The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • One lawyer’s bid to remake public school libraries

    One lawyer’s bid to remake public school libraries

    Legal practitioner and writer, Olamide Adeleye, is on a mission beyond the courtroom. After chaperoning the cause of women for over a decade, she is taking the fight to the classrooms. Moved by the dwindling reading culture among children, Adeleye has created online bookstore through her law firm for the purpose of diverting profit to innovate public school libraries. Evelyn Osagie writes.

    OLAMIDE Adeleye is a lawyer and writer who is passionate about young Nigerians and indigent children in the society. Moved by a dwindling reading culture among the young, Adeleye, who is also the principal counsel of YBA and Co Solicitors, has created an online bookshop for the purpose of diverting profit to renovate public school libraries.

    A mission to raise thought leaders

    The legal practitioner has undertaken a mission to raise thought leaders by helping the young and students, especially the public school pupils, to develop their reading habit and love for books through her law firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), ‘Bargain Books Najia’.

    “There is a dearth of reading amongst the typical Nigerian children you come across every day; however, they cannot be blamed for this, because the books are not readily available, and the available ones are not accessible to the regular Nigerian child.

    “Readers are leaders! How can they lead effectively if there is nothing to stimulate their intellect? Reading will stimulate and challenge their thinking abilities and bring out their inventiveness. Bargain Books Naija is on a mission to raise thought leaders from communities and give every child an opportunity to be all they aspire to be, also raising the standard of the nation and enlightening children to bring light to the society. This, in effect, will help them to prioritise reading, imbibe good reading habits and boost their reading skills, while at the same time preparing them to be better citizens,” she said.

    Adeleye, who signs her poems/artworks with her initials, OBA, is a poet and pastor. The mother of two and wife of Olajide Adeleye graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2000, and was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2002.

    As a barrister-at-law and chartered arbitrator, she currently has been engaged in active consultancy and solicitor’s work and runs her own legal practice: YBA & Co. Solicitors, Lagos, where she is Principal Counsel.

    Although passionate about helping women to acquire the drive to thrive, and not to simply survive in all spheres of life; she is equally passionate about seeking ways to ensure that the indigent children in the community are also being given opportunities to thrive and not remain neglected.

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    “The work is endless, and we must sacrifice ourselves unstintingly for this cause; compared to their UK and USA counterparts, our children fall short in reading and learning. I felt really bad that if this can be happening in schools where parents pay a lot – it is even worse in the public schools. And the lack of libraries has not helped matters.

    “This is what encouraged me to start bargain books. I want to help society and develop the reading habit of young Nigerians; and to expose and make them innovators/content providers through reading, instead of me complaining about corruption, insecurity and kidnapping in the nation. We collect books that are still in top shape and donate to an identified public school. We organise book fairs to help make reading more popular and affordable in the society; and exhibitions for the sole purpose of raising funds to build libraries for public schools.”

     

    A launch to build public libraries

    The initiative, which already exists as an online bookshop with over 500 books, was formally launched last Sunday. It was also a fundraiser for its renovation projects, featuring an exhibition, novels for sale at cheap prices, raffle draw and cocktail.

    Olamide Adeleye
    Olamide Adeleye

    The soft jazz music welcomed guests in the exotic ambiance of Aqua27 plaza, Chevron Drive, where the event took place. On display were 51 crested pieces of poetry, like visual artworks on frames. It was a fluidic setting that flowed from one floor to the next, allowing guests to have a feel of art in its finest form.

    “When you look at the framed poems on your wall, let it remind you of how you are helping a child become all they have been created to be, for the betterment of the society, a future you have helped set straight,” she explained.

    In attendance were art collectors and enthusiasts, including the Apostle Busola Jegede of Daughters of Destiny Ministry.

    Speaking on her source of inspiration, Adeleye said: “My children are the inspiration behind this idea; they are privileged to attend one of the best schools in the world where they have access to the best material academically. As far as back when they were in the crèche, the British school will insist that they must go home with a book a day till they graduated.

    “That really helped the children to develop the habit of reading at an early stage. Getting back to the country, we found out that even the best schools here do not mandate a book a day system. Instead, they use the library to get a book for a week, probably because of the scarcity of books.

    She linked the poor reading culture to lack of public libraries; while urging government and school managers to establish libraries. “Seeing how the book-a-day system really helped the children to develop the habit of reading at an early stage, I came to the opinion that if the reading culture among our wards is to be helped and improved, the government should establish public libraries in different local governments and in public schools. School managers should also create libraries in their schools that would be stocked with educational and creative literature. But let’s not leave them alone. Every day, we must take actions compatible and consistent with our dreams and aspirations for our society, thus leaving trails of hope for our children and the generations after them,” she stated.

    At the launch was the President, Old Student Association, St. David’s Anglican Primary School. An ex-student who represented the school, said: “One can only imagine the number of children whose reading habits would change after the library is established.  I commend the initiative and the initiator for their concerns and willingness to help the school and its students in developing their reading habit.”

  • PIA designed to further marginalise Niger Delta -Ijaw leader Okaba

    PIA designed to further marginalise Niger Delta -Ijaw leader Okaba

    As the controversy over the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) just signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari rages,the President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba says that contrary to claims in some quarters, the act is aimed at intensifying and expanding “ the degree and scope of denial of our people’s right to resource justice, equity and sustainable livelihood.”Okaba speaks on the law and other issues in this interview with Mike Odiegwu and Simon Utebor.

    WHAT is the grouse of the Niger Delta about the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)?

    It is a truism that every patriotic Ijaw, home and in the diaspora and all well-informed, well-meaning and lovers of the Niger Delta region are deeply saddened by the recent passage/assent to the PIB.

    This singular act has been condemned and described as a painful slap on the sensitivity of the people of the entire Niger Delta who have suffered several decades of environmental and human degradation resulting from the aftermath of oil and gas production.

    It also seen as a show of ingratitude to a people who bear the cost and losses of oil and gas production which accounts for 80% of the source of survival, peace and development of this country.

    The major grouse of the people centers around the ignominy and disdain accorded the loud cry and consistent demand for minimum of 10% as against the 3% approved as host community trust fund, proper operationalization of the term ‘Host Communities’ to be limited to the places that are directly impacted by the activities of oil and gas production and not to be extended to everywhere as far as Niger Republic where oil pipelines are routed through, the allocation of 30% to frontier basins, none of which is in the region, the need to unbundle the NNPC, and provide a profitable, transparent and accountable process of its privatisation and commercialisation, making provision for remediation of the impacted environment  and the many other infractions on the 1999 Constitution (Section 162) that denies the state, LGAs, major stakeholders, oil bearing communities and the suffering masses of the ljaws  and the Niger Delta region.

    This insensitivity to the yearnings of the suffering Ijaw people shows that our ill-feelings and agitations against criminal exploitation, human and environmental degradation and gross underdevelopment in spite of our rich God given resources are inconsequential because of the minority status we suffer in the Nigerian contraption.

    It is our conviction that the Act in its entirety was never intended to reform the oil sector, the NNPC and develop the Niger Delta as claimed  by state apologists. It is an exercise to rob Peter (Ijaw and the Niger Delta) to pay Paul and intensify and expand the degree and scope of denial of our people’s right to resource justice, equity and sustainable livelihood.

    Now that the PIB has become law, what is the next line of action for the host communities and others in the zone who are unhappy with the passage?

    The Ijaw National Congress (INC) is currently weighing several options open to it as a people and after due consultations, engagement and interfacing with other relevant stakeholders in the region, will definitely come up with a position. Meanwhile, we continue to raise concerns on the attention of the local and international communities to some salient nagging questions that need to be attended to by proponents of this act. Is oil and gas exploration no longer a purely commercial venture executed at the cost of the interest of the business companies? What now happens to the original finance framework of 40% (FGN) 35% (IOCs) counterparts funding? What will the states with 0% contribution to oil and gas contribute to funding the frontier oil basins in their respective domains? Is there any reasonable justification to apply the resources of the region to fund all the exploration of oil and gas for the benefit of the entire country and giving a paltry 3% to mitigate the perennial problems of the host communities?

    Why is the gold and other solid mineral resources discovered and exploited in other parts of the country not appropriated in like manner, to disprove the claim that what belongs to Ijaw and the Niger Delta, belongs to all, but what belongs to people in other parts of Nigeria belongs to them, e.g the Gold in Zamfara?

    ‘Sylva, others working against our collective interest’

    What is your reaction to people like Timipre Sylva who argue that 3% is better than nothing?

    Without trying to personalise issues, we express no surprise at the actions, involvement and defence of the characters you are referring to. Their stance on Ijaw matters and the Niger Delta are well known by the people. As far as we are concerned, they have offered themselves as the willing horses to patronise the interest of their paymasters even to the detriment of their suffering brothers and sisters.

    The defence and justification of the PIA by these characters is not just considered as a smart overthought but a politically motivated act to advance their personal schemes and those of their allies in the oil industry against their people, whose interest they should have naturally defended if they were true patriots of Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta. Their starting point should be 50% derivation as it was the practice in years past. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

    The Ijaw people have been persistent in the quest for the restructuring of Nigeria. How much of support will you say they have been enjoying from other ethnic nationalities?

    It has become very obvious that the few but influential Nigerians who are vehemently opposed to restructuring are the real enemies of our nation’s progress, mutual and accelerated growth, peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. A glossary reflection on the state of the Nigerian  nation from every sector including  the economy/exchange rate, unemployment, health care delivery, provision of basic amenities, institutional growth and stability and insecurity shows a steady decline in general performance  index. Hence, we see restructuring as the needed magic wand that will restore normalcy, competitive progress and harmonious coexistence of the Nigerian people, even in our diversity.

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    The advocacy for resource control is increasingly becoming the business of all (except the privileged and biased few) across regional ties.

    The INC will continue to press harder for Restructuring, Resource Ownership and Management. The issues surrounding the PIA, the anticipated Water Resources Bill and refusal of the state to address several obnoxious clauses in the 1999 Constitution have given us a clearer picture of our stake in the Nigerian contraption and further justification for a more rigorous push for self-determination and self-actualisation.

    Trust is critical in the struggle. Yet we can’t rule out mutual suspicions and rivalry when you have many groups locked in a fight like this.Has there been any occasion when you begin to fear whether you’ve not embarked on a fruitless exercise?

    Generally, people adapt to changes in phases according to their level of understanding, commitment and their individual and collective sentiments. Though we enjoy overwhelming support from and outside our people, we have also experienced some levels of betrayal and even attacks on issues that are of common benefits to all and sundry maybe due to lack of understanding or for selfish purposes.

    We consider all of these as normal and a learning process and are therefore not discouraged or distracted. Instead we are more focused and determined to deliver on the mandate of our people to drive and champion this tortuous journey of our emancipation with greater vigor and tact than ever before. We are further encouraged by the emergence of many Pan Niger Delta groups such as FENND, PANDEF, Advocates for Peace and Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta, Niger Delta Environmental Rights Group etc. All speaking with one voice on the critical Niger Delta question and particularly announcing to our distractors that those who are making restructuring impossible are simply increasing the volume of the cries of frustration and marginalisation. They are equally making the pursuit of secession inevitable.

    What sort of federation do the Ijaw or the Southsouth people desire? How much power are they willingly to concede to the centre?

    We remain resolute and committed to our age-long demand for a truly restructured country with conditions that guarantee resources Ownership and Management based on the minimum 50% derivation as was practised before the ugly political transition to Unitary cum Pseudo-unitary/Federalism, rentier, self-seeking jaundiced political arrangement. We are confident that the drastic reduction of the Exclusive List to certain core areas of national interest and identity as Aviation, Customs and Immigration, National  Currency would help build a more responsible, creative, adventurous, competitive and productive federation units that will promptly address the daily but basic needs and aspirations of the people. There can’t be a better way of frontally addressing Nigeria’s problem of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of economic sabotage, than through community policing as entrenched in the various submissions on Restructuring by state and non-state actors.

    The Southern governors recently agreed to ban open grazing but the Gombe Governor wonders where the South wants herders to go. In your view, what is the way out of the incessant misunderstanding/quarrels over open grazing?

    Pastoralism is not a new form of business enterprise in this part of the world but dates as far back as into Pre-Colonial Nigeria. Until recently, it was practiced even in Nigeria without infringing on the lives and properties of others, herdsmen and non-herdsmen alike; in fact crop farmers, herdsmen and other businessmen lived together under conditions of mutual trust and respect for their respective values, cultures, interests, human and environmental rights. Examples of communities where herdsmen, farmers and other businesses lived together abound in many parts of this country.

    Today, the crises associated with open grazing are becoming increasingly overwhelming. Several cases of banditry, kidnapping, outright destruction of communities have been linked to the terrorising forces of herdsmen. The display of impunity for evil by these herdsmen gives credence to the suspicion of a hidden agenda to run over, capture and annex the entire Southern Nigeria. The imperative to treat the cow business as a purely commercial venture and deal with the critical security issues associated with their monstrous activities are counted among the reasons for the decision to place a ban on open grazing. We are living witnesses to the ravenous activities of herdsmen who move around freely with sophisticated weapons and attack indigenes with or without provocation. We therefore support the ban on open grazing and encourage the Governors of the South-South to individually and collectively ensure strict compliance, in order to guarantee the safety of their people.

    The way out of the incessant misunderstanding over the issue of open grazing is for the Federal Government to enact policies that would deal with open grazing as a purely economic business whose cost of operations and modus operandi must be in tandem with the principles of mutual respect and protection of the lives and interests of the herdsmen, farmers and others whose sources of livelihood do not fall within this bracket. The federal government’s tacit support for open grazing might be inimical to peaceful coexistence and advancement of the Nigerian Project on unity, justice and equity.

    Insecurity, especially kidnapping, has become a major problem across the country today. How can we as a people and as a nation, pull out of it?

    The issues of kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality have posed major security and development challenges to us as a people. The relationship between security and underdevelopment on the other hand becomes clearer when we understand Nigeria’s ranking as one of the most unsafe countries as well as the poverty capital of the world. Getting out of this quagmire will require a conscious and strategic fight against corruption, revolutionary transformation and strengthening of our currently weakened core institutions – economy, education, judiciary, governance and leadership structure etc. Ethical and moral revival, that  teaches and inculcates our core values of human dignity, integrity, dignity in labour and entrepreneurship should be taken more seriously at all segments and sectors in society, be it family, business, politics, and religious organisations.

    The Federal Government and the Kaduna State government are strongly opposed to paying ransom to kidnappers. Are they right in your opinion?

    This question does not require a yes or no answer. It is one thing to say no to payments of ransom and yet another more compelling imperative  to possess and utilise the appropriate intelligence and operational machinery to nose out, prevent and rescue citizens from the devilish hands of kidnappers. It is the suspicion of the lack of the above that creates serious anxiety and tension among family members of victims who would, even if government says otherwise source for and pay the ransom to free their loved ones from further danger and possible loss of lives.

    What future does Nigeria have?

    The future of Nigeria is pregnant with a lot of possibilities for good and for bad. The prospect of a more united, stronger and viable Nigeria squarely lies on the ability of the present APC administration, to a large extent, and the rest of us to, in our different ways, begin to address the multidimensional problems and challenges facing us as Nigerians.

    Moving forward, the views of the masses and their aspirations should be considered very seriously. State policies and programmes, including distribution of development infrastructure and social amenities and appointments, should be done in such a manner that reflects Federal Character and our Unity in Diversity.

    Nigeria’s political culture currently undergoing review in the National Assembly should be taken seriously to the extent of revisiting the e-voting debate.

    Leadership is key in all of this. It should be seen as a civil responsibility by all Nigerians to put aside primordial sentiments and support the emergence of leaders at all levels of governance who possess the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians without prejudice to ethno-religious and class consideration. We should expect a bleak future, if we pay deaf ears to the clarion call to restructuring, resource control and resource justice.

  • TONYE PRINCEWILL: Why I decided never to fly first class again

    TONYE PRINCEWILL: Why I decided never to fly first class again

    Prince Tonye Princewill, a former governorship candidate of two political parties in Rivers State, is a man of many parts. He is a Petroleum engineer, a businessman, a philanthropist and a movie producer. The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), who hails from Buguma, the headquarters of Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, spoke with our Southsouth Bureau Chief, BISI OLANIYI, about his political career, the security situation in the country, the performance of the Buhari administration and his motivation for producing movies, among other issues. Excerpts:

    You are the only child your mother had for your father, His Majesty Theophilus Princewill, the Amanyanabo (King) of Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State, but you have stepbrothers and stepsisters. How were things at the early stage of your life?

    My mother had five kids, before my father married her. So I am the first child of my father and the last of my mother. My older brothers and sisters brought me up like there was no difference. It was when I was a lot older that I realised that we had different fathers. My benevolent father brought them up as if they were his own children. I was happy to be in a loving household. We were in the United Kingdom. I was seven years old when we came back to Nigeria.

    When we returned to Nigeria, my older brothers were in the university. But whenever they were on break, they would come back home. I can still remember jumping on my brothers whenever they returned home. Now, I am about 6ft, 2 inches, while the tallest is 5ft, 9 inches. So, I cannot jump on them again (laughs).

    Were you lonely as a child?

    I never felt lonely. You know what life is like in an average Nigerian home with house helps and cousins. I was so excited when I arrived in Nigeria from the United Kingdom to see brothers and sisters. I made the best of my company. A quiet petroleum engineer now into politics, but my priorities are still very different. When I was a student, I had no interest in politics. When I came back to Nigeria, I was having fun, but a lot of people were not. I became less comfortable about where I was and I became interested in assisting others to also have opportunities.

    You are a politician, and at different times the governorship candidate of two political parties for Action Congress (AC) and Labour Party (LP). Why are you interested in producing movies?

    The connection between politics and movie production is all about the image of Nigeria. I am not in the business of complaining. With my green passport, I want to be proud to be a Nigerian whenever I am in any part of the world. The movie, ’76’, is Nigeria’s ambassador. ’76’ is one of the most successful Nollywood movies in recent times, which was produced in 2016, around the unsuccessful military coup of 1976, leading to the assassination of the then Head of State, Gen. Murtala Mohammed. ’76’ became available to global audience on the streaming giant, Netflix, on August 4, 2021.

    We have been to some festivals with ’76’, but being on Netflix is a different league, which is much higher and bigger. We are happy with Netflix, because it is a global platform. We were given our dues, without being shortchanged. We are considerably better off and happier as a country and as a production team. We did a lot of research for ’76’, in order to make sure that the brands that were on display in the movie were valid, authentic, original and available in 1976, when the coup took place. It was a lot of hard work. In 1976, the lager beer that was available was Star. Maltina was not available in 1976, as its production started in 1977.

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    When the movie was finished and ready to go to the cinemas, I had four Generals of the Nigerian Army in my house. They watched the movie and took notes. When they finished, I asked of their opinions, but they declined to comment, promising to get back to me. They wanted to be sure that we had everything in place. There was no point where they asked us to remove anything. We collaborated with the military but we were critical of the Nigerian Army. I am proud of the ’76’ movie team. We are happy. Global audience now gets to see the movie.

    We are doing another movie, which will be about Boko Haram insurgents. We also have a movie titled ’77’. The script is being put together. ’77’ is the sequel to ’76’.  It is imperative to state that ’77’ is completely different from the movie on Boko Haram. ’77’ is a continuation of ’76’, but a movie that will stand on its own. And It follows the life of the lead actor as he confronts a new set of challenges, this time outside the military. We want to produce authentic movies, which sometimes do hurt.

    We will start casting the Boko Haram movie before the end of this year. The script is ready. The movie is about the lives of common people within this Boko Haram madness. In ’76’, we looked at the women and the family. No one looks at the family, with people looking at the protagonists/the coup plotters and their victims, but not about the coup plotters’ affected wives and other family members. The same thing we want to do with the Boko Haram movie, thereby going into the day-to-day lives of the Boko Haram people before they opted for insurgency, especially the human factor, thereby getting people to connect to the reality of the problem. We should be telling our stories, as Nigerians.

    Your political journey has been quite challenging. How are you coping?

    If I was vying for the governorship of Rivers State in 2007 and we are now in 2021, what can I say than the journey has been quite enjoyable? There had been disappointments, no doubt. If Rivers politics is not that difficult, I probably wouldn’t have been involved. I do not support people being killed or injured just to win elections. Like a football analogy, if you want to change the style of play, you have to change the players. If people who mean well, abhor violence and are interested in peaceful development do not step up, then things will not change for the better.

    To be in elective office, I made my attempts. I have not been in elective office, because I am not prepared to kill, maim and steal. No apologies. I will not change my style or approach, in order to get into elective office. I believe very strongly that the style and approach will get me somewhere. If you win elections by maiming and killing, you will ultimately govern by the same method.

    Anyone who thinks that there is a huge difference among political parties in Nigeria is just deceiving himself or herself. The people who lead the political parties make the difference. Alliances need to be formed. I am not acting holier than thou.

    You are a chieftain of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). With President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration being on its way out in 2023, what are your expectations?

    Political appointment is a possibility, but that is not what I live for. I am currently doing a lot to ensure the success of the Buhari administration. Tomorrow, something can come up. We are actually looking towards the next administration now, for those of us who are in politics.

    It is an open secret that you intend to vie as the governor of Rivers State in 2023 on the platform of the APC, in spite of having earlier contested for the same position twice as the governorship candidate of Action Congress (AC) in 2007 and as the standard bearer of Labour Party (LP) in 2015. As a riverine person, will you be able to match or defeat the Governor Nyesom Wike-backed governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Austin Opara, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Ikwerre man from Port Harcourt city, bearing in mind their war chest and access to state’s funds and the fact that Chief Wike, an ex-Minister of State for Education, recently declared that nothing would stop him from vying for president on PDP’s platform in 2023?

    I am flattered that the secret is open and my name is being mentioned among those who have money to do what they want. Unfortunately, my only asset is Rivers people and we can only rely on God to make miracles happen for us. My focus now is on improving the lives of the people I meet and in helping my friends in any way I can. 2023 will take care of itself.

    I have made no secret of the fact that if the support is there, I will run. I have not seen it yet. Some of us can do wonders with four years and the state’s resources, while some persons cannot, even with eight years. The people who know, know who fits into which category. But often times, our kingmakers prefer to support supposed “loyal” people instead of those who are loyal to the people. Let us see what happens in 2023.

    Your bosom friend, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Transportation Minister, is being speculated to have presidential ambition in 2023. Is that a step in the right direction?

    My friend, brother and leader is focused strictly on the job that is in front of him. He still has a lot of work to do, as you yourself know. It is the rest of us that are troubling him to consider vying for president in 2023 on APC’s platform, because we know the field is void of enough good men and women who are mad enough to dare to make progress out of chaos. Look around. Name them. I can do that on one hand. Apart from President Buhari, you have the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Amaechi; Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; and his Borno State counterpart, Babagana Zulum.

    Buhari is going. Tinubu may not vie. Atiku is in another party, the PDP, and el-Rufai says it is the turn of the South to produce Nigeria’s president in 2023 in view of Presdient Buhari’s two terms of eight years; while Zulum does not even want a second term as Borno governor.

    APC and PDP’s leaders have internal works to do, for 2023 to come and go in peace.

    The South is going to make a valid claim for the Presidency in 2023 and the North will be wise not to ignore it. In the end, it is not by force, because force is not a language that will be good for any of us. We need one another.

    Why are you into philanthropy, through the Princewill Trust, and launch of other initiatives to empower people?

    It is really important to give back to the society in order to lift people. What annoys me most is that I am not able to do enough and it is frustrating. I said I would no longer fly first class, because the difference between flying first class, business class or economy can actually pay for major healthcare.

    I decided to go into politics, because I cannot do enough myself. So, I need to get into government. I need to make a change from within government, which controls the resources and the environment for businesses to thrive.

    I am in politics, because of the desire to help and support people. I am now 52 and I have seen a lot. At this stage in my life, I can sit back and watch, but I want to make a difference in the lives of people as much as possible so that they can also see the good things that I have seen.

    Would you say you are stuck in the mud now, having tried twice to become the governor of Rivers State without success?

    I do not see myself as being politically stuck in the mud. I find myself politically in a very strong position. I am a valid member of my party, the APC, and I love people. I have the ability to rouse the crowd, if need be. My future is pretty bright.

    Maybe if I was a bit more pliant, less controversial and not so ready to speak truth to power, I would have been somewhere else. But I would have been unhappy. Right now, I am very happy, because I can speak my mind.

    You have been sponsoring Nigerian youths to Dubai and Ghana to learn about entrepreneurship, good governance, leadership and self development. How do they manifest during the tours?

    In Ghana, what I wanted to show the young people was orderly transition of government. Not incumbent to incumbent, but incumbent to opposition. Ghana’s election had just taken place and I wanted the youths to speak with top officials of the electoral body, the equivalent of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria. I also wanted them to see how local governments were being run. Accra, the capital of Ghana, is a very clean city.

    In the case of Dubai, the city was nowhere 30 years ago in terms of development index. Dubai was then somewhere at the bottom. We wanted the young people who I took to Dubai to see government in action and to speak with leaders and opinion formers of the city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who championed the transition in order to hear about their ideals and their vision. It was indeed mind blowing.

    Did you take the same group of youths to both Ghana and Dubai?

    In the case of Ghana, I took 33 young people. From the 33 youths, I selected the best 10 and I took them to Dubai. We intend to do something slightly different. We are going a bit lower by considering the younger generation, consisting of persons who have just rounded off their university education or still in the higher institution of learning. We will be taking the group to Dubai to see similar things but on a grandiose scale. I want to be doing it every year, God willing. I may as well increase the number.

    The objective of the foreign exposure of the Nigerian youths is to get them to see what I have seen. What is burning inside of me is because I regularly travel overseas, thereby making me to see the world. Some of the beneficiaries who are graduates or undergraduates can easily get postgraduate admissions into universities abroad, especially in countries I earlier visited. The youths will also be able to get to places where I had the opportunity of getting to after about seven visits to Dubai, thereby getting to see the places on their first attempt. We have consolidated everything in a week of full-packed activities. I would have wanted it to be longer but because of limited resources and time. I know that as we continue, it will get a lot better.

  • ‘MBA degree turning point in my career’

    ‘MBA degree turning point in my career’

    JOHN Ehiguese is the Founder/CEO of Mediacraft Associates, one of Nigeria’s leading PR consultancy firms, and the exclusive Nigeria affiliate of the FleishmanHillard global PR network. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, the immediate Past President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), the umbrella body of practicing PR consultancy firms in Nigeria and one of the leading lights in the nation’s Integrated Marketing Communications ecosystem, speaks on his career trajectory in his over three decades of practice vis-à-vis prospects and challenges of the business thus far. Excerpts:

    Managing business in Covid-19 era

    Like most businesses, the integrated marketing communications ecosystem has had to adjust to the new normal imposed by the outbreak of the yet ravaging Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sharing his experience thus far, John Ehiguese says things are not as bad as they seem. “Strictly from my agency’s perspective I won’t say we have been adversely affected by COVID-19. Obviously, we have been lucky we haven’t suffered any severe shocks on account of COVID-19. But we currently work from home two days in a week. That’s part of the fallout of COVID-19, so we are not fully back in the office yet. But in terms of naira and kobo, we have not really lost any business. As a matter of fact, right now the industry is booming quite frankly.”

    Typical day

    As part of the new norm, the Edo State-born technocrat is taking things a lot easier these days, which is why he rises for the day at 7 o’clock in the morning and subsequently set out to the office between 8-9am.

    Management style

    For someone who is used to working with a team, his management style, he says, is one that encourages openness as much as possible. “I’m accessible to my staff. I hear them out. I encourage them and I try to carry them along in all the things that I do.”

    Management philosophy

    If you call him a man on a mission you will definitely not be wrong because he set stores by the ideal and idea of his vision. “I believe that your vision for the business is the most important thing, especially as an entrepreneur. The vision is your business so you need to sell the vision to your people to get their buy-in.  That is the only way you can succeed. I have a very define vision for the business and I like to sell this to my people.”

    Delegating responsibility and micromanaging people

    He delegates as well as micromanages people depending on the demands of the job at hand.

    “For me, it’s a mix of both really because you know I have a 40-man team so obviously I can’t do everything, as such, I have to delegate. But at the same time, I’m involved in a consultancy business and clients want to see that their business is properly resourced, with the right talents. So as much as possible sometimes I get involved and at other times, I just allow my people to do their thing.”

    Team player

    Obviously a team player, he says this is the only way he knows how to add fillip to the overall vision of the company, which is to always aim for the trophy. “I can say I’m a team player because I have to motivate the team and get them to achieve the set objectives. So I have to motivate them because I’m also a part of the team to some extent.”

    Motivating staff

    To boost staff morale he offers what he calls, ‘competitive remuneration package’ in line with industry standards. He also offers something beyond the paychecks. “I also look for other encouragements too. For example, we are heavy on staff training and development because I believe your staff is as good as what they know, so we do enforce that periodically. That’s key for us.”

    Stick and carrot approach to management

    As a rule, he applies the stick and carrot approach to management. ”My natural inclination would be to do the carrot more but I have to run a business. So you need a mix of both. Sometimes you have to use the stick. But I try to strike a healthy balance between the two.”

    Read Also: Ishaq Oloyede: Getting an encore at JAMB

    Firing a staff

    As the boss around here he has the power to hire and fire at will but he has had to do the latter rather sparingly. “I haven’t really fired anybody except for dishonesty and fraud. I don’t have any such issues now. Staff turnover has been great. As we speak, I have a staff that have stayed with me for 11 years, some eight years and so on and so forth. So, we’re relatively stable in terms of staff turnover within the industry standard.”

    Personal motivation

    His motivating factor personally is getting good results. Such news readily gladdens his heart and helps to literally pump up his adrenaline positively too. “I have a next-level mentality. When I’m pursuing a goal, I’m alive. So whatever I achieve is a conquered territory for me. So I always aspire to greater heights. For me, there is a constant aspiration. That’s what makes me tick.” Not for him is the complacency and daydreaming about yesterday’s achievement. “I’m always aiming higher. For me, every milestone is a stepping stone.”

    Everything is about the business

    Call him a busy bee, you won’t be wrong. He is completely sold on the business. “Right now, I’m focused on my primary assignment which is to run my business successfully. That’s where I’m focusing all my energy right now. I don’t have time for distractions now. What I’m doing now is a full-time job so that’s tough enough for me. So, I really don’t have time for much else.”

    Hobbies

    As to be expected, in his younger days he was active in sports but not anymore. “I used to play table tennis. But I’m not so strong any longer. I do brisk walking once in a while. I like reading, watching TV, and news. But right now, watching TV is not much of fun because all the news around are very upsetting and not encouraging at all.”

    As to how he unwinds, he deadpans, “I don’t socialise much.”  One way he lets out steam and ease off stress he further reiterates is by simply taking a walk.  “I do brisk walking between two to three times in a week. I don’t have the energy for long walks because I’m not a young man anymore. (Laughs).”

    Books read

    A lover of best thrillers, he says his best books back in the days were written by the master thriller writer himself, Sidney Sheldon. But these days, he reads more of business and news magazines.

    Choice holiday destination

    Travelling was one of his pastimes until COVID-19 happened on us all, he says matter-of-factly. “I used to travel until the outbreak of COVID-19. However, my choice holiday destination is Cape Town, in South Africa. It’s a beautiful place and city to behold. The attraction for me is that I just love the sanity it offers and the sights and sounds too. I go to Table Mountain cableway. Each time I go to Cape Town, I do the bus tour of the town and it never bores me. It just keeps getting interesting every time.”

    Best decision thus far

    The best decision he ever took was to go back to school for his MBA degree. “My MBA career expanded my network and that was some 20 years after I left the university. That was precisely in 2003. I was already a family man (laughs). But pursuing my MBA to me was a life-changing decision at the end.”

    Worst decision in working career

    His worst decision he says with a tinge of regret is trusting one of his staff too much earlier in the business.  “I gave a staff a blanket cheque, so to speak, and he abused it. Looking back now, that was the worst decision I have taken. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again because I got my fingers burnt by trusting too much.”

    Values imbibed growing up

    Groomed on fine moral ethos in the Christian way, the younger Ehiguese says such has stood him in good stead thus far. “I grew up in a strict Christian home and to that extent I think I have very high moral values. That has helped me even in my career. Right now, there are certain things I won’t do. There are lines I won’t cross and this is all because I had an early grooming in the right way. And that has helped my career greatly.”

    Lessons of life

    One of the lessons life has taught him is that you reap whatever you sow. “I believe if you’re consistent enough, there is always a way around challenges. I see challenges as opportunities to achieve something great.”

    Definition of success, career-wise

    For him, success is a journey and not a destination. “My belief is that you have to keep aspiring to be successful and you have to keep striving until you get to the grave. So, I really don’t think success is a final destination. For me, it’s a journey. Remember, I told you earlier that I have a next-level mentality so I’m always aspiring to get better at what I do and then achieve more. So success for me is not just measured in naira and kobo terms because there are things money cannot buy, which are also elements of success. For example, a peaceful home, rest of mind, lovely children are what money cannot buy for you and those are all part of the success mix in life.”

    Recipe for CEOs who suffer burnout

    An upwardly mobile chief executive who has been able to attain certain level of symmetry both within and outside the workplace, he readily advises others to strive at achieving work-life balance in their day-to-day work schedules.

    “As a CEO you must work hard no doubt but you must also devote time to rest because the body is not a machine; even machines need to rest sometimes. For me, the best thing is to strike a balance and apply moderation in whatever you do too, “he admonishes.

    Sense of style  

    A generally avant garde person, he tries to set the pace in terms of his dress sense. “I’m not crazy about designers’. I just buy what fits me and what I’m comfortable in. I don’t necessarily follow the trend. I always want to be unique in whatever I wear. Of course, my most important dress accessory is wrist watches. I’m not a collector though but I have got almost a dozen wrist watches. That’s my sense of style.”

    Culinary delight

    Not much of a foodie, so he doesn’t have a favourite meal. “I’m not really fuzzy about food. I eat almost everything, but I like to eat healthy and that’s what my wife says she likes about me. So, I’m not really particular about any meal as such I don’t have any favourite preferences. I try to eat right and healthy.”

  • Your virginity can give you the world!

    Your virginity can give you the world!

    Dear Ma, I saw your comment in a Facebook page and I was tempted to view your profile! And was greatly amazed at your boldness in preaching virginity till marriage! Although I’m no longer a virgin which I seriously regret till date but with the little I’ve read so far on your timeline, I’m so convinced I’ve found the path and person who would lead me to the life of my dreams through your God-given messages. May God continue to empower you ma!

    Nkali, Abia State

     

    Dear Ma,

    How can I get myself out of this pain? My partner broke up with me just because I say no to sex outside marriage. I love him so much but he said he can’t continue with me any longer. Please what can I do to forget him? I’m dying in pain and crying as I’m texting you. Please help ma!

    Grace Moses

     

    Dear Momma,

    Your words, write-ups and comments on issues of life give me hope. It makes me believe that there are still women with honour and love for holiness out there! I have been mocked times without number as a result of my resolution to preserve my virginity till marriage not wanting to have a man that’ll be taking care of me and of course sleeping with me outside marriage! It’s so heart-breaking and runs me into depression. Can you imagine being booed and jeered at for righteousness sake? What a crazy world! However, I thank God for discovering you and know that according to your words- my glorification and everlasting reward is on the way! May God continue to inspire you ma!

    Obianuju

    My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian daughters,

    Are you being taunted by family and friends for always asking for help and rejecting sexual advances from men who can take care of your needs?

    Sorry…sorry…sorry please! However, did you know God has a record of all the goodies you’ve ignored just because you fear Him? DO YOU THINK THAT’LL PASS JUST LIKE THAT? Whewww….If only you knew how committed God is to those who fear Him, you’d never spare a thought to your friends who would sleep with every Tom, Dick and Harry to have all their dream goodies! Even if from their promiscuity they ended marrying good men and even have children, I repeat, what A’s destiny can endure, could destroy yours! Do you know the type of star you carry? Do you know God’s plan for your life?

    Read Also: Your virginity mustn’t be for sale!

     

    Refuse to yield to the stupid, bad devil! A lot of your aunties and role models who tell you there’s nothing wrong in using your body to get what you want are still looking for men to sleep with to make ends meet even when they’re well over 50 when they should have become spiritual, financial power houses, fortresses etc.

    But this is what the Spirit of God said I should tell you- “For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.” Leviticus 26:9 KJV

    Haaa…a whole God saying that to you!!! Hmmm…believe me, you may not even look or smell good now because you can’t afford to yet you stick to God – little did you know that fear of God in you is building you up into a fiery furnace, a spiritual house and a formidable weapon in the hands of god- a city set on a hill that’ll be saluted till eternity, a light to the world! Yes!

    Please note today’s date, by the time God who sent me to you is done with you, some of world’s wealthiest and most honourable men would jostle to supply your needs without asking for anything in return! You’ll say I said so! Before then, may you receive help from an unexpected quarter this weekend! I love you my sweets!

    May god single you out for phenomenal, global honour and flaunt you before the world in Jesus name!

    I shall respond to Grace Moses’ message next Saturday!

     

    • To be continued.

     

    I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowo Temilolu.

  • VICTOR OMOLE: I’m a businessman with human face

    VICTOR OMOLE: I’m a businessman with human face

    VICTOR Adeoye Omole, Chairman/Chief Executive of Archers Group has several business interests in oil & gas, real estate, tourism, construction, education, amongst others. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, the businessman who attributes his successes thus far in the last three decades to what he unabashedly describes as the God-factor offers useful nuggets on how upcoming entrepreneurs can easily ascend the corporate ladder without necessarily breaking a sweat.

    Early riser

    It’s best to describe Victor Adeoye Omole as an early riser. This is because he is up even before the first cockcrows. At 4.55am he is up already and all set to conquer the day.

    “My day begins about 4:55am. Once I wake up, I take a glass of hot coffee black with some resins then I set out to walk. I do about 1:30mins walk every morning outside, which is about 12kilometres every morning everyday.”

    As a reward for his exercise regimen, he is fit as a fiddle and wait for this: he is got such a fine physique too complimented by a six-foot figure that you would naturally mistake him for a bouncer judging by his thick, heavy biceps, broad shoulders and massive built.

    As the conversation proceeded, you try to probe further as to how he has been able to maintain his ramrod physique all these years and he gave some plausible explanations.

    “I have been walking out since 2004 because I understand that we’re made to walk,” he deadpans, adding matter-of-factly, “That’s why our forefathers were stronger because they walked to the farms, and they walked back home. Walking for me is one of the greatest exercises which even allows for meditation.

    Read Also: Osun Osogbo 2021: Worshippers, foreign tourists defy COVID-19 restrictions

    “When I get back home, I do devotions. I have three devotional books. I don’t joke with it. My devotion is about an hour as well. So I go to the office around 9:30-10am then I get back by 3-4pm. And when I come back home, I stay with the family. Of course, I work from home as well.  That’s my regimen.”

    Management style

    For a man who has made his fair share of mistakes, he says he has now learnt how to manage men and resources better.

    “My management style is being accessible. I believe you should be accessible but don’t deplete yourself. You must delegate but be accessible because what you don’t supervise doesn’t get done. The presence of the MD or chairperson must be felt. You must have a regimen whether daily or weekly. But by all means, you must supervise your work.”

    Waxing philosophical, he said, “If you don’t take care of your barns, you won’t know the state of your flocks. Why are you the head? Because there are some things they cannot see that you’re able to see. So, with superior judgment after considering all other counsels it is left to you to take that judgment and based on the information you have from those related to the particular issues being resolved, you’re able to move on. But you must do on the spot assessment. That’s how the president does it. That’s how governors do it. Why do presidents visit their troops? It’s to boost their morale. This is because you can’t leave men fighting on the warfront without going to see them. So it’s the same thing with your work. Most companies that prosper depend on the level of supervision by the owner. Once you’re not on ground things would go bad. Experience has taught me that.”

    Welfarist approach at workplace

    Speaking on his management philosophy, the 1989 graduate of Sociology and Anthropology from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) further reiterates that you mustn’t necessarily boss everyone around to assert authority. He would rather give everyone a sense of belonging.

    This welfarist approach, he says, has continued to work wonders for him at his workplace. “My management philosophy is that as a boss all those who are involved in the production process must feel part of it. They must have a sense of belonging either in paybacks, giveaways, etc. They must feel that they’re parts and parcel of the business. Once a staff has a problem, everybody rallies round that staff to help solve the problem. For example, a staff father dies, he must not ask for a loan. You must be able to offer some form of assistance, etc. There must be that kindredship, that family conviviality around the staff. Once you are able to do that, you don’t need to talk to people because your action has shown glaringly that you’re a people-centred individual and therefore they will be ready to follow you anywhere. They’ll give you their all.”

    Team player

    Above all, he holds the view and very strongly too that not many people suffer from laziness of initiatives so it is best to give such people a chance to prove themselves rather than try to micromanage them.

    Experience, he says, has shown that working as a team is best for the overall interest of the organisation. “In everything I do, I give room for team playing. I believe the lowest staff has something to say because as they say, a ‘chain is as strong as the weakest link.’ Every member of the organisation must all believe we’re in it together. Whatever you do prosper more in the place of counsel and it’s very important.”

    Self-motivation

    Unlike most businessmen who are apologetically capitalist-inclined and only concerned about growing the bottom-line, he is most times buoyed by purely altruistic motives when he ventures into a new area of business.

    His winning formula, he says is that he always goes into a new project with the singular motive of meeting a need and adding value and overtime the rewards come naturally. He has been able to apply this rule for his own benefit overtime.

    “I realised early in my career that the only way you can make it in a sustainable way is through commerce. This is because in commerce, when you innovate and give value, people will pay for that value and what people pay is in relation to how they value what you have. So, if it’s valuable they’ll pay you and it will win you the accolades of the populace. So, I try as much as possible to solve a problem and once that problem is being solved, I get motivated by it and want to do more. I’m a self-starter, I’m innately motivated. I don’t need outside sources to be motivated. Let me even add that I’m God-motivated.”

    Naturally, for someone who is venturesome himself, what makes him tick is seeing great success built from scratch. “What motivates me is what I call all-round success including financial, family, spiritual, emotional, relationship. It’s very important. While getting that success, you don’t lose one for another. Yoruba usually have a prayer point that Oluwa ma fikan gbakan lowo mi (Lord don’t bless me with success on the one hand and cause me sorrow on the other hand). Some people might be so rich but yet have a poor health and vice versa.”

    On how he motivates his staff, he says it is one of three ways. “I motivate my staff in three ways. First is through creating an enabling environment and two through a fantastic reward system. Thirdly, I recognise those who are doing well and let those who are acting below par to also know they’re being watched closely. Don’t feign ignorance with people. That way they know they have to sit up or they find their way out of the system. You know there are many battles we fight at the workplace. Some battle for recognition while some cherish being praise more than the others. So appreciate those who want it. Let everybody come to their own realisation.”

    Other areas of interest

    When he is not wheeling and dealing, as a very busy CEO, he unwinds by doing some physical exercises and wait for this: he is also a movie buff! “I watch documentaries. I love fantasies, animation, action and crimes as well. I enjoy films generally. I follow the trend in the movie industry. I know which movies are released and those still in the works and all,” he says excitedly as his eyes naturally lightens up.

    “I have more than Netflix. I have IP Max, it’s an APP with over 14, 000 movies. Somebody paid for that for me directly from Canada. I don’t go to cinemas anymore.”

    As a voracious reader, next to the food he eats is reading. “I read a lot. The last book I read is Ten Lessons of Leadership from the Bible. From time to time, I read summaries of books from Instagram because what I find out about reading is that once you’re able to get the gist from the beginning, get the gist at the summary, you will know the plot of the story itself. Then I read condensed messages. I read some local authors here and also others overseas. I check the works of Charles Pordion for devotional in the morning and some others as well.”

    Growing up

    The younger Omole who grew up in a polygamous family says his upbringing prepared him ahead for the kind of life he is leading today.

    “I grew up in a purely polygamous home. My father had four wives. Despite that we had a peaceful home. If family must succeed, it requires the contribution of both parties. What I have learnt overtime is that leadership at home rises and falls with the man.”

    Life lessons

    Life, he says has taught him to prepare for exigencies far ahead. “Life has taught me to dig my well before I’m thirsty because it’s possible my strength will fail when I’m thirsty and I may not be able to dig That means, you must plan very well for your family, your investment, your career, your business, etc.  Success is forged in a place of discipline, especially enduring success. It doesn’t come just like that. There must be a winning streak or trait you have that would make success inevitable.”

    Choice holiday destination

    A man who literally enjoys the good life, his choice holiday destination, he says, is shockingly Lagos owing to its cosmopolitan nature. “But outside the country, that would be Accra, in Ghana. However, the country I like most is New Delhi. I love Indian for variety. I love India for accessibility and I love India for respect for other nations. They enjoy a lot because they understand how to manage their population so that other people will consider them in major economic policies.”

    Dress sense and looks

    As a generally avant garde dresser, Omole follows the trend and also innovates when it comes to dressing. “I’m a very trendy dresser. Sometimes I could wear all tight and at other times, I could wear all loose. I dress according to the nature of my work at hand.”

    On how he maintains his dandy looks, he says walking out and watching what he eats is the secret magic.

    “I maintain my physique with constant exercise like walking and I play table tennis very well too. I also watch what I eat. I used to love cakes and ice creams but I had to leave it. As you get to some certain age, your metabolism drops. So, it’s very important you watch what you eat or you’re going to lose it at some point.”

    His culinary delight is weird. “Oh, I love beans, especially Agonyin beans (meshed beans indigenous to Togolese natives). I love Agonyin beans in the morning with unripe plantain. My food is cheap but nutritious and it can be accessible anywhere I’m, as such I don’t have any problem being able to get what to eat at anytime, anywhere.”

  • Mohammed Fawehinmi: Life and times of Gani’s heir

    Mohammed Fawehinmi: Life and times of Gani’s heir

    Confined to a wheelchair for 18 years following a tragic accident, Mohammed Fawehinmi passed on last Wednesday aged 52. ADEBISI ONANUGA and ROBERT EGBE chronicle the life and times of the heir to the Gani Fawehinmi legal dynasty.

    Nobody messed with famed human rights activist and legal luminary Chief Gani Fawehinmi; not even his first son, Mohammed. But Mohammed, in the exuberance of youth, often tried. Like the day he tried to drive his dad’s car without permission at their Ikeja GRA, Lagos home. The scene must have made some on-lookers chuckle, but it alarmed a few elderly women who knew the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)’s legendary temper and disciplinarian side.

    Elufowora Eluyemi Lateef shared the story on his Facebook wall on Thursday.

    He said “Chief” as Gani was fondly called chased Mohammed about while old women shouted,”‘Cheeeifuuu e fiii le ooo.’ Chief, leave him alone ooo”.

    Mohammed, younger, energetic and fit as a fiddle, often sped beyond his dad’s reach, sweating as he bobbed and weaved.

    That energy, which often caused him to sweat profusely, served him well again, when, at 14, he wanted to become an army general…of all the professions in the world.

    He got a form for the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), hurriedly filled it and naively, excitedly sought his father’s signature.

    Such was chief’s anger that it took four lawyers, including OAR Ogunde (SAN), Tayo Oyetibo (now SAN) and Mike Philips – to hold him down that day, while Mohammed sprinted away. Of course, that didn’t stop the chief from waking him up at 2:30 am the next morning for some thorough disciplining for wanting to join the military, his father’s enemy.

    Apparently, he had forgotten that he was born while his father was being held in illegal detention in Kaduna Prison under the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree No 24 of 1967 during the regime of General Yakubu Gowon.

    Ironically, those were some of Mohammed’s good old days.

    Read Also: No burial date yet for late Mohammed Fawehinmi – Family

     

    A lawyer, Chinyere Iwuala Obi-Obasi, recalled some of them again last Thursday, in a tribute titled ‘Tribute to Mohammed Fawehinmi (Son of Gani) @52’.

    She said: “Many years ago when I practised law in Lagos under Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), there was no way you would not notice Gani’s son. He was agile and took a flight of stairs at once. He was always sweating as he went from one court to another handling his cases. His father had already set the pace for activism and we knew that he would be greater than his father (chip of the old block).”

    The man ‘Mannix’ Mohammed

    He was born on February 21, 1969, to Fawehinmi and his wife Alhaja Ganiyat.

    He attended Kotun Memorial Primary School, Surulere, Lagos, and had his secondary school education at Federal Government College, Sokoto.

    He was a 1991 graduate of Business Administration from the University of Lagos. He obtained an LL.B degree from the University of Buckingham, England and was called to Nigerian Bar in 1998.

    On September 23, 2003, while returning from his father’s law firm, Mohammed had a lone car accident that confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

    Until his death last Wednesday, he was Head, Mohammed Fawehinmi’s Chambers, Director, Nigerian Law Publications Ltd, Director, Books Industries Nigeria Ltd, and Director, Gani Fawehinmi Library and Gallery Ltd.

    Somewhere on his life’s journey, he picked up the nicknames ‘General,’ ‘Mannix,’ and ‘Eghin Moh.’ But it is Mannix that stuck with most of his close friends.

    Gani’s heir

    The accident that rendered Mohammed a paraplegic was not just a tragedy for him, but also shattered his father’s dreams. Obi-Obasi explained that Chief had already penciled Mohammed as his heir, but that was not to be following the severity of his injuries.

    She said: “We admired his tenacity then one day there was a tragedy. He had this very horrible car accident. He was flown abroad and yes he lost the use of his legs and became wheelchair-bound.

    “Naturally it was a difficult time for Gani because he had the dream of this boy taking over. He lamented how in the whole of Nigeria there was hardly an MRI machine and that delay wreaked havoc. Meanwhile according to him in a small hospital in London, they had an uncountable number of MRI machines.

    The accident

    Mohammed told his accident story three years ago. It happened on September 23, 2003, five years after his call to the Bar.

    He explained that the crash occurred at about 9:48 pm as he drove home in a Mercedes Benz E320 to Ajao Estate from his dad’s law firm.

    As he took the airport route to connect Ikeja, he felt an unusual urge to pray. It was something he had not done before. Soon after, his car skidded off the road and leapt into a filling station. The front airbag opened, pinning him to the seat while the side airbag opened and broke his neck. After struggling for about a minute to burst the airbag, his body went numb. Thankfully, a naval officer stopped to rescue him from the car before it caught fire from the petrol that was already spilling from the vehicle.

    Read Also: Buhari, governors, lawyers, others condole with Fawehinmi family over son’s death

     

    After two hospitals couldn’t handle his injuries, he was referred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. Two days later, his father secured a visa and moved him to England for further treatment.

    The specialist surgeon in England noted after an operation that Mohammed could have been walking the following week after the accident if not for the way he was handled at the hospitals in Nigeria. He said the particular spot where the injury occurred should have been frozen with a special spray after the accident rather than being handled anyhow. That spray cost about N8,000 when converted to our local currency, but many hospitals did not have it in Nigeria.

    Marriage

    Mohammed never married, despite his strong desire to do so. He was about 32 when he had that accident and had an Igbo lady he wanted to marry. Even after the accident, she still wanted to stay with him, but he advised her to move on, fearing that she would not be able to cope with the demands of his new condition. He was dependent on others for his survival and didn’t want that burden on her. She went away disappointed.

    Nevertheless, women never stopped flocking around him, but he didn’t want anyone to marry him out of pity, so he turned them down.

    Stigma of a paraplegic

    Despite being born to a notable father, Mohammed suffered stigmatisation due to his health condition. He often lamented being treated like a leper on account of his condition.

    Successful law practice

    Two years after Gani’s death on September 4, 2009, at 71 years, Mohammed, as head of the Chambers, wound up his father’s law firm as stipulated in his father’s will.

    He paid off and disengaged all the lawyers in the Chambers, including himself, with effect from January 15, 2009, to fulfil the instructions contained in the Will. He then established his own law firm. But the closure did not affect other staff of the chambers, and the other companies owned by his father. Many of them were engaged in the new Fawehinmi Library and Gallery located in the Nigerian Law Publication House at CBD, Alausa, Ikeja.

    His resolve spurred him on and he set up Mohammed Fawehinmi Chambers where he began a successful law practice.

    Fire of activism

    His injury notwithstanding, Mohammed kept the fire of activism, nurtured while his father was alive, burning.

    Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said this in his tribute to Mohammed: “Notwithstanding his physical challenge Mohammed was ever prepared to join other patriots in confronting the forces of oppression and exploitation.

    “The late Mohammed Fawehinmi fought forces of oppression and exploitation in the country.

    “A chip off the old block, Mohammed was courageous, dedicated, knowledgeable and committed to the liberation of the Nigerian people from the shackle of injustice in all its ramifications.

    “Despite the challenge of insecurity, poverty and underdevelopment plaguing the nation Mohammed strongly believed that a new Nigeria was possible.”

    Burial

    Mohammed’s family have kept mum on the cause of his death. But there have been suggestions that he died of breathing difficulties at about 9 am on Wednesday, in a Lagos hospital.

    His family announced on Thursday that he would be buried following an autopsy and other necessary arrangements.

    Mrs. Basirat Fawehinmi-Biobaku, eldest child of Gani Fawehinmi, who spoke on behalf of the family, said they could not talk about the cause of his death until release of the autopsy result.

    She added that the deceased would be buried once the family concluded necessary arrangements.

    Fawehinmi-Biobaku added that they were also waiting for the younger brother of the deceased, Mr. Saheed Fawehinmi, to return from the U.S.

    She said the family, though still saddened and in shock, would announce his funeral arrangements in due course.

    “This is after consultations with all relevant stakeholders, both in the country and outside the country,” she said.

  • Multi-million naira health centre, school buildings abandoned for 20 years rot away

    Multi-million naira health centre, school buildings abandoned for 20 years rot away

    • Residents resort to primitive methods of treating ailments
    • Why I couldn’t make projects function as commissioner – Ex-governor’s son

    Two decades ago, there was wild jubilation in  Ikija, a rural community in Idi Ayunre, the headquarters of Oluyole Local Government Area, Oyo State, as one of their sons and then governor of the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina, approved the construction of a health centre and a technical school to bring development to  the remote area.

    Contractors were mobilized to site shortly after the projects were approved and they were completed in goodtime.

    “We were excited at the speed with which the buildings were completed and looked forward to the commencement of medical and academic activities in the two buildings, believing that the twin projects would bring tremendous transformation and prosperity to our community,” a member of the community said.

    Unfortunately for the people, the governor could not go on with the project before the expiration of his single term tenure. Since then, the buildings constructed with tax payers’ money have been neglected by successive governments in the state and left to rot.

    The people are more pained that rather than put the buildings into use, one of Lam Adesina’s successors built another technical school not far away from the community.

    The buildings designed for the technical school project sit on a large expanse of land, but they can hardly be seen from outside because they are covered by weeds while giant trees threaten the foundations of the buildings with their roots.

    It actually took the people who took our correspondent on a tour of the site quite some time to clear a part of the bush before he could gain access to the premises. Walking deep into the bush with men armed with a sharp, big cutlass sent jitters down the spine of the reporter.

    His fears became worse when he noticed that the okada (commercial motorcycle) rider who took him to the place had vanished.

    “Gentlemen, please, I think we should go back from here. There is no point going into this thick bush with so much uncertainty,” he said in a feat of apprehension to dissuade the locals from continuing with the journey. But his pleas fell on deaf ears as the locals were determined not to lose what they considered a rare opportunity to tell the world about their pains and frustration from the abandoned projects.

    “Don’t worry sir, we are almost there. We are already looking at the buildings,” one of the two escorts said as he vented his anger on the weeds on our path. Frightfully, the reporter continued the journey with his hosts, intermittently looking over his shoulders to be sure that his escorts were not out for any sinister move.

    On arriving at the place, the reporter and his hosts were confronted by the sight of a long stretch of neatly built and well fortified structures that lay waste. The sight of the buildings induces tears, leaving one to wonder why any government would leave such structures to rot away.

    Read Also: 12,128 abandoned projects uncovered by forensic auditors, says Akpabio

     

    Many of the windows and doors have fallen apart. The ceilings too have collapsed.  It took one of the locals a great deal of energy and time to cut the weeds that covered the inscription on the wall of one of the buildings.

    Instead of students and teachers, the buildings were hosts to reptiles of different shapes and sizes as they were seeing jumping around the whole place.

    “Our concern is getting the government to take a second look at these abandoned buildings so that they can become functional. It is not good the way and manner that weeds have overgrown the whole place,” one of the locals, Muhammadu Sodiq, said.

    Going down memory lane, he said: “The buildings were constructed during the period our father, the late Lam Adesina, was the governor of Oyo State.  We still want it to be used for the purpose it was designated for. If this is done, it is not only the indigenes of the community that will benefit from it.

    “Whenever they make the projects functional, all the indigenes of Oyo State and beyond would benefit from it. We don’t want the buildings to completely collapse or turn into a place where people of shady characters would do all manner of illicit things.”

    Decrying the state of the buildings, Sodiq said: “As you can see, thick trees are already growing all over the place. The project is 20 years old and many governors have come and gone in the state without any of them making efforts to make the buildings functional.

    “We don’t want to blame any government for the state of the buildings. All we can do is to plead with them to make the projects functional. “

    His colleague, Alfa Musiliudeen Adeyinka, also decried the conditions of the buildings, saying: “We are praying that God will make the government see reasons to make them functional.”

    If the government makes the buildings functional, he said, “the community will witness instant development.  It will move from what it is at the moment to a place people from all walks of life would troop to. This would create jobs, boost commerce in the community and consequently improve our living standard.”

    He also feared that if the buildings were not attended to with the urgency they deserved, “the premises may soon become a den of robbers and ritual killers. Herders were attacking people in this place before now. It was when the community resisted them that their menace reduced.”

    It was a moment of relief for our correspondent as the team completed the tour of the dilapidated structures and headed back to the major road.

    The okada rider, who had retreated unannounced when our correspondent walked into the bush with the locals, beamed a smile as he saw us coming.

    “I came to stay with my motorcycle to prevent it from being stolen,” he said in apparent defence of his action.

    Health centre building also in a shambles

    Aside the abandoned technical school buildings, another building meant to serve as a health centre is also abandoned. If functional, the health centre would have made it easy for the people to access healthcare.

    In its absence, the locals often have to travel long distances before they can get medical attention. This puts most  of them off and makes them to resort self- medication and uncertified herbal treatment which  the immediate past commissioner of health in the state said is dangerous to their health.

    “That is the hospital built for us by our father. It is already overgrown with weeds.  The hospitals are far from here. Not many people would be willing to spend money to go there.

    “If this hospital were functional, many of us will, without persuasion, go there for medical care,” a concerned resident said.

    The head of the hunters in the community, Yinusa Ahmed, said the residents of the community rely on herbs to treat their ailments and would rather feed with any money they have than spend it on transporting themselves to the hospital.

    He said: “To go to Idi Ayunre where the hospital is would cost an individual at least N300. Would somebody who has not eaten since morning spend that kind of money to go to the hospital? It is bread that such a person will first think about.”

    His position was supported by the chief ritualist of the community who spoke glowingly about stagnant water he said was very potent against any kind of ailment.

    He said: “Going to the hospital is not our way of life. Water from the river is our medication. We use the water to treat all kinds of sicknesses including COVID-19. If you come here with COVID-19, you will be healed.  It is not by our power but by the power that was used to found this community together with the powers of the deities and the river.

    “Go round the village and you will not find any sick person. The river will never allow any strange sickness to enter the community. Even if the person had contracted the sickness elsewhere, once he enters here, it will not spread to any member of the community. We would rather heal him of the sickness he came with. here have had all the sicknesses in their bodies cured.”

    A female member of the community, Alimotu Oladeji, said: “We use herbs to treat ourselves. I know the herbs for malaria and I also buy them.

    “Orthodox medicine does not cure malaria. When you take orthodox medicine in the morning to treat malaria, by evening time, it will resurface. It is herbs that can cure malaria. I don’t even take injection.

    Read Also: Protest over abandoned N22b Akure/Ado-Ekiti road project

     

    “Even when I was still giving birth, I was not taking injection. There was a time I was pregnant and I went to the hospital. On getting to the hospital, they pierced my finger to take blood sample and I have stopped going there since then.  I always give birth at home.”

    The immediate past Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, in an earlier reaction to our correspondent’s enquiry on the subject matter, had condemned the consumption of untreated water and uncertified herbs, warning that they have huge health implications.

    Bello said: “While on one side some herbs are good, those applying it would not know the dosage, the precautions and the prerequisite conditions for taking them. Who even certifies the public health value of these herbs?

    “They risk contracting all forms of water borne diseases by contracting untreated water. These include guinea worm, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and so many others.

    “They may claim they have not been having any sickness, but you can verify that by visiting them after about six months.  We don’t have issues to drag with uninformed people. The state has provided almost all that is needed.”

    Why I didn’t use my influence to make project work – Ex-governor’s son

    Hon Dapo Adesina, one of the sons of the late former governor Lam Adesina and former commissioner for youth and sports, has explained why he did not use his influence as a commissioner during the tenure of the late Abiola Ajimobi in the state to push for the revival of what could be described as one of his late father’s legacies.

    He said: “I was neither in the Ministry of Health nor in any ministry that has to do with that.  I was at some point in the Ministry of Youth and Sports and then Science and Technology. There was no way I could poke nose into that.

    “Well with the massive job that was in front of me at that time, I felt that what should be more paramount was how to succeed in the ministry that I was handling at that time; not poking my nose into other ministries.”

    He requested that questions about the project’s revival be directed to the incumbent administration led by Engineer Seyi Makinde.

    He said: “Well I don’t think there is so much to say. I think that this question should be directed to the people who took over from him because government is a continuum. They will be in the best position to respond to this.

    “One would only use the opportunity to urge the government to look into that to see if there is anything that can be done so that tax payers’ money spent on the project is not wasted.

    “They should do whatever they can do about it. Like I said earlier, government is a continuum. Where one person stops, another person continues.”

    Oyo govt keeps mum

    The Oyo State Government was yet to respond to our enquiries about the projects at press time.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, requested that questions be sent to him as he said he was not familiar with all the rural areas in the state.

    The questions were sent as requested but he was yet to respond at the time of filing this report.

    No other government official could be reached for comment as a good number of the commissioners, including that of information, had been axed in a major cabinet shake-up by Governor Makinde.

    Although seven of the commissioners were reportedly returned, the Commissioner for Information, to whose desk this kind of enquiry should be directed, was not among those returned.

  • Reuniting with my brother after 33 years

    Reuniting with my brother after 33 years

    It was family reunion and joy unlimited in Amherst, United States of America, when former The Nation reporter, Taiwo Abiodun, now based in America, met his brother, Professor Rowland Abiodun, 33 years after he relocated from Nigeria.

     

    The hotel room’s telephone rang and the receptionist informed us that a visitor was waiting downstairs. We did not need a soothsayer or any guess to know who the visitor was. Out of anxiety, my wife, Ronnie and I ran downstairs, missing some steps (forgetting there was an elevator).

    As I sighted him, I screamed: ”Prof! Prof!! Brother Rowland! Daddy…” Instinctively I prostrated to greet him, but he pulled me up and embraced me. As if to be sure it was really me, he touched me and asked me to turn around. ”Is this Taiye I’m touching and seeing in flesh and blood?” He asked as tears flowed freely down my cheeks. He released me and again clasped his hands staring at me in disbelief while Ronnie looked on, shaking her head with emotion. It was like in a movie.

    I looked at him; his Afro hair had disappeared. His once dark beard had been replaced by glittering white beard. Also, he is no longer as chubby as he used to look, but he retains his handsome look and shinny dark skin. He also looked agile, healthy and erect; and did not use medicated glasses. The over three decades, though obvious on him, has not affected him much.

    His sense of humour remains high, as he still cracked jokes that cracked up one’s ribs. I knelt down and thanked God for making it possible for me to set my eyes on him again. True, we spoke almost everyday on the phone, thanks to technology; but thousands of video and phone calls cannot compare to physical meeting.

    That was how I met my brother, Professor Rowland Abiodun in Amherst, Boston, Massachusetts. He recently clocked 80. But the last time I saw him was in 1988, when my twin brother, Kehinde, bade him Au Revoir at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

    At home with Prof and his wife

    As I held the cutlery and repeatedly dug my fork and knife into the belly of the pounded yam, rolled it with egunsi soup and goat meat and gulped it down with soft drink, I went down memory lane. I said to the wife: “Mummy, I remember Daddy was HOD of Fine Arts Department at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo, Ile-Ife).” I reminded them of how I lived with them and couldn’t handle cutlery properly and had to be watching them in an effort to copy them.

    She laughed and said, ”Yes, that’s true Taiye I remember.” I spoke about how Daddy asked me to bring a mug from the kitchen and I spent over 30minutes in the kitchen looking for  it until Daddy came to ask for what he asked me to bring, and he laughed as he took a clay cup from the kitchen table and said, ‘this is the mug’.

    We discussed a lot about the missing years; about the Abiodun family; events that had happened over the years in Nigeria. I told him of those who are dead and gone. I told him how things have changed in Nigeria. I reminded them of the Volvo OD 696 W station wagon Prof was using then, which only the Vice Chancellor, Professor Wande Abimbola had the type. I reminded them how I once dreamt that I had dinner with them at the same table. I told him about my sojourn in journalism and how I was so glad to be seated and dining with then in an entirely different environment 33 years after; and we all burst into laughter.

     The episode of 1985

    As we sat to savour our soft drink after the meal, I reminded Prof of an incident that took place some 36 years back. I delved into history, of how he took the whole family on over me and my twin brother’s wellbeing whilst a meeting on the burial of our late father was in progress. “You stood up, fiddled with your beard, looked round, and in a hushed tone dropped a bombshell: ‘Please look at these twins our father left behind; Taiye has just gained admission into the university while Kehinde is now in HND II. How do we assist them?’”

    Read Also: Plantashun Boiz: 2face, Faze, Blackface ‘reunite’ for Sound Sultan

     

    I reminded him of how there was dead silence and how he continued in a voice laden with pain that: “You see, we will finish this Baba’s burial ceremony, our guests will eat and drink and at the end of the day everyone will go back to their respective places; please how do we assist these brilliant boys?” For minutes, nobody responded and one could hear the sound of the drop of a pin.

    Prof repeated himself, as if to wake the gathering from their momentary slumber. He seemed to have deflated the spirit of the Omo Oloku (children of the deceased) all gathered, which before he spoke, had been high and bubbling. Nobody uttered a single word, not even words of encouragement, while some dropped their heads as if back to mourning mode. However, Prof shook it off and continued: “I promise to take care of Taiye and be responsible for whatever he wants in life. As for Kehinde, he has almost finished his studies and I will try my best for him.”

    Prof, his wife and Ronnie looked at me in astonishment as I replayed history. I told my brother how that singular episode repeatedly played in my mind over the years and how I took a cue from it and have been advising friends and young people not to have children in their old age.

    I reminded him how he used to send money to me to augment my salary as a reporter while I was working in the print media back in Nigeria, and how he used to encourage me not to “look at the immediate rewards, since it’s your passion.”

    I recalled to his amusement how at different times I had changed the American dollars he sent to me from one to seven naira, to 15naira, 30naira, 120naira and 300 naira before I left Nigeria.

     

    The counsellor

    Despite his long years in America, Prof remained a thoroughbred African, who always found one proverb or more to encourage and counsel you in your difficult times, reminding you that there is no problem difficult for God to solve.

    Two years ago, I called to inform him that I was about to go in for a major surgery and expressed my fears that this may be my end, but he replied that “That is not God’s plan for you. Believe in Him and you will not die. God is the greatest doctor and healer. You will not die before me, omo adiye kii t’ese ku (meaning, a chicken does not die of leg injury.”

    Always the father figure, Prof, after the successful surgery, called my African-American wife, Ronnie to thank her. “God used you to save his life. It is not his life you saved but my own life. If anything happens to him I wouldn’t live”.

    I couldn’t but recall his words of counselling, which always sounded poetic to me: ”Don’t take anybody’s chicken. Don’t rape. Don’t fight, and always thank God in any situation you find yourself. If you can stick to these, you will have no problem. Yes, there could be some challenges but you will overcome.”

    As I sat down to drink from his fountain of knowledge and wisdom, I asked: ”Do you get offended?” He replied, ”I have no space in my heart to keep malice.” On what could make him really angry, he replied ”Nothing!”

    And then he continued: “Always be focused and face where you are going like a dead Muslim who faces where he is going (the qibla in Mecca). Nobody can come in-between us. You have made me proud.”

    Suddenly, I asked him, as we took a stroll in his garden: “What did you think when you learnt of my nickname, Babalawo of The Nation (BoN) and my bling, bling dressing?” He smiled, shook his head and said: ”Your boss who nicknamed you BoN appreciated the work you were doing; and as for your dressing, it is your trademark. Just like my beard.”

    At J.A. Skinner State Park, the summit of Mount Holyoke in Amherst, I asked his opinion on friends. His simple answer was: ”Watch the type of friends you want to walk with because it matters.”

    Secret of his successful marriage

    With visible peace and love radiating in their home and both calling each other by their first name, the journalist in me could not but ask: ”Sir, your wife said you have been married for 53 years, what is the secret of your marriage?”

    He smiled and said ”Put God first, then you should have perseverance, patience and be honest.”

    I likened him to the Lebanese writer poet, Kahlil Gibran, Socrates and the Biblical Solomon. His words were witty, kind, prophetic and full of wisdom.

  • OLUSOLA TENIOLA: I’m friendly with my staff

    OLUSOLA TENIOLA: I’m friendly with my staff

    Olushola Teniola is a techie turned business leader with proven track record in growing profitable business in various telco-related projects within the shores of Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria and across other continents. He was very briefly the CEO of Phase3 Telecom based in Abuja before deciding to launch out on his own. In addition to his telecom’s experience he has consulted on major projects for a range of clients including the international NGO, World Vision and UK charity, Diversity Hub. Olusola began his career developing a strong foundation in software engineering working with major global corporations such as Vodafone, British Telecom and Nortel Networks. Whetting his appetite for commercial business, he studied fulltime at the University of Bath gaining a Times Top 100 MBA which opened the door to his leadership career. He also holds a BEng (Hons) in Computer and Information Engineering. Olusola is part of a high leverage network in Nigeria with strong connections with the Nigerian Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy. Alongside them, he is helping to pave the way to real change in Broadband and Telecoms in Nigeria, improving the lives of communities across the country. He is the immediate past President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the National Coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (www.a4ai.org) and a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) both in Nigeria and London. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf the Ondo-State born technocrat speaks on his career trajectory spanning over three decades and offers useful nuggets to upwardly mobile executives on how to achieve work-life-balance. Excerpts:

     

    When does your typical day begin?

    That’s a good question. I think it depends in which country I’m in. If I’m in Nigeria, my typical day starts at around 6:30am. That’s because I have young children that I have to do school runs for. I’m still a father of young children. (Laughs).

    As a manager of men and resources, what is your management style?

    I think my default management style is I have an open door policy. I think that really my management style in Nigeria is more of trying to control and manage crisis.

    What is your management philosophy?

    I believe that my management philosophy is to always learn, have a listening ear and try to improve on my relative skills and I cherish continuous learning. That’s my management philosophy.

    Do you delegate responsibility or micromanage people?

    Yes, I always delegate but I follow up as well.

    Are you a team player?

    I think people will consider me a team player. I’m a team player when required. However, it depends on the role and the project that I’m involved with. But generally, team playing has been my style since I started my practice 30 years ago. For me, been a member of the team and the system is very important.

    What are your other areas of interest besides business?

    I spend a lot of time doing advocacy. I believe in pushing other people and trying to create a voice for those that do not have voices to ensure that they are able to have access to the internet. I spend a lot of time doing that. I’m really trying to build a community that can have access to broadband in Africa. Then, finally, in my pastime, I play sports. I’m an outdoor person so I spend quality time by playing sports.

    What particular sport do you love?

    I play lawn tennis and squash very frequently.  If I have any spare time, I also play golf and I do play other things. But I’ll just stick with those for now.

    How do you unwind?

    I just told you. I’m an outdoor person. But I must say that I do have other pleasures and lucky to have a young family. So, I like to spend some time with them just to relax. They bring me down to earth. And if I do have the opportunity, I do frequently travel abroad often because I have a family abroad. So, I also go and spend some time with them abroad.

    Talking about travelling, what’s your choice holiday destination?

    I think this is one thing that I tend to do very frequently. I like to ski during the winter along the French or Swiss Alps in Europe.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    Okay, the last book I’m reading now is called, Think Like a White Man by Dr. Boulé Whytelaw III and Nels Abbey. And I’m midway through the book. I’ll suggest it for any black person that needs to progress in this world. It’s a good read, so I advise you to read it also. You can Google it.

    What is your motivating factor as an individual?

    You know what motivates and inspires me is that I’m surrounded by successful adults. So, my main motivation is to ensure that my family is happy. I think that is at the centre of everything that I do.  Overall, I think that protecting my family and giving them the best and ensure that I’m making a difference. That is what truly motivates me.

    What makes you tick?

    What makes me tick is when I’m faced with a challenge. You know, I’m an engineer and we’re naturally problem-solvers. So, for me is to wake up in the morning knowing that I have activities that need to be addressed. That gives me the bounce and the push. That’s the thing that makes me tick because I know I have to fix the problems during the day. And once I’m doing that I feel that I have achieved something.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    I try always to rally round the staff to a pepper soup joint on Fridays to unwind and socialise. For those that are averse to hot soup then I arrange other get-together activities that revolve around what they like to do!

    When you need to reprimand your staff, do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    I prefer the carrot and stick approach. I try to ensure a relaxed working environment for my staff to allow them to bring their best to the table. I have never unknowingly sacked any of my employees. I would rather give them a chance to prove me wrong that’s where being indispensable comes in. I also ensure to keep a cordial relationship with every person I ever work with. I don’t burn the bridges with any of my former employees or colleagues. You know that the devil can be dined with provided there’s a long spoon within easy reach.

    As a career person what would you consider the best decision you have taken thus far?

    I have made some good decisions in my life. One that stands out for me was making the leap of faith to move to Nigeria to continue my career when I did. I am glad I took that bold step at the time I did as it opened many more doors and opportunities beyond my imagination. It’s somewhat a leap of faith which I never regretted.

    What is the worst decision you have taken in your career?

    I made a recent move to a role which didn’t work out and was based on pretense by someone very close to me. It taught me many lessons that I keep to date! It also reemphasised the fact that in the span of my career I have been very fortunate to trust my gut instincts and experience. It is better to cut one’s loss than to continue with regrets.

    How did your background and growing up influence who you are today?

    I am the eldest of seven children and this came with responsibilities from a very young age. I have both a Western view on life as well as inheriting a Nigerian cultural system. So, my background has made me the person that I am. Growing up in London and Akure is the influencing determinant. People generally characterise me as having an adaptable outlook to life.

    Do you cook?

    I rarely do. My wife is a wonderful cook.

    Do you do the dishes after eating?

    Yes, I wash. We also have a dishwasher because I wash. It’s a good way of humbling yourself and participating in a busy home.

    What is your favourite Nigerian dish?

    Oh, Nigerian. That’s pounded yam (iyan) with efo or egusi (vegetable and melon soup). I’m an Ondo man. I can take iyan morning, afternoon and evening (laughs).

    What lesson has life taught you as an individual?

    Life has taught me that there is always going to be ups and downs and those downs and lows are the period you build your character. So being adaptable and patient is the only inspiration that can get you through those moments. If you expose yourself, you’ll realise that you don’t have to get bogged down by certain failures because those failures can be your saving grace to redeem yourself ultimately and get back your life. For me, I have had a very great career and I’m very happy where I’m right now. Keep on going whatever life throws at you. God is building you up for greater things; He can only do that if you are willing to come out of your comfort zone.

    What are your hobbies?

    I play Tennis, Squash, badminton, Golf, Skiing and Mountain biking.

    What is your definition of success, career-wise?

    I define success as when you have goals and you set those goals and you’re able achieve those goals within a given timeframe. That’s my definition of success. Success for me is not a monetary issue; it’s more of a developmental issue. For me achieving all that you set out to achieve right from the onset of my career. I believe I am still work in progress, but I am happy and content with my success career wise thus far.

    What’s your sense of style?

    I’m cosmopolitan. If I’m abroad I dress as such. Like if I’m in London, I dress like a Londoner and if I’m in Spain, I dress like a Spanish person and if I’m in Nigeria, I try to wear Ankara and Nigerian clothes that makes me conform to the psyche that I live within.

    Finally, what is your advice to upwardly mobile executives who suffer burnout as a result of work-related issues?

    I think regular medical checkup is very important especially when you’ve been a CEO for a period of 10 years and you’re approaching middle-age it’s very important to do checkup and stick to a good diet and a goof form of exercise, especially when you’re very busy and you’re a workaholic like me. You have to make time not find time because there is never a time for you to do things you have to force it upon yourself to do some level of activities. Even if it’s just walking helps instead of sitting down all day and enduring all forms of drudgery. If you’re working from your home (WFH), it’s very bad. You need to get off the computer and walk round the house too every few minutes like I’m walking around taking this interview. It’s good to be active and stay active. I think it makes you youthful and bring the spirit, mind, body and soul together. So, that’s my advice.