The Need To Call Others, Called By Privilege, Not By Competence – Banji Alabi, Esq.

Good morning, friends.

Let me tell you something that will set you free today — and stop you from looking down on anyone, including yourself.

I am not on this privileged platform because I am the most qualified son from my village in Ondo State.

I am not here because my CV is flawless.

I am not here because I ticked every box.

I am here by privilege. Not by competence.

When the Body of Benchers called me to the Nigerian Bar, they did not wait until I had won ten cases.

They robed me first. Then they sent me to court.

The call came before the competence.

Consider the pattern of history:

Moses stuttered, yet he was called to speak to Pharaoh.

David was a shepherd boy, yet he was called to wear a crown.

Esther was an orphan, yet she was called to save a nation.

Peter denied Christ three times, yet he was called to build the Church.

None of them applied.
None of them were “competent” on paper.

But Heaven issued the call. And that call was the privilege.

Competence is something you grow into. Privilege is something you walk in.

The world sold us a lie: Get competent, then you’ll be called.”

So we wait. We wait to feel ready. We wait to be perfect.
We wait until imposter syndrome quietly leaves the room.

But hear this truth:
If God waited for competence, the Red Sea would still be closed.

If history waited for competence, nations would never be born.

You were called before you were ready, so that your dependence would be on the Caller, not your credentials.

Look at the names the world still argues about:
Trump. IBB. OBJ. Tinubu. Thatcher. Musk. Kanye. (Banji- Alabi )

They all carry stigma. Yet they remain globally consequential.
Why? Because influence is not built on a clean record. It is built on a clear call.

The crowd will always debate your competence — as we’ve seen in corporate panels (Chevron PDC) and public discourse.
But they can never revoke your calling.

Your so-called “bad name” might be the very thing that makes you unforgettable.
Privilege puts you in rooms your competence could never buy.

But here is the warning: Privilege without stewardship becomes entitlement.

You were not called to sit on the podium.
You were called to build more podiums.

That is why I tell my team: The help desk is closed for you.”

If you are already a success, you are no longer qualified for help.
You are qualified to give it.

We are called by privilege so we can extend privilege to others.

Joseph was called from prison to palace, so he could feed nations in famine.

Esther was called from obscurity to royalty, so she could save her people.

You were called from nothing, so you could lift someone from nothing.

THE CHARGE

So I ask you today:

Stop waiting to feel competent.
Stop hiding behind “I’m not ready.”
Stop disqualifying yourself from rooms your name is already on.

You were called by privilege.
Now go and be competent on the job.

Now go and sponsor the next Moses, the next Esther, the next David.

Because the highest metric of success is not how high you rise.
It is how many people you lift.

Your destiny helpers are looking for you.
But so are the people you are called to help.

Be findable. Be faithful. Be the privilege someone else is praying for.

You were called. Now go call others.

I love you All

You will succeed.