The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Interview

  • GARBA ABUBAKAR: I don’t believe in half measures

    GARBA ABUBAKAR: I don’t believe in half measures

    ALHAJI Garba Abubakar is the Registrar General/CEO, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), an institution saddled with the onerous responsibility of registering public and private companies. A law graduate of the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Abubakar joined the CAC in April 2004 as Principal Manager in charge of Compliance before his elation to the position of Registrar in January 2020. The Bauchi State-born technocrat who is well-travelled shares useful nuggets on developing the right work ethics at the workplace. He spoke with FRANCA OCHIGBO and FUNKE COLE. Excerpts: 

     

    HOW is your typical day like as the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission?

    My day begins around 4.30am; I wake up and pray the obligatory prayers as a Muslim usually in congregation then come back home. I do the normal recitation of the Koran which takes me till around 7am. Thereafter, I start getting ready for work. As I step into the office, I lose control of my personal activities because I work till 6pm. You have the typical one hour break which hardly happens anyway. The only break is to pray the afternoon prayer and come back. If there are no meetings on that day, I do the routine office work by attending to visitors, resolve issues, give guidance and directives where necessary and then order for launch. With the Covid-19 pandemic, there are restrictions, though there is a canteen in the Commission but they are not allowed to serve food in the manner they use to do. Usually the food comes by way of takeaways from the canteen, so I eat in the office then continue with my work till 4pm and go for another prayer come back to continue work till 6pm. Sometimes we are in the office till 9-10pm.

    Every Wednesdays, we do review. Before now, it used to be daily review but because of the new system deplored in January we were doing daily review in the evenings to identify the challenges in conjunction with the software vendors which usually take us till 9-10pm. We start by 6pm and finish around 9pm depending on the issues, where it becomes necessary we invite customers to join us to present the challenges they have encountered.

    The portal has achieved stability now we do not have so many issues again, now the reviews are only done once a week usually Wednesdays or Thursdays. Even when I get home I still do some approvals because restricted names have to be reviewed, names of limited by guarantees, names of association to be registered under a corporate trustees I personally review them. Even when I get home I still have to open my system look at these names, sometimes they are in hundreds. Sometimes I work even at home, I may not do it in a formal manner like I do in the office. This has been my routine in the last one year since I assumed office.

    What is your management philosophy?

    My philosophy is to carry everyone along and try not to take decisions alone. I consult, seek for advice and we try to carry everybody along so that everyone will be part of the decision making process not necessary members of management because sometimes you may identify one or two staff that may have good knowledge of the institution and they may give you honest advice. You consult them even though matters may end up with management. Sometimes outside this place if there are novel issues that deals with some of the statutory issues we consult as well experts.

    How did you come to work with the CAC?

    Provident has a lot to do with it. I was very reluctant coming to work at the CAC. In 2002 December, I was working for NICON Insurance and while I was on annual vacation, I met with the then Registrar General, El Mustapha. Incidentally, El-Mustapha was someone I knew very well because I had worked in his chambers before I got employment with NSITF then NICON Insurance. We exchanged pleasantries then he said why not come and join us at CAC. He asked what level I was and I said Senior Manager and he said you have gone far. Between that December of 2002 and October of 2003, I refused to go and see him because the way people see CAC then was negative, anytime you come you must have an insider to help process your work. So I asked myself why should I come and work with this kind of organisation.

    I was reluctant because I was enjoying my work with NICON Insurance so I had no reason to change work. Around October of 2003, he met one of my siblings and was asking after me and he told my sibling I was avoiding him since the day he asked me to bring my CV. My brother now called to ask what happened and I told him I was not interested in the job, and my brother just said go and see him after all you did not ask for it.

    I went with my CV and was called for an interview and the rest as they say is history. I got the job by December 2003 I got the appointment letter. But because of the nature of my schedule at NICON I had to give three months’ notice. I remember what El Mustapha told me when I resumed. He said, ‘Abubakar if you want to enjoy this work you have to learn on your own, understand the work and how to apply the principles of this work.’ I really tried my best to understand the application of the law on practical situations. Some of my first assignments involved how to conduct and convey general meetings of companies that had issues, review complaints from customers which actually helped me. At any time you call me to do anything I don’t shy away from it and I try to do it selflessly because the ultimate objective at the CAC is that you have the responsibility to do your best, to deliver to the best of your ability. Whatever we do, posterity will judge all of us. That has been our guiding principle to be the best and deliver the best.

    Aside work how do you relax, hang out, unwind?

    My religion encourages building relationships, as such, I try to visit my siblings, friends that live in this city. Whenever I travel to any city and I have relatives there I try to see them.

    Do you play any game, do you go to the gym?

    I have my small gym at home which is what I use. Well, I’m married to CAC, I don’t know if CAC work will allow me to go and spend two hours in the gym. (Laughs). Even on Saturdays you have to work. If I don’t travel to my village which I do every fortnightly, at least I try to socialise by doing window-shopping. In summary, that is how I relax.

    What is your motivating factor in life?

    My main motivation is to deliver the best at all times. I am someone who aspires for the best and I am result-oriented always wanting to see continuous improvement, I set targets for myself, I don’t have rest of mind until I achieve that thing, that has actually been my drive. I try to ensure that whatever I and my team set out to do is accomplished and within a good time frame.

    My main motivation is to see things improving and you can only do that if you are part of the process, if you just delegate and don’t get involve in how the task is being carried out you might not get the type of outcome you actually want. I try to be part of the process, work and I try to teach because you cannot have quality manpower if they do not have clear idea of what they are supposed to do.  I have been here long enough and have acquired some experience, some of the knowledge I have I try to share it with my subordinates so that even if I am not there they will have the benefit of this knowledge.

    I always try to think out of the box, the typical way of we have been doing it this way I don’t accept that because if we have stuck to that we would not have recorded some of these milestones that we have been able to achieve within a very short period.

    With all you have said so far, do you find time to read books?

    I set time aside to read books in a typical day, usually weekends and sometimes I sleep while reading. The main book I read now is my Koran, that is my main motivator actually gives me peace of mind, I read feel relax because we are all in a learning process. I don’t just read the Arabic text I also read the English interpretation which tells you clearly what to do, it inculcates morals in you. There are other books that I also read which guides you in your actions.

    Apart from the Koran which other book are we looking at?

    I prefer autobiography because when you hear the stories of great leaders how they have impacted on people it shapes your own thinking and guide you on how to do things. There is this particular book that I cherish so much and still read it, it is about one of the most prominent Islamic leaders, they call him Umar Bin Abdulaziz. He was the leader of his community, his time came long after the prophet, during his period as the Calif justice was achieved. He ruled for less than two years but the impact he made within those two years was unprecedented. The book is close to eight hundred pages it gives you graphic account of how he was able to change the society. These are the kind of books that I read, not just that other books that have to do with Clinton, Obama books on some of our leaders in Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, even General Buhari’s books all these gives you an insight and shapes your thinking. The thing about autobiography is you also learn from their mistakes, you see areas you need to avoid, it gives you an idea of how to steer the ship.

    What effort do you put into maintaining your looks?

    I don’t allow anything to bother me, I try to sleep by 10pm no matter what, except if for some reasons, either I had to go out because of something very important or I am held up in the office by 10pm I should be in bed. I try to rest at least minimum of eight hours sleep. Sometimes they say people that are provoked easily don’t keep malice that once they say what is in their mind that is all.

    What is your holiday destination?

    Bauchi. I go to Bauchi every December. Before I became the Registrar General I start my leave before the 15th of December and will not resume till mid-January but since I became the RG that has been difficult. If I’m lucky I have 10 days, I go to Bauchi spend my time with my friends, my relatives, and my mum and other relations.

  • AMINA AMINU DORAYI: I’m a democrat at the workplace

    AMINA AMINU DORAYI: I’m a democrat at the workplace

    Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi, a physician and public health professional with 17 years experience, is currently the Nigeria Country Director at Pathfinder International, where she provides overall strategic leadership and oversees the programmatic and operational management of Pathfinder activities in Nigeria. Prior to this role, she served as a Technical Director at the USAID-funded Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector Plus (SHOPS Plus) and was also the Associate Deputy National Programme Manager and Director of Service Delivery at the DFID-funded Partnership for Transforming Health Systems Phase II (PATHS2) project. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, the Kano State-born medical doctor, who is also married to a medical doctor from Niger State, shares her experiences joggling different roles at the workplace and at home. Excerpts:

     

    WHEN does your typical day begin?

    My typical day begins at around 5.30am with my morning prayers. My mornings are quite serene. My thoughts come to me in the morning and I also use this time to put up my to-do list. This way, I’m able to plan far ahead. I have followed this pattern religiously in the last two to three years or so since I assumed my current role at Pathfinder International.

    What’s your management style?

    As we all know, management is a very critical aspect of any organization. I believe that a good manager should be able to have a better understanding of his or her workplace and develop a strategy that can help in the efficient management of the workplace. Having said that, I would say my leadership style is democratic as well as participatory. I believe everyone in the team has something to offer and therefore it is my responsibility to ensure that the entire team work together to achieve the utmost objective of the organisation. In this period of globalisation anyone leading an organisation that is not forward-thinking, strategic and focus would be left behind. In our organisation there is a lot of diversity and constant change such that one is continuously learning to keep pace with the changing times. One thing that has worked for me is that I make everyone part of the decision-making process because I truly believe that an organisation is as good as its employees. As a person I don’t believe I have all the answers or I know it all. No. Around here, I tend to encourage my staff to learn to take initiatives. I also prefer to have a set of people to mentor about the processes and procedures so that they are able to carry on entirely on their own without having to wait for me to take certain decisions or get some tasks off the way.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    My management philosophy is people-focused. As I said earlier, an organisation is as good as the people working there. It is the responsibility of the manager to therefore create an environment conducive enough for every member of the team to thrive at all times.

    Do you delegate responsibility or micromanage people?

    Certainly, I like to delegate responsibility. As a manager, there is a limit to what you can be able to do. As an advocate of work, life balance, the only way to work optimally in a team is to be ready to delegate responsibility. In my field, a manager that finds it difficult to delegate cannot do well or end well.

    Are you a team player?

    As the saying goes, ‘teamwork, makes the team work.’ So teamwork is the way to go if you really want to go far.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    I motivate my team basically by responding to their needs. Here, we have the Employment Enhancement programme where we try to fill the pulse of the employees on a regular basis through surveys and questionnaires to have a better understanding of how the work environment impacts them as individuals as well as a group. I believe that when you give your staff the opportunity to be open they can offer useful suggestions that may better enhance their productivity and the job ultimately. We also give a token of appreciation to staff by giving certificates, plaques for those who have excelled in their roles as a way of encouragement. For me, I don’t believe the reward should just be monetary alone.

    What motivates you?

    I’m motivated by what I do to better than people around me. This is what makes me happy. So most of the time when I identify people with great potentials or causes that support the girl-child, education or public health; I can spend sleeplessness nights to ensure that the objective missions of such causes are achieved to the best of my abilities.

    How do you reprimand erring staff?

    Personally, I believe organsations should have policies that clearly stipulate the dos and don’ts for the staff.  Of course, for the staff that go beyond the call of duty to carry out assignments they stand to be rewarded handsomely. However, for staff whose behave is below expectation, such staff can be given the benefit of the doubt to see if there will be a change in behavior and vice versa. But more importantly, I think what we try to do around here is to support the staff in whatever way we can to understand the issues and how if not nipped in the bud could pose disastrous consequences or detrimental to the organisation’s effectiveness.

    What’s the best decision you have taken thus far?

    For me, the best decision I took in the cause of my career is going into public health at a time it was not the most popular thing to do like pursuing white collar medical jobs like surgery and so on and so forth. But I thank my father who helped me to take this informed choice at the time. With my current role, I have a more panoramic view of different issues including the different social determinants of health across different demographics whether age, gender. With the benefit of hindsight, one is able to have a global view of how different outcomes can affect the success or otherwise of any public health initiative.

    What’s the worst decision you have taken in your working career?

    A decision I would have taken but which I didn’t take is taking a degree in Postgraduate in International Diplomacy.

    What’s your definition of success, career-wise?

    For me, success is not what I’m able to do with my career. The definition of success is how far and wide I have been able to use my talents, opportunities, skills within my reach to assist the other man less fortunate than I’m. This is the only way I think I want to be measured as a success is whether I have been able to leave my footprints in the sands of time.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    Over the years, I have come to appreciate the value of diversity. I have traveled and worked with different people across different cultures, as such, I know that what binds us together as a people is greater than what divides us. Diversity to me is strength and we should strive to make the most of the opportunities this affords us rather than seeking to divide ourselves. As humans, our ability to be humane is what makes us different from the lower animals.

    What are your other areas of interests?

    This is a very important question. I’m lucky to be working in an area that helps me to feed my other passions. I’m very passionate about issues that have to do with the girl-child a lot. I love to travel and I love to taste new food. Courtesy of my job, I have been able to travel to nearly all parts of the country as well as embark on international trips as well. These trips afford me the opportunity to learn about new things such as culture and a lot about those places. In a way, you could say, I’m having a good life because I’m doing what gives me joy.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    The last book I read was in February 2021 and it is called Apollo’s Arrow by Nicholas Christakis. This book is an interesting account of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the American society and how the recovery will unfold in the coming years. The author also drew on other historical epidemics and how the world has responded through research and scientific discoveries to bring us to where we are today.

    How did your background influence your choice in life?

    Everyday I’m really thankful for the kind of upbringing I got. My parents taught us how to be the best version of ourselves. They let us knew in life that there was really no barrier to success but ourselves. I was privileged that my parents didn’t see gender as a weakness; they had the same expectations for everybody. They taught us what it means to be hard working and focused.

    Are you saying you never had to battle any form of discrimination in the cause of your career?

    It is very interesting to note that the sector I operate is largely dominated by the men. But I always feel honoured that one has been able to achieve some modest successes so far. This success is not a personal success per se but spurs me on to see how we can pass the torch to the next generation of women. I’m happy that the men in my life including my husband and boys sees in me the good example of what a successful woman can be if given the opportunity. So, I’m grateful for their support over the years.

    What’s your choice holiday destination?

    I have a couple of choice places I have visited as far as holiday destination is concerned. I have been to Kenya, Egypt because they connect me with nature. I love the Maldives in South Asia. In my opinion, the serenity and calmness these places bring to you is indescribable. For me, these are really great destination choices for me anytime, any day. In Nigeria, equally my travels are also great opportunities to unwind as well as know about those places. Once, I was in Enugu in a community where the women were extracting palm oil from palm kernels. I joined them in their chores and it was a lot of fun for me. Also, part of my love for travelling is that I have the opportunity of trying new meals, wherever I go.

    How do you unwind?

    As I mentioned earlier I love to travel and also love watching TV shows such as some basic talk shows, comedies too. You know as they say, laughter is the best medicine, so I try to watch some of these comedies around.

    How do you maintain your looks, do you follow any particular beauty regimen?

    Personally, I try to eat and drink healthy. I also do my best to have enough sleep. Every once in a while, I love to get into a good spar where I can pamper myself.

    What is your favourite meal?

    I enjoy the regular Hausa staple food like tuwo shinkafa and mia tashe. But by far, one of the favourites for me once I travel within southwestern Nigeria, is amala served with ewedu and gbegiri. I love this so much.

    Do you cook?

    Yes I cook but lately my rather busy schedules hardly give me that luxury anymore as much as I would have loved to do. But the good thing is that during the lockdown, I tried a lot of cooking and different species apart from the traditional Hausa meal. I also delegate when it comes to cooking too. You know as a typical African, you have many other relations living with you.

  • How debtors use courts to frustrate our debt recovery efforts –AMCON MD Kuru

    How debtors use courts to frustrate our debt recovery efforts –AMCON MD Kuru

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Kuru, is a career banker with professional experience spanning nearly four decades. Before his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari as Managing Director/CEO in August of 2015, Kuru served as the Managing Director/CEO of erstwhile Enterprise Bank Limited, which he returned to profitability within one year. In the course of his duty to recover N5 trillion debts owed Nigeria by a few individuals, Kuru introduced a far-reaching resolution strategy which increased the tempo of recoveries and tactically refocused AMCON on value enhanced exit of its portfolios.  Under his leadership, AMCON was able to divest 100 per cent of its equity holding in its bridged banks and recently acquired Polaris Bank Limited (formerly Skye Bank Plc), which is now being repositioned for sale. Kuru, who was reappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari for a second and final term of five years as AMCON Managing Director/CEO, spoke with COLLINS NWEZE on his first five years as AMCON boss and the future of the corporation.

     

    What is the economic rationale behind the enactment of the AMCON Act and the subsequent establishment of the corporation?

    The rationale behind the enactment of the AMCON Act and subsequent establishment of the corporation has been justified by many stakeholders. Prior to the establishment of the corporation, the Nigerian economy was in dire straits. There were foreign portfolio withdrawals of credit lines and investment from Nigeria. The stock market also collapsed, leading to loss of about 80 per cent of its value. Banking industry crisis deepened due to poor risk management that led to increase in the non-performing loans (NPLs) of the banks as a percentage of industry loans.

    At a point in 2009, NPLs as percentage of all bank loans was as high as 37.25 per cent. I salute the courage and the wisdom of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for quickly intervening by proposing to the National Assembly the need to set up an Asset Management Corporation to stabilise the economy, which was the global trend at that time.

    How has AMCON performed since inception till date in line with its constitutional mandate as specified in the Act establishing the corporation?

    Setting up AMCON is a blessing to Nigeria’s economy. Despite the lingering economic challenges and deliberate tactics of some recalcitrant obligors, the corporation has recorded a lot of successes. In the first place, we supported so many businesses immediately after the global economic crisis. Some of them are doing well now. The financial institutions were equally supported to avoid a systemic collapse. Some banks are operating today due to AMCON’s intervention in the industry. In terms of recoveries, so far, we have made a total recovery of above N1.2 trillion. We have sold assets worth about N500 billion and have resolved close to 5000 eligible bank assets (EBSs). The corporation has paid over N2 trillion to the CBN.

    The fundamental objectives for the establishment of AMCON was to rescue commercial banks and some underlying strategic businesses in Nigeria from the brink of collapse in the aftermath of the global financial crises of 2008 through acquisition of non-performing loans and to dispose of the underlying assets in the most profitable manner. AMCON also had the mandate to recapitalise the banks and to recover the debts using the various resolutions mechanisms created under the Act, which I can tell you have been executed effectively.

    As at today, AMCON has achieved the first mandate of purchasing the Non-performing Loans (NPLs) and providing liquidity to the commercial banks. We are currently focused on the second and most difficult phase of recovery and restructuring of the bad loans. Recall that AMCON acquired over 12,000 NPLs worth N3.7 trillion from 22 banks and injected N2.2 trillion as financial accommodation to 10 banks in order to prevent systemic failure. As a result of this intervention, our current liability with CBN is around N4.7 trillion while the sum of N2 trillion has been repaid so far.

    In the area of supporting businesses, AMCON has also done very well, especially in the aviation and manufacturing sectors. Our intervention efforts in Arik Air with the support and collaboration of the Federal Government did a great service to the growth of the sector. A similar intervention in Aero Contractors also saved the airline from collapse. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) certified Aero, which is under AMCON receivership, to commence C-check maintenance services on Boeing series in Nigeria. This is a commendable feat in Nigeria’s aviation industry. And there are several other companies that we have saved.

    How would you assess the Asset Management Partners (AMP) who are debt recovery agents engaged by the corporation?

    Again, in an attempt to focus our resources on the recovery mandate, we have identified about 6,000 loans with outstanding balances below N100 million, which constitute only 20 per cent of our current portfolio. This portfolio has been outsourced to debt recovery agents under the Asset Management Partners (AMP) scheme, which has created huge employment opportunity for others. This has enabled the corporation to focus on fewer accounts, which make up 80 per cent of the portfolio. In our reckoning, if AMCON is able to resolve the nearly 2000 accounts, it would have achieved more than 80 per cent of its recovery mandate. In line with our sunset period, we are tinkering with the idea of increasing the threshold of the AMP scheme to N1 billion. We have also classified 350 accounts with current exposure of over N3.2 trillion into a category referred to as criticised assets.

    We consider the resolution of these accounts to be germane to the success of AMCON’s recovery mandate. We give special attention to these accounts at top management level and develop strategies for resolving them. The largest concentration is in the energy sector, which constitutes 27 per cent. As we have always stated, one of the major challenges to AMCON’s recovery mandate is the slow pace of our judicial processes. However, we have continued to engage with the judiciary, and we believe that there is now greater awareness about the role of AMCON amongst the judges at the trial courts as well the Justices of the appellate courts, and they have been supportive.

     

    What did you meet on ground in terms of structure and processes when you assumed office?

    For me, no matter the process of any organisation, be it the systems, technology or people, the most important for me is the human capital that we met on ground. So, I will look at this question from that perspective. We met a team of workers who are dedicated, enthusiastic and ready to serve the nation by helping in restructuring of accounts and in the recovering of debts owed the country by a few individuals. We saw the progress made by the previous management and by laying solid foundation to build on.

    You led the 2019 AMCON Amendment Act. What would you say led to this review of the corporation’s law?

    The AMCON Act in itself was also not a perfect document. Those who drafted the Act knew that a time would come when there would be need for a review. AMCON obligors are tricky and are constantly trying to avoid, circumvent or totally deny commitments and obligations. In the course of trying to recover debts, we encounter several challenges, and one of the greatest challenges we have encountered over time is through the instrumentality of the courts. AMCON obligors know full well that the corporation has a sunset date, so they get wiser by the day, deliberately hiding under the technicalities of the law to cause orchestrated legal delays. When you find yourself in that situation, what do you do as a government? Therefore, the Act was amended first in 2015 to address some of the encountered challenges, which the 2015 amendment thoroughly addressed. That done, the obligors changed to other tactics, necessitating another amendment in 2019. We are therefore grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari for signing it into law as soon as it was presented to him by the National Assembly.

     What is your major concern with your recovery efforts and approaching sunset time?

    The whole objective of the government is to enable AMCON recover the loans bought from banks in order to settle our debt without recourse to taxpayer’s money, which is over N5 trillion as we speak. This is not the sort of additional burden we should pass on to the federal government now that the government is overstretched with funding other critical areas of our national development. We are also lucky the National Assembly, through its committees, fully understand what we do and the kind of support we require from them, and they are always ready and able to provide the support.

    We fear that if at sunset AMCON is unable to recover the huge debt, it becomes the debt of the federal government of Nigeria which taxpayers’ monies will be used to settle. The implication is that the public will be made to pay for the recklessness of only a few individuals who continue to take advantage of the loopholes in our laws to escape their moral and legal obligations to repay their debts. That is why our renewed strategy for recovery focuses more on enforcement. It has become clear to us that to attain the target as we approach sunset, we must redouble our efforts in the area of recovery. Interestingly, the AMCON Act anticipated a situation where we may need to enforce if negotiations fail. Negotiations have failed us and that is why you see more of AMCON enforcements in the news lately. It is the only way to bring these recalcitrant obligors to the table.

    What steps would you suggest to the government concerning recalcitrant debtors given that AMCON has sunset time?

    We have said it several times that some of them borrowed the money from the banks with no intention to pay back, which was why we have been calling on the federal government to reconsider the reintroduction of the Failed Bank Act to make the operators also answerable. We shall continue to operate within the law and encourage that the debt obligations of the recalcitrant debtors follow them, whether in government employment or otherwise. It is not a bad thing to borrow money, but it is bad to avoid paying back. Government should not do business with those that cannot keep to commitment. We know things are hard, but commitment is commitment. At least, let us be talking and performing. We shall continue to pursue them through the instrumentality of the courts by being law abiding, although some of them want to avoid the law.

    The enormous challenges that you faced led to you changing your recovery strategy at some point. Would you say that change in strategy has eased the challenges AMCON hitherto faced as well as improved your recovery mandate?

    Our initial strategy was to negotiate with obligors, restructure and continue to wait on recovery. On some few cases, we even had to inject additional capital to support some of the businesses that are strategic to the economy. However, over time, we realised that such strategy will not work, and we may be unable to recover, given our sunset date. Let us not forget that some of these defaulters had been with the banks for more than five to 10 years before they are transferred to AMCON, meaning if you can add that to 10 years of AMCON, talking can no longer solve the problem after many failed promises. The only way forward is enforcement. Therefore, we had to change our operational strategy. This new strategy gives support to enforcement and puts the AMCON on a position of strength because we do not have the luxury of time.

    Like I said earlier, all the low hanging fruits had been dealt with before we arrived, leaving us with only the hardcore debts. It will interest you to know that we have been in court with some of the obligors for nearly 10 years, and we cannot continue to wait on their terms. Mind you, some of them do not have any intention to pay back, so you need some tinkering to force them to the table. Now, with the change in strategy, a lot is happening because we have made them uncomfortable just as we have made huge recoveries since we changed our strategy.

     What would you say are the high points of your stewardship as Managing Director/CEO in the last five years?

    Like I mentioned earlier, there is no amount of investment in human capital development that is too much. Within the period of our assignment here, we have groomed a good number of competent and capable work force that can compete with their peers anywhere in the world as far as asset resolution management is concerned, which is very good for the economy of our great country. We cannot over emphasise that fact. Our highpoint is our ability to strengthen our human capital assets, resulting in putting in place a good and transparent structure that matches global standards and have tried to instill a culture of commitment to service to fatherland, particularly in our team of young and upcoming staff.

    We have strengthened our human capital assets, which has resulted in putting in place a straight process on ground to ensure transparent means of dealing with our activities. This has resulted in higher recoveries and resolutions. On the business side, we have intervened in quite a lot of businesses, witnessing return and sustaining job security and enhancing economic activity.

    The Presidency set up what it called the Inter-agency Committee on AMCON to complement the efforts of your Corporation. Can you bring us up to speed with that committee and what it has done since it was set up?

    On September 16, 2019 if I remember correctly, the Presidency graciously consti tuted a committee, which it christened ‘Inter-Agency Committee for the Recovery of AMCON Debts.’ The committee is comprised of eight key government agencies – Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC); Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU); AMCON; Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC); Federal Ministry of Justice (FMoJ); Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Department of State Services (DSS). The essence of the committee is basically to assist the corporation in its recovery efforts and pursue criminal lines where one exists. The chairman of the committee is the chairman of the ICPC. The committee is working seriously on identifying cases. A few strategic accounts are being reviewed by the sub-committee using an unconventional approach towards the recovery of the debts by preferring criminal charges against the obligors where criminal infractions have been identified.

    What has been your experience trying to recover bad debts from debtors who are not ready to pay back their debts?

    I can tell you the assignment is not easy at all. As a recovery agency, our main objective is recovery from both distressed and also affluent members of the public. In both cases, it is a serious matter, particularly where enforcement is involved. But to the glory God Almighty, we have continued to remain sane and humble. My personal approach to life is simple: I always say we are not only accountable to Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, who found us worthy to serve in this capacity as members of a team and even reappointed us for a second term, we are also accountable to Nigerians and the Almighty. But like you rightly said, I do not envy the job myself, because as humane as we have been and as compassionate as we have tried to be in handling some obligors, they have continued to spew and sponsor all manners of campaigns of calumny against the management team under my leadership. But we are not deterred. My consolation is that we are not doing anything that is outside our scope. Some of our obligors, unfortunately, instead of focusing on settling their obligations have taken the matters personal, very personal. But we put our trust in God.

     AMCON was designed to last for a period of 10 years except if the National Assembly thinks otherwise. But if AMCON sunset comes and the Corporation is not able to resolve all the debts, what will be the next step forward?

    AMCON is not designed to last 10 years, but the funding model was projected to last 10 years depending on the situation of the economy. However, this is a situation we do not want. Unfortunately for us, we have reached a stage in the operations of AMCON that our future successes and achievements most certainly depend on the strategy of the law and law enforcement and its application. Unfortunately for us, besides the effort of our staff, progress is dependent on third parties like the judiciary substantially and other agencies of government. It is on that basis we sought for the amendment of the AMCON Act hoping that the amendments will curtail frivolous tactics employed by recalcitrant obligors under our judicial system and improve our debt recovery efforts. If AMCON fails to recover the outstanding debt, the whole thing will be a burden to all of us. The National Assembly is there to support all the way to the end. They are conscious of the issues at stake and are supportive.

    Is Ahmed Kuru thinking about writing his memoir anytime soon?

    No. There is nothing extraordinary about me to write about. I am just an ordinary person like most Nigerians, living an ordinary lifestyle.

    Most CEO’s play gulf, some play football, others enjoy boat ride or polo as leisure. How do you relax when you are not chasing debtors?

    I like reading a lot of literature no matter the topic. I enjoy swimming, watching movies and a fan of good football if it involves the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Arsenal. I love Arsenal because they play amazing football, and they can disappoint you when you least expect like some of our obligors. I love family.

  • Abusers have graduated to using children as porn stars – Ex NAPTIP boss Donli

    Abusers have graduated to using children as porn stars – Ex NAPTIP boss Donli

    The immediate past Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah Donli, is currently the Chairman Board of Trustees, United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.  In this interview with INNOCENT DURU, the soft spoken legal expert shares painful memories of her interactions with abused female children,  her late mother’s battle with kidney failure and her passion for helping the female gender to excel, among other issues. 

     

    How was your early life and how did it impact on who you are now?

    I was born on December 30, 1966 to the family of Naval Commander Okah. I have nine siblings and my parents ensured that we had the best of everything that they could afford. I lost my mother to kidney failure when I was 18 years old. She was a young and supportive wife who died in her early forties. Her death left a great vacuum in the family but my dad stepped into her shoes and combined the fatherly and motherly roles well.

    I had my secondary education in a girls’ school and then proceeded to Zaria where I had my higher institution studies. As a teenager, I read many books that piqued my interest on the issues of gender discrimination and social vices in the society. This interest fueled my active participation in literary clubs and associations that aligned with my vision of contributing my quota to the development of the society.  Growing up in a typical African society, I saw how some families treated the girl child as though she was inferior to the male child. I saw women with great potential fading away and relegated to the background because their husbands would not allow them to work. I couldn’t help but appreciate my father for giving all his children equal opportunities.

    At that tender age, I could see that children from families such as mine had better self-esteem and excelled academically unlike many of the children from families where daughters and wives were constantly bashed and are underappreciated. I made a resolve then to perform excellently well in my career and subsequently help to pave the way for girls and women to reach for the sky, which is where we all belong.

    As NAPTIP DG, what were the challenges you faced, especially from human traffickers?

    Confronting evil everywhere comes with challenges, and fighting human trafficking is not an exception. As the director general of NAPTIP, we experienced inadequate funding and other technical and bureaucratic challenges.

    Traffickers also fought back tooth and nail by coming up with various new trends to get us off their track, but we were resolute and this paid off as recorded in the outstanding successes I recorded during my tenure.

    What was the hardest trafficking case you handled?

    We had so many difficult cases to tackle at NAPTIP. Picking out one out of these cases and labelling it hardest is not feasible because all the cases were heart-rending and painful. One of those cases was when we had young girls trapped in various countries and reaching out to them was quite difficult because of some of the challenges I talked about above.

    As if the challenges experienced in bringing them back into the country were not enough, my heart broke into a thousand pieces when I heard stories of their experiences outside the shores of Nigeria. Some of the victims had all sorts of physical injuries, including cuts and broken bones and joints. Some were forced to eat feaces and engage in all sorts of dehumanising and unprintable experiences that I would rather not spoil your day with. I picked this as the hardest experience because it was emotionally demanding for me and I had to struggle to keep tears off my eyes when I had one on one interviews with the victims.

    Tell us about your new role as the Chairman Board of Trustees UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons

    The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund is saddled with the responsibility of providing essential services and direct assistance to victims of human trafficking worldwide. My role as the chairman of the board of trustees is to come up with strategies to grow the trust fund in order to assist more victims of trafficking, especially women and children. UNVTF offers me a global platform to do what I have always loved to do, which is providing humanitarian, financial  and legal aid to victims of trafficking in persons.

    The menace of child abuse appears not to be abating. What is your take on this?

    Child abuse is one scourge that is still eating deeply into the fabric of the society and for me, whether in active public service or not, the passion remains ever strong. Child abuse or child maltreatment is any intentional physical, domestic, sexual, psychological and mental maltreatment of any human below the age of eighteen. Child abuse knows no colour or race or religion, it cuts across different spheres of the country. The upper class who employ the services of underage children as house helps are guilty, so also is the middle class who serve as the agents that bridge the gap between the upper class and the lower class. The lower class are also guilty because as parents, they falter in their responsibilities to their children, which explains why they are ever ready to send out their kids to the streets to hawk and to serve as domestic servants.

    How well do you think the country has done in its war against child abuse?

    So much has been achieved in tackling the menace of child abuse in the country, but, unfortunately, the storm still rages on. Littering almost all the streets and major roads in Nigeria are children who have no choice but to leave their innocence behind and beg for their daily bread because their parents have more children than they can afford to cater for. As if it is not just enough to go out there under the sun or rain to fend for yourself at such a very tender age, some of these children have masters who take away all proceeds of the day from them in exchange for dilapidated shelters and all sorts of poor living conditions.

    The issue of child labour is one fundamental aspect of child abuse in Nigeria. Research has shown that seven out of 10 homes have at some points in their existence employed the services of child domestic help. Most people have this impression that because the child in their custody is the son or daughter of a relation, it cannot be interpreted as child abuse. But like I would always say, when you in any way subject even your own biological child(ren) to any sort of dehumanizing condition, it is child abuse. The fact that you are the biological parent of the child does not make it less of an offence.

    Has the mode of operation of child abusers remained the same or has it changed in any way?

    abusers-have-graduated-to-using-children-as-porn-stars-ex-naptip-boss-donli
    Dame Julie Okah Donli

    In recent times, the menace of child abuse has experienced a dramatic shift in its mode of operation. People are no longer satisfied with turning innocent children into domestic slaves; they have degenerated into using them as sex slaves and even porn stars. The saddest part of this is that in many cases, pedophiles are people who often share blood ties with their victims. You see fathers, mothers, uncles, aunties, nephews, cousins, drivers, etc who ought to serve as knights in shining amour to protect their ward turn to the beast that defile these innocent ones. By this unholy and highly condemnable act, children are exposed to all sorts of health challenges as well as mental and psychological disorders. My heart broke into a million pieces when I read the story of a few months old who had to undergo a corrective surgery on her vagina because she was raped by a man old enough to be her father.

    Another worrisome trend in Nigeria is child trafficking with all its attendant consequences. In this situation, young boys and girls below the age of 18 are trafficked out of the country to strange lands, exposing them to all sorts of harm and danger on the road. Most of these children often travel unaccompanied and are exposed to all sorts of harsh weather conditions on the road: pneumonia, cholera, malnutrition, and some are sexually molested and left to die of starvation and diseases when the journey gets tough. The implication of this is that the country continues to lose some of its brightest minds and future leaders.

    What are the implications of child abuse for the society?

    There are several implications of child abuse, and these implications form the basis of some of the moral and security challenges we are confronted with in Nigeria today. When we have children who have been physically, emotionally, psychologically and mentally battered, they grow into suicidal, depressed and unproductive adults who constitute nuisance to themselves and the society. Today, we have children all over the streets who demand from alms for adults in the most embarrassing manner. Some of these children end up in the wrong company and they are converted into pick pockets, suicide bombers, drug addicts, etc.

    A nation which takes for granted the wellbeing of children and youth is actually setting itself up for failure, and this is the reason why we must not relent in tackling this menace.

    How well would you say you did as director general of NAPTIP?

    As we all know, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons is the government agency saddled with the responsibility of tackling the scourge of human trafficking and other related offences in Nigeria, and I am bold to say that during my time as the director general of NAPTIP, we did surpass expectations and previous achievements. In summary, as at December 2020, NAPTIP had about 6,221 reported cases, 3,658 investigated cases, 5,421 traffickers had been arrested, 304 successful prosecutions, 368 convicted persons as well as 13,555 rescued victims.

    As the director general, I championed a lot of anti-child abuse grassroots awareness campaigns on the social media, schools, markets, motor parks, places of worship, etc.  We also took the campaign to different media houses including the TVC, NTA, AIT, etc.

    Together with my team, we visited different states of the federation with our campaign on the need to stop all forms of child abuse against children and the need for children to be given access to free education as free and affordable education is the right of every child. Parents were also enlightened on the need to only have as many children as they can cater for, as this will help in ensuring that children are not left to fend for themselves a few years after birth.

    At NAPTIP, we also provided shelters for victims of abuse and human trafficking who had no accommodation. We understand that fighting such things as human trafficking and child abuse is all encompassing, so we ensured that adequate physical, emotional, psychological, emotional and legal support were always available and accessible.

    Officially, my time as the director general of NAPTIP ended in December 2020, but for me, the passion and zeal remains unquenched, so I shall continue to strive for an end to the scourge of child abuse, not only in Nigeria but globally.

    You founded the Julie Donli Kidney Foundation, an NGO that supports people with kidney disease. What led to this?

    I lost my mother at the age of 18 to kidney failure. She was in her forties and was so full of life and vitality. Her loss created a terrible vacuum not just in the family but also in my heart. Even though we did all we could go save her life, I felt bad that she had to die that way and felt that if we had been proactive enough and had done things differently, she might still be alive. It was a long journey that started in 1981 when she was diagnosed with acute renal failure. She was the first dialysis patient at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

    My brother, Charles Okah, who was just 20 years old then, donated one of his kidneys to her. She underwent a kidney transplant in Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. Her body rejected the kidney even though it was a perfect match and she had to resume dialysis. She died on 15th February, 1984. This terrible and painful experience left an indelible impression on the family’s memory, leading to my brother, Charles, establishing 15 dialysis centres in major teaching hospitals in Nigeria, and this subsequently gave birth to the Julie Donli Kidney Foundation which has the principal mandate of creating kidney health awareness and helping indigent patients get aid for kidney disease and treatment.

  • BENSON EZEM: My staff extension of my family

    BENSON EZEM: My staff extension of my family

    BENSON Nnamdi Ezem, renowned architect and businessman is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Cosmo Base Group, a conglomerate with interest in real estate, construction, consultancy, manufacturing, hotels and leisure. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, he shares useful nuggets about surviving in the workplace and life in general. Excerpts:

     

    WHEN does your typical day begin?

    Well, I start my day by 5am. I use one hour for my quite time. I happen to be a Pastor and a Reverend. I use the first one hour to pray to God to take hold of my daily activities. Thereafter, I begin to answer or make calls to my managers that I need to talk to so as not to delay or disrupt their own work schedule since they have to start by 8am.

    What’s your management style?

    My management style cuts across. I have different management styles for different activities. You see, there are different organisations in the Group. And in each organisation, I try to use a style that will appeal to them and make me get the highest level of productivity from them. Like when it comes to the consultancy arm because I consult; I use consultative management style. I seek the opinion of the team and consult their viewpoints because in that setting, you’re dealing with professionals that are like yourself. When I ask them to contribute their ideas over some decisions that would be made, especially when it comes to project; they all contribute their ideas from their different perspective, training and experience. But at the end of the day, the decision falls on me to follow or to take the advice that would give us maximum productivity and make us achieve our set goals and standards. Because one thing is that in our organisation, standard and quality delivery is one area that we pay very important attention to. The other way is that sometimes, I may have to use collaborative management style, where I ask them to come up with some of their ideas in achieving our set goals. So it encourages open communication between the top level managers down to the least staff. And that sort of give them a source of belonging and it provides an environment that leads to productive employees because when they know they are part of the decision-making process,  they want to see it through and it encourages them to work hard, to be a solution provider and be efficient in the assignments they have been given. What I do as a leader of the team is to let them have the big picture and they come up with solutions and you will always see them doing everything within their powers to make things work because they are part of the decision-making process. For me, the bottom line is productivity. What I try not to do is to be authoritative in my management style by behaving like the boss around only just giving instructions and tell people to run with it whether they like it or not. In my organisation, one thing that is foremost and important to me is welfare. Once people are not well-remunerated or well-paid, you don’t get the best from them. If you see a man that is hungry and owes house rent, do you expect optimum performance from that man? No, it’s not possible! So I try as much as possible to be like a father because I treat the staff of my company like a family. Like every morning when we come to work, we take the first 15 minutes in all the branches to pray; we commit the company, the managers to God. Mind you, this organisation is peopled by individuals of different religious leanings, we don’t discriminate at all. But everyone is required to pray. This kind of cordial relationship brings the staff together to work as a team. Like they say, ‘a family that prays together stays together!’ With that we achieve a lot and I can tell you that the staff are happy. Most of them don’t depend on their salaries as they get a lot of incentives from the organisation for their hard work. And this thing keeps the company going because you see people trying to be good at what they do so as to enjoy the incentives that come with being efficient and productive.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    In the company, anything we do we try to be result-oriented by ensuring that the staff are able to add value to the company and we ensure that they add value to themselves too. As a rule, you cannot work with Cosmo Base Group without improving yourself.

    So that means the turnover rate would be low if what you have said is anything to go by?

    Let me tell you a secret, our organisation is just barely 30 years plus, but do you know that there are people who started with us that are still with us? We have had people who wanted to spend just two years but ended up spending over 20 years. Some of the staff who came and weren’t married got married while in this organisation and their children are graduates today from this organisation. This is all due to the love that we show to them (staff). Here, we go beyond the boss or master-servant relationship. We try to empower our staff to achieve set goals through collective responsibility and problem-solving initiatives. So once they know that if I’m in this team, I’ll be recognised because I’m a problem-solver, they key into it. That’s the spirit that the morning service ignites in them because sometimes I take out time to exult them and tell them, ‘look, you can be better than you came in here. You can achieve great things, and you can even own a company bigger than what we have here.’

    Do you delegate responsibility or micromanage people?

    benson-ezem-my-staff-extension-of-my-familyIn the organisation I run, we have a hotel arm, a consultancy firm, construction industry and what have you. You cannot run these companies singlehandedly without any support. If you try it, you will just fall down and die. I delegate a lot as well as set goals. We have different staff that leads the team and we are able to handle a lot of things because of the team work. There was a time we were handling different projects across all our branches at the same time including Osun, Akwa Ibom, Owerri, Gombe. We all had to combine forces. As a leader who has to delegate, you must also be ready to give yourself and time at any point in time. In our line of work which has to do with project execution and all, a simple delay has huge financial implication. Even if you delegate, you need to be available anytime your attention is required.

    What are your other areas of interest besides business?

    By the grace of God, as a Minister of the gospel, I pastor one of the denominations. I’m also involved in a lot of philanthropy. In fact, that is one area I pay a lot of focus on. We have a foundation through which our various charities are being channeled in the last 16 years. We have some people on scholarships. It is really gratifying to know that through our modest efforts we have been able to touch lives. The joy I feel when I do the charity work is indescribable.

    How do you fund these charities?

    One way we fund these charities is by using the profits from the business as tithes. We see the joy that we bring to people but the gesture has also had very tremendous impact on the business too because of the bountiful harvests we have continued to record by the day.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    We do a couple of things to motivate our staff because we believe that when you add value to a staff, he/she in turns add value to the organisation as well. We gift them with cash rewards when they exceed expectations. For those that are exceptional in terms of productivity and efficiency, we take up their rents. You can expect to pay someone N100, 000 as salary in a month and expect that person to be able to build a house of his own. We have a number of initiatives in place where we have been able to support our staff with affordable housing. As a graduate once you have worked with us for two years, you qualify for a car loan and the repayment plan is so easy that you won’t even feel it. Staff gets as much commission as possible when they sell our properties or meet targets. All these and many more incentives are what we provide to staff to make them loyal to the company.

    What motivates you?

    My motivation as an individual is that when I see people grow it makes me happy and inspires me to want to do more. Creating value in people is what excites me the most.

    Do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    We have a staff handbook which all staff gets once they join us, where we spell out all the do’s and don’ts of the organisation. We don’t have room for indolence. Here, we take discipline very seriously. When it comes to business, I’m not an emotional person. The moment you come into the company, we expect you to devote your time to work.

    What’s the best decision you have taken thus far?

    One of the best decisions we have taken as a company is the training and retraining we give to the staff we do both internally and externally. The training not only adds value to the organisation but also makes a lot of things easy in terms of our processes and procedures.

    What’s the worst decision you have taken in your working career?

    I can’t figure out any decision we have taken that has ever miscarried because every investment decisions we take are usually well-thought out before we take them.

    How did your background influence you?

    Oh yes, my family background influenced me in so many ways. I was born into an average senior civil servant family. My father was a disciplinarian. He was fond of setting goals and targets for everybody. And once you meet your goals you get rewarded for it and thankfully, all that has continued to play out today. My father instilled in me diligence, character and value for relationships. I value my relationship with people, I don’t take it for granted at all whether good or bad. Most times even the bad turns out to be good. Such approach to life has really helped the company today. I always tell people that don’t close your doors in such a way that you will not find the keys again to open the closed doors. Therefore, you must always control your emotions, anger and temperament because these are some of the things that could make you lose yourself in that fleeting moment and throw every caution to the wind.

    What’s your definition of success, career-wise?

    I have risen to a level in life where chasing money is no longer the ultimate goal or buying expensive cars, building palatial homes and all. My definition of success is that a success without a successor is not meaningful. What I mean is that you cannot be regarded as successful when you have not left any impact on the sands of time.

    How do you unwind?

    I have a couple of hobbies. Writing is one of my hobbies. I’m an author. I have written three books so far. I play golf for fun and I belong to almost all the golf clubs in the country. Whenever I travel, I look for any golf course to play golf. I also play table tennis at home with a few friends.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    Wherever I’m, I’m surrounded by books. As I speak to you, I’m in my study now. The last book I read is Business Secrets of the Bible, written by Daniel Rabbi.

    What’s your choice holiday destination?

    My choice holiday destination is Bangkok, Los Angeles. London is almost like a home to me. I just go there to stay with my children.

    Do you cook?

    No I’m not a good cook. I have a chef that prepares my meal but I love good food.

    What’s your favourite Nigerian dishes?

    My favourite meal is ukazi soup with plantain flour.

    Do you do the dishes after eating?

    I like doing the dishes, especially when I travel. Naturally, I like cleaning the house because I hate the sight of cobwebs. I’m a complete family man. Although my kids are married, but they usually mill around me and want to take a holiday with me. I have grandchildren too who have also grown fond of me. I play and get down with them undermining our age differences and they all love it.

  • ‘I’m still in shock over Aybeewon’s death’

    ‘I’m still in shock over Aybeewon’s death’

    What could have been the motive behind the gruesome murder of Abass Itopa Sanni, Nigeria’s fast rising hip-hop artiste popularly known as Aybeewon? That is the puzzle the police in Abuja are trying to unravel. GBENGA ADERANTI spoke with the mother of the late music star, Hajia Rekiya Sanni, and she bared her mind on the incident.

     

    Until his death on March7, 27-year-old Abass Itopa Sanni a.k.a. Aybeewon was one of the fastest rising hip-hop artistes in Nigeria. His ambition was to become one of the best artistes ever to come out of Nigeria, and his dream was on the verge of becoming a reality before he was seized by the cold hands of death.

    He had emerged the best rapper from Abuja Zone and was billed to slug it out with 19 other contestants for the emergence of the best nationwide. This, however, was not to be as his life was cut short after he was allegedly stabbed by some unknown persons in Abuja.

    Aybeewon’s mum, Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sanni, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was still in shock when our correspondent spoke with her on the death of her beloved son during the week.

    Hajiya Sanni, who described the late Aybeewon as a caring, hardworking and committed go-getter, said the deceased musician had been working very hard to make the family proud.

    While not doubting the efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force, she said her family was uncomfortable with the pace and manner the Galadimawa Police Station handled the murder of her son.

    “A letter has been written to the office of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command and I am aware that investigation has commenced,” she said.

    Asked why she thought that anyone would mastermind the murder of the up and coming artiste, she said she was baffled like anyone else on what could be the motive behind the gruesome murder of her son.

    According to her, Aybeewon had signed a contract with Chungai Media Limited to manage his music career from April 27, 2019 till 2022. The company, she said, ought to be in charge of his movements and activities during the period.

    Hajiya Sanni, who is also the Managing Director/CEO of Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA), said she would have monitored the activities of her late son but she never wanted to be over protective or meddle in his business relationships.

    She said: “My son was a harmless young man, calm, easy going and very accommodating.

    “He was mostly found with headset and phone, listening to music from which he derived his inspirations and working with his phone or laptop.

    “Abass (Aybeewon) got along with practically everybody; an easy going young man who would go a long way to offer supportive hand to anyone in need.

    “He was full of vigour and energy for this music career and never saw any music artiste as a competitor but rather a brother or sister.

    “His passion for rap music was uniquely gifted. This was noticed back them in his secondary school years.”

    The late music artiste, who until his death was an undergraduate of Nasarawa State University, was said to have travelled to Abuja from Keffi before his untimely death.

    Narating how her son was killed, Hajiya Rekiya said: “He came into Abuja from Keffi on invitation two days to the end of a contest, and a few hours later, he was found stabbed to death.

    “By who? We await the outcome of investigations. I cannot fathom any motive for his murder. He was a frontier and promising, young up and coming rap artiste, highly talented and passionate with a lot of fans.”

    Pouring her heart out to The Nation, the distraught mother of the deceased rapper said: “It was a mother to son conversation. I talked about his school, music career and fame. I advised him as a loving mother would do with regard to his upcoming exams.

    “Then we talked about the ongoing contest powered by NAIJALOADED for best artiste across the nation, of which he was among the top 20.

    im-still-in-shock-over-aybeewons-death
    Abeewon

    “I requested for his album video for the contest as I had been promoting the link on Instagram where he was leading astronomically with almost 60,000 retweets.

    “I used the video on my Facebook timeline and WhatsApp status to promote him. We talked about his dreams, etc.

    “Naijaloaded had announced winners of the contest and he won the title of the Best artiste for the Abuja slot. This was a contest that was to bring him into the world.

    “My son had beautiful dreams and he worked so hard towards this victory.  He was a genius in all he set his hands on. He practically put his life into his dream of becoming the best rapper not only in Nigeria but in the world, and was already doing great.

    “Abbas was already earning a name likened to that of EMINEM. He didn’t need me much in this as he was doing great through his personal efforts. Most of the efforts for each record came from him. He wrote the songs, composed, produced, mixed the music and performed.

    “I wanted him to conclude with his studies before launching him into the world fully to avoid possible distractions.

    “Unfortunately, he was murdered three days to his victory.

    “I’d like to allow the police to conclude with their investigations.”

    Hajiya Sanni wished she knew the motive behind his killing as that could probably assuage her agonising feelings.

    She said: “It will make my pains a bit lighter. Abbas was a light in his chosen career and he lighted up whoever came his way.

    “He helped everyone who was in need of his talent and encouraged his peers.

    “He was a highly determined young man.”

    The distraught mother also said her son had a weakness: he was too trusting for comfort.

    She said: “Abbas welcomed everyone without caution. I have been supportive with prayers because it is almost impossible to control all the affairs of a 27-year-old man.

    “The reason why anyone would want to gruesomely murder him is a misery beyond my imagination. Abbas’s murder is sickening to me and my entire family.

    “I am in self denial often to believe that a human being of flesh executed such a horrifc act to a harmless youngman.

    “My whole world came crashing on Sunday, March 7 when I saw my son’s lifeless body in the mortuary with scars in his chest.”

    She said the death of Aybeewon was not only a loss to the family, but to the entire country because the country had lost a talent.

    She, however, said the demise of her son had caused her “internal horror”.

    She said: “My son’s demise has brought to my life internal horror. The dark pains is indescribable. His murderers studied the gap in our security lapses and acted based on these gaps.”

    She said her son’s death has further exposed the deficiencies in the nation’s security systems, noting that a police patrol vehicle was only a few metres away from where his son’s body was found.

    She advised Nigerians to be security conscious because “we are all a part of the government and need to play our roles.

    She said: “Based on the pieces of information gathered, the responsiveness of Galadimawa police administration presented a scenario of a very huge gap.

    “Passers-by were scared to get closer to offer help. Parents should not relax in continually sensitising their children on these security threats.

    “This is very unfortunate. One would wish that more commitments and funds is genuinely committed to the security infrastructure in our community.

    “If there were CCTV cameras in some of these strategic areas, these measures would have hindered dastardly acts like this cold blood murder.”

    While she and her family have accepted their fate on the irreparable loss, she also prayed that the people responsible for her son’s murder would be found soon and brought to Justice if only to act as a deterrent to others.

    To show their love for the late artiste, students of Nasarawa State University came out in droves for the candle light organised for Aybeewon.

     

    Among the individuals and groups who have condemned the incident in very strong terms was the Progressive Solidarity Front (PSF), a socio-political organisation to which Hajiya Sanni belongs.

    PSF’s Grand Patron, Chief (Dr.) Ibrahim B. Emokpaire, expressed shock over the killing of the young man, demanding that the killers of the promising young man be brought to book.

    He wondered why the nation’s security system had become comatose and could no longer be relied upon for safety of lives and property.

    He expressed his condolences to the mother of the deceased rapper, asking her to take solace in God as the only one who can comfort her in this trying period.

    In the same vein, a former Chairman of PDF, UK Chapter, Prince Joseph Fadele, described the killing as most unfortunate.

    Fadele said: “Incidents like this will no doubt annihilate the country’s blooming next generation”.

    He described the late Sanni as a promising young man who could help the country in its effort to turn things around.

    He added that for the better of the country, stressing that the time had come for the nation’s leaders to roll up their sleeves and tackle the insecurity problems in the country.

    The Chairman of the Progressives Solidarity Forum, Mr. Seun Baiyewu, on his part declared his forum’s readiness to ensure that the killers of Aybeewon were arrested and justice served. According to Baiyewu, the killers must be arrested no matter whose horse is gored.

    “PSF will ensure that justice is served. We will do all within our powers to get to the roots of this ugly incident,” Baiyewu said.

    Another chieftain of the forum, Lady Norah Echenim, who has been working with the family to unravel Aybeewon’s death, has promised to continue with her support until the killers are brought to book.

    Echenim said: “This is very unfortunate, pathetic and saddening. We will work with every concerned organisation to ensure justice.”

  • BAMIDELE ALIMI: I believe in work, life balance

    BAMIDELE ALIMI: I believe in work, life balance

    Chief Bamidele Abayomi Alimi is Director-General/CEO at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria, a think tank serving the public and the organised private sector. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF, the Osun-born technocrat, who had a glorious journalism career spanning almost two decades before joining the corporate world of business, recounts fond memories of his working career, and shares life lessons on how to be a success within and outside the boardroom. Excerpts:

     

    When does your typical day begin?

    My typical day begins at about 5.am. I used to set an alarm clock at 5.am. but over the years, my body system has become attuned to the time that I don’t need an alarm clock to wake me up again. Once it’s 5am, I just wake up. But I don’t leave the house until 6am. That’s how my day begins.

    What’s your management style?

    Well, my management is very situational. It depends on where I find myself. So what I do depends on where I’m. As a manager, you could find yourself in a pioneer position, or correctional. If you find yourself in a place where there has been a restructuring, you’re in a pioneer situation moreorless. In that case, you’re like a surgeon who is in an operation. All you need to do is to call for a scalpel. In that case, you will be a little autocratic. But if you find yourself in a company that is doing well and are already in a plateau, and they want you to take them to the next level of their growth, you must be collaborative. The only thing I would like to add is that the most important part of the job is the people. If you must succeed at your work, you must learn to work with the people. It can be any other.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    My management philosophy is start with the people, work with the people and end with the people. As a good leader, you must learn to carry them along.

    Do you delegate responsibility or micromanage people?

    I delegate but don’t abdicate. I delegate with a lot of responsibility. I still supervise but I don’t micromanage.

    Are you a team player?

    Like I said earlier, I’m a team player. I love asking for advice because it is always interesting to listen to other perspectives. I like to work with lazy but smart people because they will always show you the smartest way to do things.

    What motivates you?

    That’s a big one. I think my major motivation is God and I say this because if I look at where I was before and see where I am now, I know it’s all been  due to God’s unmerited favour, mercy and grace in my life. For me, I don’t there is anything impossible to achieve and I used to tell everybody about it using one Yoruba saying that, ‘Olohun ase,’ meaning the Lord will do it. And people would always call my attention that, ‘Look, you’re always saying Olohun ase?’ So I tell them since I have been saying it has the Lord not been doing or answering the prayers? And then they’ll keep quite. So God is my motivation and would always be.

    What makes you tick?

    Maybe because I have so much faith in God, I tend to do everything with the fear of God. I’m a family man to the core so everybody is hanging on my neck. So I ensure that whatever I do, I’m fair to my family. What really makes me tick is doing things that are acceptable to my faith and that would be acceptable to my creed.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    For me staff motivation comes in different ways and it varies a lot too depending on the leader of that organisation. Remember, I didn’t say a boss and that’s the difference. When we are handling a project I carry everyone along in the delivery of the project and when we’re successful what I do normally is that I send out emails to everybody in that team thanking them for the work they’ve done on that project and actually tell them how successful the project has been. Even sometimes making them know the financial success of that project. If it’s not so successful I would let them know and we would discuss how to make a lot more successful the next time.

    But for them, especially for those who are working with me now, it’s not a system they are used to because they have never really been carried along that way so it motivates them to want to do better. So when I set up teams within my team to work on a particular project, everybody puts their hearts on it.  And I also ensure that people are well-motivated. Motivation comes in different ways not just about pay because sometimes as a CEO, you’re not in total control of the pay structure because the pay structure is also in relation to the revenue of the organisation and there is a limit to how far you can go. But then, when people know that they are earning a wage that is commensurate with the efforts they’re putting in, they become more faithful to the organisation and a lot more productive too. There are some little things. For instance, if a staff comes to you, and wants to tell you some things that are happening to them personally.

    Like I said it’s not just about work all the time, it’s also about the people.so how do you empathise? How do you advice? Are you interested in their personal lives? All these things are what I put into my own system to motivate my staff. For example there was I time I saw a staff, a lady actually. I just noticed that she was looking fray, so I called her and asked her about what was happening to her and she said she was alright. I looked at her again over a period and she wasn’t doing so fine. So I asked her colleagues to speak with her, maybe she could opened up more for them. And when I saw that this thing wasn’t getting any better, I gave her an open cheque to go take care of herself in an hospital and assured her that her salaries would be paid for the period she is out of work. And she went. She was a way for three months. Today, she is one of my best staff. For me, it’s not just about the work. If you make people the cornerstone of your organisation, they are always to get their best at all times.

    Do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    I think the stick and carrot approach is very old and archaic way of management. I think the world has evolved beyond that. Instead of stick and carrot, I’m more into welfare. I try to understand the expectation from the staff, the executive management and the board itself. But for me, ethics and integrity is very key. I don’t compromise.

    What’s the best decision you have taken thus far?

    One experience stands out vividly and that was when I was working with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). I was on working on a project, which was a major revenue generating stream. The mandate was to help improve the performance and I took some decisions which made a lot of difference and in the next three years, we were almost grossing over 500 per cent profit with the same number of manpower. That remains one of the best decisions in my working career.

    What’s the worst decision you have taken in your working career?

    I think I have two of such experiences. It was a situation where we were a company was going through a reorganisation process and we had to let some staff to go. It was very difficult for me but that decision had to be taken.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    There are loads of lessons. One experience I have learnt in life is to be good at what you do, be good in your relationship with people, be consistent too. Don’t let anybody pull you down.

    What’s your definition of success, career-wise?

    Well, success for me is very relative. For me, success is having a balance in your profession and also with your family because there is no point been a success person in your profession and not achieving same level of success with your family. I think for me, your family, spouse, children are also part of the equation too. To be successful, you must be able to carry along all your constituencies. Most times success after all, is not the amount of money you have or the wealth you have amassed. No. It goes beyond all of these material acquisitions. But it’s a combination of a lot of things.

    What are your other areas of interest besides business?

    I have always loved farming. It has always been a passion for me. I have a farm in my state. I do quite a lot of farming because I believe so much in agriculture. I think when I retire from my 9-5 job; I will go into full scale farming.

    How do you unwind?

    I always tell people I’m a workaholic. I do work a lot. Once I set my mind to get something done, I don’t rest until that thing is done. But I do have leisure time. Sometimes I go to the movies with my spouse.  I also go to my social club, that’s the Ikoyi Club. Of course, in the last few months or thereabouts it’s been a little difficult to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I play golf though I’m still at the beginning stage. But most of the time I watch movies, I read and I love listening to all kinds of music, especially indigenous music. I listen to Apala, I listen to Sakara, I listen to Fuji, I listen to Juju and of course, I do listen to foreign music too. So, I’m a music buff; music turns me on any day, anytime. The other thing I do for leisure, sometimes I go to matured clubs with a friend or two. So that’s how unwind. My maxim is that, ‘I work hard, and I play hard too!’

    What was the last book you read and when?

    The last book I read I have read it before and I’m re-reading it again because we now have a session in my organisation, Read one Book a Month. The book we’re reading this month is ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ I have read it before but because we’re going to have a review session with all the staff, myself along with everybody, our HR Manager said, we should all read it so, I’m also reading it as well. I’m reading it as I speak with you now. So that’s the last book I have read.

    What’s your choice holiday destination?

    I have been to quite a lot of places. Incidentally, my choice holiday destination is a place I have not been to and it’s the Caribbean. I have been to Dubai, South Africa. I love the Caribbean but I have not been there. May be when I retire, I’ll go there.

    What’s your sense of style?

    I have a very simple fashion sense. I love dressing well and I’m more of an accessory person. I like wearing good and fitting clothes. I’m not an expensive dresser. I love wearing simple clothes and because I’m a tall person, I also don’t wear very flashy things but I love very good shoes. I’m a sucker for shoes! I love very good belts when I’m wearing one. I love very god wristwatches and my favourite colour is actually blue. But most of the time when I’m actually dressed for work wearing suits; you’ll see me 99 percent of the time wearing a white shirt or a crossed shirt once in a while underneath.  But my favourite colour is still blue. So when I’m not in the official capacity , when I’m not wearing a suit, most likely you’ll see me in my blue agbada or my blue buba and sokoto. I’m a very good dresser and I love accessories; starting from my shoes. I can spend any amount on shoes because I love wearing good shoes. I remember when I was in school I said to myself that whatever I do with my looks, I’m going to make sure my shoes are impeccable. I met somebody who said the first thing people see about you, especially a man is your shoe and they can determine who you are, how you’re by just looking at your shoes before even looking at your clothes. So my dress sense is very simple. I wear anything that makes me comfortable. But I want to be neat all the time and I love wearing simple dresses. So that’s my dress sense.

    How do you maintain your looks, do you follow any particular beauty regimen?

    Well, men don’t usually do so much. We’re lucky. I’m somebody who likes to appear anywhere I’m neat and good. And how do I maintain it, I ensure that I use the kind of enhancement that is good for my skin. The skin is very important. I have a very sensitive skin so I have been using antiseptic soaps from when I was quite young. I also use mild body cream that maintains my natural colour and I make sure that all the time I don’t expose my skin to irritants. I keep my hair well. I just used what I’m comfortable in. because for the kind of job I do, right from when I was a journalist, I believe the first impression last longest so I try to create a very good impression by dressing well and looking wear so that I can be accepted anywhere I find myself.

    Do you cook?

    Yes I do. I love cooking. I come from a family of boys and one girl. My mum never spared any of us the boys. We were always in the kitchen. My favourite dish is amala and ewedu and I know how to prepare it too.

    Do you do the dishes after eating?

    Sure of course I do even though they don’t allow me in the house. But most times when I stay outside the home because of the nature of my job, I do the dishes wherever I’m.

  • IFEYINWA OKAFOR: I make my staff learn every day

    IFEYINWA OKAFOR: I make my staff learn every day

    IFEYINWA Maureen Okafor, a Chartered Accountant and Governance Professional, spent the first 15 years of her career in banking and financial services. Expanding her private sector portfolio, in 2008, she joined International Packaging Industries of Nigeria Plc where she currently sits atop as the Managing Director of the over 50-year-old company. She was a Commissioner on the Imo State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Contracts from 2011-2019, tasked with reforming the contract award process and recovery of funds paid for contracts not executed. In 2019, Ms. Okafor was invited to join the Imo State Government as a Member of the Financial Advisory Committee, where her team was responsible for introducing the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to the state as well as instrumental in lifting Imo state’s position in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Ms. Okafor who was recently accepted into the Amujae Leadership Initiative Cohort 2 for 2021, an initiative of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development that identifies and challenges African women to be catalysts for political and social change across Africa, in this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF takes us through her career trajectory thus far. Excerpts:

     

    WHEN does your typical day begin?

    About 4am. I pray, meditate journal and exercise while listening to music. I actually do my best creative (writing) work in the early hours of the day. So with this self-awareness, I try to go to bed early so I can wake up and maximise those dawn hours.

    What’s your management style?

    I have a mix. My dominant management styles are democratic and coaching styles. This is because I welcome views of everyone in the team then I use their inputs to make decisions. I often explain to my team how I arrived at my decision so that they can learn. It’s a constant mentoring much more than managing style. When the situation calls for it, I also apply autocratic management style. You cannot use democracy to decide to kill a snake that entered the room.

    What’s your management philosophy?

    I believe that people are the greatest resource of an organisation. I believe investing in our people and giving them the best environment to unleash their potential is a win-win. Our company core value has an acronym; RISE: Resilience, Integrity, Service, Excellence. I understand that people operate at the level of knowledge that they have per time.  Being mindful that the scope of knowledge is always expanding it means that we can keep mining for the best in our people thus we keep learning!

    Do you delegate responsibility?

    Yes. Leadership is one of my core values. When I teach, I delegate to see in practice how you have learnt what has been taught. As much as possible, I offer clarity in communication by providing guidelines and expectations while constantly supervising. Then we have regular review meetings. I believe this is how to expand and empower staff members. I also give them leadership opportunity.

    Are you a team player? 

    Absolutely.

    Great assignments are always accomplished as a team. Recognising and igniting the capability of everyone, we try to be the strongest link in a strong chain. I understand my role as the CEO. I am the enabler for others so that together we meet our goals. I actively listen and I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I give credit to whom it is due and my doors are always open to all staff to discuss new ideas or challenges.

    What are your other areas of interest besides business?

    Sports; (Swimming, Tennis, Aerobics) Music, Dance, Reading and Writing (Poetry). Politics and Governance.

     

    okafor
    •Okafor swimming under water

     

    What motivates you?

    Making the lives of others better through different platforms such as entrepreneurial, nongovernmental/voluntary/charity work as well as government activities. Nigeria provides a lot of opportunity for this.

    What makes you tick?

    What gives me the greatest joy is doing meaningful work. Doing things that can transform the lives of millions of people. I have had the privilege of advising two state governors in Nigeria. Researching and writing policy documents that eventually created change is very fulfilling. I am a person of faith. Everything in life that was created has a manual for its success. For me, the manual for successful living is the Bible. This is where I derive my daily inspiration.

    How do you motivate your staff?

    I constantly affirm them and the work that they do. We celebrate each staff on their birthdays. The company really cares about the career and personal development of each staff. I believe everyone has immense value. However we have to be placed in the environment where our value is enhanced and appreciated. Much like a fertile soil, I try to provide that kind of environment.

    I write a motivational series titled ‘Motivational Mondays with the MD’. It is available on the company website. www.interpackng.com

    Do you apply the stick and carrot approach?

    Yes. Though we have a disciplinary process, we focus more on inspirational leadership; teaching, mentorship, apprenticeship, coaching, training. When you hire right you will have little need for the stick. Thus we try to ensure that our hiring and promotion is entirely merit based.

    What’s the best decision you have taken thus far?

    Running and serving in public office. It gave me a deeper insight into the challenges of society. It gave me opportunity to create policy for government. It allowed me engage my unique gifts and faculty in a way that is beneficial to society.

    What’s the worst decision you have taken?

    Leaving toxic people in my employment for too long. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.  Great companies have one thing in common; great human capital. As an entrepreneur I made mistakes in the choice of business partners and some staff that I retained after taking over my company through a management buy in.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    To fail forward. There was a time I used to dwell in regrets. I had a list of things I wish I had done better. A wise friend said to me; ‘Do something to create a better list! Your failures are just a page in what can be a great book; the pen is in your hands. Turn that page and write new pages’. I never forgot that piece of advice.  I learnt to embrace my failures, changed my perspective and made better choices.

    What’s your definition of success, career-wise?

    Finding purpose; this is what you are created and uniquely gifted to do. Then becoming the globally recognised resource person in that field. This is often defined as finding what you would do for free and getting paid to do it. However the ultimate pay is not money but fulfillment.

    How do you unwind?

    Besides sporting activity, I choreograph dance to the Jerusalem song with my children. I also listen to faith and leadership podcasts.

    What was the last book you read and when?

    Who moved my Cheese- An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life. It is written by Dr Spencer Johnson. Every month, as a team we identify a management book to study. We review and discuss the key insights. We read this particular book in January 2021.

    What’s your choice holiday destination?

    I have a list of the Wonders of the World that I am ticking off as I go. I would love to go where the food is great, (great restaurants) , that has outdoor activity like hiking, dirt bike riding, swimming , surfing and where there is nature ; forests, mountains. A boat cruise to Barbados or Cape Verde might be the answer.

    What’s your sense of style?  

    Business casual for work. I like to ‘roll up ‘my sleeves when I am in the factory and so I dress appropriately. I also love vintage. I am often found in pearls and dress in colours like black and white. When I have an evening event, I like formal and fancy ball gowns.

    How do you maintain your looks?

    Swimming, aerobics, yoga, tennis. Eating the right kind of foods, drinking  a lot of water.

    Most women today are shattering the glass ceiling, operating in otherwise male-dominated areas. How does it feel being one of these women?

    I think women at the top in industry or any sector should be normalised. When it is, we can redraft this question. We need to move away from this concept of glass ceiling by removing every possible barrier to the actualisation of the potential of all our people. I do not feel special and I do not feel that I am in a male-dominated industry. I feel that as a human being I have been gifted by God with talents to be put into use for the progress of humanity. The reason I became an employer is so I can contribute to nation building, increase the GDP of Nigeria and provide employment through manufacturing jobs. This year, I am privileged to be chosen as a 2021 Amujae Leader. The vision of Amujae is to move society from a culture of tokenism to a culture that values women leadership. It is important that we overcome the impact of culture and religious dogma and actively seek the contributions of women in the workplace.  The question to ask therefore is ‘How do we change years of acculturation and socialisation of our society to actively encourage the contribution of women?’ Women have a role to play in national development. We need to embrace it.

    Do you cook?

    Yeeeess!! I love to create new recipes. I also bake. During the lockdown I taught my sons to cook and bake. It is a joy to cook for my loved ones. I also love to watch cooking shows on TV.

    What’s your favourite Nigerian dish?

    Fisherman soup.

  • NGOZI NWADINOBI: I used to be shy, with low self esteem

    NGOZI NWADINOBI: I used to be shy, with low self esteem

    Ngozi Jason-Nwadinobi is a writer, speaker, and works with a Federal Government parastatal in Oil and Gas. As a speaker who has featured on virtual and physical platforms like Tedx, and has inspired a lot of people. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she takes you into her world, talking about her passion for people, as well as having a burden to help change their mindset positively.

     

    Tell us about your memories of childhood, what dreams did you have then?

    I attended K. Kotun Nursery and Primary School, a private school on Bode Thomas, in Surulere, Lagos.

    My secondary education was at Federal Government Girls’ College, Owerri. Secondary school was fun; the only thing I didn’t like was having to travel all the way to and from Lagos/Imo states every term. It was quite stressful.

    Like most children in those days, I wanted to be a doctor.

    I later decided to be a teacher, then briefly toyed with the idea of going into news broadcasting. Also, I remember that I wanted to work with an international organisation like UNICEF or UNESCO. In retrospect, I think it was my love for people and passion for helping them that made me desire to work in the above mentioned places.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    Life has taught me to be myself and not try to be someone else. I’ve learnt to love myself and accept myself for who I am, while still working on being the best of myself. I’ve got to be happy, no matter what challenges life throws at me. Things always seem better and easier when you’re happy, than when you’re not.

    What are some of changes you will like to see in Nigeria today?

    I’d like Nigerians, including myself, to take responsibility for where we need to be. If we stop pointing accusing fingers at the next person, and do our little bit, I believe we’d have a better country.

    Some of these little changes could be keeping to time, keeping appointments, being honest in our dealings with others, keep your word when you make promises, etc.

    What are the principles that guide what you do?

    The first principle that I live by, is “do as you would be done by”.

    This means that I choose to treat people the way I’d like to be treated. I’d also like to be known as a person of integrity, as one whose word can be taken to the bank, because I mean what I say, and say what I mean.

    Tell us how you got into writing?

    Well, I would say that it has been a very interesting journey. I have always written, informally though. Right from primary school, I’d always been told that I had a flair for writing.

    I always did well in essay writing in primary and secondary schools. I however started writing intentionally, after I became a christian, the focus was to encourage and inspire people. First, with friends and family, then on Facebook.  What was the experience like at the beginning?

    I thought I knew it all! However, experience has shown me that I didn’t, I don’t, and there’s always room to learn more.

    People always complemented my writing. So, I took that to mean that I was really good at it; almost perfect, in fact!

    After publishing my first book, I started putting the materials together for my second book, I realised that the more you do something the better you become.

    I noticed I was writing more effortlessly and writing became more seamless for me.

    What are the other things that you are passionate about?

    I am interested in all things that have to do with women and children.

    Women go through a lot; most especially in this part of the world, and when a woman suffers, her children suffer too.

    As a woman who also has children, I’d like to do my own bit to help ease the unfairness of life that gets thrown at us and by extension, our children.

    You are also a speaker, what do you talk about?

    I speak about issues like mental, emotional and spiritual health. Life starts from the inside, that’s why we need to learn and understand how to live from the inside out, and not the other way around. If you’re good on the inside, you’ll definitely be good on the outside.

    How has this influenced your personality?

    I used to be very shy, with very low self esteem, but with all I’ve learnt and still learning, I have overcome most of my limiting beliefs.

    As I’m also passionate about teaching people, especially women. I am my first student, and I know I have to be a worthy example for others to follow.

    What are the challenges you encountered with the COVID_19 pandemic?

    At first, I was apprehensive about my safety and that of my loved ones, but my Pastor kept bombarding us with God’s word, and I became strengthened.

    Secondly, my absolute favourite way to de-stress and let my hair down, is by travelling; especially out of the country. I couldn’t do this throughout last year, and by October, it started getting to me.

    I had to make a 4 day trip in November, to Abuja, to calm myself down and recharge.

    It helped a lot.

    What are some of the memorable moments in your life and career?

    There has been so many memorable moments in my life and career. This include when I got the exact kind of job that I had been dreaming of. The second was when I got married to the kind of man I wanted to marry, and another would be when I was finally able to get pregnant and have children.

    I also remember the day a publisher approached me and told me how much value my writings have, and she encouraged me to write a book. This was how my first book was birthed.

    Tell us about the people you admire?

    There are quite a number of people that I admire, but I’ll just mention three of them.

    The first is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. It was from him that I first learnt about the importance of mindset in our lives.

    There is also Pastor Joy Amenkhienan; she’s so strong and bold, she doesn’t allow anybody or anything to stand in her way once she decides what she wants.

    I also admire Chimamanda Adichie. Hers is an international household name, and I know it didn’t come by chance; she did her work. She also always seems so confident and sure of herself.

    I look forward to that season when my name will be known all over the world.

    What are the new areas that you are looking at?

    I’ve gone into coaching, and working on speaking on bigger stages.

    I believe I have a special calling for women.

    So, I have a coaching programme where I work with them to see themselves the way God sees them, renew their minds so they can revamp their lives.

    In other words, I work with these women to improve the quality of their thoughts, so they can improve the quality of their lives, live their dreams and be the best version of themselves.

    What type of books do you like to read?

    I like fiction a lot, I also like history books and biographies.

    Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

    The Holy Spirit, my late father and Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

    What is your definition of style?

    For me, style is first of all, comfortable, then classy, and timeless. I don’t always follow trends.

    How would you assess female authors in Nigeria today?

    Writing, in Nigeria, used to be dominated by the male folk, but that’s beginning to change now.

    We need to encourage our young women to dare to put themselves out there, and show the world what they’ve got.

    What message do you have for Nigerian youths at this time?

    Don’t give up! The environment we live in Nigeria is definitely a challenging one, but they can aspire to be the best that they can be, and see it come to pass.

    Through the years, and various experiences that I have had, I have learnt that the power to create the life we want lies within us; that we can be in charge of our emotions, words, habits, and ultimately our lives and this has propelled me to help others, women especially, realize the potential that lies within them.

    I also believe that God has specially called me to promote, inspire, motivate and encourage women to be their best and fulfill their purpose in life and living this calling through various avenues such as, publishing my book, “Mindset Matters”, creating online platforms where I encourage and inspires women to take practical steps towards living their best lives and providing resources that encourage a healthy mindset .

  • Sexual perverts on the prowl

    Sexual perverts on the prowl

    Many parents invest time and resources protecting the girl child from sexual perverts, ignoring the boy child who they presume are immune to such abuses. Similarly, local and international non-governmental organisations spend huge sums on enlightenment campaigns aimed at saving underage girls from sexual abusers without including the boy-child in their plans. The reality, however, is that many innocent boys are being sexually abused by both male and female adults, with many of the victims contracting sexually transmitted diseases and some even suffering depression. Worse still, many of the victims have also resorted to abusing other male and female children, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    • How randy adult males, females prey on innocent underage boys

    • Sex worker seduces eight-year-old boy, sucks his manhood

    • Adult male caught defiling five-year-old boy escapes arrest

    • How to identify sexually abused boys — Expert

    Children, especially the ones under 10 years, are usually presumed to be innocent and incapable of engaging in sexual activities. But that was not the case with eight-year-old Ayo who before that age had been defiled by an adult sexual pervert. Consequently, by the time he clocked age eight, he had not only become exposed to sex but recklessly so.

    It was learnt that Ayo grew up as a child with other members of his family in a Lagos neighbouhood that also hosted a lot of commercial sex workers. One of the prostitutes in the neighborhood was said to have developed a likeness for Ayo, jokingly referring to him as her son and buying things for him, especially at Christmas. Of course, Ayo’s parents suspected no foul play, considering the age gap between their son and their prostitute neighbour.

    “Along the line, the prostitute started sending Ayo on errands, and that continued until she began to take in the innocent boy in and started caressing him. She would hold him close to her and suck him gently with his hands placed on her breasts. At other times, she would tell the poor boy to finger her,”said John Wesley, a child counsellor who handled the victim’s rehabilitation.

    After his initiation into the immorality, the naive boy began to see the act as ideal, hence he started trying it out on other children even in school.

    Wesley said: “The number one effect was that the boy lost concentration in school and started to harass other female children of his age and those already developing breasts. The development was noticed by his teachers who reported it.

    “Whenever anybody tried to rebuke him, he looked at them somehow because he had been having affairs with an adult female.

    “It turned out a serious problem for the young boy as he did not believe that he had done anything wrong. But the boy is better now, and he even tries to distance himself from the opposite sex.

    “It took a lot of effort to handle his case. I had to reach out to my friends abroad who belong to the same organisation with me. It required a whole lot of funding to take the boy through the revamping process.

    “We had to do a whole lot of revamping, taking him through series of processes. For a long time, he was in a place like a boarding house, but strictly for boys. That was how he was gradually able to come out of it.

    “The boy is in a government boarding school now and doing fine.”

    Wesley also shared the case of a 14-year-old boy who was serially defiled and threatened by the elder brother’s wife.

    He said: “The boy’s uncle was always not at home because he was always getting contracts and travelling here and there.

    “The amorous affair started with the wife always telling the boy to come and sleep in their room for security reasons.

    “Gradually she lured him into having affairs with her. She always threatened that she would poison the boy if he told anyone about it. Because he was always eating at home, he feared that the woman could one day actually poison him, so he told one of his relations about it.

    “It was the person he told about it that mentioned it to us. We got the husband’s number and one of us suggested that we should call to tell him about the development. But I said no, because it might lead to murder, as we didn’t know the kind of man he was.

    “To save the marriage from collapse, we called the woman and began to speak with her. We told her that we were aware of what happened between her and the boy and warned that if anything happened to him within or outside the house, she would go to jail.

    “She told us she did not know how it happened. She said he was always at home with her.

    “She told one of us that was always speaking with her that she was depressed. We managed the issue until we arranged for the husband to take the boy away without knowing what really transpired between the boy and the wife.”

    Besides the aforementioned cases, Wesley said, “we have had about four others, but they were the ones who were even assaulting the females. At a young age, they had turned into rapists because they had gone through molestation from older persons.  They were like people who were demonized.

    “Parents would always not want to speak out, and that deprives us the chance to go into the matter. Out of 10 cases, we would have access to only about two, because they fear that we would make it public.”

    Mr Adaramola Sunday, the Executive Director of Emmanuel World Children Foundation, an NGO based in Ondo State,  said he was also a victim of defilement by an older woman at a tender age.

    Sharing the tales of some sexually abused underage boys he has handled in recent times, he said:

    “There was the case of a 14-year-old boy who actually went through that for a long time until we went to their school one day and he had to open up to us.

    “The abuse started six years before then; which means it began at the age of eight.  Unfortunately, the woman abusing him was a younger sister to the mother.

    “It started jokingly with the woman touching the genitals of the boy. She later graduated from that to sucking his manhood.

    “At a point, the boy started feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing because he complained that he always felt guilty in church whenever the preacher spoke in that line.

    “The lady in question lived with them, went to the university and returned during holidays to continue the affairs with the boy in the house.

    “That is just one of the series of cases I have handled.”

    The former National Chairman of Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) also shared the case of a junior secondary school (JSS1) boy who was being abused by an SS3 student who had taken the former as her school son.

    “Ironically, it happened in a school where disciplinary level was very high.

    “It started with exchange of gifts and doing assignments together.

    “According to the boy, it got to a point where the girl started asking if he knew the colour of the pant that she wore. From there, she started making him to touch her breasts.

    “The naïve boy started enjoying it with time and that went on for a long time until it became uncontrollable for both of them and people began to notice them.

    “Tired of the ungodly relationship, the boy opened up during a Christian camp programme my organisation  conducted  for a church.

    “The method we use after making presentations is to allow  kids to ask questions, but many of them would not come up openly to do so. We would then ask them to write their questions in paper with name and possibly not use their pen.

    “He came to have audience in the following session. It took us a long time before we could sort it out. The boy kept on begging that his parents must not know about it.”

    Recalling his personal experience at the hands of an older woman as a young boy, Adaramola said: “I had my own experience when I was younger with an older person who happened to be a neighbour’s daughter, and it went on for long.

    “Abuse of the boy child does exist, because of the patriarchal society that we have. The society believes that boys have to be strong, that they have power and the monopoly of being on top of situations.

    “When they are abused, boys usually don’t speak or report such incidents. A lot of these things happen right inside the house with relatives, house-helps and the likes, especially among people who live in big apartments. That was my own experience when I was younger.

    “The boys often want such relationships to be as secret as possible because of the societal view to it and because of the family view or reaction.

    “What we do often is to work with the boy and work out ways that the boy can actually prevent continuous reoccurrence.

    “On some occasions, we have to let the boy tell the culprit that he has reported her to us and that we would take action  if it continued. That has helped in curtailing some of these things.”

    Another NACTAL top member based in Lagos State, Ngozi Okoro, shared the story of  a 10-year-old boy serially abused by a 54 year-old woman in Lagos.

    According to her, “the boy’s mother’s shop was close to where the grandmother was living. Every time he followed the mother to her shop, he would branch to greet the grandmother before returning to the shop. At times, he would stay there to play.

    “There was a 54-year-old woman in the place. She had a son. But whenever the boy went there to play with her son, she would take the 10-year-old boy into her room and start abusing him.

    “The boy became used to it to the extent that once they got to the shop he would go straight to the 54-year-old woman’s house, and the woman would send her son out so that she could continue doing what she was doing with the boy.

    “She told him not to tell anybody about it and he didn’t. At a point, the mother started looking for the boy from time to time until they trailed him and saw where he entered.

    “When they challenged him, he confessed what had been happening between him and the woman. That was how they called one of our members and invited  the police to arrest the woman.

    “Surprisingly, we hear more of sexual abuse of boys now. They are being abused by both men and women. Parents need to watch out for their children and know what is happening to them.”

    Like Adaramola, Prince Wiro, the Coordinator of Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability, a non governmental organisation based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was also a victim of sexual abuse as a boy-child.

    He said: “When I was growing up, the person that defiled me was an adult female. I was between seven and eight years old while the house-help who was doing that to me was between 18 and 19.

    “It happened in early 1990/91. It is one experience that I have not forgotten.  My mother was staying with us then and there was no awareness about all this then.

    “The house-help was like our mother. After some years, she took in for a man and she was sent away.

    “There are some children that such experience will push into getting deep into doing that kind of thing because the adult has exposed them to what they ordinarily should not know about at that age.”

    Ngozi Nwosu of  Vison Spring Initiative, a non-governmental organisation based in Ikorodu, Lagos, also shared the case of another  14-year old boy who  appeared to have been hypnotised by an older single lady.

    She said: “In December last year, I handled a case reported to me during a training programme for widows. During the programme, three of the women reported the abuse of their sons. I am following up one of the cases now at Alausa (Lagos) because the mother said the boy hardly listens to her. She said that each time  she was coming back from work, the boy would run out from the room of a lady who was their neighbour. And when she asked him what he was doing there, he would say the woman asked him to unzip her dress.

    “We are still making enquiries about the relationship between the boy and the lady. The boy is 14 years old.”

    Accounts of adult males defiling underage boys

    In spite of existing law against same sex sexual relationship in the country, checks revealed that homosexuality has been on the increase with the trend shifting to sexual abuse of underage boys.

    Our correspondent who has been following developments on  various northern groups speaking against sexual abuse using a tweeter handle called @ArewaMeToo, reports of  the case of a young boy who has remained traumatised after his senior in a boarding school initiated him into the bestial lifestyle.

    Sharing his ordeal on the above twitter handle with the subtitle ‘Boys are molested too’, the victim said: “Yeah! Am not bold enough to share my #ArewaMeToo story on my page. For a while, I wondered if I was gay, but I know I’m not. It happens sometimes to boys.

    “It all started when I was attending a boarding school. It was a typical northern Nigerian English school. I was a straight male before this dude ruined my life and coded this worst sexual orientation in my brain.

    “My first year in JSS class was hell. I was sluggish, naive and dumb. I was bullied by everyone, even those in my class, until this asshole enter(ed) my life. His name is Mubarak.

    “He was huge and among the honoured bullies at that time in the school. He was in ss1 but even SS3 students were scared of him because he was strong.”

    He then asked rhetorically: “Did you know what this motherfucker did to me? He protected me from being bullied. I thought he cared for me as a brother until one night, after isha prayer.

    “I was in the bathroom and someone grabbed my butt. It was Mubarak. I thought it was the normal rough play that boys used to do in dorm until he started asking me some ‘jamb’ questions.

    “I had my crotch grabbed by him numerous times and then (he would) point a small knife at my neck and said me and him would enter into trouble if I told anyone and he would kill me.

    “From that day, I was really uncomfortable and also kind of scared of the guy. He forced me to watch gay porn with him. I was 13 and I knew nothing about sex.

    “He started asking for blow jobs, hand jobs, whatever. He penetrated me about four times or more. I couldn’t speak up or tell anyone.

    “Things started getting out of hands. I was seriously ill and was taken back home.”

    Following the ugly experience, he said: “I begged my parents that I didn’t want to go back to the school and they agreed. It’s been eight years now. Mubarak is off my life but always in my memory.

    “There is so much that I don’t want to remember or want to tell, but there is also so much I will never, ever be able to forget.”

    That was just one of the horrible tales of how innocent kids in boarding houses have their sexual life distorted and their lives helplessly ruined.

    Sometime last year, precisely in May, Prince Wiro of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability, a non-governmental organisation based in Port Hacourt, Rivers State, said he  personally handled a case in D Line, Port Harcourt  where a 32-year-old suspect known as Chidi was caught trying to defile a 14-year-old boy.

    He said: “When the community arrested the suspect, instead of sending him to the police station, they decided to fine him.

    “I personally reported the case at Olu Obasanjo Police Station here in Port Harcourt. From there, the matter was transferred to the state CID and from there, it went to court. “Unfortunately, the parents of the child refused to come. They absconded with the boy. I don’t know if they were settled behind.”

    He added: “I have also handled a case in D Street, where a man was trying to assault a five-year-old boy and when the parents of the boy caught him and raised the alarm, the man ran away. That case was personally reported to Azikiwe Police Station in Diobu, Port Harcourt. Diobu Vigilance Group was also made to be aware of the incident.”

    Wiro regretted that parents only teach the girl child that they should not allow anybody to touch them here or there. But sex education now should be for both the male and the female child.

    “You are also supposed to teach the boys that if somebody touches them where he is not supposed to, they should raise the alarm.”

    Underage children living with disability are also taken advantage of by the perverts. Comfort Alli of Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative said: “There was this handicap boy that lives in a compound around Oshodi that was being sexually abused by one of the neighbours. Most of the cases are kept secret because families often feel it would rob off negatively on the child.

    “During the days of Kuramo, there was a whole lot of sexual pervasion going on there. Some rich men would go there to pick these children, sleep with them and give them N1,500.

    “It got to a point that some boys that we took from Kuramo started sleeping with themselves in the centre because they had been exposed.”

    Because of the disturbing experience, Alli said: “I had to go for counselling myself. That was how much I was affected because it was too much for me.

    “That was how we started hearing stories of how boys who have had sexual intercourse with a man before would behave. One of the ways of identifying them is that their nipples pop out because they get sucked.

    “They are most likely to abuse others because they have been exposed to it. We did our best to curb it. It was really disgusting.

    “There were reports of anal injuries among the boys. Among them were slangs like joko le’so (sit on nail). When you go and meet them, you will see that they are running temperature and not feeling very fine.

    “Then at Kuramo, big men with very big cars would go to pick them. Now there are other places where such happen. These include, Marwa, behind this present house where you have runaway people living in shanties. Those ones are the ones on the island and also the Lagos Island Market.

    “Of course, you know that wherever there is market, there would always be runaway children. When you come to the mainland, they are in large numbers at Oshodi, Mushin, Oyingbo, Ijora, Ido, Ikotun, Oko Baba, Oko-Oba and Agege markets.”

    She clarified that she didn’t have those with anal injuries in her centre, “but two of the boys who were exposed had staphylococcus which we had to treat.  A lot of such boys become abusers if they are not well managed. Some of them don’t see girls as anything; they prefer boys.

    “Their psyche has been damaged. They don’t fancy girls, they fancy males. Because they have been sexually abused by fellow males, they also want to do it to other males.

    “A lot of them end up depressed because they don’t know how to handle it. They live a confused life and can’t concentrate in school. Their academics are affected and when they are with their peers they have low self-esteem.  They are always very unstable.”

    With regard to her and her team, Alli said: “At some point, we try to reconcile them with their families, especially during holidays. When they take them back, you will begin to hear some funny stories like one of them who ‘fingered’ the sister and other disturbing tales like that.

    “Remember I told you that they are confused and will try to find out their own sexuality.”

    The list appeared endless as Nwosu also shared the story of  a 12-year-old boy who was abused by his senior in an Ogun State  faith-based school.

    “He was abused till he fell ill.  He was traumatised and was emotionally down.

    “In fact, this case was reported by the doctor because when they called the mother to come and take him, she brought him back to Lagos and took him to the hospital.  It was at the hospital that he told the doctor about what really happened.

    “It was the doctor who confided in us that the boy was traumatised.  Children who are abused are tarumatised psychologically and emotionally and cannot concentrate in school, and they start abusing other children.

    “They go off whatever you are saying. If you are saying A, they will be saying B.  If it is a case of a male abusing the child, he would be afraid of men, and if it is a woman that abuses a child, he would be afraid of females.

    “At times, it pushes them into taking drugs, and by the time you discover it, they would have gone far.

    “There are boys that are begging to come out of it.”

    Concluding, she said: “The doctor told the mother to report the case so that they could help the boy. She said okay, she was going to think about it. But at the end of the day, what she did was to take the boy out of the school. But that would not solve the problem unless the boy visits a psychologist for psycho-social support and therapy to help him forget that experience.”