Elder Statesman and Founder of the increasingly famous Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has vouched to continue supporting education until he leaves the planet earth.
Babalola, the pioneer Chairman of Council of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, and former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos who has built and donated towering edifices to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Professional Bodies in the country, said even though he did not have the advantage of Secondary or University education due to paucity of funds, he would continue to deploy his God-given ability of working hard to achieve positive and admirable results in the country’s educational landscape.
The legal juggernaut who was receiving Mr. David Abi, the Assistant Commandant-General (Training and Manpower Development) of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and his entourage in his office in Ado-Ekiti recently, used the opportunity to establish an infallible nexus between prayer and work.
His words: “Äfe Babalola University was conceived on faith, nurtured in faith and faith never fails. Even though I did not have the opportunity of going beyond Primary School because of lack of funds, God has endowed me with something extra: the ability to work hard to achieve desired results.
“It is a notorious fact that our university is barely 13 years old. Its young age notwithstanding, we can boldly say that we have overshot our expectations. Thanks to the cooperation of our committed teachers, our dear parents, our well-behaved students and such stakeholders as the National Universities Commission, NUC, the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, the Council for Legal Education and the Nigerian Society of Engineers among others.
“It was through the collective efforts of all these stakeholders that the university has done so well in those 13 years to the extent that it was able to navigate its way to the top as Number 1 University out of the 221 universities in Nigeria and Number 321 globally according to the 2022 ranking of the highly respected Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
“For me, hard work and prayer are synonymous. That is why I often tell my students that ‘He prays most who works hardest’. I believe very fervently that if you pray all day without commensurate work, you will die of hunger”.
The elder statesman was full of encomiums for the NSCDC for its manifest discipline and urged the leadership of the Corps to keep the flag of discipline flying, with a promise to cooperate with the security outfit in all areas, including making his 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital available for employment screening and Residency Training for interested NSCDC’s medical personnel.
According to him, the major problem afflicting the country today is indiscipline, a development which has led to such problems as insecurity where lives are no longer safe on the road, on the farm, at home, in the classrooms, at airports and on moving trains, spiral unemployment, double digit inflation, underfunded institutions, poor infrastructures, different shades and shapes of violence, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, grinding poverty and an excruciating debt burden among several others.
Expressing fears that Nigeria is in serious trouble, Babalola wondered how a government that finds it difficult to pay the interests on its loans would be able to comply with Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, which provides that: “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”.
Earlier, Abi had described Babalola as a versatile Nigerian. After touring the expansive university, the Multi-System Hospital, the ABUAD Integrated Farms, the Industrial Park and the Independent Power Plant, the NSCDC boss said: “If we have three more of your type in this country, the story will change for the better. If we all work the way you are working, even at your age, there will be no hunger in this country”.
He added: “I have come, I have seen and I am convinced. I am born again. I commend you for the projects on the farm. We will protect your farm through our Agro-Rangers.
“We have earlier discussed probable areas of collaboration with the university management. Such areas include Staff Training, Manpower Development, Intelligence & Strategic training, Health & Paramedical support system and Short Certification Courses for the Officers and Men of the Corps. We will not be too far away from you. We wish you well sir.
“ABUAD is a standard institution of Higher Education and the Corps would be glad to work with the citadel of learning. The University can stand as a provider of goods and services to the nation, after all, it generates its own electricity and provides its own potable water among several other goodies. Above all, it has an experimental farm big enough to ameliorate hunger in Nigeria.
In her own remarks, ABUAD’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. E. Smaranda Olarinde, said the 13-year-old university had opened its doors to the NSCDC to explore.
She challenged Officers and Men of the Corps to be partakers of the quality and functional education on offer in ABUAD by coming for further studies in the university, which she said had designed a curriculum that fits the work schedule of the Corps with affordable financial implications.
• Olofintila is the Director, Corporate Affairs of ABUAD
What has essentially been termed as a failure of leadership by the country’s so-called power brokers has been a lack of will to recruit and groom an elite corps of leaders with the sound knowledge, commitment, passion and patriotism to function in various key sectors of the economy in such a manner as to deliver to Nigerians good governance and the concomitant benefits derivable therefrom. “Square pegs in round holes”, is a hackneyed expression generally used to describe persons who lack the requisite competence and experience to operate in certain high profile roles, but end up being foisted on the polity for reasons more self-serving than altruistic.
This has gone on for like forever. Long years of a skewed pattern — which elevates political party affiliation, loyalty and patronage far above ability and cognate experience — has conspired to ruin the chances of a nation seeking to maximise all of it’s God-given endowments in human, material and natural resources.
The result, to a large extent, is what we see now as the country continues to wallow in the miry clay of underdevelopment with millions of it’s citizens living under the poverty line.
However, a country blessed with individuals with high intelligent quotient spread across various fields of human endeavour can not be expected to grope in the dark tunnels of indirection for too long once there is a deliberate effort to reverse the trend.
It has been argued that de-emphasising on the practise of ‘compensation’, which only gifts party loyalists juicy political offices or appointments will open up the space for a more virile selection process that will, in turn, be beneficial to the country’s overall development in the long run.
Proponents of this idea believe that looking beyond the confines of a ruling party to choose candidates for certain positions will not only enhance service delivery that would rub off on the quality of lives, it will advance the country’s democracy.
Also, broadening the scope of picking political appontees has the potential to unite the country faster and quench the current inferno of agitations for self determination and actualisation by the various ethnic nationalities calling for a breakup of the country.
For instance, an APGA member who gets nominated into the cabinet of an elected APC or PDP government either at state or federal level sends the message that merit, more than party reward is the uppermost consideration. It needs not be emphasised the huge difference it will make in rekindling hope in the minds of a people divided along tribal and religious lines, and denied good governance for too long.
THE CASE FOR CHRIS IMUMOLEN AS EDUCATION MINISTER
The inauguration of a new president in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023 is an opportunity to revisit the issue of picking a cabinet made up of men and women with the vibrancy and cerebral capacity to deliver on the job for the benefit of the people.
Tinubu is coming at a time the country desperately needs healing from a myriad of mostly self-inflicted problems from insecurity to incessant power outages; from a plummeting Naira to a haemorraging economy; from a compromised public service to key sectors of the economy suffering from insufficient funding and general decay, and soon on.
There is no time that a man like Tinubu needs to succeed more than now. And he needs capable hands, not necessarily from his political party, to achieve this success. A man like Professor Christopher Imumolen, for instance, is one square peg in a square hole that adequately fits the description of who a worthy member of his cabinet in the garb of an education minister should be. When the matter is about education, Imumolen is tried and tested. He thrives in imparting knowledge.
He has distinguished himself in the area of providing the enabling environment for knowledge acquisition, just as he keeps equipping Nigerians with the tools and financial wherewithal to excel in their educational pursuits.
Through years of being an active participant in the industry, Imumolen understands the inner workings of the country’s educational system.
He can bring his vast knowledge of the sector to bear in reforming and transforming it to the level it ought to be, by vigorously driving policies that would enhance quality in the delivery of primary, post-primary and tertiary education to Nigerians.
A Chris Imumolen as minister is an endorsement for a drastic revolution in the country’s educational system which needs a re-invigoration and a new direction.
While he campaigned as the Accord party’s presidential candidate in last February’s general elections, Imumolen provided a rare glimpse into his policy direction in the event he became president.
His points about opening up investment in the sector to stimulate competition and drive down the cost of higher education, break the stranglehold of lecturers on the country’s university system, vigorously pursue the enactment of legislations that encouraged the setting up of more digital universities that de-emphasised classroom leaning in favour of distance learning, increase the current budget on education, launch a training and re-training mechanism for teachers and lecturers to bring them up to date with the changing global trends in the business, as well as overhaul the now obsolete school curriculum were not only convincing, but showcased him as a man who knew the challenges of the industry.
What better man then than Christopher Imumolen to bring on? A professor and distinguished academic with two Ph.d degrees in two separate disciplines, with an indepth knowledge of the complexities of university education, being an owner of three universities himself?
What better man than Imumolen to oversee the country’s migration from the current ‘analogue’ system of education to the digital where the curriculum, environment and learning tools are configured to suit the latest trends of leaning globally?
What better man than Imumolen to use his experience as a consummate entrepreneur to drive investments into the sector to make it more value driven and result-oriented?
What better man than Imumolen to help the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu accomplish his vision for education that he set out in his manifesto from the beginning?
Professor Christopher Imumolen is young, qualified, technologically savvy, patriotic and passionate enough to get the job done if he he is called upon to do so.
A man who can spend his personal funds to bankroll over 500,000 students on scholarships across the country, establish and run schools of different cadres, thereby contributing to his country’s development through education will, no doubt, be an asset to Tinubu and his administration.
A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized”. – Fred Allen, in Much Ado About Me
When is the right time to celebrate a man who works so hard to be known but literally wears dark glasses so as not to be seen?
The answer, I believe, is anytime God places the opportunity in the public domain!
I am sure those who know Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. very well would also have had to ponder this at some point. Here is a man whose life has affected that of millions of people for good for several decades but is hardly out in the public space to be celebrated as much as he deserves to be celebrated.
For several people, Dr. Adenuga comes across as a man of many parts. Very few would not constantly recall his bullish efforts in breaking the back of economic scavengers who were determined to milk Nigerians to no end at the advent of GSM telecommunications services in Nigeria. I imagine if this great man did not get a licence then or if he had decided to toe the line of comfort by simply joining to exploit Nigerians!
Dr. Adenuga not only crashed the well-oiled plan to continually exploit Nigerians through the fixed cost of billing calls, he also broke the back of those who turned SIM cards to gold, for which many people had to obtain loans to acquire. If I can recall well enough, what he did by charging calls per second is not as big as what he did for millions of people to acquire Glo SIM cards with ease.
From N20,000 that others were selling SIMs, he made it possible for anyone to purchase a SIM for about N5,000 and pay for it through recharge by installment. I have a friend who got his SIM through this excellent and humanistic way put in place by Dr. Adenuga. He was literally always singing praise of Dr. Adenuga.
Those who worked with him then recalled his constant expression of love to enable Nigerians get their own Glo SIM cards and get to communicate and relate with friends and families without having to bear the burden of paying a fixed and heavy cost for every minute of call.
I am sure the benefits of that intervention cannot be told in one day and in a piece like this. Many people were shocked that indeed, a Nigerian could do that for the benefit of his people.
At 70, it is time to celebrate one of the biggest businessmen on earth and one of the quintessential sons of Africa and Nigeria. He has, with God and humility built an economic behemoth, attracting the business patronage of some of the biggest names in telecommunications infrastructure all over the world.
If it has been an easy vocation, perhaps many other people would have gone into the same venture. But like some of those who have worked with him say, once he puts his mind on a course, you either follow him or drop along the way, as he would not stop until he docks at success’ beautiful port.
In the two decades that Glo has existed in Nigeria, he has done this. Apart from his never-giving-up spirit that saw to the birthing of Globacom as Nigeria’s second national operator, he also became the first African to single-handedly finance a submarine cable running from Europe to Africa to help a continent that is badly in need of better and faster data services. Not a few people have wondered at the kind of vision that drives Dr. Adenuga in taking on such risky venture, where others would simply have given up.
He has proven to be comfortable in donning the toga of risks and he has always been more than lucky. He has always been focused, hardworking, persevering and dependent on God, traits that very few businessmen share across the globe.
When Dr. Adenuga and several other Nigerians got licences to prospect for crude oil decades back, while many others simply sold their licences to avoid plunging into the risky terrain, he dived headlong into the high risk venture. It is common knowledge how his commitment and tenacity paid off eventually when Consolidated Oil struck the black gold almost at the eleventh hour when hoped seemed to have prepared to take an exit.
Through all of this, Dr. Adenuga has been like the celebrity described in the opening paragraph, the one who works all his life to be famous but wears dark goggles not to be seen. Is it pride or what? Many of his workers would laugh at such a suggestion!
As one of them told me recently, the man they work for is anything but proud. According to him, those who know him well know that he is naturally quiet and shies away from the crowd. That is not a vice. It is a plus quality that so many men of affluence have.
Dr. Adenuga is the kind of introverted leader referenced by Dr. Jennifer Kahnweiler, in her book, “The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength”. He has so much of power packed on the inside that he concentrates more in solving problems and impacting the world around him. He finds his alter ego in such similarly great personalities such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who are some of the world’s best known introverts, but are great success in business because their focus is in solving problems, either as a vocation, or as a way of giving back to the society.
Dan Pena, an American billionaire, was asked what is consistent in terms of personality type that he has seen among Billionaires. His reaction: “Oh… Easy. First of all, 98% of the high performers on the planet have one thing in common. They are Introverts”. It is a virtue that a colossus like Dr Adenuga has put to great use in the service of humanity.
As he turns the corner of the 7th decade of his blessed sojourn, he has become a gift to humanity and a blessing to everyone around. May the Almighty bless him with good health and more years so he may continue to do more of what he has been doing to positively affect humanity.
Dunning-Krugger Effect is a rare type of cognitive bias where people with little expertise or ability assume they have superior expertise or ability. This overestimation occurs as a result of the fact that they don’t have enough information to decipher that they don’t have enough knowledge. Rightly so is the disposition of Suleiman A. Suleiman in his verbose attempt at intellectual and journalistic expertise in his Monday, the 17th April 2023 article where he insinuated that the loan obtained by the Federal Government for the 2023 National Population and Housing Census and from which the harsh effects of subsidy removal would be reduced were actually severance packages for outgoing public office holders and not actually to be used for the forthcoming Census or to cushion the effects of subsidy removal as appropriated.
The audacity with which Suleiman started his bizarre and disjointed article is compelling. However, the journalist hunch he seems to have gotten and the logic employed falls short of any intellectual or journalistic expertise. That a government has collected loans at the twilight of its administration does not in any way translate to a hidden agenda of misappropriation. While leading readers on with the hope of getting authentic information, the writer swerves badly in the wrong direction like a drunk driver and presented a warped up logic of the Federal Government trying to secure funds to be used to settle its outgoing public officers. Suleiman talked about the subsidy removal regime even though it has not taken effect, it is particularly important to explain that the comments made against the management of the National Population Commission as regards this year’s Census is misleading and capable of causing disaffection and reducing the people’s readiness to participate in the Census.
To begin with, Nigeria has a statutory body charged with the responsibility of taking care of the remuneration packages of appointees of the government and allocating national resources to the various states. It is the job of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission to determine severance packages to deserving appointees as at when due. This is constitutional and has been on since the return of democratic rule, how can the president now decide to hide under other projects to get funds for the severance package for himself and his appointees? This is twisted logic and should be disregarded by all well-meaning Nigerians.
In also trying to tarnish the image of the National Population Commission, Suleiman presented a false impression that the Commission intends to use the sum of $1.89bn to conduct a Census a few months before the end of Buhari’s administration. Whereas the figure of $1.89bn budget is correct, it must be noted that this is the sum total of all the resources the Commission has expended since 2013 preparation to the actual census exercise. To make it seem like this amount is what is needed at once by the Commission to conduct the forthcoming Census is misleading and an attempt to turn Nigerians against the good intentions of the Commission and Mr. President. To sheepishly imply that the money will not eventually be used for the Census is a deliberate attempt at falsehood because, over the years starting from 2013, the Commission has undertaken meticulous planning including using the Geographic Information System (GIS) to demarcate the entire country into Enumeration Areas using satellite imaging and other efforts to ensure a seamless headcount including the digital infrastructure needed to execute the first digital Census in this part of the world. How can anybody undo these expenses in an article?
It is already in the public domain that the Federal Government has already committed more than 50% of the cost of the census and this has been spent on preparatory activities such as the Enumeration Area Demarcation of 774 Local Government Areas, the conduct of pretest and trial census, recruitment of ad-hoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants and activation of Information Technology facilities for the Census. To overlook these giant strides and pretend that the Census is ill-timed and the funds will be diverted to other purposes unknown to the author that it is actually a long-term cumulative budget is appalling and a slap on the journalism profession. Of the above sum, the only money needed by the Commission at the moment is the sum of N329 billion which will cover training and remuneration of over one million ad-hoc staff and other logistics related to the mobilization of personnel for the actual exercise. In fact, Nigerians who applied as enumerators and facilitators in their numbers would be looking for Suleiman’s head.
Whatever is Mr. Suleiman’s motive for scripting the unprofessional article, malice, blackmail or unpatriotism must not be far from it. It also cast aspersions on his sense of patriotism. If he did not see anything wrong with the efforts so far by the Commission in ensuring that Nigerians get the best Census ever and the needed data to spur development, then his obsession with the actual Census is just a frantic effort to smear the name of the Commission and the good administration of President Buhari. Except Suleiman is acting in ignorance, how can one comfortably describe severance package monies that have been budgeted for the payment of the training allowances and salaries of millions of Nigerians who will be participating in the 2023 Census? Does Suleiman mean to imply that Nigerians participating in the Census exercise would not be paid? How does such an endeavor translate to a “severance package for officials of the present regime’’ as callously stated in his article?
For the avoidance of doubt, the Census project was planned for and captured in successive budgets as required. It is not a last-minute project that should elicit suspicions. Since the Chairman and the Federal Commissioners of the National Population Commission are tenured appointees, the whole idea of a severance package does not arise because their tenures will not end with the end of this administration. In drawing up the budget for the Census, there was the need to factor in needs such as infrastructure and facilities, including training of skilled manpower, a geo-referenced enumeration frame, equipment especially Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and IT infrastructure to support the real-time transmission of data. With the deficit in infrastructure in Nigeria at the moment, one can only imagine what it will cost the federal government to put those things in place. To question the cost and budget of this year’s Census is therefore an exercise in ignorance reserved only for those suffering from Dunning-Krugger Effect.
To make comparisons between the cost of Census in Nigeria and other countries without considering other important factors and indices is also a futile attempt at intellectualism. As earlier mentioned, there’s a huge infrastructural gap between Nigeria and many other advanced countries. The road network, electricity, internet penetration, and connectivity as well as other human factors such as level of education and patriotic zeal can all play a part in lowering or increasing a country’s Census budget. Whereas many countries use self-counting methods to enumerate their populations, the deep-rooted mistrust and illiteracy in Nigeria will not allow for that method of conducting a Census to be deployed. One cannot also in all fairness suggest that Voter registers and data should be used as a way of saving cost because this year’s Census is not just about head count. Housing data, climate change adaption, and resilience are also important parts of this year’s Census exercise. The Commission is sure on top of preparations after expending huge sums of money and must be allowed to go through with this exercise without the unnecessary distractions of a person’s bent on playing politics with national issues.
It is imperative to note that the preparations for this year’s Census started before President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The aim was simply to acquire accurate data for national planning rather than relying on projections from inconclusive and inaccurate Census exercises. As an exercise that started from scratch without existing modern infrastructure, the cost is bound to be high if one fails to put into consideration the circumstances of our nation in relation to other advanced economies. However, the benefits will indeed justify the investment, and the infrastructure put in place will outlive this year’s census. We must therefore be forward-looking and appreciative of the efforts put in place by the National Population Commission and the Federal Government now that we are almost getting to the finish line. Those inciting the public against the Commission and the Federal Government must note that so much has been spent already and there’ll be no wisdom in halting the exercise even if they were pontificating in the interest of Nigerians, a lot of resources is already invested and the nation and her citizens deserve to reap the benefits of a truly credible census exercise.
Rev Semaka, a Public Policy/Mass Media Consultant lives in Abuja
The country still needs to figure out something about Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State. He plays the game of politics with finesse. Whether you like it or yes, he is a master of the game. The recently concluded APC gubernatorial primaries in the state that produced Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo as the APC candidate exemplify the Yahaya Bello finesse.
In some quarters, it has been argued that the decision to endorse and support Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo, the former auditor general for local governments in the state, was for selfish reasons. Yes, the APC candidate is of the Ebira ethnic stock as the governor, but that is not it. Those who know the dynamics of Kogi politics would see sense in the choice of Ahmed Usman Ododo. There was a lot at play. The case of Kogi state is not about ethnicity or religion but competence. And that is what Yahaya Bello has displayed in the choice of Ahmed Usman Ododo.
From the lot, Usman Ododo is the most competent. He is a silent achiever and one that knows his onions. Those who have interacted with him could attest to his prudence and eagle eye, as typical with auditors. To a large extent, he was the engine room of Yahaya Bello’s administration, especially in the second tenure, where efforts were made to correct the anomalies that caused the administration some untoward embarrassments. And it was on record that he delivered on the task.
Another quick fact about the Kogi state APC candidate is that he proved reliable and insisted on the right things to be done, especially with local government funds. What some might not know is that Usman Ododo was one of those that pushed and saw to the materialization of local government autonomy in the state. Usman Ododo was also at the forefront of holding local government administrators accountable to the people by scrutinizing expenditures, blocking waste and other activities that were inimical to the interest of the people and the state at large.
Therefore, it didn’t surprise some of us conversant with the dynamics of Kogi politics that Usman Ododo got the APC ticket. Yahaya Bello is interested in sustaining legacies rather than making one or two persons happy. Commonsense prevailed that a lot was at stake for a state that was in the doldrums for too long until the coming of Yahaya Bello.
I am not sure any right-thinking person would allow for a situation for legacies he laboured to institute to be sacrificed on the altar of ethnic or religious considerations. If that happens in Kogi state, I don’t think posterity would be kind to Yahaya Bello. I think those making insinuations along ethnic and religious lines in the state should rethink and take time to understand and appreciate the choice of Usman Ododo.
The transformation of Kogi state under the administration of Yahaya Bello is too delicate to be left in the hands of a mediocre. I think the emphasis on ethnic considerations should be jettisoned. People should take time to look for competence and capacity for the onerous task ahead.
It is understandable if eyes are raised regarding the ethnicity of Usman Ododo. But the question should be, is Usman Ododo capable of delivering on the task? The answer is yes because the APC candidate is not one whose stock in trade is grandstanding. He is different from the rest. He has never been associated with promoting ethno-religious segregation. As a fact, Usman Ododo is one of those few whose friendship cuts across the three senatorial districts. This much Yahaya Bello is aware of hence the less hassle in selling the candidacy of Usman Ododo to stakeholders in the state.
What Yahaya Bello has done is give the people of Kogi State a farewell gift. It is not enough to build roads, schools and hospitals? It is also not enough to improve the living standard of the people. It is essential to leave the state in the hands of a competent individual that would build on successes recorded so far in the quest to take the state to greater heights.
All well-meaning indigenes of Kogi state would agree that ethnicity and religion have not helped and won’t help anytime soon. Governor Yahaya Bello has highlighted the emphasis on competence and strength of character. Those fanning the embers of discord should have a rethink and, instead, commend the dexterity and foresight displayed by Governor Yahaya Bello in who succeeds him as governor.
We must appreciate and commend the governor for putting the interest of the state first. You might not like Governor Yahaya Bello’s face, but what you can’t take away from him is the fact that he is smart and highly cerebral. The people of Kogi should do well to trust his judgement.
Flash back: Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State was Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2006 when a former military Head of State and Presidential candidate of the opposition Congress For Progressives Change (CPC), Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari wanted to address the National Assembly, which was dominated and controlled by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo was then the President of Nigeria under the banner of the PDP, and who was alleged to harbour a ‘Third Term’ agenda. ‘Third Term Agenda’ to the un-initiated, meant ‘self-perpetuation in office’, and it was against the constitution of the federation, which everyone in power swore to protect.
The CPC Presidential Candidate went to the National Assembly to address members on the ills of ‘Self Perpetuation in office’.
President Olusegun Obasanjo would have none of that, and told the National Assembly to deny the request of the CPC’s Presidential Candidate.
The Senate, what we call ‘the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, gave a nod to the request of President Obasanjo, and refused the request of Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the CPC.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari however, saw it differently. He thought and believed it was wrong to deny the former Head of State the platform of the National Assembly to address the members. His reasoning was that the Members and President Obasanjo, who was himself a former Military Head of State, should look beyond politics and see the request as coming from a former military Head of State and Commander-in-chief, not from a politician.
While the Senator Ken Nnamani-led Senate denied the request of the CPC candidate, Speaker Aminu Bello Masari allowed him the platform of the House of Representatives, where he addressed its members. A very strong political bond was thus borne between General Buhari and Speaker Masari. For the sake of emphasis, that bond, well formed, became one of the series of events that eventually culminated in the formation of the APC.
There is no point stating the fact that Buhari and Masari are from Katsina State.
Of course, the Jagaban Borgu and President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was to play a significant role, in collaboration with some key elements from the then new PDP members, a faction of APGA and other progressive minded Nigerians, in the formation of the APC, as we know it today.
After the formation of the APC, President Buhari became the presidential flagbearer of the APC and Masari, perhaps, in appreciation of his plausible roles, emerged the party’s first Vice Chairman where he galvanized the party not just in the north but also across the country. Of course, he eventually emerged its gubernatorial flagbearer in Katsina State.
From APC’s formation to date, Katsina state has continued to play fundamental roles in boosting its fortunes through massively voting for the party in all elections.
For instance, in 2015, APC won all the national and state assembly seats. Similar feat was repeated in 2019 and 2023 where the party won all the senate seats, clinched nine out of the 15 House of Reps seats and won 31 of the 34 state assembly seats with three scheduled for rerun.
Fundamentally, the APC’s critical stakeholders in Katsina state never waver in their commitment to consolidating the party’s fortunes just as they have been in the forefront of ensuring power shift to the south after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s term.
Governor Masari for one, never hid his belief that it was now the turn of the South to have a shot at the presidency and the right person for the job is the Jagaban Borgu, who by God’s divine mercy and thanks to the efforts of people like the Dallatun Katsina, is now the President-elect.
Without any fear of contradiction, the APC leadership Katsina state under the steady guidance of Governor Aminu Bello Masari plays fundamental roles in further proving to all and sundry that the state is soundly under the firm control of the progressives.
Through dogged commitment, the governor and indeed other leaders of the party galvanized members and worked tirelessly for the party’s victory. For long, they have been preoccupied with what they could do for the party and indeed, all it’s candidates. That paid off. It won’t be out of place to ask what the party (the President-elect) will do for the leadership in the state.
This is a celebration of an exceptional African business icon and enigma from an insider perspective. I have interacted with the billionaire founder of Globacom and Conoil, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., for over three decades, 16 years of which I worked for him, often at close quarters. This is an unrestrained chronicling of his unique attributes; with anecdotes and perspectives you probably have never read elsewhere.
The enigma
it was one of those activity-choked days when his meetings lasted till very late in the night. He had, a few moments earlier, closed his last meeting for the day with senior managers in his signature style. “Well, everyone to himself, God for us all,” he said with reverence, yet commandingly and reassuringly. With everyone released, he treated the remaining files on his desk, passed them to his secretary and crossed over from his Oval Office at the golden building to his palatial residence, which he fittingly christened Bellissima on the waterfront. Bellissima is an Italian word coined from bella, which means gorgeous, while issima, is an absolute superlative. Bellissima, the name, absolutely complements the gorgeousness of the immaculate white buildings at the Adenuga villas and their coral-coloured roofs. You would think, at that wee hour, he was heading straight to bed once he got home. No Sir!
Dr. Adenuga is genetically fortunate to require only about three to four hours of sleep a day. The influential Wall Street Journal calls his kind the sleep-less elite who need just a few hours of sleep to function normally. In that mold are the likes of Tim Cook of Apple and former American President Donald Trump. Sometimes, he would make a few calls to give some follow-up instructions or review some aspects of his last meetings. Then, he would pour himself a glass of one of the smoothest cognacs in the world, relax and journey back to the past couple of hours to dissect his previous day, reflectively.
That, for Dr. Adenuga is a spiritual voyage of sorts where he tries to set matters straight between himself and the people he had encountered. Meditatively, he would ask himself, ‘Was I fair to him? Was she fair to me? Is there any additional value to explore and get a better result beyond the ideas the various teams from Globacom to Conoil Producing, Conoil Plc, Cobblestone Properties & Estate and others presented? How can we optimize our assets?’ He could be at this for up to three or four hours before calling it a day. That is how the genius mindset of Chairman Adenuga works. Upon deep reflection, if in the previous day there was anyone the Chairman felt he was unfair to, he would make amends, often not in an apology but in voluntary compensatory actions. If there was anyone he felt was unfair to him, he would also take corrective measures. As generous as he frequently is, he doesn’t spare the rods when he needs to make people account for their misdeeds. Where he acts the fastest is on any matter that could stimulate business growth. He takes whatever action is required to get results, particularly where the opportunity is hot and fresh, even if it requires a trip to the most distant part of the world. There were people in the Mike Adenuga Group who had travelled to the US, Europe, China and other parts of Africa and had no clue they were travelling as close as four to 24 hours before they boarded their flights. No other business leader I have known can match his mettle when it comes to pulling all the strings to get a difficult result. That perhaps is the strongest staying power of an icon his admirers call the Great Guru.
How he presides over meetings
Dr. Adenuga is a strict disciplinarian who runs his organisations with traits of the command-and-control structure of a military hierarchy. A perfectionist, he expects his officials and consultants to be prompt, organised, adequately prepared and conform to the rules of his office. “You can’t do that here. This is the Office of the Chairman”, he would thunder and remind anyone stepping out of line. He is irritated by tardiness and unintelligent responses. A voracious reader and intellectual explorationist, he ceaselessly brings himself up to speed on the latest trends in the businesses he is involved in, from oil exploration to the downstream, banking to finance, real estate, hospitality, road construction and telecommunications. You cannot pull the wool over his eyes. One moment he is discussing the network configuration management system for Globacom with his technical team, the next moment, he is discussing the result of geological surveys and offshore/onshore drilling of oil with his Conoil Producing management team. The same day, he is getting feedback from his representatives at Julius Berger, where he has controlling shares, and Cobblestone, the multibillion real estate company which has luxurious properties spread across the land. This is just a snippet of his regular undertakings. He probably would have slowed it down by now.
He is also politically and economically savvy. He has unassailable strategies on how to fix the Nigerian economy. I can just imagine how much Nigerian and African leaders can tap from his profound solutions, most of which are a bigger bang for the buck, even without asking to be paid any buck. It’s there just for the asking!
How long or short he spends with every presenting team depends on how much value he gets from or adds to the presentation. He needs only a few slides to decide if a presentation is worth his precious time. Yet, he displays a disarming humility, especially when there are visiting consultants or advisers. He is quick to spot and convert opportunities. He sees the boardroom and an entire organisation like a football team where only the players in good form keep their shirts. “Everyone must fight for his shirt”, he would say. Yet, he shows the milk of human kindness to his people. He gets personal with employees he often interacts with, cares about their welfare over and beyond the benefits they get from the system. Dr. Adenuga is also a powerful storyteller who has shared several aspects of his life relevant to topics under discussion with officials during or after meetings.
How he keeps valuable staff
Despite his strict regimen and famous quote of, “We may laugh and play together, don’t let the hierarchy be lost on you,” Dr. Adenuga is among the most involved and most caring employers of labour you can ever see. When a valued staff departs voluntarily or is asked to quit over certain developments, the Chairman does not see it as a permanent separation. If there is an opening later and he remembers any of the former staff he rates as ‘livewires’ who can fill the void, he will go after such staff, entice, appeal, incentivize or take any step necessary to bring him/her back. Dr. Adenuga goes as far as speaking directly to the staff or sending emissaries to them to gain their confidence and rekindle their collaboration. Biblical? Perhaps, yes. Leaders can leave a herd and go after a lost or missing sheep. For a business leader who can afford to hire any staff from anywhere in the world, that is a rare act of humility, large-heartedness and pragmatism. About two years after I had left Globacom in 2020, I got a surprise call from the Chairman. “Bode, mo ti’n wa e. Nibo lo wa lat’ojo yi (Bode, I have been looking for you, where have you been all this while)? Then he added, “We shouldn’t be far from each other. I shouldn’t be looking for you when I need you or you, looking for me when you need me. There is no easy way to say goodbye but there can be a pleasant way”. I thanked him for his fatherly admonition, and we have kept in touch ever since. The truth is that the Chairman really does not need me to the point of seeking me out. It is just his nature to be kind to his employees and friends he considered valuable when they were with him.
Role in turning wiz kid, others into global stars
The world today celebrates Wizkid, Burna Boy and other Nigerian music superstars who have become global icons. Dr. Adenuga played a big part in accelerating their journeys into global reckoning. He instructed his management team to engage the fledgling music stars then as brand ambassadors and take them on musical and comedy tours across the country. Many of them had the opportunity to perform in different parts of Nigeria for the first time, courtesy of the Adenuga gesture. Empowerment is one of the core reasons he founded Globacom. He wanted the fish seller in Epe or the yam seller in Aboh Mbaise or the farmer in Dawakin, Kano to be able to reach their customers and boost their trade. When things were tough for comedians, Nollywood stars and musicians, the endorsement and performance fees they got from Globacom helped in no small way to see them through. Many of the beneficiaries are eternally grateful for that deed. His impact was also felt in football across Nigeria, Ghana and at CAF where he pumped millions of dollars to promote and develop African football for almost two decades.
Adenuga’s extensive connections
The Chairman has an extensive network of connections, and he has kept many of them in his closest circle over the years. In the innermost of the circle are the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who is his older cousin, the Esama of Benin, Sir Cabriel Igbinedion, and his son, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, boardroom guru Mr. Bode Emmanuel, General IBM Haruna, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Dr. Seyi Roberts and Chief Obi Adimora. This list is by no means exhaustive. Another of the elite senior friends is General Alani Akinrinade, whom he met as the big brother of his close childhood friend. He has nurtured a sublime friendship with the Akinrinades over the years. He is particularly fond of General Akinrinade, who was kind to them in those days when the youngsters were trying to find their feet. The powerful list also includes past and present heads of state across the world, Governors, Senators, traditional rulers, professionals, friends and associates. Many thought he would be in a dilemma when two of his friends, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, went head-to-head in the last presidential election. They forgot that he is a boardroom virtuoso who understands the dynamics of leadership contests in Nigeria and would never be caught in the crossfire. His strategy over time is to leave politicking to politicians and stay in his comfort zone, the boardroom and business management.
Relationship with his children
Like every caring and doting father, the Chairman loves his children to bits. He spoils them with gifts and finds time to attend to them despite his extremely busy schedule. He prioritises family dinner which could be at least once a week, often after watching movies together at the family’s luxuriant cinema hall. He also comes hard on them when they get on the wrong side of his strict rules. He once told one of his children whom he had to compel to attend a meeting after requesting to be excused, “Come rain or shine, I’m at this desk, working. If I can do that without giving excuses, then you shouldn’t give excuses. The only thing I owe you is to give you a good education. Afterwards, if you want to stay here, you are welcome, but you must adhere to my instructions”. Surely, he cherishes them and will do anything for them, but he wants to train them in his strict disciplinarian way, believing this will strengthen them in sustaining the huge legacy he is bestowing on them. Everyone close to the Adenugas knows that his scions have also fully embraced the ethos of hard work wholeheartedly and they are adept at what they do. He once told me after a meeting at his Oko-Awo home office, shortly before relocating to the Banana Island home, that his wish was to hand over his flourishing empire to his children.
Adenuga’s legendary generosity
Dr. Adenuga’s generosity is legendary. He gives personal rewards like no other billionaire, except for probably a few like Oprah Winfrey. “If God has given you this kind of resources, it is not for you and your family alone”, he would say. That is the guiding philosophy influencing the way he reaches out through his wealth.
All year round, he splashes generous gifts on extended family, friends, associates, staff and the less privileged. The gifts could range from exotic brand-new cars to expensive perfumes, designer bags, designer wristwatches and cash. And during every festive season, he has a long list of beneficiaries he touches with life-transforming gifts; some on rotation, others in perpetuity. He is detailed and exquisitely tasteful, not only in the quality of gifts but also in the manner the gifts are presented. His Christmas cards are not only the best designed but the first to arrive. Recipients have treated them as valuables to be proudly displayed. He is unorthodox in living out his precepts. He does things his own way and the Chairman acts and moves when he wants to. He doesn’t like to be over pressurised.
His company, Globacom, recently revamped and furnished the rundown home of a former national football hero, Peter Fregene, who had been in financial distress. That altruism has the imprimatur of Dr. Adenuga written all over it. He feels a deep sense of inexplicable joy when he sends his team to look for and rehabilitate Nigerians whose predicaments caught his attention. Sometimes, he would send his team to go and enquire about the well-being of a friend and associate he had not heard from in a while and ensure such was well taken care of. He also loves enabling empowerment promotions, using his companies to give out jaw-dropping prizes like houses, cars, hefty sums of money and tools of trade such as sewing machines and tricycles, among others.
How he indulges self
The chairman enjoys the good things of life and pampers himself in remarkable ways. Yet, he believes that if it is not broken, don’t fix it. At his Oko-Awo, VI, Lagos office, he used the same TV sets for over a decade before finally giving the nod for them to be changed. His car preferences include Mercedes Benz G Wagon, Range Rover, sports cars, Toyota Landcruiser and Bentley. For some reason, he keeps his distance from Rolls Royce.
He also has a fleet of private jets, including the recently acquired Dassault Falcon, a quiet, productive, beautiful and luxurious executive jet built to withstand stormy weather. Named Sisi Paris after one of his grandchildren, the Dassault Falcon is a beauty in the air.
He has palatial homes in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Accra, London and Johannesburg. The Lagos villa is the most extensive of them all with numerous mansions, a chapel, a purpose-built auditorium, an office tower, a general office for his private staff and an executive holding bay for visitors, a residence for domestic staff, a gym, an Olympic size swimming pool, a helipad and a boat dock. The Chairman is a connoisseur of excellent wine, champagne and a power dresser who sets his own dressing standards. Occasionally, he invites special friends over to spend the evening with him and can arrange for top-of-the-range entertainers to tickle their fancy, even if they are just a couple. Sometimes, he also arranges to have dinner or lunch with his best performing staff, often at some of the choicest restaurants in town. Always looking out for the comfort of his people, he would scan the room at regular intervals and nudge those who were not relaxed enough to drink or eat more.
A genius like no other
As a business icon, he reacts to issues in a manner totally different from many other business elites. No matter the storm, he is always calm. Dr. Adenuga has spent a substantial part of the last two and a half decades of his life nurturing Globacom to the giant brand it has become. He built it all from the ground up, spending thousands of painstaking days and nights with his team. In the process, he has been celebrated locally and globally, at times maligned and a few times persecuted. He has stepped on toes; others have stepped on his toes. Sometimes, he would get his team to defend his honour, at other times, he would let it slide. He knew he could not please everyone and he endeavours to fix his shortcomings. In later years, he developed a thick skin to extreme critics. When he sees a profound gesture or publication celebrating his exploits, he reaches out to express his gratitude, sometimes personally. He likes to keep his head under the parapet, as he loves to frame it.
Dr. Adenuga has never confronted any government in power. He would always devise his own ingenious way to co-exist harmoniously with the government of the day. He believes he has too much at stake to take on any government. He uses diplomacy, tact and rapprochement to reconcile differences. The most vindictive government for Dr. Adenuga remains the Olusegun Obasanjo regime, which even forced him to go into self exile. From various reports, Obasanjo wanted him (Dr. Adenuga) to implicate General Babangida and lie to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the General owns Globacom. ‘Once you confirm that to Nuhu, everything will be fine’, he was instructed. At that time, Nuhu Ribadu was the Chairman of EFCC. Adenuga couldn’t understand why anyone would want him to lie against himself over his own business. Adenuga refused. He was hounded out of town and the rest is now history. For General Babangida, that was a commendable act of courage by Adenuga for refusing to accede to a trumped-up charge to implicate him (Babangida), ruin his reputation and then possibly give his traducers the weapon they need to prosecute him.
His love for Soyinka, Maitama Sule, Ojukwu
Dr. Adenuga is a master strategist. When he launched Globacom, he chose Glo with Pride as the payoff line. It was a rallying call to the entire nation to be proud of our heritage and accomplishments. To ingrain the brand in the heart of fellow countrymen as a national hero to treasure, he sought out the support of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; one of Nigeria’s finest diplomats, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, and the Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. They all had one thing in common. They were elder statesmen who were respected vastly in their spheres of influence. After some convincing, they agreed to do it to support a young man who was making the nation proud. Professor Soyinka was a tough nut to crack. He made it categorically clear that he wouldn’t do brand endorsements. Dr. Adenuga counted on the poet’s closest allies such as Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi to convince him to support the vision on the condition that his (Professor Soyinka’s) message would not be used for product endorsements. When the messages were launched on national television, they became an instant hit across the country.
As the first fully owned Nigerian telecommunication brand to be launched after two foreign brands in the same category had enjoyed a two-year head start, Globacom needed such a tremendous intervention to stand a chance. It complemented the Per-Second Billing narrative and propelled Globacom to become the darling of the nation.
Let the celebrations begin
To all fond admirers of Dr. Adenuga worldwide, it is an extraordinary moment of inestimable joy to see an icon of this magnitude clock the ripe age of 70 on April 29, 2023. This is not the moment to nitpick about his life or start documenting his shortcomings. This is a period to soak ourselves in unadulterated joy as we commemorate an exceptional national asset, father, husband, uncle, mentor, visionary, philosopher and juggernaut. Wherever you are on April 29, please fill your glass and let us toast to the good health and longer life of this incredible achiever who holds the highest national honour of three major countries, including the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) in Nigeria, Companion of the Star of Ghana and Commander of the Legion of Honour in France.
•Opeseitan is a social commentator, consultant and global business developer.
The needless hoopla is petering out sooner than was initially thought. For want of stating the obvious, opposition elements are embracing the reality that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu clearly and unambiguously breasted the tape ahead of the other major contenders of the 2023 presidential race.
Save for the incoherent braggadocio on naked display by social media goons of opposition parties, the reality of a lost and won contest is steadily sinking in, albeit slowly.
For the records, the 2023 presidential election remains a watershed in the nation’s history. It was an election like no other. In more ways than one, the conduct and outcome of the election has earned Nigeria additional stripes in her continued quest to become a global democratic powerhouse.
Far from being perfect, the election however passed the litmus tests of organisation, integrity and sanctity of one-man-one-vote. Its outcome shattered bookmakers’ predictions and shamed not a few political pundits.
The facts speak for itself. While Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was projected as the winner by credible and world-renowned organisations and polling agencies, no one predicted his defeat in Lagos, considered as his political fortress for almost three decades. But he lost to Mr. Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Unexpectedly too, the sitting President, Muhammadu Buhari, who doubled as the Chairman of the APC/PCC lost his home state, Katsina, a state his party won by landslide in the two previous elections.
There were other shocking outcomes. The Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong not only lost his senatorial bid in Plateau State, but could not deliver the state for his presidential candidate. Lalong’s counterpart in Kebbi State, Governor Atiku Bagudu, who is the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), also lost his state to the PDP. Other APC governors, including Abdullahi Ganduje, Abdullahi Sule and Nasir El’Rufai lost their states, Kano, Nasarawa and Kaduna, respectively to opposition parties of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), LP and PDP. Wherein lies the claims of a flawed election being parroted by the LP and PDP!
While the recourse to legal adjudication to seek redress by the LP and PDP is welcome, but which most likely would be torn into shreds, it is heartwarming that the President-elect is focused on the daunting tasks ahead of him.
Arguably the most prepared of presidential contenders in the nation’s history, Asiwaju Tinubu in his first public declaration of his ambition had declared confidently: “I believe I have the vision, the competence and the track record to lead this country.” The self-confidence tells of a man confident in his own skin; a man who believes in his innate capacity to turn impossibilities to possibilities for the greater good; a man whose ambition is driven by his overriding belief that Nigeria’s potentials can be turned into real and concrete success if her human and natural resources are judiciously and painstakingly harnessed.
Asiwaju Tinubu’s antecedents is rich in service in both the private and public sector. Here is a man that has gone through the mill of tutelage and leadership; a man akin to a rough gold that has been through the furnace and come out glittering and sparkling like diamonds.
His scorecard as the Lagos State governor remains a reference point 16 years after he exited office. The reforms he initiated and executed, from tax administration, civil service turnaround, land processing, devolution of powers, power amongst others, and which were faithfully adhered to by his successors, have placed the state on a pedestal hitherto thought unrealisable.
A few of the initiatives stand out. For many, the Lekki Free Trade Zone takes the icing. It was a seemingly grandiose idea that opposition figures poohpoohed to no end. They lack the vision to see the big picture. But today, that zone plays host to one of the world’s biggest refineries and petrochemical complex.
Other multi-billion-naira companies have also set up shops within the LFTZ.
In close proximity to the free trade zone is the newly completed Lekki Deep Sea Port. It is the largest sea port in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa. Occupying a land mass of 90 hectares, construction of the port was financed by private investors and a consortium of banks who have funded the project with over $1.5 billion. Rightly described as a “transformative and game changer project,” the port is owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram Group, with the balance shared by the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). The LFTZ success is the triumph of audacity of ideas.
The can-do spirit of Asiwaju Tinubu also shone brightly in the conceptualisation and execution of the Eko Atlantic City from the rubbles and menacing challenge of the Atlantic surge. It was a disaster-in-waiting, scary enough to submerge the entire Victoria Island. It was a recurring environmental challenge that had defied solutions. But rather than despair and fold his hands in capitulation, Asiwaju Tinubu saw an opportunity of immense value to the economy of the state and the country at large.
Sprouting out of that space is a brand-new city described as one of the 8th architectural wonders of the world, which plays hosts to the headquarters of big corporate concerns and diplomatic missions, not least the biggest US Consulate, whose ongoing construction is estimated to gulp $400 million.
The plethora of all of these reforms by Asiwaju Tinubu during his tour of duty as governor accounts for the upbeat in the local and international investment community that businesses would thrive under a Tinubu Presidency. That confidence is not misplaced. The President-elect’s glowing record as a pro-business and pro-reforms leader is widely acknowledged by even his fiercest critics. In his well-crafted manifesto launched before the presidential campaign, Asiwaju Tinubu outlined his economic plans, which dwells largely on comprehensive reforms to reposition and rejuvenate key sectors, including petroleum and gas, agriculture, ease of doing business, health, education and the tax regime.
It then comes as no surprise that savvy investors are already taking position to partake in the envisaged economic goodies that would be unleashed.
What has further buoyed the confidence of these investors is the calibre of the individuals who form the inner circle of Asiwaju Tinubu’s economic team. These are solid professionals who know their onions. Names like Wale Edun, an economist, a World Bank alumnus and co-founder of formerly IBTC (now Stanbic IBTC), Yemi Cardosso, a banker of note and former Charman of CitiBank and Yetunde Oduwole, the Head of the Presidential Enabling and Business Environment Council (PEBEC), readily come to mind.
Under Asiwaju Tinubu’s leadership as governor, Edun and Cardosso were the arrowheads of the Lagos’ economic reforms from 1999 to 2005 and it is to their credit that the state dared the odds by being the first in Nigeria to float a bond in the Capital Market, funds which were spent on a massive upgrade in the state’s descript infrastructure and deployment of Oracle IT to retool the opaque civil service structure and weed off ghost workers from the system. The list is endless.
Hopes among Nigerians are, indeed, high that Nigeria is set to set sail into the frontiers of economic development. Under the Tinubu Presidency, ideas that will translate to the fulfilment of hitherto dashed hopes would flourish, unhindered. And the take-off day is May 29, 2023.
Curriculum development is a complex way of building and expanding a course taught in an institution. The framework for curriculum expansion is broad and may include the various stages of analysis, building, implementation and evaluation. The administration of Dr. Michael Arimanwa, an engineer, has made considerable advancements in exponentially expanding the existing curricula in the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State. This is in fulfilment of the pledge he made in his vision document to expand the curriculum framework of the institution. The aim ultimately is geared towards offering Nigerian students vast opportunities in the education industry.
There are overwhelming advantages in providing candidates with a wide range of programmes on which to leverage. World over, the success of any educational administrator at the higher level lies in the number of new programmes added at a given period. It is a clear sign of growth in quantitative and qualitative terms. The process of resource development and actual accreditation is usually complex and taxing. It is therefore a rare accomplishment to expand a curriculum at a periodic basis.
Having passed out of the institution at the OND/HND levels, the Rector may have observed vital areas of need at the institution. He may have reckoned that the institution needed to be projected further with as many courses as possible. He knows that academic opportunities abound for students when the curriculum is expanded. He also knows that the society benefits more when there is adequate manpower to service the vast needs of the society.
It is unprecedented that the gentleman Rector met the number of Schools in the polytechnic at five and is leaving them at eight in five years. He has similarly increased the number of programmes run in the institution by the same margin. The latest of such schools created by his administration is the School of Health and Related Technology hosting the departments of Dispensing Opticianry and Pharmaceutical Technology. There are already actionable plans for resource visitation for the Departments of Dental Technology and Nursing Technology. This has offered Nigerian students a broad spectrum of choices to make informed selections. The creation of the school has been greeted with loud applause from prospective students and students alike. For the first time, the polytechnic now has a sustainable policy direction in developing curriculum in varied medical and health related disciplines. When the memo for the establishment of the new school was published, I recall stumbling on a post where a prospective student profusely thanked the management for taking the action as according to her, she is naturally disposed to a discipline in health science and technology. There are other students like this “Jambite” who are upbeat in realizing their dream of becoming health personnel in the polytechnic.
Away from health, the polytechnic has prioritised curriculum development in communication studies. It is particularly remarkable that the polytechnic blazed a trail in the entire country in the area of Mass Communication where it became the first institution to unbundle the discipline in Nigeria. Resource visitations were made and they all came out successful. For this purpose, various fora were convoked at the instance of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to get further scholarly inputs on the new disciplines that emerged from Mass Communication. It is heartwarming that there are today five new programmes available for students coming for Mass Communication at the HND level. They are Broadcasting, Film & Multimedia and Public Relations. Others are Advertising and Print Journalism. This has further expanded epistemic boundaries in Nigerian educational institutions.
In the School of Engineering Technology, the administration successfully scaled through the complexities of Resource Visitation for the new Departments of Metallurgical & Material Engineering, Hydrology & Water Resources Management as well as Welding & Fabrication Engineering Technology. These are marketable courses that are in high demand in the job market. What’s more, now that the institution has acquired a second campus at Abaezi Egbema, it becomes reassuring that some of these new programmes will serve the new Skill Acquisition Centre the polytechnic is establishing there. There are Oil Company clusters in the area that would need the institution to train their manpower, for instance, in Industrial Welding and Fabrication. There are youths all over the state – artisans – who may not necessarily need any O-level certification as a prerequisite to gain admission to be trained in one skill or the other.
A new course, Printing Technology, has also been added by the Arimanwa administration to further deepen the curriculum framework. The programme is listed in the School of Environmental Design Technology (SEDT). The printing curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for prospective printers to acquire professional skills. The business of printing is a lucrative one all over the world and the polytechnic has leveraged the high market demand in the field to train skilled printers that would service the printing needs of the country.
Similarly, the administration has added Animal Health & Production to its curriculum. The addition has since then become a boost to the newly created School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology. The School took off in grand style with a brand new complex fully furnished to taste. The course not only produces animal scientists, it also produces skilled farmers that would deploy best practices in enhancing food security. Apart from the demonstration farms available, the Arimanwa administration has established a modern fish farm estate that would be a demonstration farm for students to major in the fishery. Commercial production of fish has become an enterprising industry owing to the health benefits of fish consumption as opposed to the colostrum in some varieties of meat.
It excites the mind that the administration has also added Metallurgical & Material Engineering to produce skilled workers in the science and engineering of metals, ceramics and polymers, who would also be useful in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, heat treatment and production of heavy equipment industries. The discipline will play a vintage role in the Skill Acquisition Centre being established by the polytechnic. It bears stating that the Federal Polytechnic Nekede is one of the first set of Nigerian Polytechnics to respond to the call by NBTE for the establishment of large-scale skills acquisition centres that would produce hewn and hone technical minds in varied artisanship.
The new Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Management added by the Arimanwa administration is a step in the right direction. It comes at a time our environment us vulnerable to water-related disasters at both national and sub-national levels. Essentially, the discipline will produce diplomates with the requisite skills to manage the country’s water resources potential, hence their usefulness in river basin development, watershed management, erosion and sedimentation control, urban drainage system management and environmental resources and sanitation management, among others.
Curriculum development is a continuum and requires sound commitment on the part of leadership. The need to broaden the scope of an existing curriculum cannot be over-emphasized. It is only natural to consistently expand the frontiers of knowledge to take care of the ever-changing world of humanity. It is also a sign of institutional progress when curriculum expansion is prioritised. History will be quite fair to Dr. Arimanwa, the eighth substantive Rector, Federal Polytechnic Nekede in his vision document articulated his vision to expand the existing curriculum in the polytechnic. Like every other promise in the vision booklet, the Rector has genuinely committed to realising them. From five to eight Schools and from 43 to over 50 departments, Dr Arimanwa has performed excellently in the area of curriculum development.
To further underpin his knack for excellence in curriculum expansion, the Rector has ensured that the polytechnic does not lose any accreditation. All accreditation and resource visitation exercises under Rector Arimanwa have roundly been successful. The administration has been unwavering in its commitment to maintaining standards, a reason the polytechnic emerged as the best-performing polytechnic in Nigeria and the most sought-after by JAMB candidates.
• Dr. Iwuji (ugoiwuji@gmail.com) writes from Owerri
The needless hoopla is petering out sooner than was initially thought. For want of stating the obvious, opposition elements are embracing the reality that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu clearly and unambiguously breasted the tape ahead of the other major contenders of the 2023 presidential race.
Save for the incoherent braggadocio on naked display by social media goons of opposition parties, the reality of a lost and won contest is steadily sinking in, albeit slowly.
For the records, the 2023 presidential election remains a watershed in the nation’s history. It was an election like no other. In more ways than one, the conduct and outcome of the election has earned Nigeria additional stripes in her continued quest to become a global democratic powerhouse.
Far from being perfect, the election however passed the litmus tests of organisation, integrity and sanctity of one-man-one-vote. Its outcome shattered bookmakers’ predictions and shamed not a few political pundits.
The facts speak for itself. While Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was projected as the winner by credible and world-renowned organisations and polling agencies, no one predicted his defeat in Lagos, considered as his political fortress for almost three decades. But he lost to Mr. Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Unexpectedly too, the sitting President, Muhammadu Buhari, who doubled as the Chairman of the APC/PCC lost his home state, Katsina, a state his party won by landslide in the two previous elections.
There were other shocking outcomes. The Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong not only lost his senatorial bid in Plateau State, but could not deliver the state for his presidential candidate. Lalong’s counterpart in Kebbi State, Governor Atiku Bagudu, who is the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), also lost his state to the PDP. Other APC governors, including Abdullahi Ganduje, Abdullahi Sule and Nasir El’Rufai lost their states, Kano, Nasarawa and Kaduna, respectively to opposition parties of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), LP and PDP. Wherein lies the claims of a flawed election being parroted by the LP and PDP!
While the recourse to legal adjudication to seek redress by the LP and PDP is welcome, but which most likely would be torn into shreds, it is heartwarming that the President-elect is focused on the daunting tasks ahead of him.
Arguably the most prepared of presidential contenders in the nation’s history, Asiwaju Tinubu in his first public declaration of his ambition had declared confidently: “I believe I have the vision, the competence and the track record to lead this country.” The self-confidence tells of a man confident in his own skin; a man who believes in his innate capacity to turn impossibilities to possibilities for the greater good; a man whose ambition is driven by his overriding belief that Nigeria’s potentials can be turned into real and concrete success if her human and natural resources are judiciously and painstakingly harnessed.
Asiwaju Tinubu’s antecedents is rich in service in both the private and public sector. Here is a man that has gone through the mill of tutelage and leadership; a man akin to a rough gold that has been through the furnace and come out glittering and sparkling like diamonds.
His scorecard as the Lagos State governor remains a reference point 16 years after he exited office. The reforms he initiated and executed, from tax administration, civil service turnaround, land processing, devolution of powers, power amongst others, and which were faithfully adhered to by his successors, have placed the state on a pedestal hitherto thought unrealisable.
A few of the initiatives stand out. For many, the Lekki Free Trade Zone takes the icing. It was a seemingly grandiose idea that opposition figures poohpoohed to no end. They lack the vision to see the big picture. But today, that zone plays host to one of the world’s biggest refineries and petrochemical complex.
Other multi-billion-naira companies have also set up shops within the LFTZ.
In close proximity to the free trade zone is the newly completed Lekki Deep Sea Port. It is the largest sea port in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa. Occupying a land mass of 90 hectares, construction of the port was financed by private investors and a consortium of banks who have funded the project with over $1.5 billion. Rightly described as a “transformative and game changer project,” the port is owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Tolaram Group, with the balance shared by the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). The LFTZ success is the triumph of audacity of ideas.
The can-do spirit of Asiwaju Tinubu also shone brightly in the conceptualisation and execution of the Eko Atlantic City from the rubbles and menacing challenge of the Atlantic surge. It was a disaster-in-waiting, scary enough to submerge the entire Victoria Island. It was a recurring environmental challenge that had defied solutions. But rather than despair and fold his hands in capitulation, Asiwaju Tinubu saw an opportunity of immense value to the economy of the state and the country at large.
Sprouting out of that space is a brand-new city described as one of the 8th architectural wonders of the world, which plays hosts to the headquarters of big corporate concerns and diplomatic missions, not least the biggest US Consulate, whose ongoing construction is estimated to gulp $400 million.
The plethora of all of these reforms by Asiwaju Tinubu during his tour of duty as governor accounts for the upbeat in the local and international investment community that businesses would thrive under a Tinubu Presidency. That confidence is not misplaced. The President-elect’s glowing record as a pro-business and pro-reforms leader is widely acknowledged by even his fiercest critics. In his well-crafted manifesto launched before the presidential campaign, Asiwaju Tinubu outlined his economic plans, which dwells largely on comprehensive reforms to reposition and rejuvenate key sectors, including petroleum and gas, agriculture, ease of doing business, health, education and the tax regime.
It then comes as no surprise that savvy investors are already taking position to partake in the envisaged economic goodies that would be unleashed.
What has further buoyed the confidence of these investors is the calibre of the individuals who form the inner circle of Asiwaju Tinubu’s economic team. These are solid professionals who know their onions. Names like Wale Edun, an economist, a World Bank alumnus and co-founder of formerly IBTC (now Stanbic IBTC), Yemi Cardosso, a banker of note and former Charman of CitiBank and Yetunde Oduwole, the Head of the Presidential Enabling and Business Environment Council (PEBEC), readily come to mind.
Under Asiwaju Tinubu’s leadership as governor, Edun and Cardosso were the arrowheads of the Lagos’ economic reforms from 1999 to 2005 and it is to their credit that the state dared the odds by being the first in Nigeria to float a bond in the Capital Market, funds which were spent on a massive upgrade in the state’s descript infrastructure and deployment of Oracle IT to retool the opaque civil service structure and weed off ghost workers from the system. The list is endless.
Hopes among Nigerians are, indeed, high that Nigeria is set to set sail into the frontiers of economic development. Under the Tinubu Presidency, ideas that will translate to the fulfilment of hitherto dashed hopes would flourish, unhindered. And the take-off day is May 29, 2023.
