The Nation Newspaper

Category: Special Report

  • IMPACT: How a single article sparks big change

    Behind ‘impact journalism’ are the people who write it, and what the readers do next  

    It’s happened to nearly all of us at some point.  Whether leafing through our daily newspaper, or reading it online, one story just sort of ‘jumps out’.  We might even cut it out, or share the link with a friend.  But some ‘ordinary’ readers go further than that, and end up starting something much, much bigger.

    What does a fair trade store in France, a charity ball in New York and a bank in Chile all have in common? A well-told, well-timed story. This is what happened when a businessman, a campaigning mom and a disenchanted banker all chanced across news articles that sparked something unexpected.

     Coffee

    Tristan Lecomte was getting bored at his desk-job at French multinational L’Oréal when his sister tore out a two-page spread for him from one of the newspapers sold by the homeless, Le Réverbère. It was about coffee, and something called fair trade, which Lecomte had never heard of. “At the time, I remember thinking it was kind of odd to mix ethics with business, and I buried the article in the bottom of a drawer,” he says.

        That was back in 1998. Some months later, he quit his job to start his own business with his university mates: they tossed around the idea of fair trade, brainstormed how to apply it, and finally ended up founding the first fair trade store in France, Alter Eco. After a rocky start, the company now distributes products to major retail stores around the world, including the United States, Australia and Brazil, certifying respectable wages and working conditions for the producers of the goods.

    Congo

        A very different story is that of Jennifer Williams, from an affluent suburb in Westchester County, New York. A former banker turned mom, Williams sat down to catch up on the news one Sunday not long after she had had her second son. Opening the front page of the New York Times to a story about rape in the Congo, Williams was shocked: “Why had I never heard about women and children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo whose lives were being ripped apart by unimaginable violence?” she says.

        She sent the article out to her group of power-mom friends, and shot off an email to the author, Africa correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman, for advice on what she could do to help. He got back to her and put her in touch with some key figures—such as playwright Eve Ensler and her foundation, V-Day, which was planning the construction of a special retreat center for rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, called the City of Joy.  Williams and her friends began to hatch plans for an up-scale benefit called Women of the Congo, inviting speakers like Gettleman and Ensler, but also actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Glenn Close. That first gala in 2008 became an annual event, and Williams and her friends have now managed to raise $250,000, or about one-third of the total funds needed for the construction and operation of the City of Joy hospital wing in Bukavu, which opened its doors in July 2012.

        “It’s a massive undertaking, but I liked the challenge,” Williams says. Before getting involved with V-Day, she had never done anything like this before. “There are a million causes, but it feels great to know that I’ve made a difference in one,” she adds. “We read about an issue, we were touched by it, we wanted to do something. And we did. There’s no better feeling than that.”

        Some journalists strive to have exactly this effect: one of them is Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times columnist Nick Kristof. “We’re in the lighting business,” he says of journalists. “And by and large our power comes from shining a spotlight on something that would otherwise be neglected.”

        Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn set off on a global trip to report on the subject that they saw as being paramount to 21st century development: women. Their book, Half The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, met with critical acclaim, was turned into a 3-hour documentary and also spawned a Facebook game which has raised $321,400 in charitable donations since its launch this March.

        Ranging from maternal mortality to sexual abuse to education, Half the Sky paints a rather dismal picture of the challenges still facing women today. But Kristof and WuDunn spare their readers from despair by also introducing them to individual women who are working towards a better life however they can. The book raises, and also genuinely tries to answer, the urgent question: what means do you have?

        But doesn’t this mean that the roles of the humanitarian activist and the journalist get blurred? “There’s a very fine line that journalists have to walk here,” Kristof warns. “It’s great to aspire to change the world with your reporting, but you can’t cover every city council meeting as if it’s the moral equivalent of genocide.”

      Magazine-journalist-turned-documentary-maker Claire Ward was inspired, as a student, by the New York Times’ “Fixes” column to take a closer look at how the non-profit sector works. But after putting together The Cola Road, her film about ColaLife, a project that is bringing basic medicines to rural populations in Zambia by piggy-backing on the vast Coca-Cola distribution network, she agrees with Kristof. “’Feel-good’ land is murky territory in the world of the supposedly objective,” says Ward. Nonetheless, she is convinced the film “could teach the general public a lot about what development and social entrepreneurship look like on the ground.”

        What is now known as ‘impact journalism’ is therefore about bringing practical possibilities for change to wider attention. But it should obviously remain as free and rigorous as regular news reporting. “Part of journalism is outlining not just problems but also potential solutions. But we shouldn’t be partisans, and I’m wary of becoming too closely identified with any one approach or group,” Kristof says.

    •Anna Polonyi: apolonyi@sparknews.com

  • SOCCKET: How football turns kids into bright young things

    NEW YORK –  As they walked through  the World Science Festival Street Fair near Washington Square in early June, passers-by stopped and looked, intrigued. Between a basketball space and an innovation stage, one little booth was presenting a soccer ball called SOCCKET. Children and parents got closer.

        Some asked questions while others chose to play. After a few football passes, kids brought the ball back to the booth. The presenters of the SOCCKET held it and connected it to a flexible lamp attachment. In a matter of seconds, the lamp lit up.

         SOCCKET could be a perfectly regular soccer ball. It looks exactly the same and weighs barely more. Yet there is a simple mechanism hidden inside that makes this one different.  When you play with it, a pendulum inside it stores energy resulting from the motion, and converts it into electricity. A 30-minute-long match with the SOCCKET might feel like soccer. But that ball will give you three hours of light at the end of the game.

        In five years, the SOCCKET went from being a student project at Harvard College to catching the attention of Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. Described as “the kind of thing I would like to see done” by the former U.S. President at the Clinton Global Initiative in March 2012, the development of this energy-harnessing ball is now being taken to a new level. Uncharted Play, a New York-based start-up whose founders created the SOCCKET, is looking to increase the ball’s distribution, hoping to bring light to communities without electricity around the world.

    “It is something simple that resonates in people’s lives,” said Jessica Matthews, co-founder and CEO of Uncharted Play. “You’re making a difference.”  Matthews and her classmate Julia Silverman developed the SOCCKET during their junior year at Harvard when they both enrolled in an engineering class for non-engineers.  In May 2011 the pair founded Uncharted Play.   They have spent the last two years introducing the project in the U.S. and abroad, from the South Bronx to South Africa.

    Melissa Seligmann, vice-president of business development at Uncharted Play, remembers children’s reactions when playing with the SOCCKET in Soweto, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. “There was a true excitement among them when they saw the product,’’ she said. “They started telling us it could help their parents with the energy bill.”

    In the different places Uncharted Play presented the project, children often shared ideas on how SOCCKET could benefit their families and communities. “You see kids playing with the ball, and then their mothers use the lamp,” said Victor Angel, vice-president of product development at Uncharted Play. “It’s very powerful.”

    In Mexico, the company distributed several hundred SOCCKET balls in Puebla, the country’s fourth-largest city, and in the neighboring state Oaxaca.

    “I’m from Mexico, I can relate to these children,” Angel said. “It’s an incredible feeling to see them using the lamp for the first time.”

    The Uncharted Play team launched more pilot programs abroad —in El Salvador and Brazil for instance—and learned from these countries’ users that they needed to make a better product. The ball, which weighed about 800 grams and was difficult to play with at first, went through four major redesigns. It now weighs between 480 and 500 grams —only 50 grams heavier than a typical soccer ball.

    The ball finally became ready for wider distribution this year. Uncharted Play launched a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter at the end of February, hoping to raise $75,000.  Instead the SOCCKET raised $10,000 on the campaign’s first day, and in just one month had pulled in $92,300, with more than 1,000 people supporting the project.

    “The campaign let us know that there was a market for that, that people were interested in getting involved,” Matthews said.

    The start-up sold 750 SOCCKET balls and obtained between 700 and 800 pre-orders. The price of the ball is expected to be roughly $90, and above, depending on the location. Clients are conscious consumers, people interested in innovation and design, but also parents and teachers eager to show their students the theory behind the ball.

    “A lot of educators think of the SOCCKET as a way to engage kids who wouldn’t think of themselves as science experts,” said Seligmann.

    The pre-ordered balls now need to be ready by August. And the production phase is often a testing moment for a bright young start-up. “Meeting your delivery schedule is the most challenging part of any Kickstarter campaign,” Seligmann said. “But we are currently ahead of schedule to deliver in August.”

    Initially, the SOCCKET will be produced locally, on Long Island, but depending on how the project grows, Uncharted Play hopes part of the manufacturing can eventually be done abroad, in the communities which need the ball, and the jobs, the most. The company has built a partnership with the Department of Energy in Mexico and has had preliminary talks with the Nigerian and Bolivian governments.

    A social media associate at Uncharted Play, Jaime Saltos, 31, is trying to get in contact with government agencies in Ecuador, where he is from. He hopes to bring SOCCKET to public schools there, as 8 percent of Ecuadorians still don’t have access to electricity, according to World Bank figures.

        At the World Science Festival, Uncharted Play presented two new prototypes along with the SOCCKET —a jump rope cord and an American football. “We’re moving to different forms,” said Hailey O’Connor, a lead designer at Uncharted Play. “Globally, football is very popular but not so much in the U.S.” In expanding SOCCKET’s energy mechanism to other sports like these, the start-up is now trying to reach the American market —and populations who have less access to soccer, such as young girls.

        “Each one of us is very ambitious,” said O’Connor. “ Jessica (Matthews) has been very good at pushing us until we fail. And there were failures! But you’re not learning until you’re failing.”

    •Video : http://www.sparknews.com/en/video/soccket-kick-starting-innovative-social-development#

  • Residents rejoice as new bridge links 24 Akwa Ibom communities

    Residents rejoice as new bridge links 24 Akwa Ibom communities

    Conceived some years ago for the purpose of connecting more than 24 communitiesseparated by water for several years in Akwa Ibom State, the completion of Iwuo-AchangBridge ushers in a new life for residents, writes KAZEEM IBRAHYM

    AS Lagosians hail Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration for constructing the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, the people of Akwa Ibom State, particularly residents of Ibeno community, are also rejoicing over the construction of a 600-metre bridge by the Niger Delta Development Commission across the Qua Iboe River, using an indigenous contractor.

    Built by Viche Resources, a subsidiary of the Roudo Group, the Iwuo-Achang Bridge is meant to connect about 24 communities in two local government areas in the state, which had been separated by the river over the years. For decades, residents of the affected communities had to travel in boats with the attendant risks before the NDDC came to their rescue. Now, with the bridge in place, they have an alternative means of transacting business and relating with one another.

    The newly constructed seven-kilometre road and 600-metre bridge connect villages like Iko, Rikang, Akata, Opolom, Ikot-Enwang, Okoroutip, Iwochang with 16 other communities. The Nation investigation revealed that before the project was completed by Viche Resources, most of the contracts awarded to foreign companies in the area were abandoned because of the swampy terrain, communal restiveness and other security issues.

    Completing the project was not without some pains to the construction firm as two of its employees were abducted by kidnappers in the thick of the militancy in the Niger Delta region. But with the determination of the company’s management to end the sufferings of the people of Ibeno and open up the economy of the area, the construction of the road and bridge was pursued to a logical end.

    Speaking with our correspondent, one of the construction company’s engineers, Tony Maduka, explained that the company had to cast the beams for the bridge about five kilometres away from the project site and had to transport them with barges. According to him, the company also had to travel 40 kilometres to procure sharp sand to fill the earthwork for the road.

    Explaining some of the problems encountered while executing the project, Maduka said he gave glory to God that the company was able to deliver the project many people had thought was not possible. “It is now clear that what foreigners can do, indigenous contractors can also do it. The first day I went to the site, I was afraid because the place is a mangrove and swampy area, but I summoned courage that the job would be done.

    “We encountered a lot of challenges while doing the job because the area is swampy. During the militancy era, it was terrible because two of our engineers were kidnapped. The project was carried out by mainly Nigerians. Most Nigerians are surprised that an indigenous contractor could build such a state-of-the-art bridge. To them, such construction could only have come from Julius Berger, Gitto, RCC, Setraco and other foreign construction companies operating in Nigeria.

    “The contract has been satisfactorily completed and it is waiting to be commissioned. It is to the credit of Viche Resources and NDDC that a Nigerian company was able to undertake and complete such a challenging job while other expatriate companies given jobs in similar terrains abandoned them.”

    Corroborating Viche’s development efforts, an elder in Ibeno, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is a shame that our own government has allowed itself to be hypnotised by the ancient argument of disparity in the expertise of local and foreign firms even in the face of glaring engineering and scientific feats of our people who end up doing the job for these foreign firms.

    His words: “Most of the major jobs awarded by the Federal Government and its agencies since independence have expatriate companies as 95 per cent beneficiaries. Most of these firms were companies with no history until they got to Nigeria. Their promoters only come to Nigeria with their brief cases, elegant words and confusing arguments.

    “The only investment they make is their hotel bills and they end up with mouth-watering contracts. They build a portfolio of resources so extensive that it guarantees them influence and authority where they should not have it. They put down enough seed money to finance the propaganda that Nigerian contractors are not competent or disciplined. It is a shame that our own government has allowed itself to be hypnotised by the ancient argument of disparity in the expertise of local and foreign firms even in the face of glaring engineering and scientific feats of our people who end up doing the job for these foreign firms.”

    Appraising the standard of the project, the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr. Christian Oboh, said encouraging local contractors to execute projects is part of the core mandate of the commission. “That is what the policy of the NDDC says because the Niger Delta area is a challenging environment. Those that must work there must have an idea of what the environment looks like. It is Nigerians who know how challenging the environment is.

    “When we came here, we realised that most of the local contractors were actually not performing because they were not being paid. I can tell you that very few Nigerian contractors would put their money because of instability or whatever happens in NDDC. We reached an agreement where we singled out that particular project and many other projects that we will put under fast track. I can tell you that I am happy Viche Nigeria didn’t fail NDDC.”

    Asked if NDDC was willing to extend the dualisation of the road so that the people of Eastern Obolo could benefit from the gesture, Oboh said there were plans by the commission to extend the road to Eastern Obolo. But he said the due procurement process must be followed.

    Oboh said: “The process of procurement must be followed. We appreciate what Viche Resources has done. But as the managing director, I do not just have the sole power to award the contract to Viche Nigeria. If I do, I would have given Viche Resources the process a long time ago. What we have done is that we are trying to provide for it in our budget.”

    The paramount ruler of Ibeno, Dr. Effiong Achianga, said the construction of the bridge had brought relief to the people. According to the monarch, there is need for government to encourage the local contractors in the construction industry so that the kind of competition the country is experiencing today in the telecommunication industry would be replicated in the construction industry.

    He said: “Viche Resources impressed me with what they have been able to achieve. I was initially skeptical about their competence, but having seen what they have done here, we are all happy.

    “I am appealing to the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta to allow Viche complete the extension of the road to Eastern Obolo and other communities within Ibeno.”

    In the mean time, the people are in joyous mood as they await the inauguration of the 600-metre Iwuo-Achang bridge.

  • DHL employees rescue Nigerian student stranded in China

    MAGNANIMOUS employees of foremost courier firm, DHL Express Ltd, proved a few weeks ago that their job is not all about dispatching mails and cargo. They offered a lifeline to a distraught Nigerian student, Oluseun Faleye, in far away Peoples Republic of China.

    Oluseun, a final year student of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Shenyang Aerospace University (SAU), China, was staying in the Asian country on borrowed times following his inability to defray school fees until the gesture saved his drowning educational dream.

    The story of the embattled student was first published in The Nation on Sunday, April 7 in the Deputy Chairman, Editorial Board, Mr. Tunji Adegboyega’s column, wherein he urged members of the public to lend a helping hand to save Oluseun’s drowning educational dream. He was due to graduate in July but could not defray the tuition fees for lack of fund.

    Adegboyega, had captured Oluseun’s plight under the headline “The Faleye metaphor” thus: “…when Oluseun Samuel Faleye received his letter of admission into Shenyang Aerospace University (SAU) in China in September, 2011, to study electronics and telecommunications engineering, in furtherance of his course at the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, his joy and that of his parents knew no bounds. Faleye had in 2011 concluded his diploma programme at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, which on March 30 of the same year signed a memorandum of understanding with SAU for the purpose of admitting the college’s products for a two-year degree programme.

    “His father, Chief S.A. Faleye, had in a letter of consent to the consular-general in the Chinese Embassy in Lagos, undertaken to take full responsibility for the payment of his school fees and any other financial involvement, before things started going awry. Any parent would not have thought twice before consenting to such a project. Prior to the signing of the MOU with the Chinese university, products of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology used to secure employment with the airlines or other aviation agencies with their diploma certificates. Faleye had hoped to get a job after the Zaria training.

    “However, a new policy which made it mandatory for those of them from the Zaria college seeking employment in the aviation agencies to have first degree came into being at about the time Faleye was leaving the college. This apparently informed the college’s decision to sign the MOU with the Chinese university so that the diploma holders would be able to go there for their first degree programme.

    “Faleye and his colleagues were thus in a quagmire, as none of those agencies employed the Zaria college’s diploma holder after that policy took off; at least initially. It was after he had stayed at home for about a year doing nothing that his parents decided to fulfill all righteousness: if what would get him employment was obtaining the first degree in the Chinese university with which the college had signed an MOU, so be it. So, they pulled resources together to ensure that their investment on their son in the aviation college would not be in vain.

    “Unfortunately for him, it was after he had left for China that some of the aviation agencies changed their mind and recruited some of his colleagues. Unfortunately too, for him, things did not go as planned as they sometimes don’t. The projection of raising the about N4 million needed for the school fees soon got derailed… his father, in his 70s, had to sell some of his property to ensure he completes his studies. His programme, which commenced in 2011, is supposed to end in July. But Faleye, the last child of his parents, is in a quagmire: he is not sure of concluding the programme due to the financial challenges he is currently facing. About N1 million is standing between him and the conclusion of his programme. If help does not come, all the investments in China since 2011 when he secured admission into the college would go down the drain.

    “When he realised the precarious situation in which he is, he managed to secure a teaching job in China. But that country is a no-nonsense country, they quickly stopped him because, as they said, the job is for their citizens. As things stand, Faleye is willing and ready to enter into agreement with any individual, corporate organisation or institution that is ready to offer assistance, on how the money would be repaid. “

    Soon, after the piece was published, some Nigerians, including one Prof. Adeleke Ojo of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, offered Oluseun the sum of N100, 000 while Adetumbi Omoniyi and one Asimi also gave him N2000 and N1000 respectively. However, the total sum was a far cry from the amount needed to bail Oluseun out of his fix. This prompted Adegboyega to once again run the story on April 17. The story caught the eyes of the DHL benevolent employees who investigated the veracity of his story and found it to be true. Hence, the employees of the courier firm pooled a whopping N1.5 million together and forwarded same to Oluseun’s school so he could complete his degree programme.

    Explaining the motive behind the gesture during a chat with our correspondent, the Chairperson of the Employees’ Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, Mrs. Funmi Glover, said: ”Over 15 years ago, we started a fund called United Nations International Children Education Fund(UNICEF) with one per cent of all employees monthly salary to assist in the execution of some projects undertaken by the international organisation. The projects were not forthcoming and that was the reason why we changed the name to Employees CRS Project in 2012 and Oluseun is the first individual beneficiary of the scheme.”

    Expatiating further, Mrs. Glover, who doubles as the Human Resources Manager of the company, said: “It was one of our members called Festus Oluwatuyi, who actually read the article in The Nation and brought it to our attention. We presented his case in our meetings and carried out a lot of fact-checking including his background, the story and other necessary checks. We painstakingly debated his situation in order to determine whether he actually deserved our help because we are also accountable to all the employees, who are contributors to the fund.

    “We got in touch with his former school in Nigeria, which confirmed that he is one of their former students and that it had a relationship with the Chinese university. We also spoke with Oluseun on skype and phone before we finally agreed to assist him

    “The total amount forwarded to him was about N1.2 million, including his return ticket to Nigeria when he finishes his studies. While we cannot guarantee him employment in our company, we shall use our goodwill to solicit employment for him in the aviation sector.”

    Responding, Oluseun’s father, Chief Samson Faleye, thanked DHL employees for their kind gesture, adding that but for their timely intervention; his son would have been deported.

    “I cannot thank DHL Express employees enough for offering my son a lifeline to complete his studies in China. I had taught that I would be able to raise enough money to see him through school but my hopes were dashed and I could not raise enough money to carry out the responsibility despite selling a two-acre plot of land in Ogun State for the purpose of paying his school fees when his admission came through.

     

  • How I lost my sight

    NATURE and inclement economic conditions, especially in this part of the world, often box the physically challenged, the blind in particular, to depending on others for their survival. It is, therefore, not uncommon to find some of them resorting to begging for alms on major roads to make both ends meet when they lack assistance for their basic needs, especially food.

    This is not, however, the case with Evangelist Upright Wonders, a visually challenged minister and proprietress of Eastern Star Care Foundation. She lost her sight in mysterious circumstance, that have defied medical explanation but uses her creative insight to add value to the society.

    She had the option of depending on others for her living, but she chose not to do that. Her choice has paid off today as many people, both able-boadied and physically challenged, now look up to her to make meaning out of life.

    She is consumed by the passion of liberating other physically challenged in the society from the world of abandonment, despair and poverty; a feat which even the privileged able-bodied people shy away from. She carries on with her activities without any sign of having any problem with her sight.

    As the proprietress of the foundation, she trains the physically challenged apprentices in her care on how to make handcrafts and home use products, thus empowering them to be self-employed instead of resorting to begging to earn a living.

    In an encounter with our correspondent at the 11th anniversary celebration of the foundation held at the Province two office of the Living

    Faith Church Worldwide, Oke Odo

    Bus Stop on Isheri-Igando Road, Lagos penultimate weekend, the soft spoken evangelist gave an account of how she lost her sight and how she got the call to quit her job and embark on the business of empowering the physically challenged.

    She began by explaining why she took the name Upright Wonders.

    She said: “Upright Wonders is not the name that my parents gave me but when I got the vision, I changed my name and it is pointing to where I am going and what I am supposed to be as a Christian. I am a ‘wonder’ and I want to live an ‘upright’ life. My real name is Ememebong Umondak. Ememebong means ‘the peace of God’. I am still using the name and have not discarded it.”

    She went on to narrate how she lost her sight at a time she was preparing to proceed to the university to further her studies.

    “I wasn’t born blind. I went to primary, secondary and high schools, with my sight intact. I was about entering the university when the challenge came up. I was then working with the then Cross Rivers State Television now known as Channel 45 Uyo. I had worked with them for two years and was about going into the university when the problem started.

    “After all the diagnosis, the doctors have not really been able to point at anything as the cause of the challenge. When the challenge came, I had to leave the media industry and enrolled in a school for the blind because I didn’t just want to live my life as a beggar. After my education, I worked with Aluminium Cement Company of Nigeria as a receptionist. Exactly two years after, the Holy Spirit put it in my heart that I am to assist fellow physically challenged and I answered the call by resigning from my job.

    “The name of my foundation came as a revelation I got from Mathew chapter 2 verse 2 that talks about that star that appeared from the east and led those wise men to where Jesus was born. The vision is aimed at leading the physically challenged and the vulnerable ones to their colourful destinies in Christ by forming their lives and empowering them and helping them to make heaven. We started the foundation 11 years ago and have affected the lives of thousands of people. We visit centres, organise crusades and also have fellowship where we address the challenges of the physically challenged. We have graduated many sets of people under us.

    “We train the physically challenged ones in adire making, beads making, and also have the products section where we train them on how to make home care products like liquid wash , izal and perfume. What we want to do is to discourage each and every one of them from begging and get them to be gainfully employed because they are not challenged mentally. The gifts of God are still in their mind; as long as their minds are still functional, they can still do something with their lives,” she said.

    Looking back at the number of lives she has touched, she said: “There are so many of the people that we have trained that are doing quite well today. I have one that is producing Izal and Detol. She has customers in the hospitals and has been supplying them these products. I have so many of them that are doing well and we thank God for that.

    “Some of them have not been doing as much as they are supposed to because of funds and this is where the need for support from individuals and corporate bodies comes in. These trainings are quite expensive because the cost of the materials we use in doing them are going up everyday and we don’t collect money to train them. We do train them free of charge.

    “After the training, we try as much as we can to empower them, rent shops for them and help them in marketing their products because so many people take the products from them to sell without giving them the money. We are trying to make sure that they are not exploited by dubious people. We have set up a team that would be monitoring such sales and we would devout a good part of our time to this and do it professionally.

    “Apart from the challenge of funds, our people also have the problem of marketing their goods as it should be because the products are not registered with NAFDAC. I can’t do it alone. I need the support of kind- hearted Nigerians, especially now that we want to establish a skill acquisition and talent centre with a bible school and music school attached to it. ”

    Speaking on how she acquired the skill she has been imparting into others, she said: “I acquired the skill on how to make these products by going for training. It was after I completed my training that I started making the products to sell. The money I get from the ones that I market for the foundation is what I use for training those under the foundation.

    “The market is not wide yet because we don’t have NAFDAC registration number and as a result cannot push it into the larger market. This is where we need NAFDAC to assist us by reducing the registration fee for us. I have not really got the official registration fee but someone told me that it is between N120, 000 and N150, 000. The day I went to NAFDAC office at Oshodi, the gateman did not allow me to enter. He said I should go to their office at Yaba. When I went to Yaba, they asked me to go back to Oshodi. After a fruitless effort to get the official registration fee, I gave up and went back to my house. They frustrated my efforts.”

    Apart from empowering the physical challenged to earn a living, she added that the foundation is also concerned about going into rural ministration to seek out and attend to the needs of the physically challenged.

    “ We also want to go into rural ministration and we trust God for it because the vision is from Him. This evangelical arm of the foundation is to organise crusades in rural areas. We are focusing on the widows, the physically challenged ones and the vulnerable ones because in our local assembly, when they are going for outreaches and witnessing, they don’t remember the physically challenged ones. They neglect them but God has raised us to go into the rural areas to minister to them because their souls have to be saved and their needs met by empowering them.

    “My message to the physically challenged ones out there is that they should locate a foundation like this where they can learn the truth about God. Many parents and guardians are keeping physically challenged people at home and not allowing them to do anything. They should know that they can still make it in life in spite of their condition. They should find a foundation like ours to make them acquire skills that would keep them away from begging to survive. We have been transparent in all we have been doing. Any money we get for the

  • I started by selling kerosene to Lagos market women

    I started by selling kerosene to Lagos market women

    42-yr-old oil and gas magnate Osobase

    Debonair Managing Director of Wosina Global Services Ltd, a downstream oil firm, Prince Lewis Osobase, in this interview with KUNLE AKINRINADE  recounts his grass-to-grace story. 

    Many will, no doubt, find motivation in his riveting story. The success story of Prince Lewis Osobase is that of courage amidst hopelessness and outstanding strides buoyed by diligence. Indeed, those who are familiar with his trajectory of experience in business will readily attest to his business acumen against the advice of some of his friends, who felt that he was ‘immature’ to plunge into business shortly after leaving university.

    He said: “I did not want to work for anyone in my life and that was what encouraged me to start business as soon as I finished from the university. Although, I had to contend with the discouragement by a few friends and family members who felt that I was too young and lacked the experience to succeed in business, I thank God that I am a success story as a business man.”

    Yet, as hugely successful as he is, he has no airs around him. “I do not have to attract importance to myself because I realise that such an attitude easily distracts one from consolidating on achievements as a business man”, he said.

    At 42, Osobase, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wosina Global Resources Limited, a downstream oil firm, has built a company he founded barely a few weeks after he finished his compulsory National Youth Service into a multimillion naira concern with branches in major cities of Nigeria.

    Sharing his grass-to-grace story with our correspondent at his Festac, Lagos office, he recalled how he started his journey as a business man. “Against the advice of friends and siblings, I set my foot in business and dared the hard tackles of frustration to succeed”, he started.

    He continued: “I started in 2001 with the distribution of black oil after my Youth Service at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) because I didn’t want to work for anybody. Indeed, it would surprise you to know that I turned down an offer of automatic employment at the NNPC because the management, among all other youth corps members, gave me employment at the end of my service year based on my diligence and outstanding service.”

    However, his strides in business did not come on a platter of gold and in one instance. Osobase recalled how he escaped death by whiskers while conveying his products to a market in Lagos.

    “I used to accompany my hired trucks while sourcing for products at depots. And I later switched to distributing kerosene to market women at the popular Mile 12 Market, Lagos, and many other markets in Lagos State and I sometimes slept inside the truck while on trips. I would return from markets wearing the smell of kerosene. I was following my driver on the trips because I could not afford to lose the little money invested in the business which was proceeds of my personal savings as a youth corper and loans from a family member.

    “And on a particular day, I had an auto accident that has left me with scars on my hands (he raised up his hands as proof) and the products were lost in the incident thereby setting the business back. The truck had barely left the depot in Benin for Lagos State when we had an accident at a spot in Ore, Ondo State, but I thank God because the scar on my wrist has made me a better person by becoming undaunted in my vision to succeed as a business man.”

    Not a few would have made a u-turn from the business following the relative reversal of fortune and probably venture into a new business line, but Osobase stuck to his guns.

    “I took cognizance of my ability and acumen as a businessman despite my young age because I was barely 30 and the difficulty which the auto accident posed to my fortune in business. My assurance was hinged on my belief that “God would make a way where there seemed to be no way; I did not for once doubt His ability to turn things around for me because I know that I am not a lazy man.”

    Truly, every set back is a tonic for a good comeback. A reprieve, he said, came his way when a new generation bank got wind of his challenges and offered to help him out.

    “It was a ‘miracle’ how officials of the bank managed to know me because I was then operating from my one room apartment .I would supply diesel to companies and come back to my room looking tired all the time but I was hopeful that things would one day look up for me. I was in my residence on a particular afternoon when I learnt that some bank officials were looking for me and when I saw them, they explained their mission to me. They said they had come to ask me to access their facility so that I can purchase a truck of my own to convey my products; and that was the turning point for me in business because the bank actually provided the fund with which I purchased my first truck.

    “At the moment, I have over 50 trucks for distribution of products to our teeming clients and tank farms for the storage of the product. I also have about 3,000 employees on my payroll in various operation offices in different parts of the federation such as Lagos, Enugu, Benin and Umuahia, while plans are on hand to set up offices in other major cities of Nigeria. My company’s annual turnover is worth several billions of naira. I thank God for making me a success story today. Just last year, we moved into an ultra-modern corporate head office in the heart of Festac, Lagos State, and this is a landmark achievement for me. The holding company records annual turn over running into billions of naira.”

    A hail of ideas is hitting him at the moment; apart from unbundling the company into subsidiaries such as engineering, logistics and security services, he explained that there are plans to diversify into footwear manufacturing as well as hospitality sector with a world class hotel forming part of his vision.

    “The engineering subsidiary of the holding company handles sales, installation and maintenance of generators for top telecom companies at their various cell sites as well as manufacturing concerns. Besides, we have also established a logistic company and a security outfit as part of our diversification agenda, while plans are on to float a world class hotel and a footwear company.”

    Born on August 1, 1971 in Kaduna State, to Prince Williams Osobase, a trained military pharmacist, and Madam Lucy Osobase, a business woman, he hails from Ewohimi in Esan South Local Government Area of Edo State. He attended Eguare Primary School, Ewohimi. He later proceeded to Pilgrim Baptist Grammar School, Ewohimi, for his secondary education.

    He proceeded to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and MBA from the University of Benin.

    A widely traveled man, he has attended various leadership and management training workshops in Britain, Italy, United States of America and Germany. He is also a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    Happily married with a son, Osobase revealed his philosophy: “I always want to be the best in whatever I do and leave a laudable landmark for others to emulate. And life has taught me to be a blessing to others and that is why I have established the Osobase Lewis Foundation, to help the needy and indigent students not just in my community but across the states of the federation.”

  • I relax by reading & watching movies

    ‘I’m also taking lessons in golf’ Fashion icon Sighetu

    Fashion Icon, Sighetu Edubane Edeku, knew what he wanted from life right from childhood. Though his father, a very successful book merchant, wanted his son to go the university and study medicine or law, the little boy had his eyes fixated on fashion.

    To get his father off his back, he would later attend the University of Lagos where he studied Geography and Town Planning. Satisfied that he had done half his father’s wish, Sighetu threw himself into his childhood passion-Fashion.

    “Fashion is a very big business all over the world. My mum and a few other members of my family were into it. And when I was in the university, I discovered that I was selling clothes to my colleagues on campus. I would go home to collect stuffs and sell to my colleagues in school. After I left school, it was only natural that I would go into fashion business.

    “I almost dropped out of the university. But I knew it would to be unfair to my parents to do that. So I had to honour them and complete the course. After that, I went on to do what I had always wanted to do. But I first had to study at the Institute of Textiles.”

    But the young blood in him would not allow him to finish the textile course before starting a fashion business. With the benefit of hindsight, Sighetu, in a deep throaty laughter, said he quit because he was too much in a hurry to make money.

    Almost three decades on, Sighetu has, to a large extent, established himself as a name to be reckoned with in the burgeoning fashion business in the country. But he is not done just yet, his dream, he confessed to The Nation, in an exclusive interview, is to ensure that his brand is worn in every home in Nigeria.

    “My dream is to have my brand in every home in Nigeria. I know it is possible, and I am working toward it.”

    Fascinated by the Italian fashion market success story, Sighetu has vowed to maintain the Nigerian identity in his own brand. To start with, he has remained faithful to the meaning of his name, Sighetu, which, according to him, means ‘pathfinder’ in his native language.

    As a pathfinder in the fashion business, Sighetu has ensured that, ‘by choice’, everything about him remains African.

    He explains: “I am a Nigerian by deliberate choice. So whatever I do comes from the African perspective. The food I eat, the way I dress and the way I live are all from the African perspective.”

    While many may look at fashion from the passion perspective, Sighetu confessed that he views it more from the business angle. And he is not surprised that men are gradually taking over a business that was previously dominated by the female folk.

    “Men had always been dominant in whatever business. For instance, many people would believe that chefs are predominantly women. But most chefs in big hotels are men. It is the same in the fashion business. Fashion business is a serious one. And it is no surprise that most serious businesses are dominated by men.”

    Sighetu is not unaware of the ‘danger’ of working with female models most times. And like a wise man, he said he has successfully drawn the line between pleasure and business. “It is like an entertainer, you need to draw the line. For me, I know the challenges of working with models, I mean female models. Therefore, I need to put my head down and know where to draw the line.”

    Interestingly, the last four years have been particularly traumatic for Sighetu. He lost his wife and business partner two years ago. Prior to that, she was sick for about two years, necessitating that he took a break from fashion for about four years.

    When his wife was alive, she formed the backbone of the business, especially those that had to do with the models.

    “I worked with my partner, that is my wife. We were always together doing videos and photo shoot. In our kind of business, you must have somebody to help you keep your head. My wife did that for me.”

    In a painful tone, Sighetu explained his experience of the past four years; “I lost my wife about two years ago. She was ill for about two years, and I had to leave the business because it was no easy to manage. And I had to take a leave to take care of her. But unfortunately, she passed on and I lost my drive.

    “For me, it was a double loss. She was my wife and business partner. In the office, we were always brainstorming. And at home, I could wake her up and discuss any idea. When you lose such a person, it reduces your confidence. And more painful was that she the face of the business. After her death, I didn’t feel like going on with the business anymore.”

    For him, making a comeback into a business that gave him fame was as difficult as making a primary school pupil write a university examination. But after several pieces of advice and therapy from family members, friends and experts, he is gradually beginning to find his rhythm once again.

    While fashion is taking the front burner in his list of priorities once again, Sighetu has also found a new passion in golf. For him, relaxation has no other meaning than reading a book or watching a movie.

    “These days, I relax by reading or watching movies. That is what I understand by relaxation. It is my own way of relaxing”, he said.

    But he has also added a new passion to his ‘dictionary’ of relaxation. And today, whenever he is not behind his table, penning down a design, reading a book or watching a favourite movie, Sighetu would be at the prestigious Ikoyi Club, Lagos, where is presently taking vigorous lessons in the artful and elitist game of golf.

  • 15 fastest growing small business opportunities in Nigeria for 2013

    TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

    4. Inland water way transport

    Inland water way transport is one of the fastest growing business opportunities in Nigeria.

    In fact, I believe the niche is still untapped because I am yet to see a modern commercial boat or ferry service system in Nigeria. Though there are a few operators in this industry; I am yet to see the modern facilities being used by the developed countries.

    Another reason inland water way transport business proves viable is because population in states such as Lagos, Ogun and Rivers states is rapidly on the rise, resulting in the congestion of roads. Since the roads are becoming heavily congested, the next means of transportation the inhabitants of these heavily populated states will resort to is water transport. With proper planning, a good management team and adequate funding, you can break into this untapped industry and carve a niche for your business.

    5. Haulage and logistics

    Haulage and logistics is another fastest growing business opportunity in Nigeria. Though it’s considered a risky business, you can breakthrough if you have a strategic business management team on ground. Good management is the key to surviving in the business of haulage and logistics.

    6. Outsourced bus service

    This is similar to haulage and logistics but the cargo in this case is humans. I am not talking about the regular road transport bus service. In fact, I don’t think I have seen the idea for this business being utilised by anyone.

    In this case, you are providing transportation services to firms and corporate entities. Some corporate organisations can’t afford an in-house transport system for its executives and staff, so this is where you come in. You provide the cars or buses, provide the drivers and you are paid on a monthly or contract basis for the use of your transport services.

    Another area of target is schools. Most schools would like to provide transport facility for their students but they can’t afford it and this is where you come in. You provide a bus service system and send out a proposal to schools to use your bus services. Just imagine 20 or more young schools jointly using your student bus service system and you will catch the vision of this idea.

     

    INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

    When it comes to ICT, I will say Nigeria is lagging behind when compared to the western world. It may sound like bad news to you but to entrepreneurs and investors, it is good news. ICT is still an emerging trend that hasn’t reached its peak, so a lot of opportunities exist for both local and foreign investors. I won’t go into the capital intensive business opportunities that exist in the ICT sector; rather, I will stick to small and medium scale business opportunities.

    7. Cyber Café

    The demand to stay connected to the rest of the world is rapidly on the increase and the cost of internet connection is still on the high side when compared to what is obtainable in the western world, thereby making cyber café an alternative for internet users; and an investment opportunity for entrepreneurs. This business can be started either on a small, medium or large scale but I will prefer a large scale because size can be a competitive edge for you in this business as customers won’t like to be kept waiting.

    Customers of this industry want speed and efficient service and most importantly; they want to be sure to find a vacant computer system anytime they want to surf the web without having to wait in line. If you can get a good location; provide speedy internet access and provide complementary services; you are in for a breakthrough.

    8. E-Services

    Just as the world is going e-crazy; so also is Nigeria catching up with the trend. E-services provision is still a virgin business opportunity that hasn’t fully been tapped. Under the umbrella of providing e-services; you can find the following fast growing business opportunities: E-payment, bulk Sms services, web design and hosting, database management services, e-portal management, etc.

    EDUCATION

    The need for education is on the increase and the burden to provide quality education is getting heavier for the government to bear thereby, leaving room for private and institutional investors. The following are ways you can tap into the potential opportunity.

    9. Schools

    A lot of institutional and private investors have gone into building quality schools and providing quality education but the potential has not been reached. With a population of over 150 million Nigerians, where 65% are below 40; there’s still untapped potential in this niche.

    You can access this business opportunity from different entry levels. You can tap into this niche by providing either crèche, primary, secondary or tertiary education but all entry levels holds strong potential. Please carry out your own analysis before investing in any level of this business opportunity.

    10. Seminars

    Not everyone loves being educated within four walls of school. Some prefer street smart education or high speed learning and that’s where you come in. You can set up a seminar company that organizes coaching services according to the current needs and trends of the society.

    11. Training centers

    Specialized training or educational centers is another fast growing yet untapped business opportunity in Nigeria. Examples of specialized learning centers are Leadership training schools, entrepreneurial centers, training centre for the gifted and physically challenged, training centre for hobbies and crafts, etc.

    12. Tutorial centers

    With the proliferation of academic and professional exams, tutorial centers have joined the list of fastest growing business opportunities in Nigeria. You can access this business opportunity by choosing or specializing on a training need. You can focus your proposed tutorial centre on any of the following: ICAN, GMAT, WAEC, JAMB, GSCE, CIS, job interview training, etc.

    GREEN ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY

    With a global increase in the awareness of environmental degradation and its hazard, the world has resorted to finding an alternative “green energy.” Nigeria is not left out in this global awareness that has created massive opportunities for smart entrepreneurs and investors. If you feel green is the next business trend on board, then below are the fastest growing business opportunities in the green energy and technology sector of Nigeria.

    13. Waste management

    With an increased awareness in the need for environmental conservation; opportunity has popped up in Nigeria in the area of waste management. When analyzing the waste management business opportunity, I observed that two factors are responsible for the potential in the business and you must make sure these two factors are in place before deciding on an area of service.

    One is a bursting population and the second is a strong environmental policy and its enforcement. So far, two states in Nigeria that has taken the lead with respect to these two factors and these states are Lagos and Imo state. But I believe great potential still lie in other states of Nigeria. Do your own personal research before venturing into this industry.

    14. Waste recycling

    The next fastest growing business, yet untapped business opportunity in Nigeria is waste recycling. I don’t need to expatiate on this as the details are clear. You can venture into either bottle and can recycling or nylon recycling. You can even embark on a waste to green (manure) project as Nigeria has a huge demand for organic and inorganic fertilizer.

    15. Alternative power

    The last but not the least of the fastest growing business opportunities in Nigeria is alternative power supply. In recent times; Nigeria has seen an explosive increase in the demand of power supply thus creating an avenue for smart entrepreneurs to capitalize on. Solar energy, Wind energy and bio energy are some of the alternative power supply system that are currently making waves in the country but the present alternative power supply service providers cannot meet up the demand thereby leaving room for other creative investors. With a good plan, adequate capital and a strong business team; you can break into this niche.

  • I relax my mind by clubbing and socialising

    Ex-Lagos Country Club President Ogunmekan

    Funny, tactful and highly sociable are some of the few adjectives to describe High Chief Olayinka Ogunmekan.

    A former President of the prestigious Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Chief Ogunmekan belongs to other notable clubs like Ikoyi Club and Island Club among others. He is also the President of the Swedish-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce.

    A product of a polygamous family himself, Chief Ogunmekan is not strange to the many negative stories surrounding most polygamous families in this part of the world. However, he has proved that those negative stories are not enough to deter him from marrying three wives, the last of whom he picked in 1981.

    With his tact and native intelligence, he has, to a large extent, thrown to the dust bin all the negative stories surrounding polygamous marriages with his more than three decades of successfully marrying and keeping three women under the same roof.

    With the experiences garnered from his father’s exploits as a polygamist, the Ipara Ijebu, Ogun State, high chief devised his strategies towards a successful polygamous marriage even before he delved into it. The number one lesson, he disclosed, was that all the women must live under one roof, with each of them assigned with particular responsibilities.

    “One of the mistakes polygamists make is to keep the women in different homes. This is dangerous because it does not promote unity, even among the children. Moreover, the man himself is not even safe, because anything can happen to him.

    “In our home, there is only one mummy, and that is the most senior wife. The second wife is called Aunty, while the third is called Sisi (Lady). We also have each of them with a particular portfolio. For example, there is somebody in charge of health, education and so on.

    “No matter whose child is sick, for instance, it is the person in charge of health issues that will take responsibility like staying with the child in the hospital and so on. But when it comes to food, we do it together. Anybody can prepare the food for us at home.”

    Despite the seeming success, Chief Ogunmekan admitted that his family has had its own fair share of matrimonial problems. But the family has come to a roundtable to resolve whatever differences they may have each time such problem arose.

    “I am not saying my wives don’t quarrel. But whenever such happens, there is always a centre point, and that is me. If I can remember, it was only once that an outsider has had to resolve anything between my wives and I. But nobody has had to resolve quarrels among my wives. It is better to discuss your troubles among yourselves.”

    For him, a larger chunk of the blame for failed polygamous marriages should be placed on the ‘actors’. According to him, “The problem with most polygamous marriages are the actors, not polygamous marriage itself.”

    His success story with polygamy has earned him huge number of fans and a daily influx of people who seek to drink from his deep well of knowledge on marital issues. And today, he has become somewhat an authority on polygamous marriage and a marriage counsellor to young couples and older ones planning to venture into polygamy.

    A chunk of the book he wrote to mark his 60th birthday about seven years ago is devoted to treating issues relating to polygamy. He explains: “Funny enough, a large portion of my book is on polygamous marriage, though I am planning to change that in the revised edition.”

    The son of a prominent of hotelier in the Ijebu area of the country in the 1950s, young Ognumekan grew up with a silver spoon. He attended the prestigious Mayflower Schools in Ikenne, Ogun State. With a wide grin etched on his face, he proudly announced that his grandfather was the first man to ride a car in Remo.

    After secondary school, he had the opportunity to study medicine, which was his childhood dream, in Germany. But his mother was not disposed to her son living far away from her at such a ‘tender’ age. She feared that she might lose her precious son to the world. So rather than proceed to Germany to pursue his dream, he got a job with the then Barclays Bank, a career that would last 10 years.

    With good eyes for business opportunities, young Ogunmekan soon saw better life and opportunity outside the banking hall. And he promptly took the decision to quit and face his own business.

    An opportunity fell on his lap one day during a trip to London. According to him, the managing director of a prominent newspaper of that time called him and wanted to know how to supply of newsprint. Without wasting time, he set to work and made contact with a Swedish company, marking the beginning of a thriving paper business that has lasted till today.

    Several years after that idea was sold to him, Ogunmekan still bestrides the newsprint market in Nigeria, selling the product to most newspaper companies in the country.

    Aside from newspaper business, the chief also has his hands in several blue chips businesses, making him a very busy man. He was also at a point a major dealer to major auto makers in Europe.

    However, amidst this seeming ‘very tight’ schedule, Chief Ogunmekan still has enough time to socialise and have a few glasses of wine and his favourite bottles of Stout between Mondays and Wednesday, while intake of chilled bottles of Star beer, which he called ‘social beer’, starts on Thursday night.

    All these, he said, are necessary to have a relaxed mind and a healthy life. “Most people don’t understand the need for you to socialise. As a man, you need to go out to decent places to relax your mind and muscles. What better place can that be if not a club like this (Lagos Country Club)?

    “Unlike the regular beer parlour, you are safe here and you get to mix with friends with whom you discuss issues and matters of common interest. And by the time you decide to go home, your bones and mind are relaxed and ready for the next day.”

    With a look and agility that belies his 67 years of sojourn on planet earth, Chief Ogunmekan wasted no time in shooting back when asked what his secrets were. Without blinking, he shot back: “Three wives”, followed by a long laughter.

    As if to buttress his points on this day, the club became lively as his colleagues, none of who was below age 55, began to arrive. Each arrival was followed by lively banters and laughter, loud enough to jolt a sleeping man back life.The old men truly know how to enjoy life. Their corner, a long row of white plastic chairs and tables, stood a few distance away from the swimming pool. With the leader of the team sitting at the head of the table, it was no doubt a beautiful avenue for these grandfathers to let off the steam gathered over the course of the day with a few glasses of their choice drinks and menu.

    Though he belongs to other major clubs in town, Chief Ogunmekan became the Vice President of the Lagos Country Club about five years after becoming a member.

    “I was five years old in the club when I contested and won the position of the vice president. Before that time, nobody so young in the club had done it.”

    As an icing on the cake of his socialisation, he ran for the office of the president in 2002 and won with a margin that corroborated his popularity and number one choice among the members.

  • ‘I started what grew into Oduduwa University as a tutorial centre’

    Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, 56 and President, Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu,  Osun State and Our Saviour’s University, Delware, United States of America, is a man  who has turned passion to wealth,  like some other rich people who are  self-made. Adedoyin tells his grass to  grace story, in this encounter with  Gbenga ADERANTI, Asst. Editor

    Except for the retinue of aides and his dress sense, Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, the president and founder of three tertiary institutions within and outside Nigeria and the CEO of hospitality, security and medical outfits, would pass for just anybody on the street. The fact that he smells opulence would make you look at him more than once.

    “This is Dr. Ramon Adedoyin, “ one of his aides introduced our correspondent to the President of Our Saviour’s University, USA; Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Ile-Ife, Osun and The Polytechnic, Ile Ife, Osun State.

    He grew up in a polygamous home, a lifestyle that toughened and prepared him for future challenges. According to the Ife High Chief, getting to this level was not idyllic. It is common among the successful people to say that they had an humble beginning. Adedoyin insisted that it was not as if his parents were rich, but they could meet his needs. “Oh! I come from a very good family. Though my father died when I was seven years old, my mother was comfortable at that time, selling some items.”

    Adedoyin whose monthly wage bill is now N8 million told The Nation that fate brought him to where he is right now. His first contact with education was his enrolment into Ile Kewu , a koranic school, at Maha-Had Islamic Foundation, Isale Alfa, Ibadan in 1960. His formal education, however, started in Ansar-Islam Primary School in Ile-Ife (1961-1969).

    He also attended Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife (1970-1974), and Muslim Grammar School, Odinjo, Ibadan (1975-1976).

    He still remembers very vividly how he lost his father at age seven and how he had to battle with difficulties of life. According to him, his was a polygamous house and his father left 26 children when he died. After the demise of the old man, it became everyone for himself, the survival of the fittest, as his mother was left with the onus of single-handedly taking care of him.

    “It was at this time that things became extremely difficult for my mother to pay my school fees, especially when I wanted to sit for my West African School Certificate Examination, (WASCE). She had to sell a few of her property to pay for my examination.”

    Loathing laziness, after he completed his secondary education, he started teaching, though he had an opportunity to do something else, but preferred teaching just because he didn’t want to put on tie. “Well, maybe that was how God wanted it. Really, after I finished my secondary school, I got a job in an insurance company and they told me that I needed to put on tie and suit, but I wondered why I should do that when I was not a big man! I didn’t like it at all. So, I preferred teaching in a primary school to working in an insurance company. Maybe God planned it that I would be a teacher all my life; so, that could be the reason He directed my steps that way,” he recalled.

    Getting admission into university was a tug of war. He sat for entrance exams twice before he got admission into the university.

    Currently, he has a doctoral degree in Mathematics and Education from All Saint’s University of America, New York, United States of America. He is also a visiting professor in one of the universities outside the country.

    Probably, he would not have had tertiary education but by a chanced encounter with a man. How? Music was an attraction and as a young man, Adedoyin got attracted to music and he would have become a musician but for the encounter that changed his destiny. .”I was copying the late Fela Anikulapo- Kuti and even now, I still love him. One day, a traditional ruler( now of blessed memory) visited my mother and found out that there was a nuisance in the compound who was always disturbing the house with drumming and noise, claiming to be a musician.

    ”But really, that was me! That was me then. So, he asked me why I was not in school. I told him that I had ‘F9’ in all my subjects in the ‘O’ Level examinations. So, he took me in his car to the secondary school where I finished from, Muslim Grammar School. When we got there, he asked for my result and I gave him. He was shocked to find out that I actually had ‘Al’ in all my subjects, including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. So, from there, he took me to the University of Ibadan to obtain a form. That was where my ambition to become a musician died! Then, I began to think of studying Medicine,” he said smiling.

    Unfortunately, he could not get admission to study medicine. ”The following year, I went to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), obtained the form and sat for the examination to study Mechanical Engineering. But I was still not offered admission. So, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, advised me to choose another course, though he admitted that my result was good. But I told him I didn’ t want to be a teacher. He said my result was good. That was how I accepted to study Mathematics and Education”.

    As an undergraduate, he augmented his mother’s contribution by teaching Mathematics by private arrangement. He recalled:“There was this Professor who invited me to teach his children Mathematics, having studied my performance. As I started doing that, another Professor also invited me. So, that was how I discovered that I was a good teacher. I believe this was what brought me to what I am doing today. Therefore, immediately I graduated, I never wanted to do anything other than ‘home lesson’.”

    Having graduated in Mathematics Education, he put what he learnt in the university into practice; he started what later became the popular Universal Tutorial College, Ile-Ife. So, what many see today as big institutions was started as a lesson at the back of Adedoyin’s mother’s house. “I put up a makeshift classroom in our backyard where I was teaching people Mathematics. I also put up a beautiful signboard outside the house. When some people came, they thought we were using the entire house as the school. So, people started coming to my coaching centre,” he explained.

    He had competitors too because many thought he was big and making so much money. “In our street alone, we had more than 10 schools that later sprang up. But I think it is God’s calling to have started like that. Some people saw what I was doing and they set up their own side-by-side. But today, I still have my own, which has metamorphosed into a university.”

    He is proud to declare that while many think that the reward of teachers are in heaven, he has got his own reward right here on earth and he is comfortable. “It is said that when you are a teacher, and the chalk touches your hair, you will not make it. But today, I’m a billionaire; there is no doubt about it. I was almost blaming God for not allowing me to do what I had wanted to do (music), not knowing that He (God) had planned that I would be a class teacher,” he said.

    Adedoyin, who is the Balogun of Parakin Eleyele Community, Ile-Ife and Maye of Ife, which was conferred on him Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Ooni of Ife, does not see impossibilities; rather, he sees possibilities in everything. The success of both the Universal College and The Polytechnic emboldened him to conceive the idea of a university. The dream became a reality when on November 3, 2009, he got the licence to operate a private university in Nigeria. And the institution has become a success.

    Though he is into other businesses, he prefers to be seen more from educational perspective. “I prefer to be identified with education. I handed the hotel business over to my wife to manage. “