self-consciousness
From Zero to Hero is a
story of Dr. Azinwi, self-made man with a stubborn determination, who moved
from grass to grace. The book contains reflective and introspective messages
such as never give up, no condition is permanent, life’s journey is rugged and
crocket – not level ground stroll and etc. The book is pregnant with instances/
situations and circumstances that can be used as case study. It is a
psychological treatise, a reference, a healing guide and living encyclopedia
for counselors and psycho-social therapy. The book is open, simple and easy to read, down to
earth to understand without need for explanation.
I have not seen anywhere
in the story any scape-goating or accusations of those who mistreated him along
this unfortunate life’s journey when he was zero and those who rejected him
when he became a Hero.
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Recommendations
We
identify with Azinwi’s journey from zero to hero, though our trajectory might
not correspond exactly, but we recommend that readers should endeavor in this journey
no matter how long it may take. Each and
everyone of us have to take a step and even consider the ones they have yet to
take. This inspiring and motivating book is a must own and above all, a must read!!!
In
fact, as an individual, I squarely identify with Dr. Azinwi’s life’s grit,
struggles, persistence, focus and resilience. When reading this I heard
somebody telling my own story in a manuscript titled Once Upon a Time, Forgwei.
Dr. Azinwi, “Na God Know”
I
have learned a lot from your
1. Core
narrative elements – plot and pacing, characters
2.
Style and technical quality – writing
style, dialogue, editing and structure,
3.
Themes and impact
4.
Contextual and objective factors – genre expectations
(did the book deliver on the promises made by its cover, title?
5.
Target audience, originality.
6.
Orphans and vulnerable children can make
it in life, and even better.
Take others with you on
this journey of building, giving, strengthening and improving mental health
systems for psychosocial well-being of the communities. A la Camerounaise “Un
seul Mot Continuez!!!.
Thanks
for your kind attention.
Sincerely
Dr. Forgwei Gideon, PhD.
Bamenda,
2nd May 2026
