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... PROMOTING NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS
N500
VOLUME 3
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TOBIAS &
TITUS IGWE
PETRA
ONYEGBULE
ADEBOLA
WILLIAMS
Fascinating
People
TOBIAS & TITUS IGWE
ISMAEEL
AHMED
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C H A N G E R S
M
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Heritage
Special Feature
Fascinating People
Urhobo
Kashim
Muktar
Ahmadu
Bello
11, 000, 000 Nigerian Kids are out of School
This isn’t a Muslim-Christian; North-South issue
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content content
Nigeria
Nigeria
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Editorial
I AM
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#GameChangers
Fact Story
Kano
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Fascinating
Sites
Fascinating Sites
Lovely sites to behold.
For over 5 decades, our narrative as a
nation has been largely uninteresting.
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Heritage
Urhobo
The Urhobo people are the 5th largest
ethnic group in Nigeria and constitute
the largest single ethnic group in Delta
State-cover story.
Nigeria
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Sights and Sounds of Kano State,
Nigeria. Its beautiful scenery.
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Feature
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Leader of
Today
Pay As You Go Solar
Yagazie Chukwumerije
PAY AS YOU GO Solar is an imminent
possibility to provide limited amounts of
electricity to millions of Nigerian businesses
and households.
3-time Olympian (Athens 2004, Beijing
2008, London 2012)
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Fascinating
People
Ahmadu Bello
Sir Ahmadu Bello was the first premier
of the Northern Nigeria region from
1954-1966. He was one of the prominent leaders in Northern Nigeria,
Game
Changers
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Feature
Tope Fasua
Tope Fasua is a political analyst and a
renowned economist.
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Alhaji Kashim Muktar
Chief Executive Officer, KGM
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Game Changers
We bring to you some of the stories of
these young and vibrant #Gamechangers2015 from Politics to Entrepreneurship
to Activism.
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Special
Feature
AD
Exhibition
& Awards
Nigeria
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EDITORIAL
Message from the
Editor-In-Chief
Supported By:
EDITOR IN CHIEF
01
Victor Okwuadi
PUBLISHER
I AM NIGERIA Initiative
ART DIRECTOR
David Osagie
LEGAL ADVISER
Ovie Oyaigbevwen
LOGISTICS
Uche Godson
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Kelly King
Alvin Dubem
CONTRIBUTORS
Tope Fasua
CEO, Global Analytics Limited
Uche Godson
CEO, GUEVE Enterprises
Dike Chukwumerije
Blogger and a Poet
Pelu Awofeso: Travel Journalist
Ify Eefy Ike: Social Engineer
Naomi Lucas: Blogger
Chika Chukwumerije
Olympian
#Gamechangers2015
For over 5 decades, our
narrative as a nation has
been largely uninteresting.
But for the first time
in the history of this
Fascinating Republic, we
are presented with an
opportunity to rewrite this
narrative.
young men and women
across this Fascinating
Land who have not allowed
economic recession to
become a moral recession
and who through creative
enterprise have created
opportunities where none
existed.
This time not by the
actions of politicians
on the Senate floor or
somewhere else for that
matter, the real historian
this time are ordinary
everyday young people
who are changing the
rules of the game from
Arts to Business to Politics
and Education. Amazing
We bring to you some
of the stories of these
young and vibrant
#Gamechangers2015 from
Politics to Entrepreneurship
to Activism.
4
Nigeria
TEACH
Get Inspired.
Get Creative.
Get Involved.
Cera Obaje
Inspirational LifeCoach/ Speaker
Mike Asukwo
Illustrator
This publication comes to you from I AM NIGERIA
Initiative; a Development Driven Social Enterprise.
www.iamnigeria.org.ng | info@iamnigeria.org.ng
Sponsorship: 09-290-1600
Nigeria
I AM
VICTOR OKWUADI
Founder, I AM NIGERIA Initiative &
Commonwealth Youth Ambassador
victorokwuadi@iamnigeria.org.ng
Victor
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Nigeria
I AM
FAC T S TO RY
FAC T S TO RY
Kano State is located in
North-Western Nigeria. Vibrant
commercial activities, foreign
investments and investors can
be seen all over the city. It is the
second largest state in terms of
commercial activity within Nigeria
and the second most populous
state in the country.
KANO
KANO CITY WALLS
ECONOMY
Historically, Kano State has always been a
commercial and agricultural state, playing a
prominent role in the trans-saharan trade in
the 18th century. It is also well known for the
production of groundnuts as well as for its solid
mineral deposits. The state has more than
18,684 square kilometers (7,214 m2) of cultivable land and is the most extensively irrigated
state in the country. Kano also has traditionally
received the largest proportion of centrally
collected (mostly oil) revenues. From 1990-96
Kano received 10.9% of allocated revenue.
According to the 2006 census figures from
Nigeria, Kano State had a population totaling
9,383,682 with a GDP of $12.39 billion.
HIGHLIGHTS
Important sights in Kano include Kurmi market
established in the 15th century, the Kano City
wall, The Gidan Rumfa (Emir’s Palace) - oldest
and largest traditional palace in Nigeria, The
famous Kano Mosque, the Kano city walls
overlooking the famous Tiga Dam, Rurum
Tourist Lodge, Kano Zoological Garden, Gidan
Makama Museum amongst others.
ATTRA
CTIONS
KANO DYE PITS
The Kano indigo-vegetable
dye pits are one of the most
fascinating aspects of this old
city. Various designs are folded
into the material before dyeing,
and the fabric is often beaten
to achieve the shiny, iridescent
appearance. The techniques
employed to obtain this look are
unmatched around the world.
And although the methods they
use are ancient, these lush works
of art on fabric always remain
extremely popular and continue
to be in great demand.
GIDAN MAKAMA
MUSEUM
The Gidan Makama Museum
is housed in the Emir’s former
Nigeria
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home in Kano, which was
built in the 15th century for
Rumfa, his grandson. The
building itself is of great
architectural and historic interest in its own right. The
building is located next to
the Emir’s Palace and close
to the Central Mosque on
the Kofar Mata Road. This
attraction comprises local
art exhibits, displays about
old Kano and a collection
of Hausa costumes, weapons and tools, as well as
many historic photographs
documenting the endless
history of this city, West
Africa’s oldest.
other city in Nigeria. For nearly ten centuries, the city of Kano, significant in size and importance was centered round the twin
iron-bearing hills of Dala and Goron Dutse. This fortress was built as protection against warring states. The clear outline and
depth of the moat is so clearly marked that it appears in even better preservation than the perimeter wall itself. Possibly this
section was never an outer wall but was built as a second line of defense, either of the time of Wambai Giwa or at an even later
period. The walls encompasses an area of about 19 km2 and had 15 gates built into it.
DURBAR FESTIVAL
The Durbar festival dates back hundreds of years to the time when the Emirates in northern Nigeria used horses in warfare.
During this period, each town, district, and noble household was expected to contribute a regiment to the defense of the
Emirate. Once or twice a year, the Emirate military chiefs invited the various regiments for a Durbar (military parade) for the Emir
and his chiefs. During the parade, regiments showcased their horsemanship, their preparedness for war, and their loyalty to the
Emirate. Today, the Durbar has become a festival celebrated in honor of visiting dignitaries and organized at the culmination of
Muslim festivals.
KANO CITY WALLS,
KANO
EMIR’S PALACE
The Kano Emirate is a traditional state in Northern Nigeria with headquarters in the city of Kano, capital of the modern Kano
State. The Emirate was formed in 1805 during the Fulani jihad, when the old Hausa Kingdom of Kano became subject to the
Sokoto Caliphate. The Emir’s palace has dated to about 1805 and remains a grand tourist sight in Kano.
Kano probably has a
longer and more fully
traceable history than
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Nigeria
I AM
Nigeria
FA S C I N AT I N G S I T E S
FA S C I NI AM
AT I N G S I T E S
FASCINATING
SITES
Erin Ijesa Waterfall, Osun
State
Erin Garden is a thick forest that
houses Erin Ijesa Waterfalls. It is
located some 20 kilometers east
of IIesa-Akure Road. According to
the custodian of the waterfall, it was
founded by a woman called Akinla
-a granddaughter of Oduduwa in
the year 11AD during the migration
of people to Erin Ijesa town. The
waterfall has about five layers and
only few visitors can climb beyond
the second layer. The water flows
among rocks and splashes down
with great force to the evergreen
vegetation around making the scenery, idyllic to the eyes.
Nigeria
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Owu Falls, Kwara State
Owu falls, the highest and most
spectacular natural waterfalls in
West Africa is located about 7 kilometers from Owa Kajola (Ifelodun
Local Government) which is 117
kilometers from Ilorin.
The fall has been described as a
‘Wonder in the Wilderness’. Its water
which forms a perennial stream,
cascades from a height of about
200 meters. At the bottom is a pour
of almost ice-cold water providing a
most refreshing atmosphere, especially with the luxuriant evergreen
vegetation surrounding it.
Farin Ruwa Waterfalls, Nasarawa State
Gurara Waterfalls,
Niger State
Assop Waterfalls, Plateau
State
The Farin Ruwa Waterfalls cascades
from an amazing height of over
150 meters with a water volume of
about 50 cubic meters. The whitish
appearance of the water spray
accounts for its name ‘Farin Ruwa’
which in Hausa language means
White Water. The waterfall is about
30 kilometres from Wamba and 120
kilometres from Lafia, the capital of
Nasarawa State.
Gurara Waterfalls is located 76km
away from Minna. It has its source
from Kachia in Kaduna State and
empties its volume into River Niger
at a village called Dere near Muye in
Lapai Local Government Area.
Assop Fall is one of the most notable of Nigeria’s many waterfalls,
located at the edge of the Jos Plateau State, about 40 miles from Jos
city, on the expressway to Abuja.
The fall is a tourist stop for picnics,
swimming and general relaxation.
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Ikogosi Warm Spring, Ekiti State
Tourists to Ekiti State will be irresistibly
charmed with the beauty of Ikogosi,
where warm and cold waters ooze out
from different sources. The springs flow
side-by- and meet at a spot with each
maintaining its thermal identity. The
warm spring’s water is believed to have
therapeutic power which cures all types
of body pains. The natural vegetation
of the spring area is left un-touched for
ecotourism appeal. The warm Springs
Resort offers modern facilitates which
include four V.I.P Chalets tastefully furnished, 32 other chalets well furnished
and 20 cabins. Also available are sports
facilities including; table tennis, badminton, lawn tennis courts, swimming pool
and other indoor games.
Nigeria
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EXCLUSIVE STORY
H E R I TAG E
URHOBO
PAY AS YOU GO
Solar
The Urhobo people are the 5th largest ethnic
group in Nigeria and constitute the largest single
ethnic group in Delta State-cover story.
History:
The Urhobo people are Urhobo-Edoid Kwa
language-speaking people of larger Benue
(Niger)-Congo language family located in the
present Delta State of Nigeria. They occupy the
southern portion of the Benin lowland and the
floodplains and swamps of the petroleum-rich
Niger delta. Many live in the Ughelli local government region and in Warri and Ethiope,and in
Okpe and Sapele Local Government Areas.
The Urhobo nation is made up of twenty subgroups, including Okpe which many believe
is the largest of all Urhobo sub-groups. The
Urhobos are noted for having their own unique
style of speaking Nigerian Pidgin English.
Language:
The Urhobo people of southern Nigeria speak
Urhobo one of the sub-group of Edoid languages that belong to the Niger-Congo family. The
Urhobo and Isoko are related in language and
culture, leading to the missionaries erroneously
labeling both peoples as Sobo.
Origin:
The history of the Urhobo generally began from
an Edo territory supposedly around where the
ancient town of Udo and Benin City are currently located. At the end of the Ogiso dynasty,
many Urhobo and Edo-groups left Udo in different directions, each at its own pace, in search of
more peaceful territories. It was natural that in
those compelling circumstances, peace loving
and less powerful Edo-groups had to leave the
territory to seek fortunes in less populated but
more economically resourceful territories.
Economy:
Living in the tropical rain forests has helped to
shape the economic choices of the Urhobo.
They practice slash and burn farming that
requires frequent crop rotation for soil preservation. Fishing and hunting are also important
sources for subsistence.
The discovery of petroleum in Urhobo land
in the 1960s has been a mixed blessing. While
the oil has enriched the modern Nigeria nation
state, it has hardly benefited Urhobo land and
people.
Nigeria
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F E AT U R E
PAY AS YOU GO Solar is an
imminent possibility to provide
limited amounts of electricity to
millions of Nigerian businesses and
households.
Social structure:
In those clans where the age grade system is
recognized, the men are categorized into 4
age grades, namely: Ekpako, Ivwragha, Otuorere, and Imitete age grades, based on age,
life achievements, and contributions to the
community. The women are also categorized
into three age grades, namely: Ekwokweya,
Evweya, and Emete age grades, based on
child-bearing status.
Small businesses are most affected
by Nigeria’s constant power cuts.
Whether they are barber shops,
cyber cafes, hair dressing saloons
or tailor workshops, their owners
cannot predict the amount of
power they will get on any given
day, and often have to turn away
customers.
Political structure:
Urhobo are currently organized as political
kingdoms, gerontocracy and plutocracies.
Gerontocracy is the government by elders
based on the age grade-system in the community while a plutocracy is government by
the rich and wealthy, an evolutionary state
but retaining the elements of gerontocracy.
Although it is not clear which kingship is older
among the kingdoms, these kingship development reached their climax in the 1940s and
1950s.
The barber and the expert are
ahead of the game in Nigeria,
where policy makers usually concentrate on big fixes to the national grid, which have been promised
for the past twenty years or more,
under different names such as ‘Gas
Revolution’ and ‘Power Sector
Reform’. Yet in reality and despite
the massive allocation of funds to
the power sector, Nigeria today
has just enough power to provide
every citizen with three light bulbs.
The lack of success in expanding
the national grid has not distracted
politicians to believe in the grid,
thus ignoring the potentials of offgrid solutions.
Urhobo Traditional Marriage
(Emueruo r’Aye)
In Urhobo culture marriage is a spiritual and
cultural union between two families. This is so
because families play a central role in ensuring
the success marital relationship from time of
courtship through marriage negotiations to
the contracting of the marriage.
Urhobo traditional marriage by definition
bears some semblance to the above definitions above. The similarity is only as far as the
process of marriage revolves around man and
woman. Urhobo traditional marriage is unique
to Urhobo culture and traditions. Indeed,
marriage in Urhobo worldview is an enduring
institution. It is sacred. It looms large enough
to tie two independent families together
forever.
Despite the ubiquitous belief in the
grid and the Gas Revolution, until
now no government has offered a
funding concept for establishing
a grid of gas pipelines, which
would transport Nigeria’s gas
wealth from the Niger Delta and
the South East to every nook and
cranny of the country. The cost
seems mind boggling, as the single
kilometer of gas pipeline costs
about 1 million US dollars, and
Nigeria would need a minimum
of 10,000km. To this, one would
have to add the cost of feeder and
power stations.
Divorce is rare; Urhobo traditional marriage
endures beyond the life of the husband. In
fact, it is the wife’s life span. This is due to the
fact that on the death of the husband, the wife
is passed on to a member of the husband’s
family for continued marriage.
Courtesy: kwekudee
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Besides the oil and the gas, Nigeria is also rich in high quality coal, so it is not surprising that politicians are proposing coal fired electricity generation as an affordable
solution to the energy crisis. However, the hidden cost of coal – the health cost,
environmental destruction and social problems associated with large scale coal mining and power generation – are not calculated or even mentioned in Nigeria. In fact,
there is hardly any factual debate in public about the different options for generating the 200,000 Megawatt that Nigeria will need in the next fifteen years. Already,
some insiders in the energy industry are talking about importing second-hand coal
power plants.
Whether based on gas or coal, the revamping of the national grid is going to take
years. But small business does not have the luxury of time to wait for the big fix. The
amount of electricity many SMEs need is small enough to be provided from a solar
panel on their roof. Just like in Tanzania and other neighbouring countries in East
Africa, where Pay As You Go Solar companies are installing up to 1,000 such systems
per month, amounting to more than 1 Megawatt in total for the whole country, the
Nigerian private sector could ‘go it alone’. Where the solar company offers high
quality products, warranties and services, the customers can rely on regular electricity supplies, which gives them a chance to increase their business activities and plan
ahead. Where customers do not pay their bills, the companies can cut their services
by remotely disconnecting the panels.
PAY AS YOU GO Solar is an imminent possibility to provide limited amounts of
electricity to millions of Nigerian businesses and households. In the end, this model
cannot replace the grid, which is much needed for industrial development. But offgrid solutions provide an important contribution to Nigeria’s development, not only
because they are faster to install and more likely to create employment, but also
because they are accessible to women entrepreneurs.
COURTESY:
Nigeria
I AM
LEADER OF TODAY
Nigeria
L E A D E RI AM
O F TO DAY
L E A D E R O F TO DAY
You are an Olympian, and a lot of people
believe all that is possible because of your
father’s backing, given that your area of specialization is not so popular. How true is that?
Your first four words have said enough – I am an Olympian.
Full Stop! That word should speak for itself, shouldn’t it?
If I have to go on about hard work, and all the challenges
along the way, then I definitely am repeating what should
have been obvious.
Anytime you talk about sports in Nigeria, what
comes to mind is soccer.
Why is that?
Depends on who you talk to, isn’t it? If you talk to me,
Taekwondo comes to mind first. If you talk to Quadri,
table tennis comes to mind first. If you talk to Okagbare,
athletics come to mind first? If you talk to the DG of NSC
at any point before a major sporting event, the sports that
would probably bring in the Gold medals comes to mind
first; if you talk to a sporting parent, the sport his/her child
actively partakes in comes to mind first.
I broke into the National Camp
when I was 18 years, and in the
next decade, I saw a lot of improvements that could be made.
How can we make other forms of sports, like
“We started the foundation because
we wanted to make a difference in the
lives of young people, no matter how
small the impact was”
Chika
Yagazie
Chukwumerije
Taekwondo which you so passionately promote more viable and appealing in Nigeria?
I guess if a product makes someone happy and passionate,
they will be willing to get that product. We need to continue to explore ways in which Taekwondo can bring joy &
happiness to a lot of people, and build a vibrant industry
around it.
and to inspire the future”. We have three main activities
– training workshops, tournaments and scholarships. The
goal has always been clear and consistent – to “Produce
Educated Champions And Inspire the Future”
We started the foundation because we wanted to make
a difference in the lives of young people, no matter how
small the impact was. I broke into the National Camp when I
was 18 years, and in the next decade, I saw a lot of improvements that could be made. It was not a ‘Eureka’ moment
that made me gather like-minds to start the Foundation. It
was years of being in the system, and seeing many available
opportunities to engineer improvement.
All these years, I just told myself “if I could teach competition skills gathered over the course of my career to the
younger generation, encourage them to have formal education, get them little financial assistance where possible,
integrate leadership and character-building sessions into
training workshops, with other professional skills – then
my sport will be better for it, Nigeria will be better for it.
10 years down the line, we hope we would have developed
a huge crop of enlightened action-oriented young people
whose thought processes are innovative, and who wins
medals for the country.
What is the future of Sports in Nigeria?
3-time Olympian (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012)
3-time All African Games Medalist [Abuja 2003, Algiers 2007, Maputo 2011]
Inductee, World Taekwondo Hall of Fame [2010]
MSc. Operations & Supply Chain Management [Uni. Of Liverpool UK - 2010]
B.Eng. Mechanical Engineering (FUTO - 2005)
When you talk about sports development in
Nigeria in whatever context, everybody looks
up to the government. In what ways can the
private sector come in?
Depends on the amount of investment we put in today,
isn’t it? Right investment of time, money and resources in
young people, infrastructure and training aids today will
make all the difference tomorrow.
One way could be the possibility that the private sector
annually earmarks a certain percentage of their profits
to sports development in Nigeria; another could be the
promotion of their products and services using up-coming
athletes – this would encourage young people to take up
sports careers.
No proper investment today and we won’t have a future
we can be proud of tomorrow. The future you talk about
depends on today.
So perhaps, the question should be, “what is the ‘Present’
state of Sports in Nigeria?”
Tell us about your foundation?
Our vision statement is “to produce educated champions
Nigeria
I AM
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Nigeria
I AM
FA S C I N AT I N G P E O P L E
F E AT U R E
Give
Nigerian
Youth A
Chance
Ahmadu
Bello
- TOPE FASUA
June 12, 1910 - January 15, 1966
We live in a globalized world and we
must find our own purchase from the
supersonic changes that affect us all.
Brief Info:
Sir Ahmadu Bello was the first premier of
the Northern Nigeria region from 1954-1966.
He was one of the prominent leaders in
Northern Nigeria, alongside Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa, both of whom where prominent in
negotiations about the region’s place in an
independent Nigeria. The Northern People’s
Congress, which he led, was able to win
the pre-independence 1959 parliamentary
elections. He worked hard to unify the
peoples of Northern Nigeria.
He is considered to be a founding father of
the modern Nigerian nation state, which was
formed October 1, 1960. He was a strong
advocate of a federal system, which he
believed was best suited to Nigeria’s needs.
He combined traditional leadership qualities
with knowledge of Western governance.
He was assassinated on January 15, 1966.
He was made a Knight of the British Empire
(KBE) by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
in 1959 and received a number of honorary
doctorates from various Universities.
Early life
Born on June 12, 1910, in Rabbah, Sokoto
State. The son of a district head and heir to
the Sokoto Emirate. His great-grandfather
was Sultan Bello, son of the revered Usman
Dan Fodio who founded the Fulani Empire,
which was the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ahmadu Bello received his education first
at the feet of Muslim masters, studying the
Quran, the hadith, and Shariah, then at
Sokoto Middle School, the only modern
school at the time in the Sokoto province
(1917-1926).
He then proceeded to the Katsina Teacher’s
Training College. After spending five years at
Katsina, he was appointed by the Sultan as a
teacher in his own former school in Sokoto.
In 1934, he was made the district head of
Rabbah within the Sultan’s administration.
Four years later, he was promoted and
sent to Gusau to become a divisional head.
In 1938, he made an unsuccessful bid to
become the new Sultan of Sokoto.
Nigeria
I AM
In the course of my waka waka today,
I came across a fine young doctor couldn’t be older than 27, from Ikom.
His name is Joseph. I reckon we have
many of them in Nigeria. When you
see them, you have some hope that
the country will soon be great. As
I was about to depart from where
he was, I turned back and warned
him, yes warned him sternly, never
to allow old wasted people use his
future alongside their own. I told him
he must be brave. For some reason,
I was livid with rage. But I didn’t
address Joseph alone.
The successful sultan immediately conferred on him the traditional, now honorary, title of
“Sarduna” and elevated him to the Sokoto Native Authority Council. He first became politically
active in 1945, when he helped to form a Youth Social Circle, which later (1948) affiliated with the
NPC (Northern Peoples Congress) of which he became President-General in 1954. In 1948, he
was offered a scholarship to study local government administration in England.
Politics
After returning from England, he was nominated to represent the province of Sokoto in the
regional House of Assembly, and elected. As a member of the assembly, he was a notable
voice for northern interest and embraced a style of consultation and consensus with the major
representatives of the northern emirates: Kano, Bornu, and Sokoto.
I was addressing every Nigerian,
and indeed African, whose life
has become abridged, decimated,
rendered incomplete by certain
helplessness, and who is being
railroaded into ethnic and tribal
hogwash by those who have since
lost the plot. Unfortunately, some
of such young people actually have
imbibed the destructive rhetoric
of myopia, tribalism, nepotism and
religious bigotry. This is not only
a Boko Haram problem. It is even
worse among tie-knotting, corporate
dressing, phonetic speaking people
in Africa - who tragically think they
know everything, because they speak
another man’s language better than
the rest, but who are soooo ignorant,
it’s unbelievable.
In the first elections held in Northern Nigeria in 1952, Ahmadu Bello won a seat in the Northern
House of Assembly, and became a member of the regional executive council as minister of
works. Bello was successively minister of Works, of Local Government, and of Community
Development in the Northern Region of Nigeria. In 1953 and in 1957, he led the Northern
delegation during independence talks in London.
Premier of the North
In 1954, Bello became the first Premier of Northern Nigeria. In the 1959 independence elections,
he led the NPC to win a popularity of the parliamentary seats. Bello’s NPC forged an alliance
with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC (National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons) to form
Nigeria’s first indigenous federal government which led to independence from Britain.
Achievements
1.
Establishment of the Northern Regional Development Corporation (NRDC)
2.
Founded the Ahmadu Bello University (1962) in Zaria
3.
The Bank of the North
4.
the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria (BCNN)
5.
The Nigeria Citizen Newspapers. Religious practice.
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For instead of selling the Josephs of
this world a broad vision, instead of
telling him like I did - that today he
lives in a world where any of his ideas
could become instantly global (for
we live in a globalized world and we
must find our own purchase from the
supersonic changes that affect us all),
we are telling them “don’t talk to that
man/woman o... don’t make friends
with them. They speak a different
language. They worship a different
god... their great great great
grandfather did so and so to your
great great great grandmother. Don’t
marry from that tribe o, the religion
they subscribe to will take them to
hell; we will make it to heaven!” And
so, we have created a hell on earth
for these young ones. Instead of
hope, we gave them despair.
Instead of pride in themselves, in
their country, in humanity, instead
of letting them see the joy of
sacrificing for the next person, we
have infused them with a certain
degree of desperation, of self hate,
mutual hate, fear, mutual distrust,
condescension on others not quite
like them, and in many cases, we have
driven a permanent wedge between
young people who should come
together, bond together, and create
things that the world has not seen
before. So we sit back as Africans,
waiting for the next invention that
the Europeans, Asians and Americans can
come up with, while all the opportunities for
inventions, discoveries and innovations exist,
right here in our backyards.
The argument that Nigeria was built on faulty
foundations and that is responsible for where
we are today, is akin to claiming that you are
poor because you were not born into a royal
family. But I remember the saying, that “EVERY
PAUPER IS DESCENDED FROM A PRINCE,
AND EVERY PRINCE, FROM A PAUPER.”
Our error must be in our thinking, and I will
say again, that we should stop thinking in 1D
i.e. 1 dimensional thinking, for the world has
since moved ahead. We cannot keep bingeing
on 3D phones, 4G iPads, 5D androids, and 6D
cinemas, while our thinking remains stymied by
our prejudices.
If we want to be great as individuals, we must be
ready to make the necessary sacrifices, and the
accommodations, to make our country great.
We must be ready to groom those who think
like us and are ready to march into the future
and work together for a good purpose. Our
children and youth have no choice, they have
become GLOBAL CITIZENS. Their good deeds
can become globally viral in a second, and their
bad deeds can get on a billion handheld devices
in a nanosecond as well. Let us give them a
chance - to work together, to make something
of themselves, of their country, and to have a
profound impact, on humanity!
Nigeria
I AM
SPECIAL FEATURE
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E
Alhaji
Kashim
Muktar
Chief Executive Officer, KGM
1.
Alhaji, can you
introduce yourself, please?
My name is Kashim Goni Muktar, I am
from Babban Layi Hausari, Maiduguri
in Borno State of Nigeria. I attended
Hausari Primary School, later Arabic
Teachers’ Secondary School and
then on I went to the University of
Maiduguri.
Presently, I am the Managing
Director, KGM Group of Companies.
2.
As a Chief Executive
Officer, how easy is it to do
business in Nigeria?
Opportunities abound in this
country, in fact, Nigeria is one of
few countries in the world where
the opportunity to carry on a
prospective and successful business
is in boundless supply. The market
in Nigeria for any useful economic
product is just everywhere and
Nigeria as a growing economy has
the potential for sustaining any
economic activity for maximum
productivity.
One thing that at the moment has
not been fully put in place is the
conducive environment that would
support the various aspects of our
entrepreneurial life as a people.
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3.
You are into Foreign
Exchange, in fact you own
a Bureau de Change, how
profitable is the business?
The bureaux de change business in
Nigeria operates at a marginal profit
and that is how it actually should be.
In most places around the world, it
is a small business enterprise whose
margin of profit actually depends
on the patronage of the lesser
percentage of the population who
need foreign currencies for various
reasons. In Nigeria, the margin for
sale has been fixed at a maximum of
2% by the authorities that means at
any time you are not expected to sale
above the threshold.
4.
ABCON has gone
through series of crisis
lately and as we speak
there is a court case
pending, what really is
going on?
The crisis in the Association is
something that has been so
politicized. The way people see it
from outside eventually is not the
roles in defining the overall value
system or principle that an individual
operates with. If you consider the
decision of the President with this
in your mind, that he looks at things
most times from a different point of
view based on principles, you would
then understand why he chose not
to interfere in the National Assembly
matters as it were. I think he did the
right thing.
way things really are within the
house. In every human setting crises
are naturally inevitable, but the good
thing is that at the level that we have
gotten now, we are fast arriving at
the solution.
7.
Still on the
President, a lot of people
say he’s a bit slow in
putting his cabinet
members together. How
true is that?
5.
Alhaji, you are
one of the big boys in the
Nigerian politics, though
silent. What is your take
in the recent development
in the National Assembly?
APC Senate President and
PDP Deputy?
Well, for those who have this opinion
I think they have a right to the way
they see and judge things. I do not
think there is any constitutional
provision that set a time limit
whereby the incumbent must come
up with nomination for the various
ministerial and extra-governmental
agencies. The selection of cabinet
ministers is something that should be
carefully carried out. That is the way
I look at it.
The crisis in the National Assembly
is a natural and usual occurrence
anywhere in the world. Politics is
more about interests. There has to be
power play and brokering here and
there and I think that is the beauty of
democracy. People sometimes have
to align towards the interest, whether
personal, party or national and as
such there is no rigidity in the game.
8.
The President
promised to declare his
assets if elected, which
obviously he did not do
according to some people.
Would it be correct to say
he’s not a man of his word?
To my best understanding, the
President did declare his asset
according to the provisions of the
constitution. The question here
I think is that people say that he
promised to declare it publicly. There
is freedom of information in Nigeria.
Anybody who desires to see the
asset declaration of any politician
should apply to the right authority
and they should be obliged to make
the information available to him. I
don’t think that the asset declaration
is a private and confidential thing
for as long as the provision of the
constitution is followed.
9.
Do you think
President Buhari can fix all
the rots in our system in
four years?
The man has already made it clear
that he is not going to perform
magic. Fixing the rot in the system is
a process that will not end in four or
eight years. What we had lacked prior
to this time is a man who is dedicated
and committed to cleaning the rot.
But, at this time, I believe that we
not only have a man with the desired
qualities to do what it takes, but also,
a man who is an epitome of reform. A
man who has lived all his life believing
and standing up for what is right.
10.
Alhaji Kashim,
where do you see Nigeria
in 2019?
On the path of greatness of course.
By 2019 we would be singing a
new song. The younger generation
of this country would have been
given a patriotic mindset to see a
Nigeria where virtue, accountability,
forthrightness and moral fortitude
are the hallmark.
6.
Do you think the
President did the right
thing by not interfering?
Personal belief systems, values,
cultures, vocation etc play important
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GAME CHANGERS
GAME CHANGERS
Adebola Williams
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1.
Debola Lagos, that’s what
some associates call you. How come
the name?
For a long time, people used to call me Adebola
of the Future and then at some point it became
DebolaLagos. I think it was just me trying to connect
with where I come from and where I belong. I like
Lagos, though people complain a lot about traffic,
too many people, and noise. But I passionately love
Lagos; it’s a fantastic place, a land of opportunities
and I think it’s a huge blessing for Africa.
2.
You were born into a family of
means but the story changed before
you turned 10. How difficult was it?
It was an interesting contrast. If you are born below
a certain level of comfort, you either have coping
mechanism already that you are used to or you are
used to a certain way of life. Whichever way, it’s a
shock when that change comes, even when you
become rich over night.
For me it was a reverse, you moved from having
so much to nothing, from waking up to so many
maids, drivers to none and having to do things by
yourself. It was actually good, because it taught me
so much. It was a process that shaped me; it was
a process that made me entrepreneurial. I started
some of these things at 14 and if I did not have that
shift, I probably would have been a spoilt child and
my mum would have sent me to the UK to study
because that was the norm then.
Adebola Williams is the co-founder of RED Media Africa, known for their brands; including
The Future Awards Africa, Y! Africa and YNaija.com.
Named by Forbes International as one of Africa’s 30 “best entrepreneurs” under 30. An
Alumni of The London School of Journalism, Pan African University and London School of
Marketing.
3.
How proud are you to be
Nigeria?
100% excited, 100% passionate and 100%
committed. I pray the second stanza of the national
anthem; I sing the national anthem with pride and
joy. Nigeria is my pride and identity. The confusion
that a lot of young people face today is as a result
of lack of identity; they don’t know who they are;
they don’t know where they are from and many
times they are like weed on sea. Some of them are
just moving from side to side, they do not accept
Adebola Williams is a history maker and no doubt one of I AM NIGERIA
#Changemakers2015.
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themselves for who they. Sometimes, it’s not lack
of knowledge, it’s the failure to accept because of
the situation around them and that failure to accept
cannot make them to accept reality.
People say Nigerians are the most resilient people
in the world and I say “why don’t we use that
resilience to do something positive?” If you don’t
accept your identity you cannot figure out your
purpose; you must know who you are before you
can channel your strength towards that purpose.
4.
You are 29 and your CV is
obviously very intimidating. How does it
feel like to be a young achiever?
more people heard about them, they
had more partnerships, more reasons to
succeed and the ones who were making
excuses saw those other young people
and got fired up.
The Future Awards made it possible
for so many people to own their
achievements and inspired to do
more. And so it became a platform for
celebrating models, as you know Nigeria
lacks models; people wish to be like
Dangote but nobody knows how to be
Dangote. The Future Awards became
that platform that was a model for young
people and all of a sudden there were
so many young people who became
a critical mass that you could now
galvanize for Nigeria’s development.
I’m not even sure I am where I want to be. There’s
still so much to do, there are still many places I want
to go, there’s so much impact to be made in this
world. We’ve done the future awards now for 10
5.
So what happened 5
years. We’ve impacted directly and indirectly over
15, 000,000 young people in this country. The future years into the Future Awards?
awards have been a catalyst of the change we have
In 2010 we had no President, sick,
in Nigeria today.
dead, whatever and we had killings in
Jos; everything was falling apart. Wole
I am very passionate about impact and for
Soyinka was at the streets demanding
everything we do, we try to track our purpose. I
with the SNG and we said to ourselves
will use the future awards as a case study in this
“if this 70 year old man is demanding
situation. In 2005, we began this platform, we
and we the young people whose future
wanted to use young people to motivate each
is at stake are sitting down on our backs,
other, we wanted to find a critical mass of young
then there’s a problem.” And we said to
people who could be empowered, young people
who could be entrepreneurial, innovators, inventors, ourselves “if we had promised young
people through the Future Awards
activists; who will have that inquisitive mind to ask
to become entrepreneurs, inventors,
questions and who will in 20 years from 2005
activists and they cannot get basic things
be leaders of hard work, honesty truthfulness,
from their government and we sit down
visionaries. Young people who will take charge of
and watch the dreams of these young
Nigeria 20 years from now, that’s what we wanted
people die as a result of lack of vision
to do.
and cluelessness.”
We came up with the Future Awards and for the first
5 years of the Future Awards from 2005 to 2010 we So, it became a responsibility upon us
to do something as young people who
were looking for entrepreneurs every year; young
were passionate about the country.
people who could be much more than what they
were; young people who were doing fantastic work. My partner, Chude came back and the
whole thing was still the same thing.
And by the time we picked them and pushed them
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I AM
GAME CHANGERS
GAME CHANGERS
things. When you wake up in the morning without
light, what is the problem? When you go to the
hospital without proper medical attention, what’s the
problem? Politics matters.
There are two ways to fix Nigeria and we are
working on the two ways, by changing the people
or changing the leadership, the one man at the top.
We hope that what we did with President Buhari will
spark the change we so need right now. And the
people also have to have excellent spirit and care
genuinely for each other. And so, it’s either you have
the people or the one man.
7.
The rate of partnership failure
globally is about 50% and yet you and
Chude have built the Red Media brand
together. What’s the catch?
By the grace of God we do not see ourselves as
partners. By the grace of God it’s a Power-ship and
by the grace of God we can’t be stopped. Because
we understand it, we appreciate it and so we stick to
it, to make it work.
We were having a meeting and all of a sudden he
said “Debola, I am tired, we can’t continue this way”
myself, himself and a number of the Future Awards
board members had to do something. We said to
ourselves “this anger has to leave complains on
Social Media, let’s move and do something.”
It was a few days to my birthday and I was going to
party with my family in London. I had already bought
my ticket, packed my bags and Chude called me
that morning and said “you know if you go, it will
never happen, I have other people on this but it’s
me and you. If we don’t drive this, it won’t happen.”
By the time he finished talking to me I changed my
mind and cancelled the trip and I came to Abuja,
moving from door to door getting permissions and
putting all the things together. And it happened
because we understood the power of marketing
and because we understood the power of influence
with strong voices, we knew the only way we can do
it was by bringing out all our guns.
So, all the letters that we sent out had the names
of all our board members and by the time we
were getting approvals people taught our board
members were the ones coming out for the march.
We ensured we got all the high influence celebrities;
Omotola Jolade, Stella Damasus, all of these people.
Again, we were all young professionals going out
but they don’t know us but they know Omotola
and when they saw these people who ordinarily
will not care and that has been a big part of our
vision; we’ve always tried to bring young people
who would ordinarily not care about government
together to challenge leadership.
Chude and I have always been passionate about
where this country was going and so when we did
this march we have built these young people over
5 years, putting their conscience on the importance
of being successful and at the same time engaging
leadership because it’s a story of demand and
supply. By the time we sent out those letters we
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I AM
By the grace of God we cover the nakedness of
each other and so because of that we are stronger.
And ultimately our values and fundamentals are the
same because we are passionate about Nigeria,
we are passionate about the media and we are
passionate about impacting the world and above all
we are both passionate about God?
had a good number of young people who were
ready to come because we had groomed them over
time; we had challenge them to be entrepreneurs
and now they had bread and because they had
food, they were able to demand for change. You
must build a critical number of empowered young
people so that they can make choices that are not
dependent on their bellies.
birth to that in 2010. We moved from
building entrepreneurs to galvanizing
young audience to proper leadership
engagement and so the next 5 years,
you’ll have young people engaging
government, most of those young
people are products of the Future
Awards.
Still on that case study, we spent 5 years, building
those young people to be empowered, be aware,
be ready, be active on twitter and by 2010 we
moved them from twitter to the streets. We shut
down Nigeria that day and the whole world felt it, we
invited BBC they didn’t come by the time we were
trending globally, they were calling. We sat down
on the floor for 4 hours at the National Assembly;
everybody sat on the floor including Omotola
Jolade. By the time we finished that day we showed
two major things: 1. The power of Social Media 2.
The power of young professionals.
By the time 2014 elections came, many
of the political actors were also children
of the Future Awards on both sides
and in 2015 you saw young people
playing key roles on the presidential
and governorship campaigns. Some of
these people were inspired from all the
engagements we have built over time.
Beyond that I and my partner were now
leading again the change movement
as the official communication agency
for President Muhammadu Buhari.
First we gave birth to the platform and
led that part where you empowered
young people and by 2010 we began
to galvanize them and they moved from
enterprise to activism through social
engagement and then 2014/2015 they
became political actors and we also
moved to become major political actors.
And the plan is still in place, the ultimate
plan is that 20 years from 2005, the
people who have been nominated and
inspired through the Future Awards will
be the ones leading this country. So by
2019, you’ll begin to see many of our
products running for political offices.
So, that day Nigeria as a whole became aware
that there was a different demography that cannot
be bought. They were empowered; they were
engaged on their own terms. When they would not
come out to see us, they said “who are your leaders
send them in” we said we had no leaders, that they
must come out because we are all leaders.
If you don’t come out, we won’t go. We had no
leaders-that sent a clear distinct message that this
group you’ll always come and meet them. You know
what happened after, when President Jonathan
became Acting President, he opened a Facebook
and a Twitter Page because he had seen the power
of Social Media. And in 2011, he had a youth launch,
where he gathered young people and he came to
Lagos to meet them. What they did before was to
invite SUG Leaders to the Villa but that day we sent
a message that “we are all leaders”.
This whole election, Jonathan spent bulk of his time
in Lagos engaging young professionals. We gave
8.
Where do you see this
relationship 20 years from now?
Why don’t you just wait for it.
9.
What’s the core objective of
the Future Project and by extension the
Future Awards?
It’s basically galvanizing Africans to impart Africa.
Galvanizing a generation of Africans to impart their
continent. That’s what it’s from everything we do,
from enterprise to leadership to activism. It’s about
the African Continent and its full potential. Our
generation must ensure that Africa is imparted.
the leader for the moment. He’s not where we are going; he’s going to take us to where we
are going? Nigeria is going somewhere in 2023. He’s not the final bus stop, he’s a catalyst
and he will do his best and he’s come to tidy up things. What Nigeria needs right now is
cleansing, young people on their own cannot do this cleansing in its entirety; you need a
man that old. That cleansing process is what he’s come for and that’s what he’s doing. This
presidency is a divine appointment and God’s mission will be fulfilled, nothing will truncate it.
If he changes tomorrow, you’ll find me in the streets. We have done it before. We were in
the streets in 2010 asking that Jonathan become Acting President, you were there; we
galvanized it. He didn’t ask us to. we will always want the best for the country-the best for
the country is what we want, so if tomorrow President Buhari begins to do otherwise, we will
galvanize and say “this was not the change we signed up for sir.”
12.
Red Media is relatively a young brand and your team is made
up of young people. Don’t you think your role in the last elections will
affect your clientele base and stigmatize your brand as a pro-APC
brand?
For every phase in our lives, for my partner and I, we’ve taken risks. Last 2 years, the Future
Awards was held in the Villa, President Jonathan hosted us. That was a risk; people said that
was going to end our careers. They said, but it’s not what the people say, it’s what God says.
Our foundation is strongly built on God. We calculate our risks and we take them and prepare
for the consequences and we also know that our steps are divine. I didn’t get here because
of my smartness or because of the people I know but because of God. Our career only ends
when god says so. As far as we continue to deliver optimum service, our career will continue
to flourish.
13.
If you had a chance to address millions of young people out
there who are fighting the scourge of unemployment, what would you
tell them?
I understand perfectly that we live in a country where opportunities are not balanced; we live
in a country where you have to work twice as hard for things that other people get with ease.
But I also understand that we live in a country where you can turn shit business into a million
dollar business. People need to get up. And part of the problem also is the society, which
also comes down to politics but Nigeria is coming, God has big plans for this country and we
will make it happen together.
14.
Every brand has an identity, what does the brand Nigeria
means to you?
It means a lot of things. The biggest of all is that resilience but my problem these days is that
people use it for the wrong reasons; people use resilience for suffering and smiling. Whereas
for me, the resilience that Nigeria represents is that ability to turn water into wine. For me
Nigeria is genius and not resilience.
10.
Debola Lagos, you worked
very hard in the last elections to win the
hearts and minds of young people for
President Buhari. What’s his attitude
towards young people?
Every time we were on the campaign train, he’s
always passionately talking about the joblessness
in our country. He’s always passionately concerned
about young people and their future. He’s generally
not a man of many words and he’s not into drama or
cunning. He’s a straight forward honest person and
so because of that he’s more focused on how to
engage young people for the growth of themselves
as entrepreneurs, in education and getting them off
the street.
6.
Why so much
emphasis on politics?
11.
As a young person, how
confident are you in his Presidency?
Because that engine room, especially in
the African system determines a lot of
With my experience with him so far, unless he
changes tomorrow am quite confident that he’s
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Tobias and Titus
Igwe
1.
Let us start with a brief
introduction, who’s Titus and Tobias
Igwe?
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Igwe things are two young Nigerians
who rose from supposedly very humble
beginning to a point of recognition.
We are passionate young Nigerian
Entrepreneurs; we believe in change
and we are working hard to revolutionize
the Nigerian food industry and inspire
more young people to take up
entrepreneurship.
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2.
Where did the idea of
SpeedMeals Mobile Kitchen come from?
Our story is quite a fascinating one, we
never intended to be entrepreneurs, we
became entrepreneurs by accident when
we were working as office cleaners in
2009. We were earning N10, 000 each
as cleaners and we got admission into
Unilag. One day, we got a call that our dad
was involved in an accident and the next
day we heard that he was dead, it was so
sudden. We did not prepare for anything
like that and then we did not have a dime.
Tobias and Titus Igwe popularly referred to as the ‘Igwe Twins’ jointly manage the Speedmeals brand.
Speedmeals is a mobile food business with specialized services that includes catering and food delivery
services in Nigeria.
These two young passionate entrepreneurs have plans of expanding the brand beyond the shores of
Nigeria to making it one of the most sought-after food vendors in Africa with a global competitive
edge.
In view of a 10, 000 Capacity Food factory in Lagos, Nigeria, the Igwe twins are set to revolutionize the
food industry for good making them one of I AM NIGERIA #Gamechangers2015.
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Since we came to Lagos in 2006, we
didn’t have money to travel for Xmas and
now we got news that our Dad is dead.
Eventually we went back home and when
we got home; everybody was looking up
to us because we are 1st of nine children.
And as such everyone in the family was
expecting us to organize the burial. Just
imagine that? Then we hardly see food to
eat.
It became a responsibility that fell on us
and there was no way we could run from
it. The only option we had then was to
go to our church and since we were very
committed; we were like role models
to many children in church. Because of
that they organized a fund raising in the
church and people gave, at the end of the
day they raised N150, 000 and we were
shocked.
We took N50, 000 from the money and
opened an account with it and took the
remaining back to the village for our Dad’s
burial. When we came back to Lagos after
the burial, we were faced with reality; our
admission was on hold and our school
fees then was N250, 000. We
didn’t have the money, even
the job we were doing in Lagos
could not sustain us as our Mum
was expecting money from us
every end of the month. One
of us had to drop out while my
brother deferred his, because the
little money we were supposed
to pay for acceptance was
obviously not there.
After that, we were contemplating
on what to do with the N50, 000
that we deposited in the bank.
We started looking for what to do
with it and we came up with an
idea of cake making.
How difficulty was it?
It was very difficult, even
acquiring the skill; the woman
who we went to charged us N50,
000 for the training for 5 days.
She said I’ll start on Monday
and graduate on Friday. And I
was like how can I learn how
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GAME CHANGERS
to bake cake in 5 days? But eventually I
started and by Thursday, I noticed I haven’t
learned anything and I went to the woman
and I told her. And then she told me that
“the best certificate you have is what you
can do.” And then we asked if we could
come on Fridays to bake cakes and take
to our church and she agreed.
professionalizing our services, now we
have nutritionist, health experts on our
team, we have board members and in
fact we have investors rushing to invest
into our business. So far it’s been a
good ride, we have failed several times,
and at a point we started building
failure as part of our success stories.
So, on Friday we bake the cakes, garnish it
a little and give it to children in church and
we will tell them to take it to their parents.
And then their parents started coming
back to us to bake cakes for them for their
birthdays and that is how Speedmeals
started.
5.
You have an academy, tell
me about it?
After that we started going to marriage
classes and started doing marketing there.
We would tell them that they can taste
their wedding cake before their marriage
and then we will distribute the cakes.
There’s no way you’ll distribute it among
100 couples without a positive feedback.
So one day, a lady came to us that she’s
been looking for someone to make her
wedding cake and she asked how much
and I told her N100, 000 and she said
N95, 000 and then I said ok. The lady said
I should follow her and we entered her
car and went to an ATM and she withdrew
N95, 000 and gave it to me and that
was how we got our first break and we
used the money to buy oven and other
equipments.
3.
I read somewhere that you
guys slept in a generator house for 10
months. How awful was it?
Of course! We have passed through hell to
get to where we are today. For a long time
we didn’t have money to rent a house,
there was no help from anybody. At first
we were squatting with somebody and the
fellow evicted us. And someone offered
us his generator house and we would sit
on top of plastic chairs till morning. And
then there was no toilet, if we wanted to
toilet we will trek almost 10 miles.
4.
Do you have any plans to
expand or you’re just comfortable with
Lagos?
This is our old kitchen. We are building
a 10, 000 capacity factory and what that
means is that Speedmeals will be feeding
10,000 workers daily. Currently, we are
doing 1,000. With this expansion we are
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We started the Speedmeals Academy
in 2010. Our live has been a product
of giving; so many people have given
so much to us. We established the
academy to train young people on
how to make cakes, how to cook and
we also give them entrepreneurial
training at the end of the day. And the
policy is that if we trained you, you
are mandated to train 10 more people
within 1 year and after one year you are
certified. “A candle losses nothing from
lighting another candle.”
6.
“A candle losses nothing
from lighting another candle.” What
does that mean?
We the Igwe twins believe that if we
have 10, 000 capacity factory that
means the company has a capacity of
employing 12,000 young Nigerians.
Success spreads like wild fire and
sometimes if we Nigerians would learn
to share knowledge and you know
sometimes, some people just need
someone that will tell them “you can, I
have been through this just follow this
step and this part and you will achieve
that which you aim for. You know what
let me hold you by hand and if you
have any challenge come to me.”
Some of them don’t even need money,
all they need is encouragement.
We see ourselves as a candle; we have
trained over 385 young people and we
are still standing; we are not threatened
by their success because the market is
large. People come from different parts
of the country to attend our trainings
and each time we train these people
we get better, so “a candle losses
nothing from lighting another candle.”
And the more candle we light, the more
illuminated the society becomes.
7.
Do you have any Community
Project?
Yes. Speedmeals has this project
called Farm2kitchen, where we
buy directly from young farmers.
We realize that young farmers
have difficulties in accessing the
market, so when some of them
produce there’s no market for
it. Some of these farmers are
in Lagos, Ogun State. Imagine
the horror of transporting their
products to Lagos where theirs is
already a market.
So, what we did was that we
spotted this opportunity and
created a market for it, we have
different young farmers from
different parts of the country who
supply us different products on
a daily basis from Vegetables,
Chickens, egg, Tomatoes just
name it-we buy directly from
them.
8.
Your Farm2kitchen
idea is amazing but how can we
make it a national project?
We launched a project recently,
called the Yeast Project; the
objective is to create twenty
million jobs. This is how we
intend to achieve this objective,
we have a young farmer in
Ogun State called Michael, he
supplies us with vegetables and
we use vegetables daily. There’s
a woman called Mrs. Anayo
in Ebonyi State, she supplies
us Red Oil. Now our new 10,
000 capacity factory will be
consuming 3 drums of Oil daily
base on the volume that we are
doing.
Take Mrs. Anayo as a case study
who is sure of a market for her
Oil, now instead of going to the
open market where they import
from Malaysia to buy. Mrs. Anayo,
I tell you will start thinking about
owning her own plantation and
guess what? She definitely will
not work alone in that plantation,
she will hire people and instead
of creating job opportunity in
Malaysia Speedmeals as a result
of its patronage has empowered
the likes of Mrs Anayo to create
jobs here at home and at the
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end of the day the money stays in our
economy instead of some else’ economy.
Imagine what will happen if all the
restaurants and catering services in
Nigeria start adopting this Farm2kitchen
project. Why won’t young people go to
farm? As a young person planning to go
into farming, you know that Eko Hotel
or Oriental Hotel consumes 200, 000
chickens yearly, imagine the drive and the
motivation to want to go into farming. At
the end of the day Imagine how this will
affect these farmers, now they are sure
that there’s a market for their products
daily and imagine the ripple effects on our
economy?
Since we launched this Farm2kitchen
project, the testimony that we get from
these farmers are amazing and we appeal
to restaurants and catering services in
Nigeria to adopt this project, it’s not only
good for the farmers but also for our
country.
9.
If you were to advice President
Buhari on one issue that affects
businesses, what would that be?
It would be Capacity Development
and then other basic amenities that will
ensure smooth running of businesses.
Government needs to provide enabling
environment for businesses to thrive,
it’s not about throwing money on young
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entrepreneurs like the last administration
did. Some of these people got this money
started their businesses but at a point
some of these businesses started folding
up, I can tell you that because we were
one of the mentors.
Government can leverage on the
experiences and track records of young
entrepreneurs who are already successful
to lift other young people up. You can
also help these already successful
young entrepreneurs by patronizing their
products and services.
Imagine a scenario where Speedmeals
is providing meals for school children,
where every day we are mandated to
feed 20, 000 school children. Just imagine
what that will do not just to us alone but
other young farmers that we buy from, the
number of young people that we will take
off the street by way of engagement.
We advice government to take one
entrepreneur at a time, empower that
entrepreneur and the ripple effect will
spread across. These empowered
entrepreneurs will pay tax to the
government. The farmers that we buy
from will pay tax, the printer that prints our
food packs will pay and Speadmeals who
patronizes these services also pays tax to
the government.
The truth is Entrepreneurs have the keys
to job creation. Government should
empower successful young
entrepreneurs-that’s the surest
way for job creation. Imagine
coming here and seeing 15, 000
people working shifts. That’s the
key to the job crisis in Nigeria
today.
It goes beyond organizing
capacity building exercises;
government has got to empower
those that are already in the
train to do more. A lot of young
people are hardworking but hard
work and determination does not
guarantee success in Nigeria.
10.
Titus and Tobias where
do you see SpeedMeals 10
years from now?
Speedmeals in ten year from
now will be the most sought-after
food vendor in Africa with a
global competitive edge.
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Barr.
Ismaeel
Ahmed
1.
Barrister Ahmed, please tell
us about yourself?
My name is Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed,
I am the founder and Chairman of the
All Progressives Youth Forum which is
the largest political youth organization
in Nigeria, I was a Special Adviser to the
former Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu
Musa Kwankwaso, I also advise the
National Chairman of the APC and primarily
I’m a Lawyer.
2.
These responsibilities, how
have they shaped you as a youth?
I think in tremendous ways. When I was in
secondary school I kind of decided on my
own that I wanted to be a man of influence.
So I began to think of professions that
would lead to the influence of people for
positive results; I thought of Journalism
and I said well Journalists only influences
people who can read and then I thought of
being an Islamic Cleric, and then I realized
that with that you can only influence a
section of the people with your preaching.
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So many things ran through my mind and
then I had to settle with law-because it
gives you the ability to understand the laws
of the land and the ability to interpret them.
And I also settled for politics which I believe
that with the right mix you’ll be able to
influence a lot of things for a lot of people
and do good for majority of people.
Newly appointed from the All Progressives Youth wing into the Board of Trustees of the largest
Party in Africa.
3.
You are the founder of
Teach4Nigeria.org. What’s the
organization all about?
Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed is the founder and Chairman of the All Progressives Youth Forum which is the largest
political youth organization in Nigeria; one time Special Adviser to the former Governor of Kano State and a Lawyer
by Profession.
A future Presidential Candidate and one of I AM NIGERIA #Gamechangers2015.
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Yes. It’s a voluntary organization that I
founded when I got back from my Masters
in the United States of America. When I
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came, I thought about what to do and I modeled it after teachforamerica.
org. teach4america.org is basically a voluntary organization but a bit
more regimented, mine I wanted it to be a bit more flexible.
So what I did was to send out a lot of e-mails to a lot of people that I
know, the ones you call the elites; people who had the privilege to go
to good schools. I told them, “we could do something to pay back to
society” and we formed it. You go into a public school close to you, be it
primary or secondary school and teach a course that you know best for
an hour or two every week or once in a month.
We ran into a lot of hitches from ministry of education in a lot of states,
they thought it was something sponsored by an international donor. But
at the end of the day we were able to pull off something?
4.
What’s the achievement so far?
I think it’s been great especially in the Southern part of Nigeria, where I
have a lot of friends.
5.
Why the Southern part of the Country?
Because there are a lot of people who were willing to do that. I got a
lot of volunteers from the Southern part of the country than the North
and most of the elite people in the North are not necessarily resident in
places where you could access public schools that needed that. Most of
them live in the metropolitan parts of the states where there are private
schools. But whenever I go to Kano I do it there and I also do it here
in Abuja. Some friends of mine do it in Katsina, Kaduna and it’s pretty
successful.
6.
What is the place of young people in today’ politics?
Are they mere campaign tool or something more?
I don’t think so. I think young people played an incredible role in the last
elections and I think they are getting back a lot of these things. I have
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power for power sake, that was an evolutionary process. We will
get to a level where ideas are going to be how political parties
are established. I think we will get there and there’s no rush.
11.
Few days after President Buhari was declared
winner, there was this sensibility that we will get it right
this time. Do you still feel that sensibility?
Absolutely; much more than anytime else. This government is
not a government of cliché where you measure progress by the
number of days, first 100 days, and first 60 days of celebrating
nonsense. This is a government of serious business. This country
is in a mess and it needs to be taken out of that mess. When a
ship is sinking, what you want to do is to get it to the shore first,
that’s your primary goal. It’s not about fixing the leaking parts, it’s
about taking it to the shore first and make sure that people get
off board, then you take care of fixing the ship later.
always said that young people don’t lack positions. I think we’ve
always had a position without a position, meaning we hardly
see young people in the positions of authority. Right now as am
talking to you, Katsina State House of Assembly has elected a
32 year old man as their speaker. Kaduna State has elected a
35 year old.
a lot of opposition from these old people but you take it slow;
one step at a time. If you know how to shift the tumbler a little,
then you probably be able to make progress. But when you
want to make it like a political activism like Aluta kind of thing,
you might get away with it but most of the time it doesn’t work
out that way.
So, there’s a lot of inclusion of a lot of young people, but I have
never been of the idea that people should be given a space;
I believe that in politics people create space for themselves.
And that’s what young people need to do and that’s part of the
reason why APYF was created. The motto is “take part to take
charge.” Meaning that, if you want to see something different
you have to be willing to do something different. Simply put
“if you want to be part of the outcome, you have to be part of
the process.” Young people should be able to get into political
parties and make changes in their parties; be card carrying
members and decide who lead them.
8.
Barrister, are you nursing any political
ambition?
7.
How can these young people hold political
positions in their parties?
It’s happening already. The only problem is when people
are waiting to be given, it’s a kind of division of labor where
the older generation feels they have the money and the
reputation and you are just a youngster and politics is primarily
an emotional game and in an emotional game trust is very
important. Most voters don’t know the young people enough to
vote them.
Once in a while you have a young person that comes with a
flare of charisma that everybody loves and want to identify with
but it’s an exception, it’s not the general rule. The general rule is
that people want to go for people they know and usually these
people that they know are people they’ve been with for a long
period of time who happens to be the older people. They are
the ones with the resources and the requisite experience, so
they put themselves in and create space for themselves, as a
young person breaking that jinx isn’t easy.
The President is well experienced and he’s vast in the art of
administration, he has been what somebody else wants to
be before. He knows these things and he’s taking one step
at a time; making sure that the things that are coming to him
are thought through before appointing people for specific
responsibilities. We have already hit the ground running; people
are going to see the change.
Nigerians are not interested in change for just change sake.
Just changing personalities, that was not what we campaigned
on; that’s not why we were voted in. Nigerians are interested
not in changing the style of governance but the substance
of governance. So what they’ll see from this administration
is a decent displayed government, honest and transparent
government that would be opened to Nigerians about our daily
challenges and will celebrate our triumphs.
Oh yes. Absolutely! I am going to be president someday and
we are working towards it.
9.
It was obvious in the last elections that the
power of the people is stronger than the people in
power. How can we sustain that in our subsequent
elections?
that’s a blatant lie.
13.
If you had an opportunity to talk to
President Buhari on a key policy issue that
affects young people, what would that policy
be? How best do you think this issue can be
addressed?
Focus on the economy of young people not in the
political participation. Political participation does not
necessarily guarantee economic prosperity. Focus
on the formal and the informal economy of young
people; create opportunities for young people.
Create ladders of opportunities for young people
and a conducive environment to thrive on their own.
Young people are not looking for handouts; they
are looking for opportunities to pull themselves up
by their own bootstraps and be able to do things
on their own. Create that enabling environment and
opportunity; reduce the bottlenecks-all those loans
that people need to set up their businesses, make it
a bit flexible, and reduce the interest rates.
14.
Barrister Ahmed, where do you see
Nigeria in 2019?
Nigerians are going to be proud of who they are and
where they come from and ultimately Nigerians and
Nigeria will be a better country than it is right now.
12.
You once described the PDP as a party that has
degenerated to a cesspit of corruption. In view of the
recent report that Senator Sakari threatened to go back
to the PDP, would it be safe to say that some of these
Cesspits are in the APC and if that be true wont that be
a big problem for the President?
I think that’s one of the most incredible things this election
has done. It’s a watershed in the history of Nigerian politics
because it has given power back to the people and that has
to be sustained. People are wise now; they know that they
can take out a government that they don’t want, that’s the first
step. President Buhari told me once that he set into politics for
various reasons and one of it has been achieved and I asked
him which one, he said “people now determine who their
leaders are and I have achieved it even before I stepped into
office. So when I mess up they know they have the power to
take me out.”
That’s complete nonsense, he never said that. Whoever said that,
10.
How can we build our political parties to be
more than campaign organizations but embodiments
of common hopes, common dreams and common
values?
I think that’s evolutionary. Primarily in the beginning of every
democracy, the tussle will always be about the grab of power.
In America, their first 20-40 years wasn’t about ideology, it
was first about those who were against slavery and in support
of slavery. I think it was about power grab-the ability to use
It’s not easy but so far it’s been pretty good and there has been
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Petra A.
Onyegbule
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1.
Who’s Petra Onyegbule?
Petra is a Nigerian, of Kogi extraction and a
very passionate Nigerian.
2.
How does it feel to be a voice for
the voiceless? Is it fun or frustrating?
It’s very very frustrating because of one
reason, ignorance. The people that you
are a voice for don’t understand why you
do the things you do. Sometimes there’s a
misconception on your motive and when
people start casting aspersion on your
motive, it can be very demoralizing because
you know you sacrifice a lot and you give up
all of you and you go the extra mile because
you are thinking of people who are not as
privileged as you are. The same people see
you as one of those people who are against
them and it can be very frustrating.
3.
You gave a moving and inspiring
speech at TedxGarki this year about
Preemies, what is it all about and who
inspired it?
The inspiration was and still my daughter;
she is the reason why I am very passionate
about Nigeria. My daughter was born at 25
weeks and she was really small and sickly
but for the dedication of the staff of National
Hospital Abuja and the fact that we had
resources at our disposal to easily meet with
the demands perhaps she wouldn’t be alive
today.
Petra Onyegbule is the founder of Tiny Beating Hearts Initiative (TBHI)
TBHI is an advocacy group with an objective of reducing neonatal mortality with special focus
on Preemies. The initiative was inspired by her daughter who was born at 25 weeks.
Petra was one of the strong voices that started rallying support for President Buhari long
before the cause was popular. She is a force to be reckoned with and one of I AM NIGERIA
#Gamechangers2015.
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The truth is that not everybody can be as fortunate as she is
and I think it’s a misnomer in a country where people have
to pray for luck for children to be able to live. People should
have access to quality health care; children should be given
the right to live.
Nigeria signed up for millennium development goals and
this is 2015, other countries have moved on to sustainable
development goals but we are far from achieving the
millennium development goals. And I tell people that “unless
and until we reduce neonatal and infant and child mortality
rate mothers will continue to die.” This in my opinion is
unacceptable.
4.
How best can we address this issue, is it through
policy or advocacy?
There’s no one approach to this problem. Health care is
a continuum; there are different stages of involvement of
parents, government, healthcare providers and the society at
large. Yes, you need advocacy and policies to solve this crisis
and not just the policy promulgation but more enforcement.
We have many beautiful policies in Nigeria but we have to
ensure the right enforcement.
5.
Isn’t that where people like you come in?
Again it isn’t just about the government, it’s also about people
being watchdogs and insisting that government does its part.
You need proper engagement at all levels.
6.
I presume that led to the establishment of Tiny
Beating Hearts. What’s your organization’ objective and
how far so far?
After I gave birth to my daughter, she was in Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital and the first few
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days were very edgy. Any telephone was
call scary. So after a while I realized that it
was going to go either of two ways; either
she survives or she doesn’t. Before then I
would go to Google, always checking out
how babies born at 25 weeks survived
and then I would see millions and millions
of results and then they were all from
developed countries.
And I said it’s not possible that I’m the only
one who has given birth to a premature
baby and why are Nigerians not telling
their stories? When you tell your story
you inspire hope in somebody that her
baby can pull through. So I said to myself
“I’m going to break this thing, whether my
baby survives or not I will tell the story to
let people know that they are baby like
this that are born every day.” In fact from
my research I discovered that Nigeria has
one of the highest numbers of premature
babies in Sub-Saharan Africa and some of
these babies actually survive and we don’t
share the stories.
Tiny Beating Heart is all about raising
awareness for this issue. If I knew the
things that I know now even if my baby
had come premature perhaps she would
have come at a later date when her
organs would have developed more
and I would have been more proactive
about her size. Prematurity comes with
a lot complications and one needs to be
proactive and take charge of the situations
even as healthcare workers do.
So we raise the awareness and then we
advocate for people who don’t know what
prematurity is really about for them to get
a bit more empathetic to the plight of both
babies and mothers. The road is very
traumatic and the advocacy at this stage
is for more of society to join hands to end
this scourge.
7.
You were one of the people
who insisted that the 2015 Presidential
election was either Buhari or Buhari,
even when it was an unpopular call. And
you took your campaign from Facebook
to the streets and places of worship why
did you all of that?
Again it comes down to my daughter
Ruby. I was sharing with a friend on one of
our trips that not everybody is Petra and
not every child is going to be Ruby. So
what happens to the millions of babies that
are born to the non-Petras; that are born to
parents that are not educated and without
recourses to take care of these babies?
How many babies can you really say
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“please Facebook friends, the parents of
this baby born in this hospital do not have
the money to care of their baby?”
So for everybody to have the opportunity
to get some of these basic things, we had
to do what we have to do. I had to say this
thing doesn’t end on Facebook, we had
to go to the streets and make people to
understand that it’s not about Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan as a person but it’s about the
fact that he supervises a very profligate
system, he supervises a system where
everything just went and that it was not
sustainable in the long run and the earlier
we kicked him out, the better for us.
Some of us saw this thing very early
and the call began as far back as late
2012 to say look it has to be this person
because of his antecedent. And it’s very
important for a leader’s body language not
to tolerate impunity that in itself was the
reason why I said it was either Buhari or
Buhari.
8.
Speaking of Impunity, we all
know what Politicians are capable of.
How are you sure President Buhari will
not bend?
Life is all about risk taking and risks have
to be calculated. Am I sure he will not
bend? As at today, I’m 90% sure and think
that’s high enough. President Buhari will
not bend, because you don’t learn to be
left handed at old age.
9.
Elections are over and
politicians have started politicking, are
you disappointed with the signals we
are getting so far?
10. Don’t you think the
president being the head of the
party should weigh into this
crisis?
On the NASS issues I’ll apportion
70% blame to the APC and 30%
to the president. When he said
he was not interested in who
emerges, I thought that was a
politically correct thing to say.
But if you say that kind of thing
you have to follow through. The
message I got was if your party
is interested in something and
you say you’re not interested, it
means you are standing aloof
from the party’ position and you
really don’t care and that got
me disappointed because you
cannot stand aloof.
If people had stood aloof during
the campaigns, perhaps we won’t
be where we are today. You can’t
stand aloof and even if you think
it’s a good thing for the three
arms of government to have its
independent, I think experience
and wisdom should be used to
get all factions together. And
being the head of the party not
particularly in position but also in
age, I expected he should have
been able to get all these groups
together behind scene and
suggest a viable option.
That’s why I said I blame the APC
because they had two months to
get their acts together as far as
NASS leadership was concerned.
Yes and no. No because I expected some They probably went to sleep and
of them, yes because I thought that the
took some people for granted
PDP had given this warning enough.
and I blame the president for
During the electioneering process, people staying back and showing lack of
said APC was going to crumble; people
concern.
said the APC was a collection of strange
bird fellows, I expected that APC should
11.
Mrs Onyegbule, we
have said we would do whatever it takes
are days into the 1st 100 days
to proof these people wrong but they’ve
and nothing is happening. Are
shown that they were all about just getting we or are we not gradually
power.
easing back into the old
experience?
They didn’t go further to think of how
to manage the success and how to
I have a very different view on
ensure a balance of interest because
ministerial appointment. I don’t
there are many interests in the APC and
think countries run because there
unfortunately they are not aligned towards are ministers, I think countries
the same cause from what we have seen run because there are systems
so far. Yes I’m a bit disappointed but again and I don’t think there’s nothing
am a realist, I didn’t expect it would be
going on, I actually think a lot is
rosy all through.
going on. I see that a lot is going
on. Before now there were fuel
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queues around the country and the queues have
disappeared without any Minister of Petroleum.
So what exactly are we talking about?
We have technocrats, we have Permanent
Secretaries and people seemed to forget that this
man is an old man. So, he’s coming with wisdom of
age, his experience and antecedents in the past to
governance. What we may term as slow may actually
be wisdom and wisdom is mostly slow because
you want to consider and reconsider but it’s almost
always right. I think Nigeria needs structuring, who
needs 36 Ministers from 36 States? What we should
expect from the president is to get the right people
into the right places.
12.
How confident are you in this President?
If I wasn’t confident I wouldn’t do all that I did. The
sacrifices were enormous and not just financially
but otherwise. Every Saturday I was awake early to
get the campaign bus from Victoria Island and go all
through to Oshodi to pick my crew members. After
that we will go talking to people, if I wasn’t confident
in the fact that Buhari will do it I wouldn’t waste my
time.
13.
You once said on your Facebook Page
that if your boss, PMB does not perform after
4years you’ll throw him out, do you still hold that
view?
Of course. That is one thing with working with your
conviction, you don’t owe anybody any loyalty, you
only owe your conscience loyalty. For the fact that I
worked on my own terms we will throw him out if he
does not perform. We didn’t bring PMB because we
love his face, we brought him in to fix the things that
are bad and if he does otherwise we will push him
out.
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14.
As a game changer, if you had the
chance to advise the president on a national
emergency. What would that be and how can we
possibly address it?
I think it’s wicked for any woman to want to bring life
into this world and for the woman to die while doing
that. I also think it’s very wicked of society to make
that woman go through pregnancy for 9 months or 5
months in my own case and then you have that baby
and through the agony you lose the baby and there
is no system to support you.
If there’s any emergency of which there is like power
which affects us all, I will pick health. People should
be able to go into hospitals with an assurance of
quality healthcare.
One way to do that is to ensure that whoever will
take a position in his cabinet never should use
private hospitals, never to Jet out of the country on
Medical Tourism, unless it’s proven that our hospitals
cannot handle the issues. We can’t be paying you
and you’ll be using our money to buy services
outside, it doesn’t make sense.
15.
Petra Onyegbule, one last word to
describe Nigeria.
Nigeria is a potentially great country and I love the
fact that we are very malleable. And anybody who
is not a Nigerian should at least live in Nigeria for
sometimes to see the beauty that Nigeria is.
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