The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Interview

  • Buhari must avoid divided presidency in his second term —ACF scribe Sani

    Anthony Sani is the current Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the quasi socio-political organisation that is supposed to be the mouth piece of the North. Before his current position, Sani served for several years as the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation. In this interview with TONY AKOWE, he speaks about the controversial ruga settlement scheme, the fight against corruption and other issues of national interest.

    THE decision of the Federal Government to create ruga settlements across the country has generated serious debate across the country. What is the position of the ACF on the controversy?

    We have noticed that the same groups who opposed open grazing by nomads as a way of taming trespasses that bring about clashes between herdsmen and farmers are the same ones opposed to government’s intervention in the establishment of ranches on grounds that ranches are private businesses. They are also vehemently opposed to ruga which was meant to encourage sedentary settlements away from nomadic habit in the hope of improving not only volume and quality of livestock production but also to improve security by way of surveillance and monitoring. And now that the Federal Government has been very sensitive enough by suspending ruga in order to calm frayed nerves, and given the trite that suspension is not one and the same thing as solution, it is our hope that critics of ruga would seize this opportunity and proffer solutions that are acceptable to majority of stakeholders.

    And as they do so, they must note that herdsmen are landless Nigerians and farmers of livestock who are also entitled to support by government, especially in areas that border on public good like improvement of security and volume and quality of livestock. I say this because governments have supported farmers of crops and trees by way of building river basins, dams, subsidies of tractors, fertilizers and agricultural inputs. Governments have also bailed out industries that are either too important or too big to fail through socialization of losses and privatization of profits.

    The President has appointed new ministers to help him in his second term in running the country. What are your expectations from the new crop of ministers?

    The agenda for the new ministers are in the campaign promises, to wit, consolidate on the fight against insecurity and the fight against corruption which constitutes sand bags on the path of socio-economic development such as the diversification of the economy. The government should note that it cannot afford to take the confidence of the voters who voted for it to improve on its performance in the last tenure for granted.

    There are concerns about the rising cases of insecurity in the country, especially in the north. Is the ACF not concerned about this?

    You would note that this regime inherited a situation where the insecurity was so bad that CIA predicted the country would reach the tipping point by 2015. The attacks by the insurgence were across the whole north and the FCT. There was a time when one attack could claim hundreds of lives. That happened in Kano. In 2012, one attack in one village in Plateau State claimed hundreds of lives, including that of a serving senator. And in the next one week, another attack of a neighbouring village claimed another set of hundreds of lives. Happily enough, the prediction by America did not come unto its own because of the efforts of the government which have tamed the insurgence and consigned their attacks to the fringes of North East. As a result, the overwhelming fear in the North has started to give way to confidence and hope in the region.

    And now that a new set of challenges have been posed by kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, clashes between herdsmen and farmers  and have hyped soon after the last elections, most Nigerians are concerned  and disturbed about the development and calling on the government to step up efforts in order to put an end to the challenges. The President has assured the nation of the regime’s resolve to put an end to the ugly phenomenon. And it seems the efforts are yielding result, considering that there have been less reports about attacks across the country recently. And it is our hope that the President would deliver on the promise of the regime’s electoral mandate in order to justify the confidence reposed in the regime by voters.

    A lot of Nigerians have criticised the anti-corruption fight of this government. What is your own assessment of it?

    The APC government rode on the back of discontent brought about by insecurity and corruption that combined to steal our collective empowerment, our opportunities and our future as well as distorting societal value of senses of what is right and what is evil. As a result, the economy could not take root and thrive. The fall in the volume and price of oil in the international market did not help matters. The regime has confronted the monster of corruption with unity of purpose and ferocity. But it seems corruption is fighting back vigorously by painting the picture that the fight is selective, as if the fight is not work in progress. I believe the government has made some progress which has driven the fight into popular consciousness.

    As a result, the attitudes of cash-for-peerage is taking root and making way for honesty and integrity as cherished values. What one expects those arraigned for corruption to do is to defend themselves in the courts and not to say they are not alone who are corrupt. This is not to suggest that the regime should ignore criticisms of its strategy and approaches in the fight against corruption. Since the government alone cannot put an end to corrupt practices in the polity, it requires the support of most Nigerians to succeed.

    Ahead of the 2023 elections, the issue of rotational presidency and zoning has begun to resurge. While some believe that it will be the turn of the South to produce the President, others are of the view that zoning should not apply. What is your take on this?

    I believe the practice of rotational presidency is to help manage our diversity for development by some form of inclusivity in order to promote national solidarity. It is also an admission of failure of leadership which has made communities to believe that access to national and state resources should be turn by turn. Since we are in a multiparty democracy, I believe politics of zoning should be left to political parties which are at liberty to develop their winning game plans. This happened in the immediate past elections where about seven presidential candidates came from the North and about 70 candidates came from the South. I just pray that those political parties which include politics of rotation in their winning game plans would note that merit and rotation are not mutually exclusive.

    Another issue that has occupied public discourse in recent years is that of restructuring. What is your take on this?

    This country has been restructured several times. We started from a confederate arrangement of three regions with a weak centre, which became four regions until the coup of 1966 abolished it and supplanted it with unitary system with a stronger centre. The counter coup of the same year reversed it, but this time around introduced a federal system. With national government being balanced by appropriate state level power, the states have progressively increased to the current 36 states.

    As to the form of government, we started with the parliamentary system which works in Britain, then military dictatorship that has worked in other climes and now we are in presidential system which works in America. The only one we have not tried is a combination of the two which is successfully practised in France. On the economic side, there was mixed economy through Structural Adjustment Programme to the last privatization exercise which has replaced the economy with government’s monopoly with individual monopoly. One can see that the nation has been restructured several times, be it political, geographic or economic.

    More troubling is the fact that restructuring has taken many dimensions depending on who is hankering. We have those who hanker for true federalism, considering that there are no two federal systems that are self-same; we have those agitating for fiscal federalism and those clamouring for resource control. That may explain why some of us believe that any further restructuring of the country may not be necessary and not helpful. But given the view that restructuring is a continuous process, it should be undertaken democratically. That is to say, political parties which wish to restructure the country should include it in their manifesto and use it to canvass for electoral mandate needed for implementation. In the ensuing campaigns, voters may be enlightened and make informed judgment during voting. That is how multiparty democracy works. It is not for a select unelected few who profess to be a jaunty face of democratic values to try to foist their preferences on the rest of the country outside the tenets of democracy.

    The rising cases of unemployment in the country are a serious cause for concern. How do you think this can best be tackled?

    The rising cases of unemployment is largely a result of faulty system of education which makes graduates believe they are trained for white collar jobs only. We churn out hundreds of graduates without the corresponding generation of the white collar jobs. Our planners need to change the system of education. But meanwhile, the government may consider adopting the New Deal by President Roosevelt which effectively dealt with the recession of his time.

    What do you expect from Buhari’s second term and his next level plan?

    The regime has been trusted by the voters who have renewed the tenure in the hope that he would improve on his previous performance and put the nation on the right path of socio-economic development. This was based on his past performance and the campaign promises which he is expected to live up to at his next level in the second term. He should coordinate the government lest a situation where he presided over a divided presidency in the first tenure rear its ugly head in the second tenure. He should improve on his governance by impelling progress through multiplication of his strength through his subordinates or cabinet. Motivation is the instrument and social skill is the requirement.

    In the first four years of the Buhari government, the National Assembly was largely blamed for most of the things the government could not achieve. Now, the leadership of the legislature is fully in the hands of the APC. What are your expectations?

    For Nigerians to vote the ruling party to form majority in the NASS suggests most Nigerians know what they want by way of aspiration, vision and the nature of governance. To that end, the NASS cannot afford to disappoint Nigerians. This is because there would be no filibustering when executive bills are presented for passage. Nigerians therefore expect more because to whom much is given, much is also expected.

    In all, what is your message to Nigerians?

    My message to Nigerians is for them to exercise more patience with the regime which inherited a situation that has been in a shambles through failure of leadership by past regimes. And to take the nation out of the woods would require consciously directed efforts to make desires possible and then actual. Nigerians should learn to be distant runners by forgoing some part of their today’s comfort for the good of tomorrow. This is because diversification of the economy is not a day’s job.

    Nigerians should support the government in the difficult task of putting an end to the insecurity posed by insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, armed robbery, clashes between herdsmen and farmers, cultism and ritual killings across the nation. One way of doing this is to avoid giving ethnic and religious coloration to purely criminal activities. They should help the intelligence community to identify criminals irrespective of tribe and creed, and treat them as such.

    The situation is not beyond redemption. This is because if President Reagan in his 70s could make America feel young again with promise of glory days ahead, President Buhari can also do it for Nigeria. Where there is will, there would be a way. During the elections, we made judgments we felt were the best for the country. Now that majority of Nigerians have spoken by giving the regime a mandate for the next four years, let Nigerians come together and become one in support of the regime until the next round of elections when they are expected to go back to the trenches. That is how multiparty democracy works.

     

  • Why we engage artisans to lecture our students – Technical University VC Salami

    Prof. Ayobami Salami is the Vice Chancellor, first Technical University (Tech U), Ibadan. A pure academic breed who became a professor at 39, Salami is one vice chancellor whose experience as a unionist, lecturer and university administrator is helping him reshape the structure of university education to the type that can meet the needs of today’s world. Simple, unassuming and friendly, Salami cuts the image of a hero whose lifestyle, leadership and humility inspire many. In an interview with Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE, he speaks about his career, how he manages to combine pastoring with the job of a VC and the solution which the Nigerian education system desperately needs.

    ARE there childhood experiences you can recall?

    I was born in the city of Ibadan. I attended my secondary education at Lagelu Grammar School after which I proceeded to the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1982 and graduated in 1986. Thereafter, I was appointed as a Research/Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geography in 1987 and I was also pursuing my master’s degree concurrently. After that, I was able to win a United Nations scholarship for a specialized programme in remote sensing and geographic community system, and I pursued my Ph.D in that line.

    Subsequently, I moved from the Department of Geography and became a full-fledged staff in the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies in 1991. I rose through the ranks to become a professor in that institute and was the first staff of that institute to become the director. I had my other experience as academic staff in the University of the Gambia as a pioneer staff. I pioneered the Department of Environmental Science. I moved front there to University of Tanzania where I was a visiting scholar for two years, and I had my post-doctoral programme in the Netherlands, at the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation. I have also had some fellowship experience in other parts of the world including the United States of America (USA).

    How does it feel being the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Tech U?

    Everybody who has an average capacity and intelligence and managerial ability should be able to manage an already established system. But it will take a special grace of God and extra ability and endowment to actually start something from the scratch. It is just like flying an aeroplane. When the plane is already at certain altitude, the pilot can just go to sleep and put it on the autopilot. But to take it off from the ground is a more risky job.

    So, starting a university from the scratch and to see it grow is an enormous responsibility. It is very, very challenging but also very rewarding because it gives you a sense of fulfillment and it enables you to actually put your signature on ground if you do very well and the way it should be done and with all your effort and with all your commitment and passion.

    Did you ever dream of going into academic when you were a child?

    Originally, when I was in the secondary school, I thought I would love to be a civil engineer. But along the line, I just discovered that my passion was in academics. The first time I stepped onto the street of the then University of Ife, from day one when I was taking my bag to the hostel as a JAMBite, I knew in my mind that I was meant to be within the system. So, I never even thought of any other profession.

    What propelled that sudden conviction?

    There is a precursor to that. Right from the time I was about getting out of secondary school, I used to get involved in discussions with my friends when we were preparing for exam, trying to explain to them what I read, and I discovered every time I explained to them, the seemed to get better than when the teacher was saying it in class. I discovered that they kept on asking me to explain things to them, and once I explained to them, they would be happy. When I see the smile on their faces, something gave me the impression that if people who are your friends are this happy with you on the subject we were taught together, how will it be if you now have to expand your coast and be a source of motivation to the younger generation? The smile I used to see on the faces of my friends in school after explaining things to them in the subject we were taught together gave me the motivation that maybe this is where I could actually make impact in life. I was already having that thought before I got admission into the university. When I now stepped into the University of Ife, I said, yes, this is actually a factory for knowledge production and dissemination of knowledge, and with the passion I had before, I thought this could be a platform for me for full expression.

    You came into academics about the time lecturers salaries were inadequate to meet their needs. Did that frustrate you in any way?

    It was challenging, but I had to make a choice whether I wanted to make an impact or I just wanted to earn a living. At that point in time, I must confess I was offered a job in Lagos when I finished my first degree. I knew I would make more money if I went there, but I knew I would be derailing from my path of purpose. So I just thought that more money does not necessarily give joy. It meets your needs but it does not give you satisfaction. You can only be satisfied when you know that you are pursuing your dream and you are fulfilling your purpose.

    Everybody should actually ask himself, what their path is. What is my portion and what is the race I am bound to run? If you are not running your race, no matter the reward you are getting, it cannot give you satisfaction. People can be clapping for you, but you might be crying within. A lot of my colleagues actually left the university system at that point in time. I have a lot of friends who left the university system at that time, but I thank God today, we still meet and many of them normally thank God for me for having stayed back then. I can say boldly today that none of my colleagues who left then is better than me. In the short run, they seemed to be gaining mileage. They had initial advantage. But now, by the grace of God, none of them has advantage over me.

    What did those 15 years of financial struggle teach you?

    It taught me perseverance, commitment and it was an opportunity for me to think outside the box and look at the way one can survive within one’s profession despite the challenges. You don’t run away from your challenges. If you cannot move the mountain, you can find a way to drill a hole through the mountain.

    Is there a difference between being a manager and being an ordinary lecturer?

    There is a world of difference. I was opportune to be exposed to different sides of the university system. I was a lecturer. At a point, I was a unionist. I was actually the secretary of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Obafemi Awolowo University. Thereafter, I started entering into managerial level. I became the director of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies. I had the opportunity to be elected by the staff of the congregation of OAU to represent them at the Governing Council of the university for two consecutive terms. I also had the opportunity of being a member of the governing council of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic for four years. It was thereafter I became the Deputy Vice Chancellor. I had garnered a lot of administrative experience along the line as an ordinary lecturer, as a unionist and as a manager. It gave me a broad view of the university system; what is the expectation of an ordinary lecturer? What is the expectation of the union leaders and what are the challenges and the meeting of the manager? That gave me an opportunity to be able to put everything together and come up with what will actually be able to sink well with all the stakeholders within the system.

    What exactly did all these experiences teach you about the university and education system in Nigeria?

    What I have learnt from that is that within the education sector, we should not work in silos and we should know that it is always important to not only think about our views alone but to consider the views of others in arriving at the workable solution. An ordinary lecturer will see it at the point of view of what are the needs of a lecturer to function effectively? A unionist will see it only from the point of welfare. He doesn’t think much about the challenges or the limitation of the manager, while the manager thinks about how you want to succeed without actually thinking of what are the ingredients, the factors that can help you succeed.

    My experience across these various strata has helped me to know that when a unionist is speaking, I can identify with his sentiment. When an ordinary lecturer is talking, I can feel his pain. And when a manager is speaking, I can understand his limitations. And we have to really dialogue so that we can cross-fertilise ideas and have an open mind so that we can create a consensus. It is only when we build consensus across board that the university can move forward. But when we stay on our own point of view, we cannot come up with a holistic solution. This has helped me here as the pioneer vice chancellor of First Technical University. You can ask my staff, whatever any union would agitate for is already put it in place. I don’t wait for them to agitate because I have been there before. Whether I like it or not, the workers will come together as a collective. If they do come together, what should be the average expectation of the workers? And now as a manager, you shouldn’t wait for them to make these demands, to start the agitation.

    Unions are strong in Nigeria today because the government is not proactive. If you are able to really deal with the issue that will be a source of agitation, you will take the sail out of the wind of any agitation. As a manager, the most important thing is to be proactive. Think of about the issues. And where you have challenges, let them know and operate an open-door policy. Put your cards on the table so that when you say a thing, people can go and cross-check that what you are saying is true. Once people know they can take your word to the bank, when you tell them something they know, that is the way it is. If they are challenging, all of you will put your heads together and brainstorm on how to go through the challenges. And when you are benefitting, you don’t hold it back from them. You don’t deny anybody his right and his privileges.

    Do you have any religious belief?

    I believe that whatever you see in the physical is driven by what operates in the spiritual. The spiritual gives birth to the physical. I am a strong Christian by the grace of God, and that’s my Christian faith.

    How do you marry your religious belief with your scientific knowledge?

    I always quote this scripture Romans 12:11 which says “not slothful in business, fervent in the spirit, serving the Lord.” If anybody goes by that, it gives you the guidelines. You are not expected to slack in whatever is your business or career or discipline. You are expected to be fervent in the spirit and use it to serve the Lord. God has created us to be a total man. There is no dichotomy between the physical and the spiritual. My belief is that our spiritual endowment helps us to actualize our vision in life and use it as a service for both God and humanity. The ministry that I belong to, we believe that we receive anointing in the church and make impact in the world. That is what we always tell ourselves.

    How did you become a professor at age 39?

    It happened by the grace of God, by being focused and being committed to my purpose. No distraction.

    Would you regard yourself as a family man?

    The home, the family is the basis for performance. If you succeed in every aspect of life and you fail at home, you are a colossal failure. My family has been the most precious possession I have in life.

    Whatever I do, my family is taken into consideration. Because if you fail as a family man, how can you say you are excelling in any other thing? The family is the basis of the society. If there is going to be success in life, that success must start from home.

    How do you recreate?

    Sometimes I tell people that my spiritual activities are part of my recreation. From time to time, I take my family on vacation. I don’t miss it. Sometimes I have to really forget about every other thing and take my family on vacation. We bond together, review our lives, look at our goals and revise our strategies. What are the challenges? Where do we need to mend our fences and reinvigorate ourselves so that we have the energy to push forward?

    Is any of your children taking after you?

    My wife is a professor by the grace of God, but my children are at liberty to choose their path according to their passion. My job is to give them guidance, motivation and create an enabling environment. My first son is about rounding off his master’s degree. My second daughter is a medical student. But my last born is still not at a stage where she would be able to know which profession she will choose. We have three children.

    How does your typical week look like?

    From Monday to Friday, I am largely engaged with the affairs of Tech U. But except I travel, I have to be part of my midweek services in the church. And on Friday, once I am not engaged, I am part of the prayer meeting in my church. By weekend, I go back to prepare for my Sunday service, and the weekend is largely devoted to the church.

    How acceptable has Tech U been and what has been the major breakthroughs of this university under your leadership?

    Nobody actually heard anything about technical university before this one. It was not in existence in Nigeria until two years ago when we started here. And the idea of technical university will take some time before it percolates through the entire system. But it will interest you that in less than two years of existence, the webometric ranking has been good. They did a ranking of 252 tertiary institutions in Nigeria and they put Tech U at number 43; an institution that is less than two years old. That tells you that within a short time, we have covered a lot of ground.

    Before now, we used to have technical colleges, but graduates of those colleges were regarded as technicians. And because of the dynamics and the peculiarity of our society, people believed they are not being well recognized. So people are no longer interested even though they are supposed to have skills. Then the polytechnics, they see themselves as graduating technologists, and they are not managers. Again, our society began to discriminate against them. Then the rush for the university. We have a situation whereby we don’t have people with the technical skills again. Those who go to the polytechnic no longer concentrate on having the wherewithal but competing with the university graduates and those who go to the university don’t have the skills; they only have the head knowledge. We now have a dysfunctional system. We now have an education system that is not meeting our needs. We have the products that cannot produce services.

    Technical university is a bold attempt to actually make sure that we fix this major challenge. Here is the only university in Nigeria where you have the convergence of the curricular of the technical colleges, the polytechnic and the universities of technology. In essence, when you are a graduate of Tech U, you have the skills that the technician has, the expertise of a technologist and you have the acumen of a manager. The aim is to produce graduates who can serve as plug-and-play both in the public and private sectors and people who can serve as major player both nationally and in the international arena.

    In what major areas have you recorded success?

    One thing we have done differently is that every student here is skilled in at least two vocations. We are still in the second year but if any of our students drops out of the university today, God forbid, they have a skill that will enable them to stand on their own. Nobody can drop out of Tech U and have nothing to do. Today, those 200-level students of this university can step out of the four walls of this university and survive because they have something they can live on. Many of them are already making little money while they are still our students, and you can interact with them.

    Are you engaging non-academic staff to help them acquire skills?

    I normally say here we operate a disruptive academic model which means a model that disrupts the existing system. The existing system in conventional university is that you must be an egg head before you can function and impart knowledge and be a facilitator in the university system. But we said no, knowledge has to be all-embracing. Some people have knowledge but they don’t have the skill, some people have the skill, they don’t have the theoretical background. When you want to lift a basket with a load, you can’t lift it with one hand; you have to use the two hands. Skill and knowledge are the two hands on the basket of development in Nigeria today. It is not always that you have people that combine the two.

    Here in this university, we bring people who have the skills, they may not have the theoretical background. We bring people who have the knowledge but they may not have the practical skill, and the two of them work together to create a total graduate who can hybridize the two. Consequently, we make use of artisans. We make use of people who are technicians, people who are just technologists and academics. All of them work collaboratively to train our students so that when they go out of this university they can stand on their own. We want to produce graduates who are self-reliant, who can be productive within the economy, who will not be complaining that there is no job but can create job.

    What advice will you give the government, stakeholders and parents concerning the education sector?

    For me, I believe we need to recalibrate our entire education system. No matter how much we try to adjust what we have now, it may not serve us. There is a need for a total recalibration of our entire education system in this country. We should stop paying lip service to functional education. We have little functional educational system in Nigeria today. You cannot put a new wine in an old bottle. We are in a dynamic world, things are changing at a very fast pace. Our education system is too slow to respond adequately to the emerging challenges.

    Most of the jobs we have today were not existing 15 to 20 years ago. How can we be using the education system that was developed 25 years ago to produce graduates who will be working in the next 10 to 15 years? It cannot work. We have to review entirely, create a new roadmap for our education advancement in this country. All the stakeholders must be brought on board. All of us need to agree that we are having a serious challenge in this country today and we must not shy away from it. The only way we can do it is to confront it headlong and agree on the modus operandi for having a functional education and how we push for a fruition of entrepreneurship and technical education to our educational system from primary to the tertiary.

    What we are doing today is to pay lip service to entrepreneurship and technical education. We should go beyond that. We have to mainstream it from the primary level to the tertiary level. A recent study shows that 51 per cent on SME in Nigeria are graduates. Meanwhile, they were not trained in the university to go into SME. They were not given that orientation, but because of the situation in the country today, they found themselves in a position they were not prepared for. The UNESCO publication shows that in the next few years, 80 per cent of jobs available will be in the informal sector of the economy. No matter the number of universities you have, if you continue to double them every other year, you are producing for 20 per cent of the available market. What kind of education system are we having that is only taking care of 20 per cent of the needs and neglecting 80 per cent? We are gradually heading towards disaster. We are in a race to the bottom.

    If you had another chance to come to this world, would you still like to be a lecturer?

    I will still pick this again and again.

  • My family was comfortable but I lived like a servant —Redeemer ‘Varsity Pro-Chancellor

    As the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the Redeemer University, Prof. Adetokunbo Adesanya chairs the council that makes laws for the university and in charge of the general management of the university. A legal luminary, a businessman, an investor and business counsellor, Prof. Adesanya, for over 10 years, sat on the board of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and other companies. In this interview with PAUL UKPABIO and BIODUN ADEYEWA, Prof. Adesanya, who is a pastor, tells the struggle of growing up despite being born born into wealth and opulence.

    WHAT can you say shaped your life into the person you are today?

    I had a disciplinarian for a father. He never believed in spoon-feeding anyone. To put it in a nutshell, I had a tough background and upbringing and that shaped who I am today.

    Where did you grow up?

    I grew up in different places. I started life in Cameroun, came to live in Lagos and schooled in Ibadan, before leaving for England.

    What took you to Cameroun? Were your parents there?   

    Yes, my father was there; he was there in the Cameroun where he was practising law. Then I came to Lagos. I went to school at Ibadan primary school; I went to secondary school in Dublin, Ireland as well.

    So, would you say that you were a privileged child?

    That would be a paradox.It is a paradox in the sense that, I was in a family that could have been said to be comfortable, very comfortable but I lived like a servant.

    How did that happen? Were you in a polygamous home?

    Oh no, my dad was just a strict fellow, very strict. I cannot remember a car ever taking me to school as a child. In fact, the railway was working at that time. And I remember that the trains were working then and the railway ticket fare was one shilling three pence. I used the railway but it was his clerk who used to take me to the train station to board a train. And whenever I got to Ibadan, I used to board a bus to school then, which was in Molete. At a later time in life, he told me that, the reason why a car was not taking me to school was because it was he who had the car and if there was a change in his circumstance, he wouldn’t want it to affect me. He said if I had the privilege of being driven to school, that I would get used to it and if anything happened to him and I couldn’t be driven to school anymore in a car, that my friends will laugh at me. But if I never enjoyed anything that he had, even if anything happened to him, nobody would know.

    I remember when I came out of the university, when my mates were getting very good cars, I could only get the least of the cars in those days from my dad. It was called Daihatsu. It was the least of the cars, comparable to Picanto of today.

    Did that help you in any way to personally develop yourself? Did you see it as a challenge?

    Oh, I lived through it. Like St. Paul said in the bible, the son of a king under tutelage is a servant until he assumes the throne. Well, I lived through it. I endured it. It actually taught me to know that one can exist in any circumstance. Of course, part of the explanation he gave me in later years was that he deliberately wanted me to go through that kind of lifestyle to know that no man is superior to another. That it is only circumstances of life that puts you wherever you are. Today, I cannot walk pass a man sweeping on the road and not greet him. It taught me humanity. While it was tough for me to live under those circumstances, the benefits are enormous. Perhaps if more people had had that experience, we probably wouldn’t have the kind of Nigeria that we have today.

    You went on to study Law, who determined that choice for you?

    First, I wanted to read Medicine but I had always admired my late father in the legal world and in his lawyer’s robe. He was a cynosure to me. When the choice presented itself, I didn’t have difficulty in choosing Law. I studied at the University of Ife.

    How was the University Ife in those days?

    (His face warmed up in a full smile) Oh, Ife then was comparable to the best universities in the world. It was different from the other universities in Nigeria, which operated the course system; that is, if you failed a course, you had a choice of retaking the examination. If you failed a subject in year one, you could carry it to year four. But it wasn’t so at the University of Ife. Once you fail one subject, you repeated that year. Nothing was easy at the University of Ife in those days. We used to have this joke that even if you were in Physical Education department, to make sure that it is difficult for you, they will probably say you should be running backward instead of forward during physical exercises. I remember one of our lecturers, now Prof.Itse  Sagay, who is today in charge of Anti-Corruption, there was an external lecturer who came from Cambridge to mark our papers and he said this fellow deserves a first class but they gave him a 2:1 result. The university body replied him that there wasn’t anything like first class; that they had never given anyone first class before; that 2:1 was the best. Today, Prof. SagayOsagie has two bachelors degrees. He had to go to Cambridge, where he eventually got a first class.

    What kind of student were you on campus?

    People said I was a gentleman because I went to a public school in England. The training we were given there was to rise to become a gentleman in behaviour and in every other aspect of life. And I came straight from England to the University of Ife to study. I remember that I used to see young boys like me then jump the queue, push the girls, but I would stand up to them and tell them no, that is not right! So, before I knew it, people had started telling stories about me on campus, calling me ‘that Oyinbo boy!’ (Laughs). Yes, I was not born again at that given time, but it wasn’t about being born again then. It was more about being proper. I loved to be proper

    Did you meet your wife on the campus?

    (Laughs) No, I didn’t find her there, that’s actually another aspect of my life on campus. I can tell you that throughout my stay in the University of Ife, I never dated a girl. Again, that was part of the training I received in the public school in England. The way I saw it then was that, it was difficult to go out with a person when you knew that you were not ready to marry. We were taught not to break a girl’s heart! So, I had to discipline myself to know the boundaries. So, I met my wife after campus. She is an accountant who veered off to become a school administrator and proprietress.

    How did you get to become the Pro-Chancellor and got associated with the Redeemer University?

     

  • Why my husband is yet to be buried eight months after his death—Lulu-Briggs widow Seinye

    Uneasy they say, lies the head that wears the crown. The family of popular billionaire and politician, High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, has been in the eye of the storm since the patriarch died on December 27 last year at the age of 88. There had been allegations of high handedness, ego tripping, scare mongering and even murder, and the dramatis personae do not seem to be in a hurry to sheathe their swords. In this exclusive interview with INNOCENT DURU, the widow and Vice Chairman of the deceased’s various conglomerates, Dr. Mrs Seinye Lulu-Briggs speaks on her frustrations, regrets and way forward to the protracted crises that has stopped the family from burying the business man.

    What is stalling the burial of the revered Kalabari High Chief, OB Lulu Briggs?

    I honestly do not know what else I am supposed to do. I have allowed God to direct my affairs.

    There is a clear direction from God that I should write and invite all the children of Lulu Briggs house on the 31st of August and sit as a mother and address them, so that we can bury our father. Because if you ask me what we are dragging, I cannot point to anything. There is a murder charge on my head, which I have handed over to Jesus. So they keep making errors and nothing will come out of it. I am not worried.

    But aside that, I decided to write and I wrote to the first son up to the last, which is my little boy. I wrote to all of them and I said ‘dear all’. After now, I will send you a copy of the letter. It is all over the internet as I hear, because people called me from London, saying they saw the letter I wrote to my children. And they also saw the reply that my second step son sent to me. He made sure both are on the internet. As I obeyed that and I sent it, he replied, and the reply I will also send to you.

    What did he say?

    Basically in his reply, he said he is the chief of the house, the head chief, the chief mourner and the chairman of the committee, and that if any meeting would be called, it has to be from him. In any case, that I instituted two cases against him and his brother in Accra, so he is now asking for me come down to Accra so that we could meet in front of our lawyer and then decisions will be made. That is in response to my letter. He initially said I had no right. So I looked at it and said it is like the message God sent me has not been delivered.

    So I responded to him, and I told him it was quite clear that my letter to all the children was the letter from a mother. As a mother and by the grace of God, I am the mother of the Lulu Briggs family and I was a mother of the entire Briggs compound at least when my husband was alive as a paramount ruler, I was the mother. I have invited greater chiefs with humility and they honoured me. And I told him he was speaking like a non-Kalabari man; that nobody will tell him that what he is doing is wrong; only I will tell him.

    I reminded him that the chieftaincy he is talking about was a decision that my husband and I made among the lot. We chose to make him a chief, so he cannot remind me that he is a chief. If my son is a chief, it is a blessing to me. One of the reasons why we have a lot of children is that they will stand at the gate and defend us from attackers, not destroy the house we built. So, I sent it back to him and still told him that the meeting will hold. If he cannot come, he can phone in.

    It was after all this communication that my staff, the head of executive management office, she is the one that I would say is the head of our strategy; in fact everything that has to do with the company apart from me as the Executive Vice Chairman and Solate as the Deputy Managing Director, she is the manager. On her way home, she lives in a gated estate, the gatemen opened the gate for her and she entered. And after a while, because she was still driving to her own house, a car overtook her and crossed her in front, and within a fraction of a second, two men came out with guns. So she put her car in reverse instead of fear gripping her to submission.

    And at that time, they were shooting. They broke her windscreen and got back into their car and chased her. She entered a ditch because she was reversing, came out, turned the car, faced the front, and because they were shooting at her car, the gatemen, police, everybody ran and the gate was shut, so she hit the gate. At that time, they too came. Because her car was now blocking the gate, four men came out with guns and started spraying her car with bullets. Every single glass was destroyed. The entire body of the car was destroyed. Because she was alone, I do not know how God fended off those bullets and gave her cover inside the car; that not even a scratch of the glass fell on her. And she was there, no neighbour, nobody, the whole estate went to bed instantly. Now this is the second physical attack.

    Which was the first?

    The first was my camera man, my videographer, Goodness by name. So this guy, the day we held the ceremony of N50 million endowment fund to Rivers State University. On the day of the ceremony, and that same ceremony was the day we established the fund, announced it and established it; that is the OB Lulu Briggs foundation. It was same day that business machines and cash was given out to 89 persons because that would have been chief’s 89th birthday. So the day before he died, during the thanksgiving ceremony in Abonima, they identified persons to be empowered economically. The announcement was made, but unfortunately, it was the following day that we travelled and he passed on.

    So in his memory, on his birthday, we decided to fulfill his promise to those people. So the children, the first three sons not only did not attend, they sent official emissaries (chiefs) to meet with the king of Kalabari with a petition imploring him to instruct us not to hold anything in honour of their father. I do not know what their reasons were, but obviously their reasons were not acceptable to the chief because the Kalabari council of chiefs was very well represented. They were happy that even though chief has still not been buried, something glorious was being done to fulfil his wishes for mankind.

    So many people attended the ceremony. The former head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was the chairman. We have all the photographs and it was even published. It was on that very day the video man that covered the event, because they did not want any record of it, as he came to the house and was leaving in front of our gate, some men in a black jeep accosted him and told him to surrender the tapes. He told them that he did not usually keep them and had already dropped them in the house.

    The following day, he went to a village where the foundation was carrying out a five-day free medical mission on an Island in the Niger Delta. On his way back at the wharf, he was accosted again. Whether it was the same group, I don’t know. But he was warned again that if he likes his life, he should stop working for me. They said could he not see that the work he was doing was not a good work, that he should stop being loyal to me. They quarreled with him and left.

    The following day, we had a business. Thank God he was not in the house. Obviously, they had traced him to his house. By the time he came back, his house had been vandalized and they had carried away his computer. He reported to the police. Of course, there is a police report but nothing was done. Then my chief of staff received threats on the phone. My daughter’s friend whose wedding she just attended was called. They warned her friend to warn my daughter that they know where her fiance lives and the estate she normally went to, and that they were waiting for her (second daughter). Then for me, as for the threats, I have reported to the king and formally written that my life is in danger. I have formally written. I have the letter. I have also written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, I do not know what has come out of it.

    Do you have implicit confidence in the police or the security agencies?

    All I know is that when you say police, it covers from the Inspector General to the latest recruit. I do not believe that I can say that I have no confidence in the police, but I believe that the police team sent to investigate the so-called murder charge are heavily compromised. They are supposed to be Investigating Police Officers (IPO), but they act without reason. It was all on air when they came to Moni Pulo and destroyed the doors of Moni Pulo. We have them on video.

    I do not know what I must do before they would know that those people’s intention is not only to kill but to destroy me and everything around me.

    As I am, at least known by more than one or two persons in Nigeria, what is happening to the average man who knows nobody in Nigeria? I do not know. Because police received a petition from someone who had no facts, neither did he attach any fact to his petition, they moved from Abuja to come here to arrest. They have not even seen any dead body. They have not even confirmed that there is a dead person, but they came to arrest and break doors because they were obeying orders from the highest authority.

    What exactly are you doing to bring the family together in the light of recent happenings?

    As I have told you, the Lord spoke to me. And despite all these that I have talked about, I have called them. Dume has refused to come. He says he is the chief that should call a meeting. He wanted autopsy. Why would you want to do an autopsy on an 88-year-old man? The man that we all know had been sick and had so many pathologies in his body; any of them could have killed him. In fact, his doctor’s report I submitted directly to the head of CID in Nigeria. In his office, I gave all to him.

    The medical report where his doctor (a white man) even wrote that it is a miracle that chief was still alive. In such a body, you want to tear him to pieces to do autopsy. What are we looking for? I protested to the IG, to all my family, my chief, all of them. They refused and said if I continued protesting, it would seem I knew something about it. I said I do not care, leave this man’s body alone, but they refused.

    The Nigeria Police left all the crime in Nigeria; Abuja is burning, yet the Nigerian police went to Ghana to carry out an autopsy without my representation. I am his wife, married legally in court. Children that were born out of wedlock are the ones controlling, and they are saying they have the rights and I do not. In Nigeria, we have a constitution but I am not fighting any of these. I just want my husband to be buried. I am begging. I have pleaded with them. I have written him letters and he has published the letters. Now, whether he thinks my begging means he has something on me, it is laughable.

    I am taking the path I am following so that there would be no shame or disgrace. As a mother, I am calling, ‘Come, let us put heads together.’ The world believes that we are fighting. You are a young man, I am already married and a widow; it is for your own benefit.

    I did not suddenly wake up to take him to Ghana. The case in Ghana had to do with them trying to carry out an autopsy without me, where they will now manufacture strange reasons so that the Nigerian police will have reasons to hold me, charge me for murder and announce my name, then take over the company, Monipulo, which they have been trying to take over since 2002. The day I was incarcerated, the plan was that while I was in police custody, I would not even have access to one naira to send somebody to even get a lawyer for me. That was the plan. Very wicked plan. I am not bothered because they did not succeed.

    All I am begging, let us bury this man. He deserves to be buried. He lived his life for his people. Even his will has been read, and in the will, he did not disown any child. He is such a good man. He did not disown all the children that took him to court four times to disgrace him, to put him in jail for criminal offence.

    You mean his children took him to court while alive?

    It is in the papers. I am sure if you check, you will see them. It is already written. The original court processes anybody can get, I have them. Everybody has them.

    Did you think that chief knew this would happen before he died?

    All I know is that the man lived a life where he did not want God to hold him responsible for anything, so he refused to disown his children. He refused to do anything that would destroy their future. Instead, in his will, all he said was that their children will continue to benefit from the company he has established, and that their children, not them, because he said he has given them their own entitlements. And, believing that maybe they would do something silly, he said if anybody goes to court, of course, automatically they are cut off. If anybody does not carry out his burial wishes, which he said must include me, I must play a part, unlike what they are propagating, if anybody does not follow that, the person is cut off from his will.

    He said nobody should mourn him. He lived a full life and he even wrote a side letter in case any of them decide to go to court. It is all over. There is nothing we are arguing right now. There is no property we are even fighting for. All I am saying, let us bury this man according to his wishes.

    He always wanted burial immediately after death, and I said it. When I said it, they started arguing it. We chose a date twice and they changed it until after the elections because Chief Dume was standing election. Election is over, come let us bury him. That is my cry. My arms can never be twisted because I care nothing for property. Wealth is in the person not in the things. God has made me wealthy. Wherever I stand, wealth will follow me. Wealth must multiply wherever I am.

     

  • Chance meeting with Wole Soyinka transformed my life — UN SDG Action Award winner Foluke Michael

    The CEO and Project Director of Creative Youth Community Development Initiative, Foluke Michael, is also a Principal Partner of Caterina de’ Medici Africa Enterprise, an organisation dedicated to promoting agribusiness. In 2018, she won the Innovator category of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Award in Bonn, Germany, having been credited with the creation of Solution 17, a programme designed to help drive the actualisation of sustainable development goals. The known associate of the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, spoke with PAUL UKPABIO about her relationship with the literary giant, her lifestyle, childhood days and how she managed to develop the programme that has earned her global recognition.

    You have just returned from Bonn in Germany. What was the trip about?

    I attended the Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development which was organised by the United Nations SDG Campaign. My mission was to connect with organisations that are making positive changes around the world, introduce Solution17 for Sustainable Development Goals, share our organisation’s success stories, inspire action and build sustainable partnerships. The mission was accomplished.

     A few days ago, you had a programme at the Civic Centre in Lagos, which you said was a call to action. What action were you talking about?

    It is an action meant to create a movement that would end unemployment, hunger, poverty, lack of water and insecurity, and promote good health, peace and education. We are calling on the youth to design their future and secure a better one for generations to come. We can no longer wait for government alone to fix our future; we must take positive steps to free our dear country.

    At the launch of the UN Solution 17 for sustainable goals, you said that you have gone through Professor Wole Soyinka’s personal university. What did you mean by that?

    I met Prof Wole Soyinka in 2002. Prior to meeting him, I struggled so hard to help some Nigerian artists participate in the Caterina de’ Medici International Painting Competition in Italy. Just by divine miracle, I managed to travel with four artists to join about 65 other countries in Italy. We were the ones that didn’t have money. We were the ones that got there late and almost everything about the trip was wrong because we didn’t get a sponsor. I remember that I had to sell my car.

    We got to Italy and we had to get a hostel for the artists. But good enough, two of our Nigerian artists excelled with gold and silver medals at the competition. By divine arrangement, Prof Soyinka was at Florence at the same period. He then visited the Caterina de Medici office. Unfortunately, I had travelled to Belgium. He left a short note that I should see him upon my return to Nigeria. I celebrated that note as if I had won a $1 million lottery! Since 2002 till date, I have attended the primary, secondary and university of Prof Wole Soyinka, where I have gained knowledge, wisdom, power of discipline and integrity, among others. I am still learning till date. Prof. Wole Soyinka is not just a father but a dedicated mentor and teacher to so many of us! I’m ever grateful to God for meeting him. He has impacted my life beyond measure.

    So I started learning as if I was in primary school. Each time I went to him, there was an improvement. I was on training without even knowing that I was a student. He has deep knowledge of accounting, finance, literature, arts, public speaking and so on. The school has no specific course schedule; it all depends on what he is handling at a particular time. So the school of Prof Wole Soyinka is a school of knowledge; one that everyone needs to go through to improve oneself.

     Where would you say Nigeria is with regard to the UN SDG programme?

    Without being negative about my country, I must say that we are not making much progress, and I feel like there should be more public awareness of what these SDGs are about. They are not just UN SDGs alone; they are our SDGs. They are goals that we need to put in our everyday lives. There must be more action not just from the government but from the people. We need to organise all forms of platforms in order to involve children, youths and adults to take responsibility.

    A child can influence a school. A school can influence a corporate organisation. Someone who works in an organisation can influence a department there, and so on. We need to drive a movement because most of the problems listed as goals in the UN SDG are our problems. For instance, poverty, hunger, which is predominant in our country. Health is on the ground. Gender equality is not balanced. Nigeria needs to take ownership as a country and people need to take ownership of these goals to solve our problems by ourselves.

    I give kudos to some dedicated Nigeria youths who are working so hard to implement sustainable projects. The government of Nigeria must wake up and build active collaboration with CSOs, youth organisations and the private sector to move this country forward. This country can be liberated if government goes back to the drawing board, appoint the right people to lead change movement and promote partnerships among relevant stakeholders. We can rebuild the broken walls in 11 years if we are serious.

    You were listed by the UN as a solution provider under the SDG programme. How did that happen and how can Nigeria benefit from it?

    Solution17 has recently been published by United Nations as ‘good practice, success story and inspiring breakthrough’ that can be replicated and scaled up to help galvanise the momentum for implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We got to this point through hard work and determination. Our appetite for success is indescribable. Our vision to affect our world positively propels us at all time. This is why we are creating youth movement to rewrite the history of our country. Nigeria will be great.

     We heard that some countries are buying into your solution ideas…

    We are proud of our achievement so far. Organisations from different parts of the world are reaching out to learn and replicate our model. Currently Solution17 has been adopted in India, Morocco and Switzerland. We are prepared to give support to organisations, countries and youth groups in different regions. This is our contribution towards the actualisation of SDGs.

    You were said to have created four successful projects within 36 months. Tell us about the projects and the challenges you and your team faced in achieving them.

    The projects are ‘My New Nigeria Free From Corruption, ‘Corruption Busters Educational,’ ‘Creative Drug Education towards a Drug-Free Society,’ ‘A Short Movie Titled “TRAPPED” and ‘Solution17 for SDGs (Health, Corruption and Decent Work and Economic Growth.’

    The urge to build and promote a New Nigeria led us to creating these award winning projects. You see, I carry the Nigeria burden in my system. I think about the country’s enormous resources, potentials and the great minds; a country very rich and too poor! So we are currently creating a movement through these projects to free our dear country.

    Our major challenge is funding; but we are determine to overcome this challenge through sustainable partnerships with organisations with CSRs (corporate social responsibilities) channelled towards youth development and economic growth. It is a win-win situation!  We have also designed sustainable projects that will fund our social projects in a few years.

    You also recently won the best creative innovator in the world. How do you feel about it?

    It was a moment of thanksgiving and gratitude to God. The ideas, instruction and knowledge came from Him. The desire to do more was birthed right there in Germany after the award. I have won more awards and recognition internationally between March 2018 and now.

    The United Nations Information Centre Country Director said that the UN recognizes your work as a leader. How can the youth navigate the path you have passed through and reach the heights that you have attained?

    Our country is going through difficult situations: insecurity, high level of poverty, low quality education, unemployment, hunger, and so on. Every youth must look at each problem as an opportunity to proffer solution and service. Every change agent or inventor first makes himself available to solve a problem to help humanity whilst harnessing the business potentials.

    Nigerian youths must exhibit possibility mentality. They must have clear vision, the zeal to succeed, the readiness to be diligent and the power to sacrifice.

    How did your early beginnings influence the person you are today?

    I was greatly influenced by my mother and late father; they never failed to speak positive words into my life. I had a good upbringing which was built on high level of responsibilities. I was always available to help my mother with home chores, look after my younger brothers (five of them) and help her business to grow. I combined all these with school work easily. Multitasking, can-do-spirit, sacrifice and diligence were my major core values.

     How about your education background?

    I initially trained as a civil engineer. I discovered my potential as a social innovator, having practised engineering for a few years. I was awarded MSc in Project Management at the University of Salford Manchester, United Kingdom; a course I took to support my SDGs journey.

    Where did you grow up?

    I grew up with my parents in Ekiti State. We are from Iyin Ekiti.

     Can you recall some of your childhood memories?

    I was super intelligent in my primary schools day, courtesy of my favourite teacher—my father. He ensured I always wrote exams ahead of my class. I actually skipped Primary 6, having written my entrance exam to secondary school in Primary 5. So I became lonely all through the 1st term in my secondary school, because my classmates saw me as their “junior”.  I was always in a hurry to go home to spend more time with my parents.

    If you are not what you are today, what else would you have loved to be?

    I thank God that I found my purpose in life, nothing else would have given me fulfilment like what I currently do, it’s my calling. In addition, my vision has many branches, so I’m still on the journey, so much more to do.

    Seems soon you will be a citizen of the world, did you envisage that as a young girl growing up in Nigeria?

    Yes, my father addressed me as a queen, shining star, the most intelligent, world changer since I was only 6 years old! We were always together, at school, home, his farm, meetings and so on. As the only daughter, my parents entrusted my brothers in my care too early! I never disappointed them because they respected me so much. My father supported me early enough to become a very strong woman! He’ is my Hero. He took a loan to obtain my ticket and bought my first ticket abroad.

    What were your dreams as a child?

    To fly abroad!

    Taking your personal situation into context, what would you say is the role of a mentor in a young person’s life?

    To me, a mentor is also a leader; who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

    People assume that those who take life seriously like you, do not have time for pleasure. Do you have time for pleasure? If you do, what do you do for leisure and recreation?

    Twenty four hours sometimes goes too fast for me; I run on a long to do list on weekly basis; I also have carry over work to the following week, this situation runs throughout the year. I’m a workaholic when I have deadline to meet, I don’t combine work with pleasure at such critical times. Proverbs 22:29 says:  “Do you see a woman skillful and experienced in her work? She will stand [in honor] before kings; She will not stand before obscure men (paraphrased).

    I enjoy myself when project is successfully delivered and my tasks are completed; but I also do travelling, vacation, family funfair and regular visits to the gym.

    What music appeals to you?

    I enjoy worship songs, in addition to love music!

     What vanities of life do you indulge in that you cannot stop? For some, it is the love of perfumes, others, luxury cars, what’s yours?

    I love perfumes.

    Where do you get funding for your projects?

    Our projects have relied on self-funding; over 80% till date. But I work with a passionate team who will always sacrifice their energy, time and resources to ensure successful completion. It hasn’t been an easy journey but with the power of determination, we are on the track. This is why we are currently designing sustainable project that will fund itself in a few years.

  • Local govts must be rescued from greedy governors —House of Reps Member Egbona

    Dr Alex Egbona, the House of Representatives member for the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State is worried about the way and manner most governors are running the local government system in their domains. As a former local government councillor, he fears that the third tier of government is being killed gradually and could become totally irrelevant if the trend is not checked. In this interview with PAUL AKPABIO, the only APC candidate to have won an election in Cross River State in the recently concluded elections bares his mind on this and other issues of national interest.

    As a former local government councillor before you were elected into the House of Representatives, what are your thoughts on local government autonomy?

    I am one person who supports full autonomy for local governments in the country. It is annoying that people have bastardised the local government system and they don’t see anything wrong with that. Some governors see the local government as an offshoot of their Government House. A governor will wake up in the morning and announce the sack of a local government chairman, and sometimes dissolve the local government system and send the elected officials packing. There are local governments in this country that have been ruled by sole administrators, caretaker officials and so on. It is even more worrisome that in some of the local governments where so called elections have been conducted, the governor will single-handedly bring up all the chairmen and councillors. And so, those officials owe allegiance, not to the people or the constitution of the country, but to the governors.

    That is why I am a bit concerned about the workability of the new and commendable decision to credit the accounts of the local governments directly. As much as this is a great idea, I fear that some of the governors will arm-twist the chairmen and compel them to send the monies to accounts of their choice. Of course you and I know that the chairmen will have no choice but to obey the man who put them in the office. That is why I am a serious advocate of the scrapping of state electoral commissions. While I am pushing for the conduct of local government elections across all the states of the federation, I am also of the strong view that INEC should be allowed to conduct local government elections for the various local governments. I believe that if our country follows this path, there will be some semblance of decency in the local governments.

    I was once a councillor and I know what it was like, at that time and what the situation is right now. I can boldly tell you that the local government system has been systematically and practically messed up. At that time, councillors were able to check the executive and we made sure that the system worked. The local government chairman would submit his budget to the legislative assembly for consideration and we would ensure that the budget was followed religiously. Projects were executed by the chairmen and those who failed to perform were reprimanded by their councillors. The chairmen lived and operated from their domain. But today, what is happening? The chairmen only visit their offices, sometimes once a month. They prefer to live in the state capitals because the state governor and the house of assembly have taken over their responsibilities. That cannot be allowed to continue.

    I usually ask how the governors would feel if the National Assembly or even the President decides to take over their functions. How will they feel if the President withholds their federal allocation and gives them peanuts as pocket money every month, relying on some laws enacted for a selfish interest? There is really a very urgent need to restructure this country along that line. The local governments must be allowed to take charge of their activities.

    Do you intend to push for such changes now that you are in the National Assembly?

    At the National Assembly, some of us will push for this to happen. If operatives in the various states are arrested, tried and jailed for tampering with local government funds, they will stop. They are so daring that some of them (governors) even remote-control the LG chairmen to go and protest that they do not want to be free from bondage. Can you imagine a local government chairman saying they want to protest because the federal government is wielding the big stick, trying to stop the governors from tampering with LG funds? What do you call that?

    The time has come for the local government chairmen to stand up and fight for their right. Governors should be satisfied with their own allocations. They should allow the chairmen to work and develop the grassroots. That is where the masses live. Enough of the brigandage.

    You seem to be passionate about this issue…

    (Cuts in) Everybody should be worried about what is happening to our local governments. Like I said, I have worked as an elected representative of the people at the local government, and when I see what is going on today, it is nauseating. Tell me the names of the councillors in your local government that you know. Do you know them? Have you seen them sit to enact laws before? Ask the councillors themselves, do they even know what they are supposed to be doing as councillors?

    Take a visit to the local governments, especially those ones that are not close to the state capital. Go there every day for three weeks and come back to tell me if you saw the chairman or the councillors. You are a journalist. Investigate this. Is there any legislative assembly in the local governments? Mr President has my backing on this move to revive the local government system, and I am so passionate about the matter. I am ready to lead the campaign with the support of my colleagues in the National Assembly, to restore sanity to our local governments. The local farmer from the remotest local government in this country does not have any business trying to get to his state capital if the local government is working properly. The local government chairman and councillor have no business loitering round the state capital if the local government system is working. They ought to remain in their base and serve the grassroots people.

    We are complaining of insecurity everywhere. When last did traditional rulers get stipends from the local government system? Who cares about them? Yet we are all crying that they are not maintaining the peace in their domains. This cannot be allowed to continue. It is time to take our local governments out of the woods into the next level. I am in support of this, and I am committed to making this work.

    How does it feel to be a member of the House of Reps?

    Interesting, I would say. I say so because it is a dream come true. My people dreamt it. They worked towards realising it and now we have it. Yes, I am the face for that seat, but the people of Abi/Yakurr are the ultimate owners of the seat. It is all about them and I can only play my role as their representative, to make sure that everything that they deserve gets to them. It is an interesting experience belonging to the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

    We have only sat once after the inauguration. You know we are yet to be allocated offices and all that, so we had to adjourn so that by the time we return, all things would have been in place for a smooth take-off. I can only say that there are better days ahead.

    Recently, you spoke about your commitment to resolving the communal conflict between your state and the neighbouring Ebonyi State. What are your plans practically?

    My duty as a legislator is basically about legislation and oversight duties. In this circumstance, I have already started making plans for a first action, and it will be on the floor of the green chambers. I am already talking to my colleagues to get them to appreciate the gravity of the communal crisis. That will help us to get the buy in of my colleagues. I will not want to say much about what I am working on, but it will soon become public knowledge how the crisis which has lingered for a while will be resolved. For the purpose of this interview, I can say that my team is already working hard on this. I will explore the two instruments of legislation and oversight to resolve this as fast as possible.

    Let me use this opportunity to seek the hand of support of security agencies in getting this issue finally and permanently put to rest. Our people deserve to have peace and they must have peace. This issue is so dear to my heart.

    You were one of the people that stood behind the current Speaker before he emerged. What is the shape of things to come from the House of Reps now that you people voted based on the party’s directive?

    We are first of all party men. Our party gave us the ticket with which we won our elections. So, we are duty bound to obey our party. That is what is called loyalty. But I will like to assure Nigerians that the speaker is a good party man who is conscious of and has already indicated his readiness to work with everybody, irrespective of party affiliation, because the primary objective is to move Nigeria to the next level.

    Our activities and actions will be based on national interest. Of course you know that the APC has the interest of the country at heart and we will always be guided by those principles that will lead to better life for our people. If you are close to Gbaja, our speaker, you will know that Nigeria is in for a good ride as far as legislative affairs is concerned. From my interactions with him, he is totally committed to the cause of a better Nigeria. He is committed to defending the constitution and people of this country.

    Don’t forget that he enjoyed the massive support of even members of the opposition, including the main opposition party, the PDP. Look at the array of opposition members that even spearheaded his campaign drive. So, there is an unwritten rule of engagement that all of us have endorsed in principle, and that is the drive to make a difference in this 9th Assembly.

  • Why 9th House won’t be a rubber stamp—Reps Acting Spokesperson Khadijah Abbah-Ibrahim

    The Chairman House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Media, Khadijah Bukar Abbah- Ibrahim, was emphatic in her assertion that the 9th House would rather employ diplomacy to get its ways with the executive for the benefit of Nigerians. In this interview with a number of reporters, Abbah-Ibrahim, who was a one-time Yobe State First Lady and former Minister of state for Foreign Affairs, said the 9th House is determined to reform its activities, among other issues. DELE ANOFI was there. Excerpts:

    Do you think the 9th House of Representatives will be independent under the new dispensation considering the manner the leadership emerged?

    Unlike the 8th Assembly, where there was lack of rapport between the executive and the legislature, the aim of this Assembly is to work together to achieve a common goal. We’re going to work together because nobody can deny the fact that Nigeria is our country, and we need to protect the interests of the country; even as we are mindful of the importance of the separation of powers between the three arms of government. Those three arms are separate in their entities and separate in their ideals, but that doesn’t mean that they must be at loggerheads. Rather, it means that they should work together in order to make the country move ahead. These are the things that the Speaker(Femi Gbajabiamila) emphasized, that he came to the office through the project of the Joint Task. The Joint Task is a combination of parties, including the majority party, APC, and other minority parties; so, it wasn’t as if it was only the APC votes… as he was brought to the office irrespective of party affiliations. Before he was elected, Mr. Speaker reached out to all the parties concerned to associate himself with them and to show to them that having been a Minority Leader, having been House Leader and also a fifth termer in the House of Representatives, he found it fit to be the major contender in the House of Representatives as Mr. Speaker. There was an attempt four years earlier to be Mr. Speaker, but God didn’t say it was time; so he said God’s time is the best and, indeed, on the 11th of June 2019, by the special grace of God, he was made the Speaker of the House. So, he re-emphasized the fact that Nigeria is a country with a diverse population, different religions, totally diverse.  And in the world, you cannot ever find a country like Nigeria. And to that we all belong. So, it is in our common interest to put our hands together to make sure that we work for our own country, to make sure that our country moves ahead and in the comity of nations, to be considered as a developed country, not an underdeveloped country. So, towards that end, he has shown a sense of brotherhood by pulling other party members along. And even in his nomination, it was Hon. Linda Ikpeazu from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Anambra State, who seconded his nomination as Mr. Speaker. So, you can see democracy at play; a democracy without a minority or an opposition is not a democracy. What we consider a democracy is a healthy democracy that we need in this country. We need a democracy whereby criticisms can be taken as healthy and that is where the change we all craved comes from. So, we have to look inward, assess ourselves and see to it that indeed, we need to make changes where and when due and when appropriate.  These are the things that the Speaker emphasized.

    Speaker Gbajabiamila is very strong on the fact that Nigeria is too great for wastage of time during budget and budgeting process, that all these will become a thing of the past with the 9th House. When the budget bill comes, we’ll be able to pass it in good time and it’s not as if we are going to be a rubber stamp parliament. No. We are going to work as partners in progress with the executive. Where there is any kind of objection to this, we will do it in a mature and concise manner because we are partners in progress. We are not enemies; we are not competing with one another.

     It will no longer be business as usual, in addition to shaking the table a little bit; these were the assertions made by the Speaker. Does that not look like trouble for the executive from the onset?

    It is no trouble. The determination of this House to work hand-in-hand with the executive has been emphasised over and over again. In his inaugural speech, the Speaker said it is not going to be to business as usual. That is something the Speaker has actually begun to demonstrate. For instance, the traditional victory party being held immediately after the election, he made a categorical statement that he was not in the mood for that kind of celebration this time around. In other words, the 9th Assembly under him will do things differently.

    On the passage of budget, we have been having budgets staying for almost five, six months at times before being passed. This time around, this Assembly wants to do things speedily following all the due process but being more conscientious about the manner things are done, to even be more transparent in our activities and business doing things unusual.

    To emphasize the business unusual stance of this House, critical ad hoc committees of the House were set up just two days after inauguration, which is not the way it used to be.

    I think it’s also in the line of doing business unusual that for a Speaker, who wants to run an all-inclusive House, who doesn’t want to just come with his own idea and push it to the front burner that the Legislative Agenda was not unveiled the first day of his emergence. He needs to have a lot of consultation, take inputs from all the political parties represented in the House like it’s indicated in that logo, “Nation building, a joint task”. So, there’s no point rushing into releasing a document and then midway after discovering that it doesn’t have the inputs of everyone. He did not put the Legislative Agenda before the campaign, which is just Mr. Speaker’s idea; of course, he has it. He did his campaign with some of it, but we need to deepen it to add more spices to it. Now, all hands are on deck; the consultations are a priority because the document contains the details of the reforms that we will be bringing into the House. They are reforms that will be very good for the parliament and very good for Nigeria as a country.

    To take it further, the issue of shaking the table, I don’t want to quote Mr. Speaker but it is the intention of this National Assembly that in as much as we are constitutionally guaranteed, we have our rules to do our things. We are not unmindful and we are not going to be unmindful of the vehicle that brought us in; we have political parties. We will really do things in consultation and in conjunction with the political parties. And very soon, you will see what it means by just to deepen not doing things as usual. You will see that even the major opposition parties will now be paying courtesy visits to Mr. Speaker. The Speaker is ready to open up to them. After all, during the campaign, he reached out to them. So, like the PDP with a major opposition party coming to pay a courtesy visit to Mr. Speaker, we are just trying to emphasize what Mr. Speaker said, that the intention of the 9th National Assembly is really a statement of fact, and there is no hanky-panky in it. In shaking the table a bit, the Speaker said he has to do it gradually in order not to grind to a halt the system. So definitely his leadership style in the 9th House is going to be different. So, everybody has his own style of leadership.

    So, I think the question of guaranteeing or ensuring the independence of the legislature is sacrosanct. Yes, we respect the separation of powers but the constitutional intention of the authors of the Constitution is that all efforts should be geared towards nation building. In so doing, the legislature shouldn’t be seen to be a stumbling block to the executive and vice versa. But yes, where there are infractions by the executive, where there is a derailment from the set objective and the laws governing the country, this House will have to intervene in a manner that will not negatively affect the greater majority of Nigerians. After all, we are to provide laws for the good governance of the country. So, we will explore the many ways of seeking arbitration. There are so many ways of reconciliation; there are several ways of correcting infractions, and it must not be done with rancour.

    He(Speaker)appreciated the fact that when the legislature comes out as a police, intimidating the executive, they might be afraid of even coming forth to render accounts or even to explain. But when a friendly, an enabling environment is created, they will be willing to come forth. You remember, I think either 2018 budget that we cried out, that most of the agencies are not forthcoming; that the Secretary of the Government of Federation had to issue a statement that they have to come. They were apprehensive; so, we learned a lesson from that. So these are all to say when Mr. Speaker says it is not going to be business as usual, we cannot be intimidating enough. In order words, we want to put corrective measures; we are going to use diplomacy.

    There are some people from the executive who  look down upon the legislature and somebody feel since he has the power to hit an MDA, he is an Alpha and Omega, he can do and undo. No, we, as an institution, will find a way of bringing him to his level. In fact, before he even knows. The 9th Assembly came in full of spirit, learning from the experiences of the previous Assemblies.

    With the rainbow coalition ensuring the emergence of the Speaker and now that he has the seat, is the promise of 60 committee chairmen and deputy chairmen for the PDP still on the table? 

    Yeah. Well, you know, Mr. Speaker is a man of his words. I believe that if there are commitments he made during the campaign, he will live by them. We may not have the details of what those commitments are, you know, when you’re running for office, there are so many meetings being held here and there. But I want to tell you that with what I know about him, whatever he promises to do, he lives by them and he fulfills them. Recently, after a meeting with the Vice President in the villa, he re-affirmed that every promise that he made to all the parties and people involved in the campaign, he willfulfill them and I’m sure he is not going to go back on that.

    Are you aware of the threats from and land mines to be laid by some members that are still aggrieved, like the G70; what are you doing about it?

    The leadership of this House emerged through the rainbow coalition and there is no way we will allow the House we built to be destroyed by petty things. On the issue of the G70, yes, normally, after an election, where there was a contest, and that is the beauty of democracy. In democracy, the majority have their way and the minority have their say and it is the duty of those who emerge victorious to  extend the olive branch to the people who have been defeated so that we would portray a scenario of ‘No victor, no vanquished’, and I think the 9th Assembly is doing that. Yes, some people expressed re grievances on the electronic media but we are talking to the leaders of the said G70. We even held a meeting with them very recently and I think we are almost convincing them to sheathe their sword.

    And I don’t think you can hear anything that will impact negatively on the House over this. So, the 9th Assembly leadership is really, really leaving no stone unturned as regarding defusing any other uprising.  This 9th Assembly is after result; it is a result-oriented kind of setup. How it is done is top of our priority list.

  • My life as a victim of broken home—Property mogul Kelly Nwogu

    Kelly Nwogu is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Livelihood Homes Limited. In this interview with KUNLE AKINRINADE, he reveals his grass to grace story, trajectory in business and childhood years, among other issues.

    He strolled into the venue of the interview in Ikeja, looking debonair in his elegant native attire with a Hausa cap to match. Swathed by his aides and employees, Dr Kelly Izuma Nwogu offered apologies for turning up behind schedule. ”Sorry, for keeping you waiting,” he said. “It is not in my character to stand people up unnecessarily. I was held up in traffic.”

    But beyond his dapper looks and the infectious airs around him, Nwogu, founder and Chief Executive Officer of one of the top real estate firms in the country, Livelihood Homes Limited, operators of Blue Sea Estates, has a riveting story to tell of his struggle to the top.

    The only child of his mother, the 42-year-old businessman of Igbo descent, who was born and raised in Lagos State, invoked his childhood years and tempestuous trajectory with a feeling of gratitude to the divine.

    He said: ”I was born in the morning of April 6, 1977 at a hospital in Itire area of Lagos State. I arrived just 22 days after the second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture also known as Festac ’77, a cultural jamboree held in Lagos from January 15, 1977 to  February12,1977. It was during the military administration of the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, who took power following the dastardly killing of his predecessor, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, in a bloody coup staged by a band of mutineers led by Lt. Col. Buka Dimka.

    ”Nigeria of that era flourished in the oil boom and life was relatively good for people. So, the celebratory mood of my parents at our then residence on 1, Daniyan Street, Itire, was quite understandable.

    ”My parents, Mr Godwin Nwogwu and Victoria Obioma Nwogwu (of blessed memory) are from Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.

    “My father was a mid-career staff member of a foremost electronics company, Philips Nigeria Limited, based in Ojota, a Lagos suburb. My mother, a trained pharmacist, heaved a sense of relative fulfilment over my birth.

    “My coming had signalled the beginning of a fruitful relationship a few months after their union was consummated and their excitement was quite necessary, considering the pride of place a male child enjoys almost in every African family, especially the first child for that matter.”

    For the first child of a newly wedded couple, life was rosy for him as he was pampered and showered with love by his parents until domestic crisis rocked the couple’s enduring wedlock bliss. Signs of crack within his parents’ nascent marriage reared its head a few years after he was born when his father became exasperated with the inability of his mother to bear another child. The matter peaked when his parents separated.

    ”The issue generated series of row in our home, but both of them still managed to leave it to God until it tore their marriage apart a few years later and my mother separated from my father.

    ”Although, I was enrolled in elementary school early enough, my parents’ marital crisis affected my education and saw me to four different schools within a space of three years.

    “My first contact with formal education was at Santa Maria Nursery and Primary School, a private school located in the neighbourhood of Itire. The marital feud that rocked my parents’ marriage was to abbreviate my stay in the school.

    ”I was taken away by my mother when she was leaving. She relocated to another area of Itire and enrolled me in Eleja Primary School, a public school tucked in the Durojaiye area of the community. From a private school with conducive environment, I became a pupil of a public school located in a compound that accommodated about 10 different schools with chaotic environment that was enough to affect academic performance. Still I was on top of the class and appointed the captain of my class.

    ”My parents’ separation didn’t last for long. About a year after they parted ways for the first time, reconciliation was brokered and they were back together as a couple. Upon their reunion, they relocated to Egbe, a suburb of Lagos, and re-enrolled me in a public school, Ore-Ofe Primary School, Egbe, where I completed my elementary education three years later.

    “Despite their short-lived breakup, my parents were doing well. My father was still on his job at Philips Nigeria Limited and my mother’s career as a pharmacist was terrific.

    “My joy knew no bounds when I finished elementary education and looked forward to gaining admission into a secondary school. A military school, especially Command Secondary School owned by the Nigeria Army (NA), was my preference, but enrolment into the school was too competitive and required a lot of influence.

    “Since there was no one to influence my admission into any of the Command Schools within Lagos State, the only choice left was to accept my fate and enroll in a government-owned secondary school. I was therefore more than happy when I passed my Common Entrance Examination in flying colours and was offered admission into the foremost Eko Boys High School, Mushin.

    ”Although the distance from Egbe, where I resided with my parents was quite far from the location of the school, the thought of being a student in the school filled my heart with great joy. The more I looked forward to the end of the terminal holiday for primary school pupils and going to my new school in an all-white uniform, the more I became anxious.

    “My parents also made frenetic preparation for my first day in a secondary school. There were new uniform, sandals, bags, stationeries and other educational materials to make me comfortable. The only thing that did not cross my mind was that my studentship in the school was to suffer terrible blow before the end of my Senior Secondary classes.

    “The perennial feud over my mother’s ‘inability’ to produce another child would again smash her marriage to my father, who had become intolerable of having me as his only child despite entreaties from my mother.

    ”Right from my first day in the school till my botched terminal class—SS 3—I was always made the captain of my class. Even when I tried to hide my face during selection of the class leadership, my teachers would still single me out for the role because of the qualities they noticed in me.

    “However, going to school every day gradually became tough for me. My father had lost his job then and had impregnated other women because my mother could not bear more children. So, the financial burden of taking care of other wives and seven children (six from other women) took the better of him and set him on the path of financial crisis.

    “My parents could no longer afford to take care of my transportation to school. The little money they gave me every morning, according to them, was to take care of my lunch, while the burden of making it to school and returning home in the afternoon was left to me.

    ”Anyone in my shoes will no doubt revel in a quandary. I did, but later opted for a survival strategy. Every morning, I would set out early enough and jump on a molue bus to beg for a space on the laps of passengers, many of whom were on their way to work. Before helping me out, some belligerent passengers would throw jibes at me, thinking that I had spent my transport fare on small chops. Others would just lend a helping hand without raising any issue as to whether I got transport fare from my parents or not.

    ”The situation worsened when their marriage again took a descent into incessant quarrels, many of which I had to settle at a relatively younger age. Like the previous quarrels, the latest feud was borne out of my mother’s inability to have another child.

    “My mother had tried all she could to have another child, but she did not conceive. My father, who was apparently tired of coping with the situation, put some women in the family way and this got my mother disenchanted with the marriage. The situation led to another break-up.”

    ”Africans are known for giving a child a name contrary to the peculiarity of their environment, cultural background or circumstance of birth. His was not an exception. His middle name, Izuma (the wisdom you need to live on earth) depicts that he would need to apply outstanding wisdom to overcome the tempestuous ocean of life in order to attain the greatness for which he was destined.

    Living up truly to the truism behind his middle name, the young Nwogu came up with an enterprise to raise money for his daily trips to school. He cleverly started a small bicycle rental business in his neighbourhood without investing a dime. The enterprise earned him money enough to take care of his meal and transportation to school every day.

    He said: ”I was then 11, and it was an interesting experience for me. I approached an Igbo boy who was serving apprenticeship under his brother, who sold foodstuffs in the neighbourhood. I had noticed that the boy, almost of my age, while his brother was away, would rent a bicycle from an older bicycle technician in the neighbourhood and rode it for hours.

    “One day, I approached him and told him I could get him a bicycle to ride for free only if he could give me the sum of N250. After he gave me the money, I approached a nearby bicycle technician to purchase a bicycle without the front tyre. I took the bicycle to the boy and he complained about the missing tyre.

    ”I told him that I had brought the bicycle to him so as to prove to him that I was not lying. I told him that it would require another sum of N250 to fix the tyre which he quickly handed to me. That was how I got a bicycle without using my money to buy it. I would give him the bicycle to ride whenever his boss was not around. In the evening, I would take the bicycle to my home and rent it out. I later bought another bicycle from the profit I made from the business. With the business, I was able to support myself in school, pay my transport fare and eat good meals before returning home.

    ”The misfortune which my father’s lack of job threw our family into refused to abate. The family again lost the chance to retain accommodation at our Egbe residence when my father had no money to sustain his rent. We were ejected a day after my father threw a birthday party for me. The party must have infuriated the landlord because my father was owing rents.

    “The only option available to him was a small apartment in a mud house in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu. It was not the kind of accommodation one can be proud of, considering our former accommodation in a suburb. Yet, it was the only place my father can afford due to his financial problems arising from lack of gainful employment.

    ”The situation was made worse by the departure of my mother who could no longer cope with my father’s penchant for spending the proceed of their joint business on his other women and their children, and tolerating the ceaseless quarrels over her inability to have another child many years after I was born. I chose to relocate with my father to Ikorodu and turned down the offer to live with my mother.

    “My decision was based on the fact that I was already 17, unlike a few years before when I went with her at their first separation when I was only four years old. I was of the opinion that staying with my father would afford me the opportunity to finish my studies in time as I was already in Senior Secondary 3. The hardship that came with the relocation however shattered my dream of completing my education.

    “Reason: I was goiing to Eko Boys High School at Mushin from Ikorodu every day with a lot of frustrations, chief among which was the lack of transport fare. Unlike when I was doing bicycle rental business to support myself in school, there was nothing to cling to in order to survive and make it to school every day. The situation forced me out of school just a few weeks into SS 3 class. My teachers were worried about me because I was the captain of the class but there was no way they could reach me as there was no mobile telephone then.”

    Eager to put behind his ill-fated education goals and survive the hard times, Nwogu took up a job as a clearing agent at Apapa Port, Lagos.

    ”I made up my mind to look for a job that could get me out of the situation I found myself. I told my father that I would like to look for a job at the Lagos Port in Tin Can Island and he reluctantly gave his approval, albeit, that he had no money to offer for my transportation to the place. I assured him that once I found a job and make good money, I would return to school to complete my secondary education. With that, I parted ways with education and concentrated on how to survive the hard times.

    ”Realising my objective became difficult because of lack of money to ferry myself to the port. Although I knew no one at the port, I was determined to approach people there for assistance to get a menial job that could alleviate my plight. It then struck me that I needed to find a way of getting money for my transportation, and this led me into the bush where I fetched some water leaves which I sold for N40. It was the money I spent on transportation to the residence of one of my aunties called Comfort, who linked me up with a man at the Port after I shared my plight with her.

    ”On my first day at work, my boss was shocked to see me in a well-tailored dress, and he wondered whether I was ready to do the job. I would later realise that his reservation was not out of place because other apprentices in the dockyard came to work in off-putting dress and worn-out sandals. In a matter of weeks, I had begun to learn fast on the job, but my turning up for work in eye-popping dresses soon drew the wrath of my boss who began to feel uncomfortable having me around him. He was of the opinion that clients and people around could not tell who the boss was between me and him. He even complained bitterly to my aunt who introduced me to him. I shrugged off his complaints because it had become part of me to appear in neat dresses since my parents took care of me very well before their descent into financial problems.

    “Things happened so fast about three months after I started my apprenticeship when my boss stopped me from interacting with clients simply because of how I dress to work. Exasperated with the turn of events at work, I felt that it was of no use continuing with the job, and I was looking for how I could stow away in a ship to Europe in my quest to succeed in life at all cost.”

    The opportunity to stow away presented itself on a certain day in 1995 when he spotted a vessel owned by a Russian company preparing to sail on the sea again. It happened that Nwogu passed of the vessel’s journey for Europe until reality dawned on him when he was handed over to the police in Cameroon.

    He said: ”I was of the misguided conviction that the vessel in question was heading to Europe, and my mind was made up to sneak into it to any Western country it was heading to. I never knew the vessel was sailing to Cameroon. To realise my aim, I had bought N5 worth of garri (cassava flakes) and N5 sachet water. I beat the security mounted around the vessel and hid myself in the RAM (the door area) of the vessel.

    “The ship sailed smoothly and none of those on board knew or suspected that a boy of my age was hiding somewhere in the vessel. By the third day, my garri and water had finished. I launched into silent prayers, asking God to send down the rain so I can have water to drink, after which I slept off. By the time I woke up it had rained, and that was when it dawned on me that God answers prayers. I disregarded the colour of the water and drank until I had enough.

    ”On the fourth day of the journey, a member of the crew found me out. I pleaded with him not to inform other members of the crew but he declined. He alerted his colleagues who rushed down to where I was in a bid to apprehend me.

    ”My mind was made up and I was prepared to kill to evade arrest by threatening to attack whoever dared to come for me among them. However, I was eventually subdued, handed over to Cameroonian law enforcement agents and detained for days in cell. I regained my freedom a few days later and I was given the sum of N11,000 to return by air to Nigeria, which was the first time I would travel by air.

    Upon my return, I used part of the money to launch into travel documents procurement through some Liberians I had met inside cell in Cameroon when they locked me up for stowing away in a vessel. The Liberians had linked me up with their countrymen who lived in Lagos and worked as travel agents.”

    Despite the unpleasant experience of his short-lived trip to Cameroon as stowaway, Nwogu gathered courage and travelled again to a few countries in Africa, including Congo, where he ran into a vicious rebel group, but was saved by Providence.

    ”A few months later, I got some travel documents and travelled with a Liberian passport to seven African countries, including Libya and Congo, in 1998. I actually moved into some of the countries through their land borders. In Congo, I went there when the fighting between rebel groups and government forces was fierce. I had approached an old fisherman with an average knowledge of English language to ferry me across the water to the town I was to stay, but the man refused. I did not know the entire riverine area was under the control of certain rebel fighters. Reluctantly, the man agreed to take me there in his canoe.

    Unfortunately, the well-armed rebel fighters came out as soon as we landed at shore. As soon as I noticed they were coming towards where we were, I started helping the fisherman to re-arrange his fishing net. Before I knew it, they pointed their guns at me and asked for my identity in French. However, the fisherman had taught me some French words and how to answer the rebels in French. I told them that I was an assistant to the fisherman and that we had been on the sea fishing for hours. They lowered their rifles and demanded some of the fishes we had caught and left. That was how I escaped death at the hands of Congo rebel fighters.

    In Libya, I did menial jobs to survive and returned to Nigeria in 2001. In all, I travelled to seven different African countries and had nothing to show for it.”

  • ‘How I got my fingers burnt for ignoring a parental counsel’

    After spending about 20 years, holding strategic positions in two blue chip companies — Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Nigerian Breweries PLC, Kufre Ekanem resigned at a time when some people thought he was too young to do so. But he had other ideas. He birthed Philosoville, a corporate communications company. And within just eight weeks, his company produced Hymnodia, a reality show that hit it off in its first season, after housing 14 contestants in a house for 12 weeks. In this interview with PAUL UKPABIO, Kufre, who left Nigerian Breweries as Corporate Affairs Adviser, tells his story. Excerpts:

    Would you say that you had a privileged background as a child?

    I had a happy childhood. You may call that privileged because my father was able to provide us with almost everything we wanted as children. But he never wanted to spoil any child by giving more than that child needed to live and survive. I grew up on both sides of the street neither lacking in anything I needed nor having all the extras I sought for.

     Where did you grow up?

    I grew up in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states concurrently. I was born and bred in Port Harcourt but did all my schooling at home in Ikot Ekpene (and later Calabar). I usually say that I am a Port Harcourt boy and an Akwa Ibom man. I enjoyed both places. I enjoyed being in the city and also enjoyed being in the village. Even till now, I wouldn’t choose one over the other. Which means that I still shuttle between both places at present. If I stay too long in the city, I miss the village and if I stay too long in the village, I miss the city.

    What memories of childhood can you recall?

    Memories? Oh, that will be too plenty; we won’t have time to finish it today (laughs). I had a happy childhood. I enjoyed being a child. I did everything children do and even more! I had a special childhood.

     What does your background look like?

    I am the third out of 12 children. My father once jokingly called us ‘my dozen’. Unfortunately, we have lost two to remain 10 alive now. As I mentioned earlier, I am an Annang man from Ikot Ekpene.  I had primary school at Ikot Ekpene, my secondary school was still in Ikot Ekpene at Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, and then proceeded to the University of Calabar for my first degree and then post-graduate studies. Since school, I have done a little of broadcasting, journalism, teaching, insurance, printing, advertising, brand management and public relations in all its gamut. I have gone round the block a couple of times before getting to where I am. I have always been very interested in adding value to people, branding and communications. In the past two decades, however, I have been privileged to do all three in multinational environments.

    Who would you say determined your eventual life career?

    I chose my path. However, my parents gave guidance at several points to be sure I had thought through on my choice. It took a while to convince my father that I wanted to go into marketing communications. He wanted me to do something else. Interestingly, in the end he was convinced about the path that I wanted to go into, so, he allowed me to ‘walk my talk’ with the promise that I must aim to be among the best in my generation at it.

    What was the turning point that led you into corporate communications in Cadbury Plc?

    I had always been an entrepreneurial person. I wanted to practise marketing and marketing communications but I knew I will be an entrepreneur ultimately. My parents felt I shouldn’t go into entrepreneurship early being too restless. They told me to go into a well-structured organisation and serve to learn the way things work. With that, I will be able to succeed better with entrepreneurship.  I ignored them and started my stuff there in Port Harcourt. After a few years of working, I got my fingers burnt. I lost aplenty but I caught the bug which hasn’t left me. From then, I started working for my employers as if I was working for myself; as if I was an entrepreneur. Even when I came to Lagos and I had to restart at the basement, I was the same.  So each time I have wanted to move, colleagues wonder why, saying they thought I was having fun at the job. Take the move from SO&U to Cadbury for instance. I didn’t apply for it. They head-hunted me because they wanted a self-starter to add to the marketing team to succeed another self-starter, who needed to move onto some other role in the company. So when I got into Cadbury, from advertising and marketing services to brand management and later to public affairs, it was the same. Locally or internationally, it did not matter. God used intrapreneurship to lift me up.

     What position were you holding when you left Cadbury Plc?

    I left as Corporate Affairs Manager for West Africa. I was in Cadbury for nearly 14 years and I really enjoyed my time there. From advertising, brand management, public affairs in Nigeria and leading corporate affairs for the West African sub-region; it was a super opportunity for personal training, which also tested my skills and so on.

    Were you sure of where you were heading when you left Cadbury?

    I was leaving Cadbury to kick-start entrepreneurship when the Nigerian Breweries opportunity came. I had achieved a key promise to myself and the company. I decided it was time to go out and do what I wanted. However, Nigerian Breweries head-hunted me during the notice period with an offer and a challenge that I couldn’t refuse. I just put everything in the freezer for five years.

    What challenges did you face at Nigerian Breweries Plc and how were you able to overcome them?

    At Nigerian Breweries, I was the same person I have always been, working hard but working entrepreneurially. Now I was at the highest level of management but conversely, my scope was limited to Nigeria instead of the West Africa sub-region. I was indeed having fun working in those corporate organisations; I was lucky to have employers or bosses who enjoyed having intrapreneurs within the system. NB was great for me in that respect. I think I became a better general manager in NB. I was allowed to initiate and create things to add value beyond the desk that I sat on.

     What memories of working in Nigerian Breweries  do you have?

    I had a great time working in NB or even HEINEKEN globally. No kidding you. Creating a model for non-crisis external relations that was adopted in other countries, creating value from the culture for PR and measuring PR success by direct contributions to the corporate bottom-line, and so on. Testing one’s wit against such a collectively solid team was an energiser every week. I didn’t see time was going. But when the time was ripe to do what I wanted to do, I decided to leave. It was five years; the ovation was loud and it was time to re-activate the journey. Once I had taken the decision, the rest was easy; just execute.

    What are some of the things that you wanted to do?

    I wanted to set up Philosoville and execute Hymnodia, among other ideas. I needed to take the bull at the horns after 10 years of thinking about the idea or I would never do it again. Philosoville Limited is a culture, marketing and PR consultancy. People understand the last two but many do not understand the culture side very much at first. For us, culture is in three spheres of service. There is corporate culture, market culture and then there is societal culture. Hymnodia as an initiative belongs to the societal culture category. It is what we choose as a team to do first. We consult for several organisations as far as corporate culture, public relations and marketing are concerned but Hymnodia is our own initiative. In marketing speak, Hymnodia is a product of Philosoville and I have been thinking of it for 10 years.

     So, what brought about the reality show called Hymnodia?

    It was borne out of an intense desire to create something impactful to reignite the hymn culture in our society. We felt that the hymn culture was on the decline and that we should do something about it. Hymnodia is bigger than the reality show but the show is its flagship. Beyond the reality show itself, there are components like Street Hymnodia, Hymno-story, Hymno-trivia, and so on. We just had to do this. For me, it was also a way of showing gratitude to my Creator for all He provided for the almost 30 years I had been in the corporate world. We are very happy that it has been so very well received. For the team, it is a very satisfying adventure. People are now asking us when the season 2 will take off; when we have not even sat down to take a deep breath after season 1.

    What is Hymnodia all about and what was involved in creating it?

    It is an educating, entertaining, edifying reality show created around hymns and worship. It has to do with creating hymns, singing hymns, making and remaking hymns also.  There was a wide space open for wholesome entertainment and we were confident that we could create something to fill the space and fulfil that need. We are happy that we did just that with Hymnodia. The show which within its first season had so much goodwill and following is a huge success. We had 14 hymntestants selected out of a 1,500 people; we camped the hymntestants at the Hymnstitute for 12 weeks, competing to show who can hymn the best, if you will, with the public voting for them after the judges had scored them. Then we had a great concert of hymns (the Hymncert) to wrap it up at Easter. We were showing in 10 stations across the country. Working with such a great team was pure joy. The judges were the evergreen and celebrated Onyeka Onwenu; IgeSings, Sunday Olawuwo, who is the country director for the Royal School of Church Music; Theo Lawson and the set designers;  the Dean of the Hymnstitute (Ben Ogbeiwi); Music Director and choirmaster and the production crew. In all this, my wife was the producer with the expert management of the social media and administrative teams. Everybody on the team was fantastic.

     This had not been done before, so what gave you the courage to do it?

    Well, our courage came from the fact that we were not afraid of failing at this. But I had told myself that it was either we looked for something that has not been done before, or do something that has been done before in a different way. Innovation had to be embedded in it or we won’t do it. It was an engaging and memorable period between November, last year, to the final Hymncert on April 25. You can’t imagine the energy that we channelled into it. That is why the outcome is so gratifying. Sadly, we didn’t reach all our goals because we had to scale down and cut our coat according to our cloth. We are convinced we will see a lot more resources from sponsors and partners as we prepare for Season 2 though. We are hoping on that as reward and impetus for the courage shown so far.

    How did the youth embrace it? Oh, the youth love it. Just like the older generation too. It was as trans-generational as it was non-denominational. You need to go online and see all the different kinds of things they were posting throughout the period,even till now. New hymn-related words were joining the vocabulary daily. They had comments like ‘hymnspiring’, ‘hymninteresting’, ‘hymn-amazing’ and so on. The engagement was local and global. Others were saying that their churches do not sing hymns, that they need to get their churches to sing hymns and so on.

     What can you say about the challenges of putting together such a show as Hymnodia?

    The challenges were huge but they were not a surprise. Luckily, we bore them till the end. The biggest challenge was the financial but it rode with a twin called scepticism. People doubted if it could be done and done well. If it hadn’t been done before, why would you believe you could make it happen? People asked, can this project be done? Can these people do it? Will there be an audience that likes it? The second challenge was finding the right kind of support for the project itself. We hit the road with Hymnodia and quickly realised that it was even bigger than what we thought. So we had the pressure of resources. By the time sponsors and supporters started getting convinced and interested in Hymnodia, we were almost at the end of season1. Yet, that was when more people and organisations saw that it made sense. Lastly, there was the people issue. We had some people who were part of us who had not been involved in something like this before who needed to learn on the go, including the hymntestants who had not been on a reality show before; and people who had done similar projects before but had to unlearn what they knew so they could align with the ethos of Hymnodia. Luckily, we balanced the rookies with veterans who had been there over and over again, like the dean of the faculty, the set designer, professionals on one side and green horns on the other side. The new people brought wonder and adventure, while the veterans brought guidance for pitfalls, minefield to work around. There was so much goodwill for us as producers.

     What plans are in place for season 2?

    Things are already going on but first, more and more people are calling for a re-run of season1. People want to see it again as they said they didn’t see everything from the beginning. So we are putting together the rerun so that by the time we start season2, everybody will be on the same page. Information about season2 will start dropping in October and I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag before that. We are also putting a magazine together to showcase all that happened in season1, so people  could have the story documented in print for posterity too.

     Has the winner received the star prize?

    Yes, he received the star prize at the Hymncert (laughs). When people ask me if the winner received his prize, I pause and smile because the main star prize of Hymnodia is the ASAPH. Every other prize is an extra. I guess you are talking about the other extra prizes. That is an interesting story on its own because we went to the winner’s church of worship to deliver the brand-new car to him, as a surprise. He had no clue that we were planning to be in his church that particular Sunday. The church service turned into a mini carnival. But that is not the main prize, the ASAPH is. For those who don’t know, the ASAPH was named after King David’s choirmaster in the bible. He wrote a lot of the psalms with King David.

     Does Hymnodia have age limit or reserved only for the youth?

    No, there’s no age limit but all hymntestants must be above legal age of consent. Among the 14 hymntestants. There was a 19-year-old and there was a 40-year-old. It is for those who know their hymns, who can create the hymns and can sing. It is however not only about singing, it is beyond singing.

    Now that you are fully into your business, can you advise younger people on how to make it fast in business?

    I don’t think making it ‘fast’ is a good aim from my experience. Somebody once asked Picasso how he finished a painting so quickly within a short time and wanted to charge so much for it. Picasso replied that it wasn’t quick; it took all his life to do the portrait. This is similar. Nobody wakes up and does a programme like this in three months, if that is the first time that he is encountering the terrain. Before Hymnodia, I have executed several like this and learnt. If you take a look into my background from Cadbury Nigeria Plc to Nigerian Breweries Plc, you will notice that we initiated a lot of these types of thing. So, what I just did is a sum total of what I have done for a while. My advice to younger people desiring success is to learn all they can learn and practise as much as they can. If you are employed, use your employer’s platform to learn all you need, gather as much capability as you can, volunteer and practise as much as possible. Some will flunk, some will out-live you and when you finally set out on the road with your own idea or project, you will be wiser. Part of the reasons Hymnodia succeeded in its first season is because it is riding on the experiences I carried from other well-loved things that I have done in the past. Another advice I will give to the young people is, don’t go at it alone. If your dream is big, then don’t think you can do it alone. I could not have done Hymnodia alone. A lot of people invested themselves to make it happen: my wife (the producer), production crew, the faculty, the judges, the set designers, etc. In summary, have a clear idea what you want to do, learn, test and practise your skill or ideas as much as you can; fail if you must, get your bruises if you must and heal, get a support group around you, then do it again.

    You also work with your wife, what has been the secret of your marriage and co-business success?

    It has been God’s grace. Anybody who says he has the formula is lying to himself or he has not met the real test yet. It is grace and it is also having a friend as a partner. We truly want the other to succeed and do what we can to encourage each other. The businesses or projects just benefit from this. I have always believed in co-preneurship though, but I didn’t know what the term for it is. Interestingly I will be speaking to a group next month on co-preneurship and what impact it can add in helping us to rebuild our economy. Working with my wife is not a new thing though. I have been Chairman (and Chief Assistant Shopboy) of the Rosemary’s Group from the very beginning anyway. Rosemary’s Group is our business. Who and what influences your fashion sense?

    I don’t spend time deciding what to wear. If I ask my wife how I look and she says I’m okay, I’m good to go. I mix things up but I have boundaries on what to wear. I enjoy feeling that I’m dressed decently but I have never felt the need to dress snazzy. I don’t think two weeks ahead what to wear. I wake up and ask myself what I have in the wardrobe that aligns with where I would be that particular day. That is it. I am always comfortable with my skin anyway, so the dresses I wear are complementary on my body.

  • I relish amala, eba and I like wearing ankara – President of OFBJP in Nigeria

    The Indians in Diaspora are very much integrated into the Indian nation. The last Indian election few weeks ago confirmed this, as the frenzy was all over Indians back home and Indians in Diaspora. In Nigeria, the Indians gathered under the banner of Oversea Friends of Bhartiya Janta Party (OFBJP), a pressure group mobilising support for the Indian ruling party; they upheld and pushed for the re-election of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Damodar Das Modi, who eventually won with a landslide. The President of the Nigerian chapter of OFBJP, Sanjay Srivastava, an ex- banker, had the honour of being officially invited by the government to witness the oath-taking ceremony of the PM’s second term in office. He returned to share the joy of the moment with us, in this interview with PAUL UKPABIO. He also enthuses about life in Nigeria. Excerpts:

    You have just returned from the ceremony in India, where Prime Minister Modi took oath of office for the second term. Why did Indians in Diaspora campaign for PM Modi with such vigour during the pre- election period?

    First of all, we all feel the need to be connected with our country, no matter where we are. It is important that we know who we are. For instance, I am Sanjay, I’m an Indian. When you’re an Indian, you have to be different from the other people.  It is natural to be different. So, being Indian means being involved in the things about India and things that affect Indians at home and in the Diaspora. We talk about these things; we talk about being Indians on the social network.

    We read newspapers to know about the things that are going on in our country and we can’t help but be distressed about the bad things that atimes go on in India. As we are living in foreign countries, we ask ourselves in what best ways we can contribute to our motherland and when elections came, that brought about the opportunity. We decided we could do something on the social media; we could meet people, talk to ourselves, advise that they call their relations in India to share a common aspiration with us, to vote for our candidate, Prime Minister Modi, who eventually won with a landslide victory.

    What endeared Indians in Nigeria to Prime Minister Modi particularly?

    Our prime minister is very creative, very active, energetic and very much into performance. So, good governance as exemplified by PM Modi is known by all of us. Even few days ago, a popular newspaper in London rated him as one of the most influential leaders in the world. So, he has his kind in persons like Donald Trump and other world leaders.  He is that kind of person who goes ahead to forge a way for the country and truly, he has done quite a lot for India, creating hope for people living in India and also creating hope for those of us living in foreign countries outside India. Even when we are living in Nigeria, outside our country, we still have some expectations from our government. We expect that we should have good roads, that electricity will be there, policies will be attended to promptly and so on. Since he became the PM, he has been performing very well over the years. He has actually been meeting  our expectations and that’s why we like him.

    During his second inauguration, you represented the Indians in Nigeria; tell us how was the feel of the second inauguration?

    It was amazing; I was fortunate and humble to get the invitation to be in India for the oath taking ceremony. The invitation was from the PM himself, and they have protocols they follow before inviting people. I feel I was invited because we have been doing a good job promoting the government and not just our party alone, a government that has been doing well, building railways and giving a better education. The Indian population, which is about 1.2 billion is not a mean feat. So, the PM represents the entire population of India, and that is amazing.

    It was indeed an opportunity for me to be there. I was sitting in the Government House itself, where the whole power of India is. It was beautiful; other leaders were there, presidents of neighbouring countries, the ministers, big, top business men who drive the Indian economy were all there. I was fortunate to meet many of them, shake hands and so on. It was a historical moment, and history was created in that place. I am still trilled and excited about it.

    Now that the PM has been re-elected, what happens to your group? Will it be disbanded in Nigeria?

    No, the group will continue, because it has many other things to do. When any minister is visiting from India, we are there. Our strength is to connect people to people, to grow friendship among Indians, to promote better relationship,  bilateral trade between Nigeria and our country. There are many other positive activities that we do.

    In Nigeria, what kind of work do you do presently?

    Well, I am into training and consulting. I own my training firm. We are into corporate training and we also specialise in skill acquisition. I’ve been here for 12 years and I’ve discovered this is one of the important things required. Here, we have opportunities to transfer skills. We go to universities, and teach them too. It is not enough to have a good degree; it is better to have additional skills and these are the soft skills we transfer to people. We offer some free but some we charge.

    Were you born and bred in Indian?

    Oh yes, I was born and bred in India.

    What attracted you to Nigeria? And have you met the expectation of coming here?

    In India, I worked in a bank; then in the public sector unit, which was an engineering consulting company. India is very big and so, I was transferred from one place to another. At a point, I decided to apply to go abroad. I kept on applying until I got an opportunity to go to the Middle East. Going abroad means more learning and more exposure.  Soon, a company took my interview asked if I could join in two weeks and I said okay. That was how I got employed in Nigeria. First, I worked in an automobile company, then in a telecommunication before I decided to go into a skill development company where I work with a group of people.

    You said you have been in Nigeria for 12 years, have you been eating only Indian foods all these years?

    Oh no, I eat Nigerian foods. I love eating amala, Eba, but I like peppersoup the most.

    How about your family, are they in Nigeria?

    My family is here. They are Indians. My daughter is studying where there are lots of Nigerians. So, she has lots of Nigerian friends, and they study together. My family has begun to learn lots of African languages and other languages.

    That means that they are coping well with Nigerian culture?

    Yes, definitely they are.

    How about travels?

    We do travels once in a year.

    That will be to India. Is it only India that you travel to?

    No, we travel to other places, even within Nigeria and outside Nigeria. We go to the United Kingdom too. We travel around other places in Europe, America, Australia and so on.

    What are your hobbies?

    My hobbies include Yoga, meeting people, charity and youth mentoring. I’ve mentored quite a number of Nigerian youths and now they’re doing very well, doing big programmes and big activities. I go to Rotary meetings because I am also a Rotarian. I like meeting people and taking part in charity.

    Today, we are meeting you at the venue of a Yoga event. Tell us more about it?

    Prior to this day, Yoga has been practised in India for over 10,000 years. Few years ago when PM Modi came to power, he took it to a higher level. Yoga is a way of giving health and happiness to you, along with harmony and peace. It is a form of keeping oneself healthy through the ancient practices. The PM proposed Yoga to the United Nations to be adopted on 21st June, which is the longest day on the earth. So it is a significant day to give attention to yourself and your energies, which come from the sun. This day is, therefore, celebrated all around the world. Some nations supported it and it was passed in the United Nations. From there, he gave order to all Indians to organise Yoga activity on that day symbolically.

    Is Yoga a religion?

    Not at all, it’s a sport activity, a fitness activity or an exercise. In exercise, your breath and mind are not together but in Yoga, they are kept together; you are not listening to music or any other thing. You are focusing on yourself and on your mind.

    What are the benefits of Yoga?

    The benefits are numerous and they include healthy living. It heals different ailments and pains in the body. Only a Yoga guru can tell you what Yoga to do for what issues you have. For instance, you have a knee or back pain; it is a Yoga expert that can tell you which form of Yoga to do. Most importantly by doing Yoga, you are giving more to yourself to know yourself more and more.

    When you moved to Nigeria newly, did you have any challenge regarding cultural differences?

    No, not really. India is also highly diversified and where I came from, there are many tribes; some worship the sun, some the earth, some the trees and so on. And it is the same here. It’s just the mindsets are different; you have to give time to know and understand people. These things are also taught in Yoga, not to react but to learn, respect and give space to the people who are in front of you or people who you come in contact with.

    Do you like it here?

    Yes, I do. I am happy living in Nigeria. It is a very nice weather; the temperature is good and fine, between 25 and 38. By God’s grace, we live in Lagos and Lagos is by the sea, the weather is cool and calm. There’s greenery, sono wahala! Those things are good.

    Do you wear African clothes, Nigerian natives?

    Yes, I do. I love them and I have some of them in my wardrobe. I love to wear Ankara.

    Have you been attending Nigerian parties?

    Yes, I have. At least I have attended various marriage parties and I also go for cultural shows at universities. I’m mentoring youths and they keep inviting me to shows. Some time ago, I was with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hon. Lai Mohammed, at the Terracotta show in Victoria Island. It was nice. So, I make time to socialise with Nigerians.

    Is there a healthy traffic between Indians in Nigeria and India and what is the population of Nigerians like in India?

    There are thousands of Nigerian students studying in India, and I see and talk to them here and over there. Though once in a while, some biased people come to me with wrong impressions and I immediately correct them by telling them that some people are just naturally bad but not all people are bad. People go to India for cheap health care and education. The cost of getting healthcare in India is just about 10% of that of the U.S. The bottom line is when people go abroad, they should remember that they are representing their country. Whatever image they create there will affect the image of their country, so they should do well. But that does not mean that everybody from that country is bad.

    Are there any special expectations from the Prime Minister in India for Indians in other countries?

    We expect that this current tenure of his will be the one of fulfillment. Our expectations are that we want Indians to be able to aspire and do well in law, politics, science and all other spheres of human endeavours.

    Your values?

    We all are human beings first, whether you’re an Indian, British, American or Nigerian. So, we all should give each other respect, and keep learning. We need to evolve ourselves and make a better society.