The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sunday Interview

  • We are focused on redressing all federal imbalances, says FCC chair

    Abayomi Sheba, a lawyer and politician, was the only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State in 1999. He is today, a leading member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and acting Chairman of the Federal Character Commission – a body statutorily mandated under Act No 34 of 1996 to ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of public posts and socio-economic infrastructures among the various federating units of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In this interview, with Jide Babalola, Assistant Editor, he speaks on the deep significance of the Federal Character principle in entrenching national unity, stability, and ensuring a genuine sense of social equity nationwide.

    YOU were appointed to head the Federal Character Commission in September last year; what did you meet on ground?

    I came aboard on September 28, 2018 as the acting executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission. I met a commission where things were at very low ebb in terms of staff morale and even, the work that was being done. We came in first, with the priority of knowing what was really on ground and through the grace of God, we were able to identify several challenges and we have been addressing them, one after the other.

    What does ‘Federal Character Principle’ really mean and how does your commission ensure compliance?

    The Federal Character Commission is the making of Section 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Basically, it is a commission set up to ensure equitable, fair distribution of political positions, public offices and the equitable distribution of infrastructures among the federating units. To do this, the commission sets out a procedure of recruitment into the Nigerian public service. Under this, it is expected that ministries, departments and agencies of government that wants to recruit are to harvest available vacancies, come to the commission with the relevant details and they are expected to advertise for six weeks in two national dailies comprising one that is widely read in the north and one that is widely read in the south.

    After the six weeks, they are expected to come to the commission again with a long list comprising names and details of all candidates that applied and a short list comprising those that met the MDA’s criteria or requirements for the application. They now ask the commission to come and monitor the interview process, to ensure fairness to all.  After that, before letters of appointments are released, MDAs are expected to ask for a certificate of Compliance from us, to indicate that they have complied substantially with all stipulated procedures.

    However, there are exceptions to the procedures. If the number of vacancies is not up to  50, 100 or 150, you can ask for an exemption or waiver, depending on how much the MDA is in critical need and if the reasons are genuine enough, we may grant a waiver of advertisement. Only waiver of advertisement alone; the MDA is expected to comply faithfully with all other procedures – submission of lists, interviews and the release of appointment letters.

    But there is a general perception that recruitment into the Grade A parastatals like NNPC, CBN and few others has been rather skewed in favour of a section of the country over the past few years?

    We have indices that we generated for identifying areas from which to take more people or less numbers. For instance, in each of the MDAs in the country, there is a certain percentage that is called ‘adequate representation’. It is expected that each state should have between 2. 0 % representation but anything above 3% is over-representation for any particular state. Anything below 2.0% is under-representation. In all MDAs, the Federal Capital Territory is supposed to have 1% representation because of its special status.

    However, over the years, we discovered that because of the history of some of the MDAs, the state of origin of several past heads tended to have higher than normal representation. These are things that we try to correct so that it won’t be more than 3%. We do not say that people should be sacked because of these inherited problems but the best we can do is to correct things over time; in new or subsequent recruitments, states that are over-represented get lesser slots and the under-represented states are a bit favoured in new recruitments so that they can catch up.

    Does that explain the incorrectness of widespread perception that more northerners are being recruited into the federal civil service?

    That is incorrect; it is not true. For instance, if you go through the 2016 nominal role of the NNPC, you will see that out of about 8, 352 work-force, Rivers State has 10.6 % representation whereas a state like Borno has 2. 2. What is laid down is that for equitable representation, each state should have about 2-3 %. Gombe State has 1. 4 %, Taraba has 1.3 %, Zamfara has 1.3 %, and Ondo is 2.7% which is adequate representation while Osun and Oyo States are also under-represented with 1.9% each.

    We will not say that they should drive away workers who are of Rivers State origin but in any subsequent recruitment, the Character Balancing Index that we are doing for NNPC is such that if 500 are to be recruited, Rivers State may have zero because it is already over-represented and states like Bauchi will have 16 of the new employees. Bauchi State’s present representation capacity is only 1.5%.

    This is the way in which we can redress existing imbalances. We analyze the nominal rolls of MDAs and analyze comprehensively.

    All the excuses that some states lack capacity or educational capacity are unreal; now, there is no state in Nigeria where you will seek even a PhD holder that you won’t get.

    So, no state is truly educationally-disadvantaged?

    No, I am not saying that there is no state here that is not educationally backward. But there is no state in the federation where you cannot get at least one Master’s degree holder in any particular discipline.

    Does the federal character principle extend to the law enforcement and security agencies?

    Yes! The military – Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force – they always comply with the federal character principles but they get mistaken for a quota system – and this is not so! They allocate their recruitment to various states. For instance, if you check the entrance list for the Nigerian Defence Academy, they routinely pick a specific number from various states of the federation every year. The entrance into NDA is the point at which they mostly recruit officers into the Army, Air Force, Navy, etc.

    Still, many Nigerians criticize what they perceive as the preponderance of people from the North in topmost places of Nigeria’s security architecture.

    The problem is that the top reflects more of being the tip of a pyramid. With a pyramid, things get thinner or narrowed down as you go off from the base. For instance, not everyone that finishes from the Nigerian Defence Academy or gets commissioned into the Army will reach the rank of Major-General.  Some will opt out or be retired along the line. So, we start from the base (of the pyramid).

    We are interested in ensuring that as from the management level or equivalent of Assistant Director upwards, the principle of federal character is ensured.

    Can your office advise the Presidency and all those at the very top about Federal Character principle or do you get steady directives as to what to do or avoid?

    I can assure you that the Presidency respects the laws and institutions of Nigeria. The Commission is never tele-guided in any way and our only direct contact with the Presidency is the annual report that we submit, just the way others do.

    What are the major challenges in trying to enforce the Federal Character principle?

    Over the years we have been doing more of advocacy, talking to most of these MDAs on the need for them to comply with the extant laws and provisions on recruitment, especially into government agencies because some are deliberately recalcitrant and we keep on saying that ignorance is never an excuse in the law, some have deliberate intention to flout the law.

    To what extent can your Commission undertake enforcement processes?

    We have every authority to do so. There are provisions in our law, the Federal Character Act that proffers punishment for any infractions committed by agencies and the punishments are always criminal in nature.

    How many officials or agencies have been prosecuted between September last year when you came in and now?

    Currently, we have cases that are in court, we have agencies that are in court. We equally have cases that we are planning to take to court, those that we have invited that have by one way or the other refused to comply with the provisions of the law. There are cases that are being reviewed. For now, there are also cases that were in court that were withdrawn when matters were resolved and corrected. About three or four agencies are going to court now.

    Anyone who commits an offence under Section 14 of the Federal Character (Establishment) Act is liable, on conviction, to a fine of N50, 000 or to imprisonment for a term of six months.

    Since the cases are criminal in nature, for anyone that gets fined or convicted, it means they will be losing their status and can’t hold any office again.

    Many say that the Federal Character principle has contributed to national stability but others say that it has some drawbacks like engendering a negative perception that people in certain parts of Nigeria are intellectually inferior. This is despite the fact that some of those given admission or employment on the basis of federal character or quota system are extremely brilliant people.

    Well you said it is perception but perception is subjective and might not be right. The framers of the 1999 constitution were aware that the issue of Federal Character had been on for a very long time in Nigeria. It was in the 1979 Constitution but it was not justiciable; it was the 1999 Constitution that made it justiciable, specifically in Section 153, which says that there shall be some Federal Executive bodies and it listed Federal Character as number four of the Federal Executive bodies. Earlier, you cannot sue and be sued on it though it had been in the Constitution all along. But with the promulgation of the 1999 Constitution, it is made justiciable and you can take someone to court for the breech of Federal Character and the Federal Character Commission also be sued too.

    Any country that has a diverse population tends to have issues of perceptions because there are people from various backgrounds. Nigeria is a country with more than 250 tribes, it is not just the Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo; we have more than 250 others and such diversity can only be managed by a Commission like this which tries to ensure a sense of belonging for everybody. When you feel cheated, rather than resorting to self-help, you can take the matter to court and allege a breach of Federal Character principle in employment or even, infrastructural development. This is a new aspect of the law that I want us to address henceforth.

    Tell us about your commission’s new focus on application of the Federal Character principle to the distribution of federal infrastructure.

    Yes, we are focusing on the equitable distribution of infrastructures now. All along, over the years, the focus had always been on positions, on recruitment into the federal public service. However, the constitution also gives us the power to also make sure that there is equitable distribution of infrastructures and amenities to all the federating units. Section 14 (3) of the nation’s laws states as follows (reads out): “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.”

    Section 14 (4) further stipulates that the conduct of the government or any of its agencies shall be carried out in a manner that recognizes our national diversity and promotes a sense of belonging and loyalty among our people.

    How do you intend to carry out this aspect of enforcing federal character in the nationwide distribution of infrastructures and social amenities?

    The Act establishing our Commission explicitly states that the functions of the Federal Character Commission include working out an equitable formula to for distribution of socio-economic services, amenities and infrastructural facilities.  It states too that (reads out) “Socio-economic services, amenities and facilities mentioned above include those in the sectors of education, electricity, health, commerce and industry, telecommunications, transport and youth development.”

    For some twenty-six years, the Commission had focused largely on employment patterns but we are moving on to our second mandate now, which is the distribution of socio-economic amenities.

    To do that, we have set up a department that is in charge of infrastructure and socio-economic amenities. It is being headed by a full-fledged director and we are working out a formula, in conjunction with the National assembly, the Ministry of National Planning, the Bureau of Statistics. We are focusing on the national spread of infrastructures. In November, 2018, we had a survey of the spread of infrastructures across the country; our commissioners and state offices were actively involved. We instructed our state offices to carry out a survey of federal presence in their respective states and to identify the ministries or agencies involved. We now have a collation so that we can advise the government appropriately.

    Just like the problem of skewing employment in favour of where chief executives come from, we also have the problem of many past chief executives using their positions to cite amenities in their places of origin, even where they are not much needed.

    So, in summary, the totality of all you are saying is that there is hope for redressing what many Nigerians have complained about in terms of marginalization for appointments, infrastructures and so on?

    Yes, the long and short of my position is that we are focused on redressing these. It is not that we will sack those who are there but we ensure that there must be balancing, there must be compliance. With time, we can effectively put things right.

    You are a politician, the only PDP member of the House of Representatives in 1999; how did your journey from PDP to APC happen?

    APC came into being in 2014, 2015.True,  I won elections into the House of Representatives on the platform of PDP in 1999 but there has been a transformation process that involved patriots from CPC, ACN and few of us from other parties. It was because we all realized that we did not like the way things were being done and that Nigeria needs a new order. That was why we established APC. We want a new order, an improvement in the way things were being done.

    Were you also given a free hand along with your responsibility as Chairman of Federal Commission; do you have to comply with the usual ‘orders from above’?

    No. Ours is a constitutional mandate; we derive our powers from the Constitution – Section153, Sections 14 (3) and (40 as well as the Act of Parliament that established the Federal Character Commission. These are the places from which we derived our mandate; nobody is tele-guiding us. Statutorily, the law says that we should report to the President. So, annually, we submit a report to the President through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The Presidency and the Office of the SGF do not interfere with our day to day administration; we have free hand. They do not interfere with what we are doing.

  • ANTHONY SANI: How to avoid 2015 NASS rebellion

    Chief Anthony N. Z. Sani is the Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). In this interview with Abdulgafar Alabelewe, he speaks on how APC should intervene in the tussle for leadership positions in the National Assembly to avoid rebellion that will allow the opposition take over. He also bares his mind on why killings have become rampant across the country among other national issues. Excerpts

    WHAT is your take on the growing tussle for National Assembly leadership?

    The growing tussle for National Assembly leadership is to be expected because it is natural concomitant of multiparty democracy. What seems disagreeable is the idea of the opposition party, PDP, wanting to assume the leadership of the National Assembly in blithe disregard for the fact that it is undemocratic, if not morally preposterous, for the minority to seek to lord it over majority in a democracy which is majority rule.

    It looks as if Nigerian politicians are not aware of the import of multiparty democracy, to wit, that the electoral mandate has been given to APC which is expected to produce the leadership of the National Assembly by virtue of the truth that APC has majority in the National Assembly and should prevail. That is why it is called APC-controlled government that is accountable to the people.

    The opposition party, PDP, is expected to provide viable opposition as alternative platform, and not to seek to share the government with APC which has clear mandate to deliver on its electoral mandate. The opposition cannot eat its bread and have it at the same time. And given the fact that democracy without viable opposition is a sham, I suggest the opposition should stay clear of the tussle for leadership of the National Assembly, which is an exclusive preserve for the political party that has the majority.

    What should be done to avoid the 2015 leadership coup?

    In order to avoid a situation reminiscent of what happened in 2015, the party with the majority must stay united and assert its majority status. And in doing so, the party with majority should use justice and fairness to enforce party discipline needed for keeping the opposition at bay. One way of doing this is for the zoning of the leadership positions to take into account all factors of competence, content of character, experiences, federal character, rewards and inclusiveness so that members of the legislature would see how justice and equity have been done. This will reduce the tendency of some APC legislators to rebel and encourage the opposition to join the fray.

    For example, if North-central zone has been zoned out of the race for Senate President on account of having occupied the position for the past 12 years, then it should be given Speakership, which the zone has never enjoyed, more so as North-central zone has lost only one state to the opposition by doing creditably well in the recent elections. And if North-west has the President, South-west has the Vice President, North-east has the Senate President, it is only fair that North-central be zoned the position of Speaker while, South-west can make do with the Deputy Speaker, considering the zone has had two Speakers of the House of Representatives in the past. South-east or South-south can take Deputy Senate President. That way, the party with majority would be able to act as a united whole in order to deliver on its electoral mandate.

    National Christian Elders recently faulted CAN for congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari over his re-election because Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has gone to court. What is the implication of this on Nigeria’s polity and unity of the nation?

    When I read the statement credited to the National Christian Elders Forum which criticized Christian Association of Nigeria for congratulating the winner of the recent elections, considering the winner has been challenged in the election tribunal, I could not see the wisdom in their concerns. This is because INEC conducted the elections and has declared the winner. And that is why the winners will be inaugurated on 29th May, 2019 amid challenges in the court. And unless the court declares otherwise, the president has legally been elected and must be recognized as such; to do otherwise reeks of lawlessness.

    I also do not share the view by the National Christian Elders Forum that the government under the watch of President Buhari is complicit in the killings of Christians in Nigeria, considering the killings in Zamfara State and Birnin-Gwari of Kaduna State are internecine where Fulani Muslims take it out on each other.

    I still believe there is swarm of locust in the land, but we do not seem to know the pests. Hence the inability to come up with appropriate pesticides. It is therefore unthinking of any group to give ethnic and religious coloration to our collective challenges.

    What is your advice for President in his second term? What will you want him to do differently?

    I expect the president will be more vigorous in execution of his campaign promises for which Nigerians have given him electoral mandate to implement. To me, Nigerians have passed vote of confidence on the president to consolidate on what he has done during his first tenure. What I would want the president to do differently is to reward those who performed and sack those who failed to perform. To retain appointees on the basis of loyalty at the expense of performance may not be good enough.

    For example, if there is credible evidence of reckless performance on the part of any appointee, he should be replaced as deterrent. That way, public officers will sit up and deliver on the promise of their appointment.

    Since after election, killings and kidnapping have increased around the country. What is responsible for these and how do we get out of it?

    There are many factors that may account for the killings across the country and they differ from geopolitical zone to zone. For example, those due to clashes between farmers and herds which may have to do with paucity of grazing and farming lands as a result of increase in population and desert encroachment may not be the same with those caused by bandits. Still, those by kidnappings are different from those caused by cattle rustling and armed robbery or cultism.

    To overcome these security challenges would require the government to identify and confront the underlying causes.

    And for me, I think the insecurity is stoked by poverty which comes with unemployment across the land. There seems to be a vicious cycle now that farmers cannot farm due to banditry, which brings about more hunger and unemployment that result in poverty and thus create more insecurity.

    Government and our leaders at all levels should come to terms with the reality that the nation is at war with itself and should confront the war with unity of purpose and with all available means at their disposal.

    These would require more trained security personnel with adequate equipment needed to confront and overwhelm the criminals. And as they do so, consciously directed efforts must be applied in identifying and overwhelming the underlying causes of the insecurity.

    To give ethnic and religious coloration to these challenges is unhelpful because such attitudes unwittingly provide platforms for criminals to stand and commit more crimes because they know the authority cannot prosecute religion and ethnic nationality.

    Some people are advocating for sack of security chiefs, will that help?

    I am not a security expert who can provide informed suggestions on such issue, but I think the president has what it takes to know the challenges which the service chiefs face by way of training for the personnel and the need for arms. He is expected to know the performing service chiefs and those who are not performing as well as why those who do not perform fail to perform. He is there better placed to make such decisions. This is because he is not only the Commander-in- Chief but also a security expert in his own right. So, let us trust that Mr. President has noted the unsavory security challenges and the cries across the country. As a result, he is doing all within his ability and capacity to bring the killings to an end in the shortest possible time.

    Aliko Dangote recently blamed northern governors for poverty in the region, do you agree with him?

    I have no reason to doubt Dangote, since governors are given monthly subventions which they are expected to use and reduce the poverty in their respective states. They complain that the resources are not enough, but they are expected to know that money is a number and numbers never end. And if they cannot increase their subventions, they are expected to increase the yields of such subventions.

    What is your advice to the governors in this direction?

    Our governors should know that we operate the federal system and that their place in the order of things in their states is to cater for the welfare of the people with whatever amount that is at their disposal. This is because the federal government does not dictate to the state governors how to manage their resources. It is left for the governors to increase the yields of the resources at their disposal by impelling progress through multiplication of their strength through others. If they fail to deliver on the promise of their mandate, people should blame them for non-performance.

  • My unsual journey to be Deputy Governor-elect

    Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the Deputy-Governor-elect of Ogun State, is today full of thanks to God and some persons for helping her take what was then a tough decision that has now turned out a life transforming step of faith. Recalling that before her emergence as the running mate to Governor-elect Dapo Abiodun, she was new to partisan politics, the Ota-born engineer said some events leading to the last guber election in the state were her own baptism of fire in politics. In this interview with ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, the people of the state that their decision to elect the APC candidates into the Government House will bring lots of dividends of democracy their way after inauguration on May 29.

    LOOKING back at the whole scenario before and during the campaigns, how do you feel these days?

    We are indebted to God and the people of Ogun State. We appreciate all those who made this possible, especially the very steadfast and determined members of the APC across the state. It was their resilience in spite of all odds that made this possible. They are the real achievers in the struggle. Every time I have to talk about this, I always say it is the party APC our people preferred and they showed it. In spite of all, they stood firm and voted for Dapo Abiodun as the man they want to govern them.

    And that is why we are here rejoicing today.  The people are the real winners. Not my boss, Dapo Abiodun, not me. These are the reasons why I am particularly thankful. To tell you the truth, I was amazed by the determination with which our people stood by the truth and the party. Ogun people proved to the world that our democracy is growing fast.

    There are talks that APC members who supported and worked for another party back then will not be allowed back in the party. What is your take on that?

    As it is now, the party is stronger and better. The APC in Ogun State is one united family and the people have spoken that the APC is their preferred political party. We should be rejoicing, not fighting anybody. We are ready to be governor and deputy governor for all. Not just APC members, not just for those who worked for us and or voted for us. But for every citizen and residents of Ogun State. There is nothing to fight about.  The elections have come and gone and there is so much work to be done together.

    In my opinion, this is actually the time to consolidate the strength of the party by embarking on advocacies that will enlighten our members about party politics. We need to inform them about what democracy and party politics are. They need to know so that nobody will be able to deceive or mislead them again. This is the time to grow the party and ensure that our members are more enlightened about their rights and privileges as party members. Once we do that, nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be able to deceive them or lure them to work against their party in future. That way, we would have protected the supremacy of the party.

    Considering the enormous work ahead of your administration and the current economic situation in the country, aren’t you worried that delivering on your electoral promises may not be easy?

    We are not here to milk the state but to work hard and turn the fortunes of Ogun State around for better. So we believe God that achieving success will not be difficult for us. We didn’t just promise the people, we meant to achieve all we offered to do. Moving round the state during the campaigns, we have seen the many needs of our people in the nooks and crannies of the state. And I can assure you that gradually, we will touch every part of the state. We promised to manage the resources of the state well. That is exactly what we will do.

    We said all the people of Ogun State, be it the Egba, the Remo, the Ijebu, the Yewa, Awori, the Egun, name it; and also the non-indigenes resident in Ogun State, will all be top priority to our administration. Everybody will benefit from our administration because everybody had a hand in our emergence.

    We are not campaigning for elections again, it is time to touch the lives of the people who elected us and we are ready for the task ahead. The people should continue to believe in Dapo Abiodun and I can assure you once again that he means well for Ogun State.

    The people expect a lot from your incoming administration. Can you mention some specific areas your government will surely intervene upon taking office?

    We know there is a lot of work to do. We will try to touch as many areas as possible quickly when we take office. Remember, we have our manifesto which we presented to the people while asking for their votes. We will keep our promises to the people. In education, not only the schools will receive attention, the teachers too will be attended to. The entire sector will be examined and improved upon by the grace of God. We will bring quality to our education sector. All other sectors of government will be given attention as soon as possible.

    During the campaigns, we visited many new developing areas across the state where people are making effort to develop these places on their own by building houses and the community development associations are driving developmental efforts. We will support the efforts of the CDAs and the residents in such areas.

    We will work with them to bring light, roads, and other infrastructures to these areas across the state. Every government should appreciate the efforts of these people developing their areas all by themselves. We promised to support and help them. We will do that.

    We spoke a lot about job creation during the campaigns. We will create jobs. This is one way to curb cultism and thuggery across the state. When our young people are gainfully engaged, they will be too busy to have time for any form of violence. When they return from work, it is to rest, eat and sleep. We will support traders and artisans as we promised to do. We will provide help for women and youths. I am optimistic because I have confidence in the man we all have elected to lead us. Dapo Abiodun has great plans for us all and he has the ability to achieve all these plans. Remember he is a successful private sector player.

    Some of your supporters are urging you not to forget them once you get into office…

    I always tell people that I didn’t just get to where I am suddenly. I have struggled in life too. I recall that I used to board Molue buses in Lagos in those days moving from one place to another. In my career too, I struggled before getting to the position I am today. So, I know what our people are going through and I will always have them in mind. My admonition is just that our people must always remember that Rome was not built in a day. As our administration makes gradual efforts to meet their yearnings, the people should be supporting us with prayers and encouragement. We are going into government to work for the people.

    Tongues are still waging about how you unexpectedly emerged as the deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Ogun State. Can you recollect the events that led to your choice as the running mate?

    My candidacy remains the act of God and the benevolence of my principal, Dapo Abiodun and other party leaders. Also, I benefited from the party’s zoning arrangement. Following his victory at the primary election, my principal, Dapo Abiodun had to get himself a good partner on the ticket. The expectations were high, as such, party leaders met severally to deliberate on who the deputy governorship candidate should be. A lot of factors were being considered at the time.

    But as God would have it, the position was zoned to my Local Government Area, Ado-Odo-Ota. All the leads and the governorship candidate then agreed on this zoning. Also, as part of that agreement, it was said that a Muslim was needed because the governorship candidate is a Christian. They saw a need to balance all factors. In our part of the world, we pay attention to religious balance whenever we are talking about politics and governance.

    Luckily too, I got to know of the search for a Muslim running mate from my part of the state. So, I went for it. I put in my curriculum vitae and told those who should know. Quite a number of us were interested and eventually we were shortlisted to six eligible aspirants. We were invited for a screening session. We had interviews and then there was voting. After everything, I was announced the deputy gubernatorial candidate of our party.

    As much as I will say I emerged the running mate in a very unusual manner, it wasn’t forced on me. I was interested because I have always wanted to be in a position where I could contribute my ideas to running the government so that I will bring to the table the things I have been turning over and over in my head over the years. What is unusual is that among such number of very qualified aspirants, I got nominated despite not been a dye in the wool politician at the time. I have always been interested in how our common patrimony is being used for the people.

    And how did you receive the new of your nominations as deputy?

    I felt a lot of relieve. All along, while we await the final choice of the party, I knew that I am well qualified for the post. I also held on to my passion about people. I saw the process as the opportunity I have always wanted and I went for it. God was on my side and fate, providence and destiny also played significant roles in it all. It was a process that took about two months of hoping and waiting. And in all those two months, I was thinking and praying about it all. Wishing that I will get the chance to do the things I have always wanted to do.

    There was a lot of anxiety while we waited but I was optimistic I can be the person to be given the chance. No doubt, I was on edge too. The anxiety was so much that when I was announced the candidate, I was very relieved. The wait was long and uncertain, especially after the interview. I remember somebody telling me as I entered that ‘oh, you are the number six aspirant.’ I almost fainted. I repeated the ‘number six’ like three times. I went home relieved and partly fulfilled. I was no longer anxious.

    But by the next morning, the feeling changed from relieve to surprise. I had received hundreds of calls, messages and visits. My pictures were everywhere on all the newspapers and blogs here and there. People were putting my name on Google and all sorts of stories were popping up about me. I was amazed because before that day, I used to be a very private person! That was when I realized that things have changed and I am no longer a private person.

    Now, as deputy-governor elect, the change from being a very private person to becoming public office holder is clearer to me and I understand the expectation of people and I can say we will not disappoint the good people of Ogun State who deemed it fit to entrust their lives into our hands. For me, this is a case of preparedness meeting opportunity. I am well prepared for this job. I am educated enough; exposed enough; qualified enough and I have had a career that equipped me. Then, the opportunity came and I went for it.

    Have you been in politics before now?

    I am now a politician and in fact, I can now do many things I thought I wouldn’t be able to do. If I sing and dance now, you will not believe it is the same me (laugh). And I enjoy doing these things, especially when I am among the members of our great party. I haven’t really being much of a partisan politician before now. But I have always exercised my civic rights to vote. Even whenever I am abroad, I ensure I carry out my civic responsibilities on election days. I didn’t have politicians in my nuclear family. My dad was a thoroughbred professional. I have some of my extended family members being council chairmen and the likes.

    A cousin of mine is the immediate past federal legislator that represented our constituency here. But a lot of things have changed about me surprisingly. Since joining Dapo Abiodun on the ticket, I have been dragged out of my privacy into the public to feel the pulse of the people and relate with them better. I can now sing, dance and speak in Yoruba language for a long length of time unlike I used to do before. And I am enjoying it all. Very importantly, I have gone round the state the way I have never done before, and I have seen things I have never noticed before.

    I have a very strong sense of despair for what our people have had to endure all these years. The people of Ogun State, especially the people at the grassroots, need urgent help. We must do all we can to bring succour to these people. Life is really hard for our people. Infrastructure is in dire state and the people lack basic amenities in most parts of the state.

    Health, education, roads, name it, are all in need of attention. Campaigning round the state was an eye opener and one is able to understand why our people are eager for a better government. I am saddened by what I have seen and challenged by the tasks ahead. We have a lot to do. We have a task to bring hope to these seemingly hopeless situations across the state. The people received us well. They told us their needs. They pleaded that we must come to their aid.

    They want a new direction that will give them hope and they trusted us to bring about this new direction. The task is daunting but I am sure we have the right attitude and intentions and those are the things that matters. We will work with all and sundry to bring about the much needed changes. We will bring in new sets of skills from our various backgrounds to complement what the civil servants have on ground. That way, we will achieve more results and touch more lives. We will learn from the civil servants, they will learn from us and that way, the state will witness a better administration.

    Talking about women and youths, what should they expect from your incoming administration?

    Very strongly, I believe the Dapo Abiodun administration will create more rooms for women. Already my emergence as his running mate has shown he is not gender biased. He had a role to play in my emergence and he supported it. Among six people; four men and two women, I was nominated as his running mate. It is a sign that he will not discriminate against women. And he has even professed his readiness to allow merit to determine who gets what in his administration.

    During the campaign, he kept telling everyone that I am a very significant part of his team. In our team today, we have a lot of competent people and there are a lot of women among these people ready to serve and being given the chances to serve. I see in him a man who recognizes efficiency. I am not surprised. He is a successful entrepreneur in the private sector, so he must have worked with a lot of competent women.

    I am a woman and I am his eye among women. I will do all I can to propagate more roles for women within and outside the government. If you check Dapo Abiodun’s mission statement, it states clearly that women will receive special attention from him. We spoke about programs like ‘Okowo Dapo’, a free interest loan scheme and others like it will put smiles on the faces of our women once we are elected. Women will benefit a lot from the administration.

  • ‘I saw the good, the bad and the ugly sides of UCH’

    The immediate past Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, in this interview with Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE reflects on his eight-year tenure which ended February, 2019.

    HOW has it been in the last eight years?

    Well, I think it’s been more of a mixed lesson and a lot of challenges having been thrown up and for me, the mindset prior to assuming office has been well articulated. There are few things that I probably would have loved to put in place but I couldn’t. But in all, I think I feel fulfilled.

    At the start of your career, what were the things you desired to accomplish as the CMD of UCH and looking back today, how much did you accomplish?

    I must begin by stating categorically that I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly times of the University College Hospital (UCH). I began my medical career as a student at the University of Ibadan 1977/78 session as it was called, and I moved over to the University College Hospital in 1980. Those for me were the days when there was excellence in practice, attitude, and Medicine was exciting as a profession. Subsequently, after my internship, I proceeded to serve the nation and then I began my postgraduate studies in 1987. Between 1983 and 1987 when I graduated, there was huge defect that I found when I came in to start my postgraduate studies. Technically, I saw the good and I saw the bad when things were not the way they should. And then when I went to England to train as an Orthopaedic surgeon, I came back in 1995 and I saw the ugly. My understanding of the funding principle of the UCH was still registered in my mind, from my initial clinical days in 1980. So, my mindset was to try not re-enact the good old days because if you look at the good old days, it means you’re retrogressive. I wanted to bring about the changes that would reposition the UCH as a centre of excellence in clinical service delivery, and also as the reference point in healthcare in Nigeria. And I adopted a theme called REBIRTH OF EXCELLENCE.

    The UCH was established on a tripod – training, research and service delivery. On assumption of office on the March 1, 2011, the deficiencies that I saw in the system prior to my assumption of office were quite frightening. So, my mindset was to try and address those defects.  I, therefore, set about wanting to know what has gone wrong with the training. It was apparent to me that most of the healthcare professionals had not even gone for refresher courses, or update courses for up to five to 10 years and the aftermath of that is that they were deficient in new technologies, new methods of treating patients, new investigations and all of those things. They were living on past glory. I then embarked on the 3B principles of management. I wanted to build the people, get every professional group to up their game by engaging in training of all sorts – some postgraduate, some courses, and then when these people are trained, my perception was that they would come up with new ideas, then they can set up what I call a system. That is the second B – building system. Any institution that does not have a system or a structure is bound to fail. The system that is dependent on individuals just popping up now and again is bound to fail. And so I wanted these people that have been built up in their various professional callings to come and build me a system and a structure that will outlive everybody. So we began the building of standard operating procedures. You have to be knowledgeable enough in what you’re doing for you to be able to give a standard operating procedure for various techniques – whether clinical, surgical or laboratory. Building infrastructure was the third B. Those 3 Bs I have, by the grace of God, been able to put together.

    We now have a training centre that allows courses to be run in the hospital, to bring the courses home. People will technically be forced to go for the training because this time they’re not travelling to Maiduguri or going to Rivers State. The first training centre is called Professor Olu Ajebo Continuing Development Centre. We established a training centre for every cadre. We have a dry lab, we have a wet lab, we have the lecture theatre. We have toilet facilities attached to a generator, cooling system so that when you’re having your lectures, you have a very conducive atmosphere. And till date, that training centre has been the bedrock for training in UCH.

    We instituted the cardio pulmonary resuscitation course. It is a mandatory course in any health institution. You must know how to resuscitate somebody who collapses. You don’t have to be a medical doctor. We teach them the basics. So, almost one third of UCH staff, as I speak, have been trained in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation that we call CPR. Then we began to run the basic trauma course. The basic trauma course is for every newly employed medical doctor, whether as a house officer or as a resident doctor. Outside of medical emergencies, the second commonest emergency in the Emergency Department is actually trauma-related. So, you must know how to handle the patients who come in. The Total Quality Management (TQM) was established primarily as a policeman for me and the management. They were to look at issues in the hospitals for which there are complaints, they are to address them or proffer solutions. So the TQM Department, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, has actually instituted 105 processes. They have numerous processes. One of them is patient compliance with medications, attendance in clinics, waiting time in clinics, water supply to the clinic, and the kind of food patients eat, the quality of the food, the taste of the food etc.

    In 2012, the commonest causes of death were hypertension-related diseases like stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Of course, we made so much noise about cardiovascular diseases, people should check their blood pressures, we had outreach programmes, we offered free treatment for patients with hypertension and diabetes. Two years after, we looked at the mortality, the deaths from cardiovascular diseases had been overtaken by trauma and as at 2015, the commonest cause of death was cancer. Interventions may not show up immediately. But over a long period of time, we can see the effect. We didn’t treat all of them but the fact is that there was an awareness going on in the 11 local governments in Ibadan and four local governments in Oyo where we found that the commonest disease among the people above the age of 40 was hypertension-related. We believe that our intervention is having effects.

    What would you describe as your most anxious moment as the CMD?

    It is when we have industrial actions and there are many patients in the ward at the Emergency Department. My mindset or one of the guiding principles that made me to apply for the job was to reduce the incidents of preventable deaths. So, I get very anxious when there’s a strike. What that means is that patients are not going to be looked after. The chances are that some of them will die prematurely on issues that are preventable. So, those are the only times I get a little bit agitated. Otherwise, I take this job as personally as I can.

    How did your immediate family receive the news of the end of your tenure as the CMD of UCH?

    Well my wife is excited, very excited. She is happy that she’s going to have more time with me. I love farming, I usually go to the farm every Saturday unless we have restrictions like the election or there is an important wedding I have to attend. I’m not a very sociable person, so I’m family oriented. I like to stay with my nuclear family. So, she is very happy that this burden of being in the hospital all day, all night is over. I only see my wife on Sundays. We prefer to go to the farm, she also loves farming. So, we play golf together on Sundays. We spend about four hours just talking to each other and playing golf.

    You’ve been here for decades; you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career both in practice and administration. Are you going back to the classroom or looking forward to contesting as a politician?

    (Laughs)…Well, contest is not in the making at this moment but the truth of the matter is that I still love research. I’m going to be 60 years old next year and my retirement at the university as a professor is pegged at 70 years. So, I still have 10 active academic years to run. I’ve been embarking on a research activity for almost 20 years. I’ve been working on bone infections. I may do a little more research on antibioticarial system, this time not treating bone infections alone but also treating chronic bone cavities and also treating infected wounds. I hope to work with my son who is currently studying for his Master’s in Biotechnology and he has produced a particular material that I think I might work on and he said if I need to be taught, I should come to his lab. So, I’m looking forward to that. And if an offer of a job that I think might impact lives comes up, yes I will take it but for now I will be more than happy to go back to what makes me deep. That’s to teach and to operate patients. I had a patient that accosted my secretary while I was the CMD. He said “I’ve never seen your boss this happy. He’s smiling, laughing…” I just operated on him. They told him that the happiest day of Professor Alonge’s life in the week is when he goes into the operating room and he comes back. This is because all my attention is focused on getting somebody getting better, aligning the bone and treating infection. That’s what makes me happy. Otherwise, I am open to a lot of things but I am not contesting.

    While doing your research, would that mean that you are still a member of staff of the UCH?

    Well, I will be part of it as an honorary consultant. I’m going to resume back at the University of Ibadan on March 1 because I was loaned by the University to the hospital. So, I took leave of absence for eight years. I am going to be appreciating the Vice Chancellor for allowing me to serve as the Chief Executive of UCH and I will be more than happy to teach my students. I’ve got a mentee, a medical student attached to me and I’ll still teach my resident doctors. I read their proposals, give them topics for their parting dissertation, I’ve done that as a CMD. My books and scrups are in the rest room. So, I will be back to the College of Medicine as a member of staff.

  • Ogu people migrated from old Ghana, says Oba Akran

    A lot may have been written about the ancient town of Badagry, with its rich history and numerous firsts. But when a group of reporters get the rare opportunity to sit with the monarch of the town, De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi I, something is always going to give. Gboyega Alaka, who led the crew captures the moment.

    IT’S a long, tedious journey, courtesy of the poor condition of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, but once you take that right turn at the bustling Badagry roundabout, with its legendary tall Sato drum statue, it’s a totally different ballgame. All the way through the heart of the ancient city, with its relics of over 800-year heritage of deep African culture, language, slavery, western education and religion; you literally get a feeling of being transmuted into a city of early civilisation and culture, old architecture and discipline.

    Badagry, in spite of being looked down upon by the more illustrious Eko or Central Lagos and environs, carts home the trophies when it comes to orderliness, neatness, and hospitality. Not for once did this crew of four, comprising Chief Correspondent GBOYEGA ALAKA, Photographer, OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL, SIMEON OGHENEAKPHOBO AKUSU and SHERIF ATANDA, glance a heap of refuse, or encounter tactless hoodlums or touts. And the roads? Smooth and wide, almost an indictment of both the federal government and state, by the local government, for neglecting their side of the deal. Even the usually unruly commercial motorcycle riders, exhibited clearer level of decorum.

    The Akran’s palace, our destination, is a one-storey piece of architectural grandeur and beauty, compact and magnificent; its top decor, a large golden crown, depicting its glory and royalty; reminiscent of a palace in the real sense of the word. Each floor of the palace opens into a large palace hall, with a raised throne, and seats arranged neatly and in an orderly manner, ostensibly for the different grades of chiefs, and another set of seats directly opposite the throne, possibly for the people or visitors to the palace. This crew was received in the lower floor palace by the Jengen of Badagry, High Chief Onuosekan-Gbewa-1 (JP) and Segun Thomas, a palace official.

    Another conspicuous feature of the palace is the royal wagon, with the inscription,  ‘Akran of Badagry.’ Thomas would go on to explain that it was a gift to the Akran, usually pulled by horses, which he rides on ceremonial occasions and during important tourism activities to acknowledge obeisance and cheers from his people.

    And standing right on the edge of the expansive driveway towards the palace, as one veers off palace Road, is the magnificent Methodist Church Cathedral, almost a testimonial to the towns rich Christian heritage.

     

    HIS Royal Majesty

    At well over eighty years of age and 42 years on the throne, Oba Akran of Badagry, His Royal Majesty, De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1 is no longer that vibrant young man who ascended the throne of his forefathers in 1977, but he no doubt retains that royalty and grace associated with the stool. Though now slower, his voice, still conveys that strength and power of a man of his prominence and status, and his memory, still sharp, as he, on more than one occasion, corrected these reporters on some misjudgments, and even urged them on, when they at a point, wondered aloud if they weren’t asking too many questions.

    Seated majestically on his throne in the upper palace, in company of High Chief Jengen and another prominent son of the soil, Baale of Akomeji Close (Iyafin), Chief Patindode, Kabiesi welcomed the crew of The Nation reporters. A former journalist himself, he would later regal them with stories of his days in the media, where he traversed a number of  media houses, some defunct and some still in operation. But first, he would talk about some of the major activities unfolding in his kingdom for which he is proud and excited, and those things, he believed needed urgent attention.

    Just last year, April to be precise, the sprawling coastal kingdom played host to dignitaries from far and wide, as it witnessed the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Oba Akran International Shopping Mall to be named after his Royal Majesty himself. That project, according to High Chief Agoloto, who spoke on behalf of the monarch on that occasion, is a fulfillment of a long-term dream his majesty had nursed over the years, to have a Dubai-like mall that would attract visitors from far and wide and boost the increasing vibrant economic activities of the kingdom.

    Indeed, Kabiesi reiterated everything the high chief said about these proposed 93-acre project, but added that it was a dream he has nursed for nearly ten years.

    “The idea of that mall is a fulfillment of my plan to have a shopping mall of international standard in Badagry, so that people will be attracted to come visiting and appreciate the beauty and commercial potentials of the place, and also understand that we are doing well and moving on.

    “I have nursed the idea for nearly ten years, but of course, you know that ideas don’t just translate to reality; so I was waiting for the opportunity, which finally presented itself; hence the foundation ceremony last year. As I speak to you, we have launched it and we have foreign partners who are handling the financial aspect.”

    Oba Akran however desisted from talking about delivery date for the project, opting instead to say, “It is my dream that the project is completed in my lifetime, but it is the pace of work that will determine when they will conclude and deliver the project.”

    The Oba Akran International Shopping Mall is being handled by Palmnto Nigeria Limited, a consortium of investors and developers, in conjunction with the Badagry Royal House and the people of Badagry Local Government Council, as host community.

    Kabiesi also spoke of a proposed port, which, he said investors are trying to build in the coastal town. “They have been making arrangement on this port and I think that very soon, it will be done. When completed, the port will be the largest in Africa. I can tell you for free that this is another project I am very proud and excited about.” He said.

    These projects, along with Seme Border, which arguably remains Nigeria’s busiest land border, are some of the things his royal majesty hopes would take the kingdom to its next level of prosperity. He maintained that business activities at the border and by implication, Badagry, is still thriving, despite restrictions on importation of certain products such as rice and poultry.

    Fundamental to these laudable projects and quest for next level of prosperity, however, is the highway leading from central Lagos metropolis to the ancient town. He regretted that the highway, which was inaugurated at about the same time he was coronatted in 1977, is now in a collapsed state and virtually impassable.

    “Hear him: “To tell the truth, I am disappointed. Because even now, I thought they would have completed the repair works on the road, especially the part being undertaken by the state government. So my appeal is to have the in-coming state government give it priority and complete it. That (along with the Okokomaiko – Badagry section of the same road, recently awarded by the federal government) is one project I will be happy if they can complete in my lifetime.”

    On how the people of the town have been able to imbibe and maintain the culture of neatness, which clearly pervades the town, Kabiesi literally down-played this, saying instead, “We’re still working at it. We are still trying to develop Badagry to become one of the biggest modern cities. You would have noticed that the area of the Roundabout, as you drive in, is getting busier, with business and vehicular activities thriving. That is an indication that we’re advancing.”

    Asked how he felt when he was asked to ascend the throne of his forefathers at barely 40, De Wheno Aholu Meno Toyi I laughed a knowing laugh, nodded and said, “Well, I was a young man in my prime and never thought I would be called upon so early. But I was happy anyway. The late Oba CD Akran had just passed on a few years earlier.

    Did he at any point in his childhood think he would someday become king? Oba Akran said, “Yes of course. As a young prince, I knew I was in line, but I never thought it would be that soon.”

    Town of many firsts

    When reminded that the sprawling town still retains a lot of fame and history despite its visible infrastructural neglect, so much so, that it annually attracts a rainbow of visitors to its internationally reputed African Heritage Festival, Oba Akran said, “It has to be. You cannot undermine the place of Badagry in the history of Nigeria and the whole of black Africa. First, Christianity entered Nigeria through Badagry. That was in 1842. By implication, that also means that western education entered Nigeria first, through this shore. Education started in Wesley Mission, followed by the Anglican School. Even as I speak, the Anglican school is waxing strong.”

    How is it then that despite its deep roots in western education, the town still seems a bit on the backside when it comes to academic advancement?

    To this, the monarch said, “It all boils down to the government; because if you know that education came into the country through this town, why then are you slow in making sure education is given priority there?”

    Is he then blaming the government for the slow progress of education among his people? The Akran said, “Not exactly, but I think they should have done more.”

    When reminded that the town, in spite of everything, is home to two Lagos Model Colleges, in addition to other regular primary and secondary schools, the octogenarian monarch again busted into that knowing laughter and asked, “What about a university? What about a polytechnic? They were not brought here; those are the things I expected here and still expect.”

    Even the fact that the state’s ivory tower, the Lagos State University, Ojo, is situated not too far from Badagry town, is no consolation for the oba, who feels the town deserves “at least a university satellite campus, if not a full university.”

    He however expressed delight at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) established in 1973 by the federal government and situated in Topo, Badagry. “ASCON is still strong because it is a government institution set up to encourage learning and build up people in the civil service and industry,” the Akran reflected.

    He expressed same enthusiasm at the French Village, Ajara, set up in 1992 to enhance acquisition of competence in the French language, but insisted the government should do more in bringing development and prosperity to the town.

    When the conversation shifted to the recent discovery of crude oil in the town, the monarch’s face lit up and a smile lined his thin lips. You could tell he is glad at this benevolent gift of nature. First, he agreed that the discovery has further endowed the town with global prominence – outside the age-long fame of birthing western education, Christianity, first storey building, slave port, point of no return et al. But it inadvertently steered the conversation back to the subject of neglect.

    “The oil was discovered right on the coast of Badagry here, but the problem is that the money is not coming into the town. We need them to bring part of the money in to establish industries and develop the town. Let the government take this as an official demand to do more in terms of infrastructure in the town. Of all the towns and divisions in Lagos State, Badagry is the only one fetching crude oil money, so why are they not taking care of Badagry?”

    When asked if he has ever tabled some of town’s grievances during the monthly Council of Obas meeting at the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa, the Akran said, even as one of the vice presidents of the council, the opportunity has yet to present itself, as the governor never sits with them at the meetings.

    Besides, he asked almost rhetorically, “How do I present our problems to them, when the president has not been here in the last five years, and the governor, in the last two years. At least, both have not been to this palace.”

    Badagry, with its rich history and economic heritage, is yet to produce a governor for Lagos State. Doesn’t His Majesty see this as marginalisation of his people?

    To this, he said, “It depends on the opportunities. We are trying to make our voices heard and get at least one of our prominent sons to be governor; I think after the incoming governor, it will be our turn.”

    Would that mean the people have been making demands, as power is never freely given? Kabiesi said, “It depends on the parties. We have our sons and daughters in the parties and we’re sure at the right time, we’ll get it.”

    Relationship with Republic of Benin?

    By its culture, language and proximity, many have easily concluded that the Ogu (not Egun) people of Badagry are actually a spill-over of a tribe of people in the neighbouring Republic of Benin; how true is this? This crew wanted to know.

    “The only link we have with the people of Republic of Benin is that we speak the same language, but we are not from there. We are originally from the present day Ghana. The Ogu people migrated from Kumasi, Ghana, from a place called Aneho and settled in our present abode in the 13th century. That is over 800 years ago. Agbede was the first of our ancestors to settle here. It was from him that the town got its name, Agbadagreme, which the white-man adjusted to Badagry to suit his tongue.”

    When asked if the name Agbede has any connection with another word Agbede or Alagbede in Yoruba, which translates to blacksmith, the Akran shook his head in negation, stressing that “both should not be confused.”

    What would appear to be another shocking revelation in this encounter, was the monarch’s disclosure that the Kingdom of Badagry extends from the border town of Seme as far as Ajegunle on the outskirts of Lagos metropolis.

    “The Kingdom of Badagry starts from Seme border right through to Ajegunle,” he said categorically.

    When reminded that some Lagos white cap chiefs, such as the Oluwa and Ojora of Lagos may take exception to this pronouncement, the Akran, smiled and simply said, “They may lay claim to it today, but originally it was part of Badagry Kingdom.”

    Asked how it got to be taken away from the kingdom, the monarch said, “It’s not a matter of being taken away; it’s a matter of where they live. They are not Ogu people but they are part of us, in the same way all the Awori settlements along the (Lagos-Badagry) route are part of us. You can ask them.”

    Would that mean that the people who delineated Badagry Local Government of old to extend as far as Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, which now administers Ajegunle made no mistake?

    “No, it was not a mistake at all. That’s the way it was before it was divided,” the monarch reiterated.

    Journalist prince

    Finally the discussion shifted to his journalism days. The Akran admitted to being a journalist and spoke loftily of his active days in the profession.

    “I was a journalist before I was called upon to be Akran. I worked with The West African Pilot owned by Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe; I also worked with the Morning Post, New Nigeria and Sketch. Journalism in our days was interesting and challenging. And it was financially rewarding too, at least relatively.”

    At this, the visitors exchanged glances and threw back, “How come there isn’t so much money in the profession these days?”

    For the umpteenth time, the Akran laughed again, licked his lips and said, “Be patient, money is coming.”

    Asked to give his parting words, the De Wheno Aholu Meno Toyi 1 sat back and said, “The expressway is our most challenging problem now. They should expedite work on it and complete it. When they’re done with that, they should facilitate the port. And then of course, they should let us feel the impact of the oil discovered on our shores.”

    To youths of the kingdom, he said, “Please come home to build and develop the town.”

  • Depression: Simple mood swings can be warning signal

    Psychiatric problems can happen to anyone and at any time. It is therefore pertinent that when we begin to see symptoms that are unusual, we must quickly seek intervention. These are some of the submissions of Mojisola Akinsanmi, Chief Clinical Psychologists of over three decades, as told to Omolara Akintoye.

    WHAT is the cause of the rising cases of psychiatric problem in the country?

    As you know, we are human and when things are not going the way we expect, we are bound to react in one way or the other, and mostly it will be in a negative way. The economy is bad, life generally is tough for everybody; when these things are in existence and are occurring at an alarming rate and people have to find a way of coping with them, you can talk about the alarming rate of drug use.

    People want to feel good, happy and at least have a moment when they feel like everything is okay with them, even though it is not real. That is what those substances give to you momentarily. Some of these drugs, we never even heard of in the past, and it’s frightening. All these things contribute to the high rate of psychiatric problems that we see now.

    What are the symptoms of depression to watch out for?

    What we can do is to note that psychiatric problems can happen to anyone and at any time. And when we begin to see symptoms that are not usual, you feel like you don’t want to see anybody. It’s now a burden when people come visiting you or when people are asking you to talk but you feel like you don’t want to see anybody; or you go to bed and can’t sleep and you feel like withdrawing yourself from social interaction. With that, you should know that there is something wrong with you and at that time you are to seek for intervention. Most of the time, it doesn’t have to end up with you in the psychiatric hospital. If you seek medical attention on time, you might just need to see a psychologist and not necessarily a psychiatrist. For instance, if you have mind depression, my physiotherapist can assist you. You might not need medications. But if you leave it for too long and it begins to affect everything, I mean let’s say you can’t function well, you are distressed, then you will have to go to a psychiatric hospital and then you will have to take pills. So we can prevent it if the people present on time. And for us to be able to present on time, we need to know what these disorders are. We need to open our minds to know, just like we know the symptoms of hypertension or diabetes.

    We also need to know the symptoms of psychiatric problems. We should stop thinking it’s only for mad people; you know there are lots of stigmas around psychiatric disorders. It’s even a global problem. It’s among the poor, the rich and the middle class; even people in the rural areas that are into farming. These days, you don’t even need to stress yourself to buy the drug; so many things now give people reason to sniff gutter water. You are going along the road and you see someone bent by a gutter sniffing, just because he wants to get high. They sniff septic tanks, petrol, which could be seen everywhere and anywhere….

    The rich men’s children will take crack cocaine, the original one, which goes for N50 thousand a gram. Meanwhile the same  cocaine adulterated and mixed with all kinds of things is bought by the lower class people for like two thousand naira. The higher class can get heroine because they are expensive while the lower class gets codeine, still serving the same purpose.

    Things weren’t this bad in the past, what actually went wrong?

    Yes, because really, when I was in secondary school, I never saw people abusing drugs and I never heard about. I never knew anyone who was taking substances. All we knew then was alcohol. People took alcohol, and of course marijuana, which has also always been in existence. Suddenly, I think these young ones are looking for everything everywhere. We’ve been using codeine for cough syrup and I never thought it could be abused. All these medications that have become substances of abuse have been in existence long before now; it’s just unfortunate that our young generations are looking for everything to alter their mood, perception, behaviours. Even methylated spirit that are used for injuries, are now being abused. I think it’s just telling us that something has really gone wrong with our society. This is not just about the economic situation; I think it also has to do with family disintegration. Parents don’t have time anymore; they are so occupied with trying to make ends meet. Even when you want to create time, you have limitations. For instance, I work in Lagos and I have to leave my house by 5am, will I be able to see my children when leaving? Again, because I want to beat the traffic in the night, I wait on the island till 10pm, such that by the time I get home, the children would have slept. So what time do I have to interact with them?

    So, from primary school, most of these kids are being exposed to drugs. From research, you find that most of them are exposed to drugs from age six. It’s that bad.

    How can psychiatric cases be curbed?

    say we can prevent it with a very good and promising government policy; policies that are focused or concentrated on masses. Government should make people feel the impact of good governance. When there is employment, the economy improves; the social infrastructures are available; if we can reduce the stress induced by the community, city, and government; if we can bring down the level of stress people go through, then it will go a long way in preventing or reducing psychiatric cases.

    Aside all these, people also have a role to play in preventing this trend. You know in our society, we don’t really take anything serious. Most of the time when such things happen, we attribute it to some deities, some supernatural forces, and that makes people present cases really late to the hospital. For instance, someone is suffering from depression; may be he/she as experienced lots of negative life events; maybe his business closed down, he lost his/her loved ones, children graduated without employment, at the mercy of landlord for non-payment of rent…. Everything is happening at the same time and he is pressured to take in all these things; it is not unexpected if such a person falls into depression. But our people will say the enemy is at work, which will not make them seek medical attention on time.

    So government should make things go well in the society e. g education, health, energy…. We don’t need to beg for it, it should be a right.  The society should encourage honesty and hardwork. Things are so degenerated in the country now that once somebody makes money; nobody cares to know how they got the money, even if it’s stolen. People worship  riches, wealth; and this is one of the reasons our youth have departed the way of hard work and are all into Yahoo and other internet scams. Of course they witnessed their mothers and fathers who went through the path of hardwork and ended up in penury; so they have concluded that it does not pay. So, society should recognise people with good values and give them public recognition, so that these young ones may learn that it pays to be hardworking and honest.

    At the family level, we should supervise our children. God has made us to be caretakers over them. It is also our responsibility to nurture them and train them. We mustn’t say because our children are in the university, then we should let them be. We should pay them unscheduled visits, talk to their roommates, course mates and course advisors; it’s from them you will really know who your children are in the university because if they know you are coming, they will arrange themselves before coming to meet you.

    2019 comes with a loaded package; how do you think people can manage pressure and possible depression?

    The New Year comes with optimism, but people become over ambitious, and that’s because I won’t like to use the word ‘deluded.’ People believe what wasn’t possible in the past five years, would be brought to reality in the New Year, so they go in with high hopes, expectations, demands…. But I will say, let’s exercise caution here, because you know yourself and you know the resources around you. Why don’t you request for what you know you can attain? Let’s not hope manna is going to drop because God does not drop manna anymore; it’s what you have, what you can attain or what you can access that will give you what you want. So, let’s be reasonable and modest about our New Year resolution and requests; let’s set realistic targets, so that our hopes won’t be dashed. It is when people set high expectations and it becomes unachievable that they fall into depression. And that is when you find them committing suicide.

     

  • SEYI BANIGBE

    Seyi Banigbe is a lawyer, tax expert, entrepreneur and host of Game Changers, a talk show which airs on DSTV and other stations across the country. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her passion, what inspires her and more.

    TELL us about life as a talk show host and what inspired you to do this

    Binging with Game Changers is a business and career inspirational talk show. It was borne out of passion to see Nigerians prosper and flourish in all their endeavours. We are very conscious of the fact that not everyone can and should be an entrepreneur. This is selecting high flyers and in exceptional areas in the economy, people in the corporate space and business place.

    So, we highlight their challenges, successes and how they have been able to rise basically irrespective of the limitations that Nigeria and life itself offers. It is a 30 minutes’ talk show and it is online and TV stations.

    What excites us is that we are able to talk to Nigerians across the nation through terrestrial and Cable TV. The emphasis also is that you don’t have to travel out of this country to make it. You can stay right here just like the people who we are showcasing and becoming a billionaire. It is a mindset; a mind change.

    What was the experience like at the beginning?

    Season one was exciting and we started our first ever season and it was amazing. It gave us more impetus to drive and shoot season two and we were surprised by the reception of the show on Linkedin. The corporates were particularly excited that a TV show for once was bringing the spotlight on office people. We got about four re-runs on African Magic family TV and it was practically showing throughout the year. They loved it so much and aired all episodes again. By the middle of the year, we got to NTA network and there we spoke to the whole country.

    What were some of the memorable moments for you?

    In season one, the interview with Adekunle Gold was quite special. The response was really exciting because he was paired with Esiri, who is a partner from Pricewater Cooper House. She reached the height of her career at the age 35. And Adekunle who is doing amazing things in the music industry and he is not thirty. He is not polluting the country but making it a better place. Just doing the right thing; that was our first episode and the response was amazing. Every single episode has been really special and I must be very sincere with you that I learnt something from every episode. So, I would say these episodes are special.

    What are the things you look out for in your targets?

    We have a team that studies people doing exceptional things across various sectors. The key thing that we look out for is success that is replicable. Something that the average Nigerian can look at and copy. What you find a lot of times are people that are successful. When you see what they put out there, you say I can copy this about this person but I can’t copy this about this person. When people are successful and they are constantly living like role models and what they put out there is safe to consume. I believe that such people should be given extra recognition and you also find that those people are not the type that make so much noise. We feel such people should be celebrated because they are doing big things in their industry and making the world a better place. So, that is the core of what we consider to be a game changer. You must ask yourself the question: Is your success replicable? For instance, if someone who wants to be an artist chooses to do music like you, will it be disaster or would he be better for it?

    What will be different in season two?

    We are looking forward to a juicier, more inspiring content. We are also excited about the fashion segment and from the beginning we have been particular about wearing made in Nigeria outfits. It got more exciting in season two because apart from wearing Nigerian designers, Vlisco also came on board and they got me to wear loads of amazing African prints. So, there is a whole lot of exciting African stuffs that people will be enjoying while watching the show.

    One other thing that excites me about season two is our mentorship platforms. If you need a mentor, you can go to our platform. It is an E-mentorship platform where we give people the opportunity to be mentored. Once you register on our website, we connect them with successful mentors across the nation who are willing to spend some time for a period of 68 weeks. Here they answer questions and basically guide the person on their success path. So, we are excited about that as well and it gives people across the country access to guidance, especially from people who seek to achieve what they have achieved.

    Let’s talk about your personal experience. Did you have people who mentored you?

    I think one of the reasons I am passionate about what we are doing with the E-mentorship platform is because in my younger years, I would meet people that I wished to be like but, sometimes, you just don’t know how to approach the person or don’t have access. All you can do is just sit down and admire from afar. Some you would even approach, they would say yes but they are not even interested; they don’t have your time. So, I would say that I have tasted what it is like not to experience what mentorship can provide.

    Hence my passion to make such a beautiful thing available to people. However, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t learnt from people. Most of the mentorship I have gotten has been by reading through books about people. Of course, I have had one or two people mentor me directly. I know that it is just different having someone give you attention.

    Tell us about your definition of style, the things you love to wear?

    I run a jewellery brand called Bland to Glam. Obviously, I have a keen interest in fashion. Personally, I think I am a simple dresser but I think I like understated elegance. I like colours and that is really me. However, what drives even more of what I do with fashion is that I love seeing people look good. It excites me and I am happy to make that happen in my own little way with my brand.

    When and how did your jewellery brand start?

    Bland to Glam started as an online store and it was basically borne out of the passion I got when I travelled abroad. Then I would buy jewellery and find them in stores at exorbitant prices. I started wondering why Nigerians can’t buy this as easily as it was being bought over there. I told myself that I was going to get into this industry and figure out how the foreigners are able to do it and make such good quality jewellery available to their people. I think that we are getting there. We make good quality fashion jewellery accessible and affordable enough to the average Nigerian. We also retail across Nigeria.

    What are you looking at for the brand in the next five years?

    We are looking at retailing beyond the shores of Nigeria and Africa. We want to see people all over the world wearing Bland to Glam pieces. We look forward to giving the men a lot of jewellery to wear too. Our male jewellery line is going to pop up soon. That is one of the exciting things that we are looking forward to.

    What are the challenges in the fashion industry?

    In the fashion industry, there are challenges that revolve around personnel, human resources, hiring and retaining people, distribution and work ethics. Interestingly, these are part of the things we address on the show. We encourage people to work hard, be hungry and passionate about your work. Unfortunately, this is not seen in a lot of people you hire and that can be frustrating. Funding is also there, like every other entrepreneur. A lot of people don’t want to work; they just want to take the salary. Is there something that you do to motivate those who work with you?

    First, I will talk to you one-on-one. Then, we also have training sessions, which is important and then there is a reward system.

    When you work with us for a certain number of years especially our merchandising people, who are retailing in our various locations, we inspire and push you so that you can do better. We work a lot of times with women and we look out for their plans and advise them to forge ahead with their education. And when you get that admission, we are going to give them scholarship as a form of motivation. I had some male staff and in some of the stores they found it awkward having guys walking around with jewellery, trying to wear jewellery for women. It just didn’t flow.

    However, in my dispenser company, Deterge, where we work to clean dispensers in homes and offices, we have only men. When we started, we realised that it was a security risk for women. When you get to some place, you find that it is just a man at home and it won’t be right for a woman to go to a home and clean a dispenser for a man we don’t know. So, we had to stop hiring women for that. So, you find that there are jobs that are more favourable to various sexes.

    Let’s talk about that particular job, cleaning dispensers; how did it start?

    It was when I had my first baby and at the hospital, they told me that anything you take would go into your breast and to my baby. When I got home, I started looking at my dispenser and I realised that it hadn’t been cleaned. I called one of the popular dispense companies and they asked me to bring it to their factory, they don’t go to people’s houses and they dropped the phone. So, I thought that there should be people who can do this and there was need to provide the service. I went into learning, researching and set up a team. That was how we started providing the service and we have done this for five years now. We have way over five hundred clients in homes and offices whose dispensers we clean quarterly.

    Are there challenges doing this?

    Basically marketing, getting the word out there. For the business, we keep the fees really low; we want people to be able to do it regularly. It is really tough having a robust marketing budget. I founded a law firm as well.

    Why did you study law?

    While I was growing up, my mum would always say, ‘you talk a lot, you should be a lawyer’. Then, things were a bit more restricted unlike what you have now. I grew up, liked it and it was an easy fit. I practice in the area of corporate and commercial law dealing with companies and structuring transactions, putting agreements together and reviewing it. I love that level of details that go into it and being able to advise my clients. Because I am a business woman as well, I try to bring my details into it, knowledge and strategy. I started my career in Pricewater Cooper Nigeria limited in the tax and corporate affairs unit. I worked there for a couple of years and then I moved onto an oil and gas company. I was the company secretary and legal adviser for about ten years before setting up my legal practice.

  • AMINA EKPO Pageants no longer what attracted me to them

    Dr. Amina Ekpo, the 2001 Miss Nigeria who marks her 41st anniversary today in Abuja, goes down memory lane even as she speaks passionately about today’s women, and the urgent need for social and sustainability reforms within the fabrics of the Nigerian society in this frank conversation with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    LET me start by asking how you transit from the world of pageantry into the educational set up?

    I was not really in the world of pageantry; it was just something I did for fun and a phase of my growing up as a child.  It was something I did with the hope that it would to something great in achieving my goals and dreams my life; that  I would like to travel and see the rest of the world.  I really wanted a voice about the things that can impact life and I saw pageantry as an opportunity to achieving those goals in my life. It worked out and I think my physical appearance helped a lot;  it was such   a great fun because it gave the opportunity to do what I loved to do and I later moved on from the world of pageantry to education.

    Thereafter, I guess life just evolve  for me because sometimes,  I don’t know how we define our career path in life; and I found myself  more and more on the education field. I have evolved over the years and I’m now the General Manager at the Deo Gratias Institute which has given me the opportunity to continue my work in skill acquisition and helping people to get productive lives.

    Would you have agreed to step into the educational line if that was an option placed before you in your younger years ?

    Honestly, I would have said no if I had been asked back then if I would love to work in a school. But it came along the way and I suddenly discovered it was something I’d love to do; and this is where I have the natural inclinations. I found myself in something I’m engrossed with; an hidden passion that I never knew it existed. But it all started as my pet project as Miss Nigeria through my NGO (Touching Tender Hearts) where I started educating on sexual health and living productive lives by acquiring needed skills and not also ignoring your natural talents. Ever since, I have not stopped from teaching and encouraging youths and adolescents on these matters. It also led me about the issue of sustainability of the environment and climate change which are some of the things that we should pay attention to. We have been told that the earth is going to be ruined if we don’t take action against such things like global warming that could lead to catastrophic situations regarding the weather and all sorts.  Of course, so many other issues relating to sustainability of lives; eco-friendly designs and that was how we launched the nature festivals. This has given us the opportunity to speak about managing of wastes at home, life style changes, living rights and for people to look at their core values especially in relationship with others and even on what and what to spend your resources.  Honestly, I’m not relenting in teaching and educating people about the need to acquire the necessary skills so that they can be more productive and useful to the society.   Hearts impacted on the society ?

    The NGO, Touching Tender Hearts is in collaboration with Deo Gratias Institute and we have been able to touch lives through the education on things that would help in the preservation of lives; helping people to become useful and keeping hope alive especially the productivity of the youths and adolescents. We have been doing this in ensuring skill acquisition over the years through kindness and charitable works. Running this NGO, I wouldn’t call myself a high society lady because I have met so many challenges along the line because I’m not highly connected. I have had to manage little resources though I’m a struggling mother and these are some of the challenges that have limited my ability to do as much as I would have loved to do. I want to reach thousands of youths through advocacy on morality having higher values and given them opportunities and development of skills in my environment.  I would still like to create more awareness on sustainability issues and teaching kids on subsystem farming; and pointing them into the right direction.

    So what are your short and long term goals?

    My current goal is taking the skill acquisition to another level which is now in partnership with the Deo Gratias Institute.  My longer term goal is going into elderly care and care of displaced people and refugees; emergency response management and just caring for people in desperate situations. I know what it feel to be displaced because of challenges beyond one’s control which a lot of people don’t see when they here of refugees. Those in IDPS camps are suffering because of challenges beyond their control; and these are issues I would like to focus upon by connecting with organisations that can help both locally and internationally.  I’m afraid if we (as country) keep moving the way we are  going, we may have so much catastrophic situations in the future and  this is what I’m looking at so that the effect of such won’t be badly felt. I love the care for  the elderly which  I don’t see happening much around me and I would like to put in structures as well as trained personnel to be able to deal with it ; and not forgetting the education of children which I love so much.

    Tell us more about Deo Gratias Institute and what do people stands to gain?

    Living a productive life means you want to serve and give off yourself without thinking about the financial benefits.  Through Deo Gratias Institute, we are able to give out certificate courses so that people can get skill acquisition to  be gainfully employed. Of course, these courses are not cheap and that is why I would be going round  to churches and corporate concerns to solicit financial support  so that many people who cannot afford these courses can be  sponsored to  be  trained in their respective choices.  I still have this Diamond Heart Project  which is very heavy in my heart because I want us to reconnect to love and eager to respect one another; we are  no longer treating ourselves  well with love and respect. Even when we are strict we have to give love and respect  for the sake of our children  so that we wouldn’t give them a wrecked society. We need to care more about our environments  and give more  to the society with love  and respect.

    What’s your take on general breakdown of morality amongst ladies on the altar of hustling for survival?

    Survival in the society has become a reason for concern for me. As a lady, I want to be reasonable in talking about this thing. Our society has to be awaken with the reality that we need to treat the women with sensitivity; don’t demand women to be prostitute. Men should be sensitive to help without demanding sex from women. Why do we see women as the problem? Is it that women want to go out there to exchange sex for favours but I think it’s the other way round because it’s is men who want to give favour for sex? The society is tough; there is poverty and people are dying. Of course, women want to get married but men want to get the knowledge of the women even without the commitment or the responsibility of marrying them. I don’t think this is fair.  I want to beg Nigerian men that they should not give favour to demand sex from a woman in need. Give her the job without taking undue advantage of her because you want to help her. And women don’t think that sweet words that men give you are real; you don’t need to live in that deception to lose the dignity because as women we’re supposed to be chaste, pure and beautiful. As women we have to begin to respect out dignity and start telling men: no. Nigerian women should be ready to suffer in order to have the right experiences to make the change of a better society happen. They (men) have to tame their desires and women really need to suffer to reject the advances by men. Women need to do their part, pray and leave the rest to God to do his part in order to intervene in their situations.

    With the fad in town with reality shows, would you for instance  have participated in the Big Brother show if you were younger ?

    Reality shows; reality shows!! I love reality shows because I like to be real; and say it as it is.But I  do  not like the show of the things that reduce humanity; things that reduces us as intelligent beings; things that reduces integrity and things that  I know people watch things like Big Brother because they want to watch things that are not virtuous so I wouldn’t have participated in the Big Brother Show. I’m happy that I was able to find a path that was beautiful because pageantry of those olden days really focussed more on the inner beauty. It gave girls the chance to serve genuinely and philanthropically which was what I did. The Big Brother is all about the money you’ll  get and the way unusual things  that are done before the winners arrive at that stage without minding the pollution of things that are virtuous.

    How would you define beauty to the ordinary person on the street?

    I think the love and respect for one another would be  the focus for my  Diamond Heart Project. I’m worried that people are generally  cold and we  no longer show love to one another as it used to be in the past. We have to be blind to status, tribe  and get our values right. But I think pageantry has really veered away from what attracted me to it because these days it’s just all about personal looks and not really the love for the society. People are now so self-absorbed and  you don’t necessarily see people that are so connected to real issues that affect us anymore. Pageantry has lost its glory and I won’t lie to you, sometimes  I feel ashamed to have been associated with the beauty industry because it doesn’t necessarily speak of the values that attracted me to it in the first instance. As I said earlier, I wanted an opportunity to impact on the society and it gave me that platform;  but I don’t see it as the reason why people go into that (pageantry) these days.

    What is your beauty regimen?

    Beauty for me is really about the heart but  how can you be beautiful if you’re insensitive and how can you be beautiful if you have bad character? If you don’t respect yourself and others how can you be beautiful? How can you be beautiful when it’s all about the false looks with hairs; lashes; nails and makeups? I see beautiful in respect for who you are; and finding your unique self and strength and expressing that courageously; being bold to be on track to be you. I don’t see beautiful in false looks and presenting  yourself in what you are really not because it means you are not proud of whom you were created to be. I don’t see beauty in looking like someone else and that means you are not proud of who you are as  Africans  for an example. There is beauty in the African hair; there is beauty in the African skin and wearing it with confidence and courage is beautiful. Finding  your talent and reaching  out within yourself to be able to serve with love and respect. Being  productive in what you do and that’s beauty. Maintaining a lovely person and having a smile on your face; looking beautiful and radiant after you have gone through so much; that’s what I see as beautiful.

    Why don’t you  wear makeups  and  artificial hairs  because I noticed that from collection of your photos?

    I grew to realise that wearing artificial hair was something I wasn’t comfortable with doing because it was to me like I was making a statement that my hair wasn’t good enough. So I came face-to-face with answering for myself ‘why?’  I felt my hair was too dry and hard and to add to that, not thick and long enough. So I decided to do something about it and not live with something I was so uncomfortable with for the rest of my life. I could have kept on relaxing or texturizing my hair too but that chemical process alters the hair permanently and gives me very  limited styling choices but with the natural hair, I could do a flat ironing to get it straightened out like a perm, roller set it to look like curls and even do more to it like use my hair treatment to give it a texturized look or simply define its own natural curls or curl patterns which is what I love to do more of.  On the other hand, I stopped wearing makeup because it hides what I really look like and gives me this false sense of beauty which didn’t make sense to me. Also when I look at the pictures I took with makeup, especially those with full make up, I don’t totally like it because it tells me I’m artificial,   not projecting my true self which I believe is better than that but afraid that people won’t see it that way and that mattered to me. Well I became uncomfortable enough with doing that to stop.

    It’s so liberating to finally find the strength to do what you really want to do and of course, need to do to be more comfortable with yourself, it’s such a good feeling you get and maintain once you are able to figure out how to do the right or best thing. I take care of skin concerns rather than hide them and I’m making my products available to others. Above all , I feel all of these cares for God’s creation in the right ways and I believe that’s the will of God and to add to this, most of the makeup are toxic chemicals and artificial hair not biodegradable which adds to our biggest global problems and are not solutions. These problems are environmental protection and health with the rising rate of cancer everywhere. Personal changes in how we care for we would go a long way to help reduce greenhouse gases due to the production of these artificial hair and makeup polluting our environment and bodies that we really don’t need. I study applied chemist and I’m already working on my cosmetics range of products which is based on many years of research. All along, I’d dreamt about this but I never knew the route to take but I have since figured that out; maintaining natural features of what we have in respect of our hairs and skin colours without altering our naturalness. I want to help as many people as possible who want to maintain their African look and that’s why I would soon be launching the Dr. Amina Natural Hair All-in-One Kit that would include hair softener; strenghtener , thickener and growth kit. Already, the products are in the market but it would be officially launched on my 41st birthday on 24th February 2019.

    Tell us about your family…

    My family is small. I have a son  who would soon be graduating from high school; and this is something I’m very grateful to God since I I’d really loved to be a mother though not in an ideal marriage setting as it were. But I’m grateful to God because it has been an awesome experience for me over last 17 years when I was Miss Nigeria. I have another younger son from a friend who really loves to stay with us.  I have also some like a sister with me as well. That’s how small we are as we do things together; we just tried to practice the right value and virtues to help each other grow  strong  and live in a perfect loving environment. Oh! I forgot to mention that we have two dogs; my son has a Rottweiler and I have a mixed  maltese-lasser  dog; it’s amazing how so much we have in the home especially when we come back from work  and the dogs jumping and giving kisses to everyone. Of course, we have our ups and downs but it has also help everyone to be their best .And my family, we love Jesus because he’s at the  centre of everything we do; and he is the reason why we are alive and happy. He is the reason coupled with the holy spirit and God , that we are thriving and  have hope that everything would be fine. Our family is hinged on this awareness and relationship with God.

  • Olamide Babajide: Why I dumped engineering for waste recycling

    Olamide Ayeni Babajide is a Network Infrastructure Engineer but she abandoned this and moved onto a new phase of life, recreating furniture, décor and other household utensils. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about rediscovering her passion through the Tony Elumelu Foundation, producing furniture with used tyres, winning WIMBIZ Impact and a grant as social innovator from Union Bank Plc.

    What inspired you to go into the sector?

    I am a creative person naturally but I studied Computer Engineering. I actually worked for six years as a Network Infrastructure Engineer. It was during the course of my nine-to-five corporate job that I represented the company that I was working for in the United Arab Emirate.

    That was where I got the inspiration. I love arts; naturally, a lover of everything nature. There I went to a mall where they sell home décor. Right there, I saw a beautiful wall décor art that was made from waste. It was quite expensive and I brought it back to the country. I had issues with customs because I bought a lot and they wanted to know if I was going to sell it.

    It was when I got home that I realised that they were made of waste. So, that was the first thing that actually got my curiosity. I told myself that if people can make this out of waste, we can do this here because we have a lot of waste in Nigeria. I realised that it is something that I can also start with. I started doing this around 2013 but it was just a part-time thing initially.

    What type of waste did you start with?

    I started with plastics and corn husk because the item I bought in UAE was made with corn husk. I worked around it and made a lot of things from it. Later, I started using my Saturdays and Sundays to do things because that was the only time I had to make them. When I finished making them, I will take the pictures and take them back to the office and my colleagues love them and they buy. They started calling me for costumised wall décor, especially if they moved homes. We love colours in Nigeria and sometimes if they paint their homes in a colour like orange and green, they will want a décor that will blend with the whole thing. So, that was how it all started for me.

    At what point did you start using tyres for furniture?

    After the first experience, I applied casually in 2016 for the Tony Elumelu Foundation and we were selected. That was the second set and at that point, I was still doing my nine-to-five job. It was a great motivation and I said to myself, if someone can believe in this idea, then I think it is worst investing everything.

    What earned you the Tony Elumelu selection?

    I really can’t say. You know it is not an academic thing; you pitch an idea and apply online.

    What did that exposure give you?

    I think that changed the whole business sense for me. That was how we started the tyre idea. It was after Tony Elumelu that the inspiration of tyres for furniture came. For me, it wasn’t really the money, it was the mentoring. The mentoring is a whole lot and it can turn your business around in different ways. After the Tony Elumelu experience, we applied for the WIMBIZ Impact Competition and we won again. So, I said, ‘fine, I think the business can move’ and I left my job. We started fully in

    2016 and at that point, I started learning and discovered that what moves the business is what people love. We also realised at that point that used tyres were causing a lot of problems and there were durable products and furniture that we can make from tyres beyond wall décor made from plastics. So, we started working around tyres. I did a lot of research on tyres for about four months before we started the production. We were just doing it and asking people for feedbacks. It was when we got the go-ahead and say that people really loved what we made out of tyres that we started doing bulk.

    Also we moved into tyres to make profit. We noticed that a lot of people prefer to have furniture instead of wall décor. So, this was going to bring in more money than wall décor.

    Who are your targets for this kind of furniture?

    Our client varies. When we started, we thought our clients were average Nigerians; the average income earners who wanted something beautiful, yet they were not ready to spend a lot of money on something beautiful. That was our opinion then but it changed because we realised that even the rich are clients who love artistic things, creative craft things and then it doesn’t have to cut across any income division. Then we thought we were doing a Business to Consumer (B to C) but along the line, we realised that we were doing a lot of Business to Business (B to B). Now, we have a lot of organisations calling us to do costumised furniture for their companies with their logo. We also have organisations calling us to do end of year gifts that they will give to their premium clients.

    What are the other items that you use?

    We use all forms of solid waste. That is why we are different. These include plastics, wine corks, buttons, and broken plastic spoons. We also won an award last year as the most Innovative Social Innovator with a grant of one million naira from Union Bank Plc. Leap Africa runs a programme for social innovators and that was it.

    Do you do trainings and mentoring for young people?

    We do sustainability trainings and consulting. Interestingly, when we started we had a lot of stiff opposition. In Nigeria, we have a lot of stereotypical mindset about waste. We see waste as waste, something you cannot use again. So, we had a lot of problems at the beginning trying to change the mindset of people, accepting that waste is good. And realising that this is really a huge problem, we saw the need to go to secondary schools, young people whose mindset isn’t stiff. And there is no way you are going to talk about waste management without talking about the need to sustain the environment. We need to make the climate better for everybody. Environmental sustainability is a wide topic and it all depends on the area that you are interested in. Some people are coming from the area of deforestation and afforestation. For them, the issue is ‘don’t cut down that tree and when you cut it, you put it back’. There is also gas flaring from industrial companies and pollution. So, it all depends on the angle that you are passionate about. For most organisations, sustainability is how they can reduce waste and how they can re-use waste. Companies are one of the biggest generators of waste. For instance, the water dispenser companies are trying to reduce plastic waste with the bigger containers, yet people still use disposable cups. Sustainability in the office is about how we can reduce waste and how we can reuse waste.

    Therefore, we go to the companies and talk to their employees; we also go to schools and talk to students. In talking to the students, we also teach them how to make furniture from waste. So, when they get home, they tell their parents interesting things like used tyre is not waste.

    What are the challenges?

    It is the technical know-how that is important. We really don’t use all forms of tyres. We can’t just pick any type of tyre from the road-side and use. We actually try as much as possible not to use bad tyres. Some tyres with iron already coming out or broken cannot be used. What we have done is to partner with some vulcanisers and we teach them to know the type of tyres we want and they keep it for us. These include car and tricycle tyres and we pay them. This gives them fulfilment and by doing this, we try to reduce the amount of waste on landfills. Also when people see that they can make money from what they are throwing away, they keep it.

    How has this changed your personality?

    I love the arts and I am not the kind of person that can stay in a place for too long and not work, fiddle with something or check how something is made. So, it is something that I love doing. It is something I would do, even if I wasn’t paid. It was just passion and then the money started coming in. I am happy doing this, I love trying new things. We are doing different things out of waste for people to appreciate waste. We do research, read a lot and know the other things that we can work with.

    If you had to advise government about the sector, what would you say?

    My advice is that waste on its own, which falls under recycling, should be a ministry. I have been opportune to go to most of the recycling plants in the US and some other places. I can tell you that the way they see waste is not the way we see waste. They see waste as a circular economy, something that generates its own money. Beyond having a pick up van, and throwing waste away, we should make something out of waste. I see government having their own recycling facility, where they crush plastics, turn them to pellets and make their nylon. I don’t see the reasons why the nylons that we use to pack waste are made by a third party. Why government can’t do this or partner with them and employ other unemployed women. This way they can make money for the government. We did an exhibition last year in Egypt. We were selected as one of the 100 innovations from Africa and we exhibited at the World Youth Forum in Egypt. When they saw what we did, they couldn’t believe that it was waste. If government can look inwards and work with different people making creative things, they can make a lot of money. As a matter of fact, when you go to Germany, there is a mall where the only things they sell are recycled products.

    Where do you see your organisation in the next five years?

    We innovate every day; we try to keep up with the problems. What we do is that we are solving problems, we are not competing. We want to provide other solutions beyond what people know us for. We are moving into the fashion industry, producing bows and other accessories. We are also moving into the building industry, making interlocking tiles for indoor and outdoor from waste. Also, we want to have the first recycling hub in Lagos where people can come in and work. Have an atmosphere where they can think about what they can do with waste.  We have a lot of digital hubs, everywhere now. Everyone is talking about technology. Can we talk about waste? We are also talking about going to schools, getting them to come together and compete.

  • Halima Abubakar: I’m an undercover comedian

    Halima Abubakar is an actress and a movie producer who has conquered her world. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her humble beginnings, memorable moments, empowering young people through her foundation, surviving an illness that almost claimed her life and more.

    What is life as an actress like?

    I would say that life as an actress is normal for me. It is already a way of life. For me, it is nothing different from other jobs. We are in the limelight and, yes, it is quite interesting and fun some times. Of course, there are times when it can be stressful and demanding.

    Tell us about your first role; what was the experience like?

    That is quite a long time. Honestly, I can’t remember my first movie. I didn’t say a word in the movie. Things have really changed and now I am here doing so many things, giving people jobs as well as working for others too.

    Did anyone try to discourage you at that point in your career?

    Yes, my dad did. He was never in support of my acting career and fame. That was then; now, he is my biggest fan. A huge fan now and I love my daddy. Going down memory lane, I also remember that some of my so-called friends tried to discourage me and make me leave the acting profession at the beginning. But my mind was made up and for the truth was that I wasn’t stopping anyone, we don’t act alike because I was different. At that point, I was synonymous with my unpredictable expressions and some used that to lobby to go get my job. That was the phase then and I survived it all .God has been really great.

    What are some of the memorable movies that you have participated in?

    I have tonnes of movies that are really memorable. I love Jujuwood by Tchidi Chikere. I also really like all my jobs because there is an element of divine touch in what I do. Just take a look from just a few scenes to a whole lead and more. That, interestingly, is see life and what God can do if you are determined and hardworking. Apart from acting, I have produced nine movies and there are still so much that I want to do.

    Tell us about the challenges that you are faced with in the process of doing the things that you do

    Like every other career or business, the challenges are always there. For me, I strongly believe that hard work pays and it is just a matter of time. In addition, you need a lot of patience and prayers. The truth of the matter is that I don’t play with prayers at all; I need it. On the job, people get jealous if you’re doing your work very well, hence they usually want to sabotage what you are doing. And because I am not a dummy, I know my onions and they know that I can give them a hard time. I strongly believe that the industry is for all and no one can stop me from shining.

    Looking down memory lane, what are some of the interesting things your fans have done to you?

    I love my fans for their support; my fans appreciate me and all that I do. I must say a big thank you to my fans here, because I know that they care and I am loved. Thank you all. It is not easy getting support from people. Sometimes, you find people sending letters and flowers to media houses for me. They just want me to know that they care for me. God bless you all. I love you all.

    What are the things that make you happy?

    Happiness is a thing of the mind and I would say that the things that make me happy are just random. In addition, I am an undercover comedian and a lot of people enjoy hearing me talk; I love comedy.

    Who are the people that you admire in the sector?

    I have a number of people that I admire in the sector because they stand out from the pack. They include Mr and Mrs Olu Jacobs, Sola Shobowale, Bimbo Akintola, Uncle Zack Orji and Barbara Soky. I admire their natural talents and raw acting skills. So, I watch and learn; God bless my legends. I am humbled that some of them are now in my movies, masha Allah.

    Tell us about some of your awards and recognitions

    It’s been a very interesting and exciting journey in the sector for me. I have won four best actress

    awards, both here and abroad. In addition, I have over 90 awards in my kitty and the recognitions range from new actor, supporting actor to best actress. Looking back, it hasn’t been a small journey. I am really honoured for all the opportunities that have come my way. Also, don’t forget that I am also a farmer and a business woman. As an entrepreneur, I run a luxury items outfit and in my collection you will find eye popp

    ing glasses, boxes, super quality accessories and perfumes. I don’t do clothes.

    Is there anything that you want the government to do for the sector?

    I do have a farm that I am very passionate about. The soil is being friendly because of the sun but the rain is not helping. I don’t want my sweat to drop in vain. We also make money from livestock and fish farming and we are doing very well. I need the government to support the sector and it will make things better. I am happy because I am doing what others are not doing. Even though many think it is a man’s job, that won’t limit my power.

    You have a foundation for the youths, what are some of the things that you have done for them?

    We were hungry at a point in my life because my dad wasn’t around. We went to see my aunty and she told me that we were always begging for food. That broke my heart. So, anytime I see people that are hungry, I just want to help them.

    I have been giving back for such a long time. For me, charity is caring for others and not mocking others because they asked to help. People should change because you won’t be rich forever. Nollywood can do better; let’s care more. That is why I use my money for charity with no help.

    As little as noodles, no one has given me, but I am there for them.

    I would say that my heart is different and I love it. You can’t mock me and running all this takes strength and vigorous energy. I am really proud of myself and what I have achieved. I am ambassador over 20 times because of charity and I have been inducted into a Charity Hall of Fame, with Mr Tony Elumelu, Dangote, Rochas Okorocha; it has just four personalities. That is a feat. I am also UN, Disease Control Ambassador on Hygiene and Miss Goodwill Ambassador. In addition, I am also a federal marshal for road safety and loads of others from the United Kingdom to the United States. Truly, a grand feat.

    The trend now is that a number of actors and actresses are now going into politics. Do you also have plans for this in the future?

    No, I am not interested in politics. Charity is different from politics. It is a selfless thing, I am not expecting anything.

    Tell us about running Modehouse Entertainment and your passion for music

    Modehouse is my company’s name and we produce movies and help others to produce as well. We have a number of productions coming out soon; watch out for Blood battle from DSR and more ahead.

    How do you relax?

    When I am not working, I just go to sleep because I need it. The truth of the matter is that the body needs rest too, so I feed it. I read books and my collections are dope. I love reading and no TV. I really don’t watch television. I travel when I can, all year round. I love to go to the beach and enjoy driving boats. I also love going to the cinema to watch the latest movies and attend movie premiers.

    What type of books do you like to read?

    I like inspirational books. I also like to read thriller novels. I love books by Joel Austen; he is a preacher and he writes amazing books. I love reading biographies of great leaders like Barrack Obama and Olusegun Obasanjo. I just love history.

    You were said to be in coma for days when you were sick, some months back, what are your memories of that experience?

    I am very great now. So, I don’t want to revisit the past. I thank everyone who was there for me. My fans kept calling; I got a lot of text messages and a few visits. I must say a big thank you to Mrs Rashidat Bello, who was a life saver. That’s my queen and First Lady. God bless her immensely.

    Tell us more about the young people that you mentor

    Yes, I support the youths and they inspire me. I pay school fees for over 10 students at the moment.  I don’t even know how I pay salaries in all the businesses that I run.  And I give them roles without stress and I pay because I don’t want free jobs. I don’t do free jobs. That is punishment; it is bad if you don’t help others.

    It’s strange how things have turned out. God is awesome and more than anyone. My heart is clean and I am grateful to Kogi State First Lady, Mrs Rashidat Bello, who took care of me and the Kano State emirate. Thank you to all my co stars who supported me in their own way. The crux of the matter here is that we rise by lifting others. I am on my own and friends to all; no hate and shade. The only shade I have is my eye glasses (laughs).