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Tag: expert

  • Inflation is out of control, says expert

    The rising inflation rate in the country has gone beyond the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) control,  Head of Research, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Olusegun Omisakin, has said.

    Speaking in Lagos, Omisakin said the rising inflation had defied CBN’s monetary policy measures, adding that policy tools adopted by the apex bank were only effective in taming inflation arising from demand-supply imbalances.

    “In this case, inflation is cost-push. Production cost is high because producers, who want to import intermediate goods for production, do not have access to foreign exchange. Most of them go to the black market and definitely the product from this would be expensive, thereby increasing inflation,” Omisakin said.

    According to him, the CBN could not do anything through the monetary policy rate to arrest inflation. He said even if the CBN increased the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 20 per cent, inflation would not come down.

    His words: “The inflation we are experiencing now is out of the control of the CBN. The CBN can only address issues that have to do with availability and circulation of money and credit control. It cannot address cost-push inflation, because it cannot provide energy, roads, transport. There are fiscal issues.”

    The economist urged the CBN to formulate policies that would boost industrial production and economic growth in view of the economic recession. He also called for co-ordination of fiscal and monetary policies to check the rising inflationary trend in the country.

    He pointed out that rising cost of food, transport and energy would reduce if the Federal Government created  fiscal policies with effective implementation to address the situation through increased investment in infrastructure and agriculture.

    The expert said speedy passage and effective implementation of the 2017 budget would stimulate economic activities.

  • Expert urges govt to address hindrances in TSA

    Expert urges govt to address hindrances in TSA

    A financial expert, Dr. Samuel Nzekwe, has advised the Federal Government to intensify efforts in addressing the bottlenecks in the running of Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the country.
    Nzekwe, former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Ota, Ogun State.
    He said such step would improve transactions through the TSA.
    The expert added that there were lots of bureaucracies affecting the smooth-running of TSA and this might affect success of the policy.
    “The bureaucracy on TSA should be reduced by the Federal Government so that transactions carried out through the account would be easy.
    “They should also look into areas the people are complaining about the TSA and effect the necessary changes,’’ he said.
    According to him, the introduction of TSA by Federal Government had left the financial sector with insufficient funds to give to investors since they depended heavily on public funds to do business.
    He, however, urged banks to change from their armchair banking and regulations, but to double their efforts in attracting more customers into the system to enable them have adequate funds to operate.

  • Food prices to go up, says expert

    Farmers’ Development Union (FADU) Programme  Coordinator, Victor Olowe has alerted of food price increase in the year.

    According to him, factors that would cause increases in food prices have not been resolved. He listed these as   speculation in agricultural commodity markets by sellers.

    He called for increase in farm production.

    Though most farmers are ready to boost production, he said the institutions, the government as well as management of land make this impossible.

    He cautioned that high food prices were likely to continue except there were  efforts to strengthen small-scale farming.

    With climate change, he expressed fears that some sectors of the economy could see short rainfall early this year while the rest of the country will experience low or no rainfall which will affect farming and push up the cost of food.

    There is also serious concern with the prospect of labour shortages in the farms. Growers are grappling with high cost of hiring labour, adding that the situation is critical and demands action if growers are to be competitive.

    He noted that some of the traditional migrant labour are ‘aging,’ while  other farm workers have moved on to other jobs.

    Growers are finding it difficult to get agric workers at lower costs, he added.

    Labour issues would continue to hamper production, he warned.

  • Recession offers opportunities for SMEs’growth, says expert

    President of Successedge Exporters Network (SEEN), Mr. Godwin Abiodun Oyefeso, has said economic recession does not mean an end to life. He said it  could be a springboard for the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

    Oyefeso, while delivering a paper entitled: “Economic recession, the power of change in life and opportunities for SMEs in the non-oil export of the economy”, during a conference in Lagos, pointed out that recession could provide a lot of opportunities for businesses.

    He admitted that recession could bring feelings of lack, poverty, pain and loss, but it could provide a lot of opportunities for the growth of SMEs.

    He explained that most successful companies such as FED EX, Microsoft, CNN, HP started during recessionary periods because their founders identified some opportunities that existed within the period and filled them.

    He said: “While we hear so much about how the net worth of billionaires and millionaires are shrinking, there are a lot of millionaires increasing their net worth or being made. This rich people have created a recession profit lifestyle and do more than survive during a recession.

    “The key to understanding a recession is that the country’s economy is different from your personal economy. In fact, the recession provides the greatest opportunities for taking your life into your own hands. Just like having a raining season like economic boom and recession.

    “The following are strategies one can use to survive in a recession: diversity your income, use other people’s money and do the something, but different.”

    According to him, Michael J. Cullen, who revolutionised American life by creating the modern supermarket, left his work in 1930 to start a self-serve supermarket with space for auto mobile parking and within two years, he made about $6 million in revenue.

    ‘’In Kentucky, United States (US), a good grandfather called Colonel Sanders, started serving chicken at his gas station during the great depression and by 1937, he had expended to 142 seat restaurant due to popular demand.

    ‘’In October 2008 during the height of financial crises, Warren Bullet bought $5 billion shares in Goldman and $3 billion in General Electric. Following this investment, Buttet made billions of dollars at a 10 per cent premium over his initial investment.’’

    Oyefeso added: “If you have funds, this is the time to purchase real estate assets. Rather than copying others, look for what everybody is doing and fill a need and do it differently.

    “Start a business with low start-up cost. Coincidently, most survivalist entrepreneurs typically open business in the food industry. Invest or purchase under- valued assets.’’

  • Expert decries poor library services, reading culture

    Expert decries poor library services, reading culture

    The Principal Librarian of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prince Sunday Olurotimi Obadare, has described the current poor reading culture among Nigerians as worrisome. He said the ugly situation needed to be addressed urgently.

    In a chat with Southwest Report, Obadare, who is also the National Vice-President of Nigeria Library Association (NLA), noted that he was not comfortable with library services in the country, saying that the situation is not pleasant.

    According to him, despite the country’s huge population, government has not recognised the role library services could play in the country’s development. He regretted that the National Library Headquarters located in Abuja is currently operating in a rented apartment.

    “This indicates that the state of library services in Nigeria is so poor. There is need for government to declare national emergency in the area of library services so that the Federal Government would be alive to its responsibilities. The same thing applies to libraries in the state and local government areas across the country.”

    The librarian pointed out that private individuals needed to be encouraged to partner with government in salvaging the situation so that there could be enough libraries in the country. This will be a stepping stone for our national development.

    “The country is in a critical situation in the area of provision of library services. Members of the association are ready to assist the government in this area but the government has to make certain facilities and infrastructure available for the establishment of more libraries. “Though, it is capital intensive, government needed to take the bull by the horn while members of the association and public can assist in the provision of the all-important services to the people,” he said.

    He regretted that Nigerians are no longer reading due to laziness, noting that reading has to do with people who are very serious and determined to add value to their lives through reading.

    “Nigerians are no longer reading. They want to delve much into something that attracts little concentration and attention. They like to watch television; they like to do all those frivolities rather than reading. But when they read, they get the information they need to better their lives. But people are not reading,” he added.

    While blaming government at all levels for not providing adequate library services, Obadare  argued: “People don’t want to trek far from their houses before they get to the library and the books needed have to be available as well as other materials. Also, there must be in place such an environment that is conducive to reading. When all these are in place in  the neighbourhood, people would be encouraged to read.

    “In South Africa, you have libraries in all the neighbourhoods. Every community has its libraries and you only need to walk across to access the library. But in Nigeria, you have to travel far before you can get one. This is not encouraging at all.

    “That was why we are calling for national emergency. Once one has a library within one’s community, one will be encouraged to read and do research. You can read for pleasure, you can read to obtain knowledge and some other things,” he said.

    While explaining the importance of library to national development, Obadare argued that government has to budget huge funds for library service if the nation would attain the much-needed development.

    “In those days, all the principals and other retired education officers used to write books but it is no longer so. People are not reading, people are not writing and books are not published. When you work for about 35 years, all the experiences one had gathered, one have to write  and document one’s experiences and ideas in book form so that others can read about them. But people are not doing that again,” he noted.

    He lamented that even if the services are available; people are not ready to read in order to be better informed.

    “The truth is that people are no longer reading and most of their times are wasted on irrelevant things that may not add value to their lives,” he said.

    He further explained that the association is not folding its arms on this crisis. It is rather looking for a way to solve the problem.

    “Our association is looking into that and TETfund has come to the rescue. But its contributions are not enough. Tertiary institutions are supposed to earmark 10 per cent of their total budget for library development; but they are not doing that. It is a critical problem that must be addressed.

    “In terms of maintenance, we are encouraging communities to have library of their own to complement the efforts of the government. We are also working on a project that will encourage rich individuals to establish and maintain libraries in memory of their parents and members of Nigeria Library Association (NLA) can assist them to operate the library in their communities, so that we can have it in all the nook and cranny of the country.

    “We are encouraging private individual to come to our aid. There is also the need to call on all the traditional rulers to have libraries; private individuals are supposed to have libraries in their homes in order to assist and complement the efforts of government. But majorly, government has to put in place policies that will favour establishment of libraries in all the nook and cranny of the country,” he said.

    To complement the efforts of government in the provision of library services, he revealed that there is a pet project he had embarked upon. Tagged “Private Library Project (PLP)”, it allows wealthy individuals to establish private libraries in different parts of the country in memory of their loved ones or in their own names. The donors will fund the projects as well as be responsibile for their sustainability while the operations of the libraries will be greatly assisted by the Nigerian Library Association in the various states of the country where the private libraries are located. The library will be opened to the public, even as the donor controls the library.

    Obadare, who emphasised the importance of library in national development, said “library is about research and research is very important for the nation to grow and develop.”

  • Expert advises govt to tackle road congestion with rail

    The government can reduce traffic congestion by 45 per cent by investing more in rail, an expert said yesterday.
    Mr Biodun Otunola, the Managing Director of Planet Projects Limited (PPL), said investment in rail would lead to 55 per cent increase in job opportunities.
    He spoke at a Training on Nigeria Railway Industry jointly organised by PPL and Belgium-based International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in Lagos.
    According to him, for every $1 billion investment in rail transport, about 50,000 jobs are created.
    Besides, about 30 per cent reduction in environmental pollution would be achieved because fuel consumption will reduce by 24 per cent, Otunola said.
    He lamented that many rail tracks have deteriorated because of neglect, thereby worsening the high rate of flooding.
    Development in the industry, he noted, was stalled.
    “The industry faces significant challenges as rail operations (including freight and
    passenger) have dwindled to about 15 per cent. Specifically, the deficient and erratic service has caused freight volumes to decline from three million tons in 1960 to 15,000 tons in 2005 – equivalent to about five trucks per day. Over this same period, passenger traffic has declined from three million to 500,000 passengers per year – the equivalent of about 25 buses per day.
    “Traffic distribution is characterised by heavy traffic congestion, accidents, delays, unreliable travel time, pollution and its health implications, among others. Other modes of transportation (especially rail and water) are almost completely neglected. This is over-stretching our dilapidated road infrastructure and the demand for roads continues to exceed supply. This phenomenon has become the norm in states across the country and it is sternly impacting on the nation’s economic competiveness, Otunola said.”

  • Stroke: Early identification of symptoms prevents loss of life – expert

    A cardiologist, Dr Afolabi Akinkunmi, on Sunday in Lagos said that early identification of risk factors of stroke remained the best way of preventing the life threatening illness.
    Akinkunmi, President, Association of Residents Doctors (ARD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that stroke was also known as a cerebrovascular accident.
    According to him, the risk factors of stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking as well as advancement in age and heart valve disease.
    He said: “Stroke occurs when a part of the brain loses its blood supply to a part of the body; blood is deprived of that area and brain cells control stops working.
    “A stroke is a medical emergency which can happen to anyone; however, the older you are, the higher the risk and stroke can lead to death or permanent disability.
    “When the signs of stroke appear, time is of the essence to diagnose it because the longer a stroke remains unrecognised and un-treated, the longer brain cells are deprived of oxygen-rich blood.
    “As such, it is important to identify the signs and risk factors, in order to prevent stroke.’’
    On the symptoms of stroke, the cardiologist said there may be no warning signs of a stroke until it occurs.
    “That is why high blood pressure, one of the risk factors for stroke, is called the silent killer.
    “Other symptoms like speech, vision, balance, and coordination loss, helps the health care professionals locate the part of the brain that has stopped working,’’ he said.
    According to him, strokes are also often described based on the function of the body that is lost, as well as by the area of the brain that is affected.
    The cardiologist also spoke on the most common treatment to administer on a stroke patient.
    “Drug therapy with blood thinners, airways breathing and circulation to make the patient breathe are recommended.
    “Also, ensuring that the patient gets adequate blood pressure is a common treatment for someone that has stroke,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • Expert canvasses policy on food security, nutrition

    A lecturer with the Department of Agronomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Prof Julius Ipadeola Olaifa has said lack of coherent national food security and nutrition policy has serious implications on human survival, national growth and development.

    In a chat with Southwest Report, Prof Olaifa, who is a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA) stated that if coherent national food security and nutrition policy the policy is put in place, it will be capable of transforming communities into healthy and productive food producers. This, he said, will ensure reliable and consistent access to affordable nutritious food.

    He pointed out that hunger has devastating effects on the health and economic productivity of more than 80 per cent of Nigerians, adding that even those with access to food often suffer

    terribly from malnutrition.

    “Children not only suffer from the effect of malnutrition, but also from increased susceptibility to disease and other health risks such as neonatal disorders, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria.  Under nutrition is the underlying cause of maternal mortality each year,” he said.

    He further said hunger and malnutrition also affect economic development in near and long-term, while illness, hunger and the need to care for ill children reduces income, particularly for

    women.

    Seeking a paradigm shift in issues of food import, he urged the Federal Government to spend less on food importation, saying that government should not be rhetorical but pragmatic in reducing food import bill in order to guarantee food security for Nigerians.

    “What Nigerians need is serious approach to revitalise the agricultural sector as is being done by the present administration.

    “Imagine billions of Naira wasted annually on importation of wheat, when the chain values of cassava is yet to be fully exploited, let alone other cash crop such as mango.  A lot of natural and agricultural resources abound in Oke-Ogun areas of Oyo State, for instance, but the government is not tapping them.

    “This is why it is imperative for state governments to rehabilitate all their farm settlements, in order to improve agriculture. These resources alone can generate employment for thousands of jobless youths,” he said.

    On how to transform the agricultural sector, Olaifa suggested increasing household access to agricultural inputs and credit, improving, natural resource management, and linking agricultural

    outputs with local, regional, and national markets.

    “Some of the ways to transform the agricultural sector are reduction of livelihood vulnerability, working with communities to increase access to water, as well as developing customised plans to ensure availability, ensuring that access and utilisation of food is stable and sustainable over a long period of time.

    “There should be a sustainable social welfare policy that would address problems that might arise when markets do not provide adequate mechanisms to deal with economic uncertainties.

    This, according to him, will ascertain the nature of the risks individuals experience in a given society, in order to tailor policies towards meeting these risks in a sustainable fashion.

    “Part of the considerations should be based on the fact that agriculture and informal economies are very important because they account for 70 per cent of employment for the teeming population.

    “This implies that social welfare programme should address issues on income uncertainties due to the fortuity of informal activities, which fluctuate considerably.”

    He lamented the limited coverage of social security systems in the country, which he noted raises serious equity issues, even as he said societal valuable resources and efforts are often targeted at small and privileged segment of the population.

    He said: “The Nigerian population is young, and is expected to remain like that over the period between 40 and 50 years.

    “This age structure affects the behaviour and demand of social security services.  But alas, budgetary allocation for agriculture ought to have been increased from its present 30 per cent to 70 per cent.  If this age structure can be properly co-opted and coordinated into agriculture, it will not only prop-up employment generation, but will also reduce crimes, restiveness and other anti-social activities in our society.”

    Olaifa stated that there is hardly any state in the country that is not effectively productive.

    “Agricultural production is sustained by peasant farmers. We have good weather, no global warming, coupled with ample rainfall. These are what we need for production of crops such as cassava, maize and yam. We have fishery and poultry products in the Southwest. What of South-south and the Southeast that produce oil palm.  Equally too are the onion, pepper, goats, and sheep produced in quantity in the North and moved to the South. What of pepper, carrots, and others?’’

    “Politicians play politics with rice. They assume it is the only food commodity in the country. That is wrong. They have forgotten yams and plantains, which are produced locally, From Lagos to Maiduguri, Port Harcourt to Enugu and Ibadan, where is yam not taken as food? Yet, yam farmers across the country are not given the kind of attention given to rice until recently. The present administration is interested in rice, and is pragmatically improving its production locally,” he said.

    Prof. Olaifa, however, pointed out that the major problem confronting the country currently is food processing.

    ‘’What have we developed from yam, cassava and plantain, for instance, other than garri, fufu, and chips? It is the present generation that started garri, fufu, and even the chips. We should develop new products from these commodities. China, Malaysia and Indonesia have no other crops other than rice. They have thousands of products developed from rice. That is what we need now,” he stated.

  • ‘How IT can bail us out of recession’—Software expert Yele Okeremi

    ‘How IT can bail us out of recession’—Software expert Yele Okeremi

    WHERE did you grow up?

    I grew up in Ibadan. I am Ibadan born and bred boy (laughs). I came to Lagos in the 80s when I started my working career. I grew up in Agodi, GRA, Ibadan.

    What was life like for you as a child?

    In those days we didn’t build a wall around us. I remember in our house then when I was a child, we didn’t use to lock our doors at night. I still recall that my friends and I who were mostly in the same age bracket with me, used to meet during the holidays. We actually woke up, looked out for one another, and when we met, we moved from one house to another. All we knew then was that, we must be back home before dark. And our parents were usually sure that we were with one friend or another’s house. Also, each of our parents then knew one another. They kept each and everyone of us in check. And we used to walk long distances away from home. We were that free. I even recall that we used to have street football clubs then. We used to go out playing soccer with people who were not so privileged like we were. But none of us saw anything wrong about that class difference. We were not worried or cautious about threats from kidnappers or people with such dubious character, like it is today. It is sad that today, our children don’t even go out to play. Children who live in flat apartments today, are daily restricted to the inside of their homes. Children need to play outside.

    I still recall the day that my dad bought the first black and white television for the family. That was in 1972 or 73. And all of us used to sit in front of that television to watch. The funniest part is that, because we used to sit down together to watch, there were certain things that were said on television then that we all laughed at; even today, when we meet in the larger family, we use to recall some of those things and laugh over it all over again. They have turned to good old memories for us. At times when we recall such times, people around us don’t know what we are talking about. But that was the way it was. Families used to stick together, do things together. But today we are building five-star hotels and calling them homes. Today when you want to speak to your son or daughter in the house, you are calling them with cellular phones. These days all the children have television in their rooms, but they do not even watch them that much again; they are on their computer or mobile phones. So many things have changed. For God’s sake, we used to drink water from the tap. And we did not die!

    Did you see yourself as a privileged child?

    Well, at that time we didn’t see it as a big deal, because for most of us then, our parents were civil servants. Of course we knew that our parents were not fabulously rich, but of course, we also noticed that there were other children who were not as privileged as we were. But the difference was not pronounced. Most of my friends went to public schools. It was just that my father personally decided that he wanted his children to attend private nursery and primary schools not because of his affluence but out of personal preference. The parents in our neighbourhood then were top civil servants but notwithstanding that, their children attended public schools. And the public schools were just as good as the fee-paying primary schools. And the children in the public schools were doing very well in school. There were no differences and we used to go to the houses of those who one would consider as less-privileged to eat in their houses. Their houses might have been different or less beautiful than ours but we remained friends.

    What was your parents occupational background?

    At that time my dad was working in the Ministry of Agriculture. He later became the Director Fisheries and my mom was a school teacher. Some other parents in the neighbourhood were judges and heads of other ministries. Approximately the same background.

    Who influenced you most?

    Clearly my dad has had the greater influence on my life. I speak to my dad almost every day now. We usually have something to say. Somehow, God allowed him to understand how to train his children. Ever since I was 10, I have been speaking to my dad as if we are equals, and that is how it has always been. When I look at his life, his life tells a good story, and it makes me to know that, you do not need to read the bible too much to understand this life.

    What motivated you into banking?

    Serendipity actually. I came out of school and wanted to get a job where I could develop software packages. I studied Political Science and Economics but I wanted a job related to computers. So I got a job with Inlaks Computers; it was a fairly good job, challenging. We were happy, paid well, and being the young men that we were then, all we wanted was to look good, look tidy and look different among our peers. When I used to see those people working in the banks then, I used to feel sorry for them because they sat down in the banks and operated what other people had built. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to build systems. I didn’t think I will work in a bank. I had gone to represent my company in a trade show and some bankers were there to see what we were presenting. One of them became my friend. After a few months, he asked me if I would like to work in the bank where he worked. I replied that I didn’t want to work in a bank. He told me that what I was doing was similar to what he was doing in the bank.

    So I asked a few questions, after which I went for the interview. But because I didn’t really want the job, I was a bit cocky at the interview since I was already comfortable where I was working. Somehow I was offered the job. It looked better than what I expected. So it was a bit difficult to take a decision. I asked a few of my friends who were also working with me at Inlaks Computers. I was advised to take the offer at Industrial Bank. It turned out to be a good decision as Industrial Bank allowed me to develop software. I didn’t want to work on packages that had been developed by somebody else. They said they wanted to build their own software. So I was employed as part of the team to develop that software. So, that is what I have been doing till today.

    Which of the software packages did you develop?

    At that time, the popular packages in the banking industry were bandmaster and clarity softwares. Those were the big ones. We were developing in house understudying how the bandmaster was addressing banking issues. From there we did something that was innovative. I may not say outright that I operated like a whizkid, but I do acknowledge the abundance grace of God upon my life. Yes, I went to school and graduated top of the class, but then so many people are that too. But maybe God just didn’t permit them. But in my case, God made things very easy for me to achieve. I know clearly however that it is not by human power.

    At what point did it occur to you while at the University of Ife that you should be developing softwares?

    It was when I was in my third year that it was glaring to me. In my second year, there was a programme course where group assignments were given but it was easy to copy and everybody got pass marks. It was an elective course for most people but it wasn’t for me. So I was determined not to copy even though it was a group thing. So the group programme worked but mine didn’t. However, during my internship, I picked up that failed programme, re-did it, and this time around, it worked. That was when I knew that I would stick on programming software. And it was a good decision because by the time I was finishing at University of Ife, I had three employment letters waiting for me even before I went for youth service corps programme. One of them was a company from Lagos. I had never lived in Lagos before. Fortunately, I was posted to Lagos for my youth corps service. Again there was no connection or human influence.

    Do we have software programmers in large numbers right now?

    We have but we are not developing them. It is very unfortunate.

    Why are we not developing them?

    That is a question that I will be treating in my doctoral research. If you want to encourage somebody to do some things well, there must be an incentive. Programming is not a job that you do part-time. As a programmer, you need to love your job, you need to marry it. That is the only way to get it. But what is the reward for that, in a situation where people are makings calls from their gardens and making billions of naira from the faulty financial system? I recall that to develop software, my friend and I used to sit on the floor every night; even after we graduated, we wanted to study more and succeed in developing programmes. We were not even thinking of buying houses in Nigeria and London and other such places, we were not looking at that, we just wanted to make a change. But today, nobody blames you if you don’t do the right thing. People want good things but don’t punish bad behaviour.

    So except people who are good or who have been brought up in good families, where good values have been ingrained in their DNA, those ones cannot succumb to do bad things. That is why today, we do not have many programmers around. I feel appalled when the government says that they will use agriculture to capitalise the economy of Nigeria. Which country can they point to that uses agriculture to do that? IT is one of the fields that can actually take Nigeria out of where we are right now. Take a look at what is happening in America, there are companies there that are richer than nations, probably the whole of Africa. Why can’t such companies be in Nigeria? What is their material? Is it not intellect? Head to head, Nigerians are probably better than Americans. The difference is that the Americans have a value system that makes their leaders help them to achieve the best. We don’t have that. We can develop 40 of Mark Zuckerback of Facebook in Nigeria, but we have chosen to do the wrong thing. Just as long as we keep doing the wrong things, we will continue to get the wrong results.

    Can you give us an insight to the kind of money that software developers make in developed countries?

    I have schooled in Harvard and I can tell you that if you are an IT professional in US and they are not after you from your village, you will make an impact in society. If you can then even think outside the box like an average Nigerian boy does, then you will make it big there. That is a country that respects knowledge. There are actually three categories of people who can live anywhere in the world. People who are producing something that the world needs. For instance, if Bill Gates decides to close down Microsoft today, the world will scream. The second category of people that can live anywhere in the world are those that have the purchasing power. The third category of people are those that have specialised knowledge.

    So, the top nations like US, China, Canada, Germany come up with a parameter that if you have a PhD or a degree in certain areas, you are welcomed in their country. But if you do not fall into those categories, then tough luck, you are just one of the surpluses. I had a scholarship to study in Massachusset Institute of Technology. That is a dream of every engineer, but I didn’t go because I knew even at that age that if I go, I will not return to Nigeria. I was loyal. I felt that Nigeria had invested money training me. I went to a Federal Government College and then University of Ife, when they were washing our bedsheets and cleaning our floors, giving us three square meals with chicken twice a week. That was the extent Nigeria spent money to train me and I felt Nigeria needed my services a lot more. It’s not about me, I am comfortable, it is about the country. We have to give back. That is why I will never go to live abroad away from my country. At least I belong to two of the three mentioned categories above (laughs).

    You studied in America, so why didn’t you choose a wife from there?

    Ha! No, remember that by the time I went to the USA, I was already married with children.

    What attracted you to your wife?

    (Becomes nostalgic) My wife and I have known each other for very long time. We used to think back then that what a man should look out for in a woman is the projection of what will she be like in 30 years time. Will the things that attract me to her still be there at that time? Again, I was privileged to have learnt a lot from my parents. I was seeing how my parents lived and it guided my pattern of life. By the time I was choosing my wife, I had no doubt that she was the one God had provided for me. My wife is very beautiful and intelligent, but those were not what attracted me like seeing where she came from and I saw her parents, I saw her siblings and knew she would fit into my family. I also saw her career and projected where she would be in many years to come and I was certain that together, we would do a lot of things. We have now been married for 23 years. I have no regrets. She is the managing director of an IT firm too.

    You are handsome, she is beautiful; you are comfortable, she is comfortable too and there are other attractive things as well between both of you. How have you been able to handle the attention of other women and she, the attention of other men, to ensure that you both still live together happily till now?

    You see (shakes his head and suddenly laughs), if I tell you that I have a panacea to this your question, I will be deceiving you. But I will say it’s God’s grace and the background has also helped because if I say I want to let myself be attracted to someone else, who will I say I want to look like? I know the position of my dad as a Bishop of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria. He has been a clergy man for about 40 years; even when he was in the civil service, he was a part-time priest, so when he retired he went intro priesthood full time. He became an archdeacon, a provost and then bishop of a diocese. When I see men of my age, they don’t want to be like their father, because their father probably made some mistakes. But that isn’t the same case with me. I am privileged. The biggest compliment you can pay me is to say that I am like my dad; that makes me extremely happy. And again, there are things that are difficult to pick up at old age.

    At what point did you decide on creating your style and being a man of your own fashion?

    Even as a child, I used to love looking good. At this age, it is not about me anymore, it is about what I want to be known for when I am no more alive. I want to be known as a man that has helped the black race look for another level. So for that, I need to live an inspirational life. I just don’t know how not to look good.

    How about socials?

    My work is my socials. It takes me around and by the grace of God, I have sat one on one with presidents of this nation and other nations by virtue of what I do.

    What do you value most?

    Character, you must never lose it. Reputation comes from character; that to my mind is what I am concerned about. It is important that we don’t change from who we are. I see some men who all of a sudden run into money or possession that they never thought they will attain and suddenly, they change! I do not think it should be so. For me, my childhood friends are still my friends. We still get together from time to time. The Deputy Managing Director of this company and I have been friends since 1989. It matters to me. I want to be very predictable.

    Do you miss Ibadan?

    I do miss Ibadan. My parents still live there. I speak to them often and I wish I could go to Ibadan more often. But the road is discouraging. This year, I almost bought the dream property in Ibadan, beautiful scenery, lawn and all that. When I saw it, I loved it. I really wanted to buy it. But then, I felt to myself, it will be a waste, because how many times will I go to Ibadan? My home in Lagos is comfortable for everything I want to do.

  • Experts redefine Nigeria’s values at lecture

    Experts redefine Nigeria’s values at lecture

    The 17th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture held at the MUSON Centre last Thursday provided a platform for experts to discuss how Nigeria could get back on track by redefining its values.

    In discussing the topic of the lecture: “The State of the Nigerian Nation: Redefining our Values”, Mr Gbenga Sesan, one of the guest speakers attributed the problems of insecurity in Nigeria to the high level of youth unemployment.

    He challenged young people to embrace values of hard work and to gain skills that would help them compete favourably on the global stage.  He also underscored the importance of their success coming from hard work not from looting public funds.

    “Young people, if Nigeria will become a country we will celebrate tomorrow, you must retrace your steps and not fall for the trap of wanting to hammer today.  You must invest in specific skills and tell yourself that ‘in 10 years I will be a master in certain skills.

    “I challenge you to let us create the nation that we desire.  We must retrace our steps; go back to the values of hard work.  Young people create a story we can follow,” he said.

    On his part the second speaker, Mr Frank Nweke Jr, who said values were subset a people’s culture, argued that many of the issues affecting Nigeria today were the same 33 years ago.

    Using his upbringing as an example, he underscored the importance of the home and community in inculcating values in young people, which would later influence the role they play in the society.

    “My entire experience with my father and mother and extended family as a child, largely constitute my personal manual for fatherhood and parenting, today.  It is what I was taught that I now teach my children in the context of the 21st century.  Like my father before me, I work hard to impart the values of hard work, honesty, respect, responsibility, fortitude, perseverance and integrity to them,” he said.

    Elder statesman, Chief Arthur Mbanefo, who chaired the occasion, lamented that Nigeria has not been able to preserve its values.  He underscored the need to come together to address things that need to be changed.

    Responding to the discussions, Bishop Okonkwo thanked speakers and urged Nigerians to take care of their homes.

    “If you refuse to build your children up in your homes, no matter what they do in church or school, once the foundation is destroyed nothing can be done.  If everyone takes responsibility to address the challenges in our nation, we will see the change we want,” he said.

    Cash and gift prizes were presented to the winners of the Mike Okonkwo Essay competition and their schools.  Fadilah Saliu-Ahmed of Zamani College, Kaduna came first; Barakat Adebayo of Roshallom International School, Lagos, was second; while Wuraola Adeoye of Fountain Heights Secondary School, Surulere, came third. In preparing for the competition, Fadilah said she learnt that Nigeria has to work hard to restore her values.

    “My research exposed me to the breakdown in values we have in the society and how much we have to do if we want to be better,” she said.