{"id":1741,"date":"2026-01-01T11:07:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T11:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mubardauda.com\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2026-01-01T11:21:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T11:21:04","slug":"2025-year-in-review-a-journey-of-faith-resilience-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mubardauda.com\/index.php\/2025-year-in-review-a-journey-of-faith-resilience-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Year in Review: A Journey of Faith, Resilience & Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ohhhhh, this is a cringe one for me. I’ve always been an isolated person about my wins and losses. I just want to live and do the best I can for people around me\u2014my friends, family, and the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is my first time doing a year-in-review, though I made a promise to myself because 2025 started with a test of faith. The hardest one in my career so far, but I scaled through, embraced the storm, and I’m grateful to Allah for provisions and guidance. This year was low in achieving my goals. The typical me could’ve done 100% by Q3 every year since 2022, but 2025? It doesn’t look like I’ve done anything. So let’s see how it unfolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the pics attached were the goals I set out for 2025. Here’s what I achieved. Here’s what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2025 goals<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

January: Starting Strong, Then Health Knocked Me Down<\/h3>\n\n\n
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January started with pumped energy and recuperating from Detty December spendings and bills, though it was a long one at work for me with just a few breaks for Christmas and New Year off. The tech team at Vendease organized a get-together hangout to unwind after the previous year’s tensed work. Everything felt normal. Everything felt under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then, the eye struggles came in mid-January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Astigmatism kicked in without warning\u2014blurred vision, constant headaches, sensitivity to light. I couldn’t look at my laptop screen for more than 10 minutes without feeling like my head would explode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fear. The fear that this could derail everything I’d planned for 2025. The fear that I was losing one of the most critical tools for my career\u2014my eyesight. As someone who’s had tooth surgery before, I can relate with sensory health problems. Allah is wonderful with human creation. The way all five senses are connected to the brain, the constant pain and headache it causes ehhnnn. I nearly saw Baba God in heaven and came back because it got to a stage where I couldn’t look at anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The guide that showed up?<\/strong> My company’s health insurance. Thank God for companies that provide health support for employees. I was able to consult a doctor who recommended eye surgery and prescribed glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Health is wealth. That’s how I started using glasses. Fine boi, you know. But more importantly, I learned that asking for help isn’t weakness\u2014it’s wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the month came to an end, I got my first speaking invite for the year. The 2025 goal started well in personal branding, innit? I spoke at Abuja Power BI User Group about everything Power BI. What a way to end the first month\u2014cornrows and my glasses. The storm had passed, and I was still standing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Fine boi on cornrows<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

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February: The Month Everything Changed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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It started with pumped energy from speaking engagements. I got accepted to speak at Global Power Platform 2025 Lagos & Arkansas (my session: “Optimizing Data Models, Building Cross-Functional Reporting to Streamline Business Impact”). I also got invited to speak at Data Community Africa to share my experience as a data practitioner. My personal branding goal was manifesting faster than I expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then came the news.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Laid off letter<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Layoffs at Vendease. My job\u2014the one that provided the health insurance that saved my vision just weeks ago\u2014was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The voice in my head is asking, “What will people think? Will they see me as a failure? How do I explain this to my friends who genuinely care about me?” My manager was curious and concerned, asking what I would be doing and how I would survive. You know, as a young guy in the corporate world, these questions hit different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But here’s the thing\u2014I wasn’t fazed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had it in my goals to resign in May 2025 as I’d planned to secure a new role before then. But it happened earlier, which was still as planned. Though I was retained but I decline, Why would someone decline a retainment offer? Yes, that was me, because it was in my plan to leave the company already, so I wasn’t looking back. The universe had simply accelerated my timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That’s how my February went. Not only did I embrace the transition, but I was also inspired to start creating content. Though it was in my goals, it had been a long-term postponement. The reviews from my session at Global Power Platform inspired me to finally commit. I’d been doing technical written content since 2022, but I stopped in 2024 (didn’t do any). February became the month I decided to show up differently\u2014not just as a data professional, but as someone who shares the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Me and my camera shenanigans to the world, struggles of all content creators innit lol<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

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March: Sabbatical & Strategic Planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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March was a sabbatical month. It was Ramadan (fasting period)\u2014a time for spiritual reflection and strategic planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No salary coming in. No severance. Bills still due. Siblings depending on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The anxiety of uncertainty. The fear of running out. The pressure of being the one people depend on while having no guaranteed income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the first things I did at the end of February after the layoff news was withdraw \u20a6500k from my Piggyvest to stock my kitchen for the whole month. Knowing fully well my siblings would be around, I subscribed to all my internet subscriptions that would last me a month. I didn’t do much\u2014was watching anime all day and planning my content creation journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sometimes the best strategy is to rest. To fast\u2014not just from food, but from the hustle culture that tells you your worth is tied to your productivity. That was March. A month of stillness. A month of preparation. A month where I learned that doing nothing is sometimes doing everything you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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April: The Humbling & The Rise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Got serious with content creation. Applied for roles, got referrals and recommendations from my networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I needed income. I needed opportunities. I needed a next move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pride. The difficulty of admitting I needed help. The vulnerability of telling my network, “I got laid off.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My community. This was my most humbled period\u2014friends and community putting me on to opportunities, referring me to jobs and gigs just because I told them I got laid off. During this period, I turned down some offers because the compensation was low; some were because of the stress of commuting daily. But one thing excelled here: consistent referrals for data gigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I learned that vulnerability is magnetic. That authenticity attracts opportunity. That the right people will show up when you’re honest about where you are.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Najiu did his freedom as a fashion designer\u2014all my native and senator dresses you see me in, that’s my stylist. If you need one for yourself, kindly reach him<\/a>; he delivers anywhere in the world. (Another family goal ticked off!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Met Boluwatife & Hassan – a Product Designer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

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Went to community meetups, met new people, ate good food, and went to play with my granny. April was a 10\/10 month because of the memories created. The external circumstances hadn’t changed much, but internally? I was different. Lighter. Freer. More aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May: The Month My Year Truly Began<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I still didn’t have a traditional 9-5. I still didn’t have predictable income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who said I needed one?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Started with building data and reporting solutions for businesses. Went all in on data consultation. My consulting company\u2014Kasmub Digital<\/strong>\u2014built solutions for two companies this year. Worked more on solo project solutions for individuals too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got invited to speak at Datafrik on building a consistent learning routine in tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I carried out father-in-law duty\u2014best moment of my life\u2014my brother got married to the love of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got another recommendation to work on a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did my birthday as an early adult\u2014early twenties gang. Went to Fabric community meetup to foster community contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The victory?<\/strong> That was how May went. The beginning of the year that didn’t look nice started looking astonishing. I can say my year truly started in May. Not when I had a job. Not when I had security. But when I decided to build something of my own. When I decided that waiting for opportunities was optional\u2014I could create them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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June & July: Certification, Freelance & First Flight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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I needed to scale. I needed credibility. I needed systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got DP-600 certified (Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer)\u2014one certification goal ticked off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then I started re-investing in freelancing to build my consultation on a large scale\u2014but freelancing on a platform isn’t my way. I leverage and make more money through inbound leads and referrals. Got my first order on Fiverr after 4 years, though I don’t use it much. Went back to Upwork too\u2014got 2 contracts after 2 years of ghosting it. Though I later ghosted the platform in August because they’re not for me. Don’t ask me why; I just don’t picture myself applying for a job every single day. I’m good beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Festive month\u2014Eid-l-Adha. As someone family and community-driven, I always traveled home during festive periods. Family is everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Made my first 45 cents on TikTok (content creation money sweet!). If there’s one thing I’ve been consistent with this year, it was content creation on TikTok\u2014tips and tricks videos, every single week. The theme for 2025 was CONSISTENCY, and I was living it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got contracted for the project I was recommended for in May. Took a flight to Abuja\u2014my first time boarding a plane. The project was all-expense-paid: accommodation, welfare, flight to and fro. Like, what a year, man! From laid off and uncertain in February to flying first class for a contracted project in July. The universe had a better plan all along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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August & September: The Settling & The Sacrifice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Settling in Abuja meant starting over\u2014new city, new routines, new challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academic danger. I had to defer my semester. The 4.5+ GPA goal? Gone. This was the hardest pill to swallow because excellence has always been my standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you have to sacrifice good for great. Sometimes choosing your mental health, your business, your family over academic performance is the right choice\u2014even when it doesn’t feel like it. Celebrated my mum’s birthday, my sister scaled her business, got a new shop, and furnished, and my friends’ wins. Learned new skills. Relearned old ones. Upskilled continuously.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I chose peace over perfection. And that was growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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October: DataFest, Community & World Bank Projects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Since August, it’s been a busy period working on a World Bank-funded project for the Rural Electrification Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This wasn’t just data analysis\u2014this was business process improvement and automation<\/strong>. Working on the Rural Electrification Agency – Nigeria Electrification Project (REA-NEP) was a defining moment in my career. It wasn’t just about building dashboards; it was about re-engineering workflows, automating manual processes, and creating systems that would bring light to rural communities across Nigeria. The scope was massive\u2014analyzing operational bottlenecks, designing automated reporting systems, streamlining stakeholder communication processes, and building decision-support tools that informed multi-million dollar infrastructure investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This project taught me that data isn’t just about insights\u2014it’s about impact. It’s about taking complex government operations and making them efficient enough to serve people who’ve never had electricity. It reinforced why I do what I do: to create solutions that transform lives, not just dashboards that look pretty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You know what time it is\u2014DataFestAfrica month! Flew to Lagos to meet with my friends, the vibrant community, and had a little get-together with my folks. October is a fun month for data professionals, iykyk. Attended Data Fellows community meetup in Abuja. Went to AI Agent Conference and met with my long-term friend Vendease gave me\u2014Adaihuoma, my fine woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did another tooth surgery early in October. Alhamdulillah for healthy living. Health is wealth\u2014never forget it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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November & December: Upskilling, Training & Closing Strong<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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November was for upskilling (yearly ritual). Invested money in upskilling myself. Got certified as a Microsoft Global Trainer<\/strong>\u2014this was bigger than a certification. This meant I could now officially train others on Microsoft tools globally.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Did a management consulting workshop led by the world’s best in the industry\u2014Olusola Ajayi. This opened my eyes to the business side of data\u2014how to consult, how to price, how to position myself as more than just an analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The content consistency?<\/strong> Throughout November and December, I continued writing technical articles on Medium, my website, and Twitter threads. The content creation goal I’d postponed for years? I finally did it. And the audience grew because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n