I was reading a mail from my friends that we graduated in the same year, the Late Bayo Ohu who was assassinated recently was one of us, and it was a story circulated and written by a staff of Guardian Newspaper in Nigeria. Click this link to read the story by Mr. Kamal Oropo.
I responded to this editorial by Mr. Oropo and I got a message circulated by a friend within the group saying:
"It's unfortunate, but predictable. When I wrote in my tribute to Bayo ohu published in some newspapers that his killers will never be found, some people said I was too conclusive. Look, the PPRO said it was assassination when he came to Bayo's house. He later addressed the press that it was armed robbery. But one of the things that pained me was none of the newspapers that reported the story mentioned the PPRO's statement on assassination. TOO BAD"
Well, I read all of the other responses from my friends and I could not stop myself writing this mail below which I am copying verbatim and pasting into this blog:
My Dear Brothers,
The problems we are experiencing in Nigeria is primarily the result of GREED, then followed by a lack of will to support anything that does not put money in our pocket, and what does that point to... of course its another subtle form of greed or selfishness.
I have met with two former heads of state on a one to one here in London. I am talking about having a private lunch with no one else in attendance and what I learnt points to a depth of greed that is beyond comprehension. I have had interviews and opportunities of one to one with Governors and other political leaders too.
How do you explain powerful saboteurs who will not allow Nigerian government improve power supply because of Diesel and Generator which is their source of income and wealth?
When I challenged the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria on why he had to deal with the banks in the way he did, on my show on BEN Television he stated that he sourced and secured support from the President and the Senate President, then requested his decision must not be discussed with anyone else until its made public. Gov. Lamido Sanusi said he new there were powerful but extremely corrupt and well connected people that will thwart any thing that is not in their interest if they find out at the stage where its not public yet.
How do you explain the level of greed that means the whole of Lagos State Police Command can not afford a handful of computers not to mention having an I.T. System that has database of criminals, their records, records of crimes committed, how to track down their cohorts and records of people financing crime in Nigeria?
How do you explain poorly trained police officers with over 80% never attending any other training apart from Police College training once they graduated from there? Mind you, there is about 5% of the senior officers that spend money on training abroad and what do they do when they go abroad, use it as opportunity to shop, holiday and come back empty-headed and not able to influence change within the force...
Guys, when I look at the problems of Nigeria, its seems insurmountable and completely impossible to resolve. Some people want every Nigerian to believe only God can solve the problem so go and pray or just accept the fate of the nation as sealed.
I will tell you this, what we need is applying the principle of "one - change - one", yes, "one - help - one", and "one - make - one thing happen"
If I have not lost you yet, thank God for that... What I am saying is for each one of us to look in areas we can create change and invest our time, energy and resource in making that little change possible.
Jack Kemp puts it more succinctly by saying “The power of one man or one woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society.”
If you are a journalist, look for a charity that you can invest time, energy and resources at your disposal to help, look for the criminality and awful things you would expose without expecting someone to bribe you to kill the story or even convince you its a dangerous story to put out there.
If you run an agency, what can your agency or PR company/Dept do to help make a difference and so on and so forth.
It is so simple, and seemingly simplistic to the point of assuming it will not change much, hey, none of us is God so we can not change much and guess what, God is not planning a miracle through Nigeria yet, so He will only allow and support each one of us to be the change we wish to see in our nation.
If you would love a change, check out the areas that will be of most value to you and you know you have something that could chip away at the problem, then get stuck in there and do your bit. If you are waiting for an Obama Leader to create a razzmatazz impact and change governance in Nigeria, you may have to wait another 200 years plus. In the history of America, how many Obamas have they witnessed?
OK, maybe we are almost 50years into our anniversary, so that leaves us with less than 200 years compared to when America was created and became the U.S.A., hey that is still over a century to go folks.
We just need to apply what we know has worked around the world, no matter your religious belief, no matter your orientation and political philosophy, you will admit that it only need on person to start the process of change.
Light Up Nigeria is a process of change, one person started the campaign, the power outage in Nigeria is still very much below par but somehow the campaign is gathering momentum from online on to the streets of Lagos.
A selfless campaign to help make a change to the training, development, and equipment at the the disposal of our Police Force in Nigeria need billions of Naira, but a little here and a little there will add up.
A little change contributed towards improve the health service sector in Nigeria will also translate to something of significance in due course.
As friends, folks, before we begin to see a massive move and paradigm shift, each individual has to look within for areas where they could impact and contribute a change. I have opted to quietly contribute time, energy and in some cases to resources to less than a handful of charities in Nigeria. It will not make a massive change to our country, but I am a happy man when I know my £5 impact the life of one child in Lagos, I am thrilled when I know a couple of hours a week used to help make things happen for another organisation in Nigeria yields fruit...
So ask yourself, what do you want to see change today and what tiny little bit of contribution from you will chip away a tiny little bit of the rock that stops the change happening...
A word is enough... actually 2-3page of words should be plenty... :-)
PS. Come back for more sometime or just follow me on my Twitter Page
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Tribute to Mrs. Florence A. Olomu (1934-2009)
Tribute to Mrs Florence A. Olomu (1934 – 2009)
Behind every successful man, there is a strong, supporting and encouraging woman or two or even three. I knew this from when I was growing up, but interestingly enough, some of the people that made this statement at events/functions did not live their lives like they believed this.
The one person I know lived the “Cliché” and still does to date is my best friend, whom I have great respect for and whom I have a lot of time for. Dayo Olomu is one of the children of the late Mrs. Florence A. Olomu and this blog is about her rather than Dayo. Since Mrs Florence A. Olomu passed away, I have analysed my best friend’s life over the last 20years that I have known him and the massive impact that “Mumsie” as we called her had on Dayo.
I have learnt from observation and experience that there are two types of Mummy’s Boy, the one that people talk about the most happen to be the negative one, I am talking about the Mummy’s Boy that will not do anything other than what “mummy” say/said, this one depends on “mummy” either for his means of livelihood or lets “mummy” determines how he lives his life. This kind of “mummy’s boy” will not have a lot of respect for other women except his mum and that only differs if he has mummy’s instruction to respect the woman.
The Mummy’s Boy that ladies talk about and criticise the most is the boy/man who would sense or even know a wrong decision, but would bend over backwards to follow it through because his mummy said it’s what he should do. He will most likely use and discard women and would have difficulty maintaining long or lifetime relationship with a woman because the dominant force in his life will not allow what is perceived as competition for his attention.
Having said that, the other type of Mummy’s Boy is the one that sees his Mum as the source, the greatest supporter of everything he does and the most enduring encourager in his life. This is the Mummy’s Boy that out of respect for his Mum would never attempt to treat a woman poorly/badly. He extends his love for his mum to women in his life and around him in all situations. I know from experience that such a man is groomed with love from the mother and learn to appreciate womanhood.
My “bestest” friend – Dayo Olomu has been blessed to have had a mother who devoted her life to bringing up her children in the best possible way you can imagine. Mumsie Olomu was a woman of virtue with strong faith in God and would not compromise her faith and belief under any circumstances. When you see someone who holds fast to their faith no matter what, you know you have a strong character before you.
Mumsie Olomu groomed a boy called Dayo Olomu into a young man with faith as the prized cornerstone of his life, and self belief in the midst of adversity as a tool to propel him into a winner. If you read the story of my friend and you do not appreciate the strong woman that encouraged, supported, assisted and even pushed on occasions then you would have missed the key element to the success that we see today in Dayo.
I strongly believe that what Dayo’s kids and gorgeous goddess of a wife(Folasade Olomu) enjoy today are the qualities that were groomed by Mrs Florence A. Olomu, as she worked her socks off with less than minimum wage to send the kids to school and still find time to educate them. I am a firm believer in the fact that going to school and receiving education are two different things, but the analysis of that belief will be subject for another blog another day in the near future. Mumsie Olomu worked to pay for schooling of Dayo and his siblings while her life was education in Technicolor or better still, in 3D.
When you grow up in a very humble environment with a hardworking mother that puts everything on the line for you and in the midst of that would not compromise faith or cut moral corners, then you know for sure that you could do the right things the right ways and still come out tops.
The reason a massive number of people appreciate the honesty of the motivational speeches of Dayo Olomu is because he has lived what he is speaking. A man who has grown up with very little and chosen not to blame anyone for lacking good things of life, but instead used that lack as impetus to get out there and be inspired to achieve surely has a lesson or two to teach others.
My tribute here is to the woman who spent her life living by example so her children learn not to complain about problems but to seize it with both hands as opportunity to excel in the area of challenge.
The lesson to mothers today comes from the fountain of knowledge of Mumsie, Mrs. Florence A. Olomu, and mirrored by her children, especially Dayo. It is easy to see the awesome impact mothers can have on sons to ensure they learn to treat women well, live an honest and hardworking life, be true to themselves and aspire to live a life of virtue.
It does make me wince when I hear some young ladies nonchalantly say “men are dogs” and of “no use”, and yet they have a son or praying to God for a child that might be a boy. I know for a fact that our words are powerful and that is why churches like CCC and C&S that treat things of the spirit with reverence do end up having serious impact in the lives of their congregation.
I have never been a member of the white garment church, but what you realise when you observe is that there is intense enlightenment in the power of words in those churches, as they talk along the lines of professing with your mouth what you wish and pray for.
It will be good if the one thing that we all learn from Mumsie is to teach ourselves and our children or kids around us how to love everyone around us without “attached strings” so that we show respect for them and treat them well; handle adversity as a challenge, and like the kids that Mumsie groomed not be bothered about lacking anything, but rather see that as opportunity to take on the challenge of having that thing and finally never see failure, but rather deem not achieving as a chance to get better as we try.
Behind every successful man, there is a strong, supporting and encouraging woman or two or even three. I knew this from when I was growing up, but interestingly enough, some of the people that made this statement at events/functions did not live their lives like they believed this.
The one person I know lived the “Cliché” and still does to date is my best friend, whom I have great respect for and whom I have a lot of time for. Dayo Olomu is one of the children of the late Mrs. Florence A. Olomu and this blog is about her rather than Dayo. Since Mrs Florence A. Olomu passed away, I have analysed my best friend’s life over the last 20years that I have known him and the massive impact that “Mumsie” as we called her had on Dayo.
I have learnt from observation and experience that there are two types of Mummy’s Boy, the one that people talk about the most happen to be the negative one, I am talking about the Mummy’s Boy that will not do anything other than what “mummy” say/said, this one depends on “mummy” either for his means of livelihood or lets “mummy” determines how he lives his life. This kind of “mummy’s boy” will not have a lot of respect for other women except his mum and that only differs if he has mummy’s instruction to respect the woman.
The Mummy’s Boy that ladies talk about and criticise the most is the boy/man who would sense or even know a wrong decision, but would bend over backwards to follow it through because his mummy said it’s what he should do. He will most likely use and discard women and would have difficulty maintaining long or lifetime relationship with a woman because the dominant force in his life will not allow what is perceived as competition for his attention.
Having said that, the other type of Mummy’s Boy is the one that sees his Mum as the source, the greatest supporter of everything he does and the most enduring encourager in his life. This is the Mummy’s Boy that out of respect for his Mum would never attempt to treat a woman poorly/badly. He extends his love for his mum to women in his life and around him in all situations. I know from experience that such a man is groomed with love from the mother and learn to appreciate womanhood.
My “bestest” friend – Dayo Olomu has been blessed to have had a mother who devoted her life to bringing up her children in the best possible way you can imagine. Mumsie Olomu was a woman of virtue with strong faith in God and would not compromise her faith and belief under any circumstances. When you see someone who holds fast to their faith no matter what, you know you have a strong character before you.
Mumsie Olomu groomed a boy called Dayo Olomu into a young man with faith as the prized cornerstone of his life, and self belief in the midst of adversity as a tool to propel him into a winner. If you read the story of my friend and you do not appreciate the strong woman that encouraged, supported, assisted and even pushed on occasions then you would have missed the key element to the success that we see today in Dayo.
I strongly believe that what Dayo’s kids and gorgeous goddess of a wife(Folasade Olomu) enjoy today are the qualities that were groomed by Mrs Florence A. Olomu, as she worked her socks off with less than minimum wage to send the kids to school and still find time to educate them. I am a firm believer in the fact that going to school and receiving education are two different things, but the analysis of that belief will be subject for another blog another day in the near future. Mumsie Olomu worked to pay for schooling of Dayo and his siblings while her life was education in Technicolor or better still, in 3D.
When you grow up in a very humble environment with a hardworking mother that puts everything on the line for you and in the midst of that would not compromise faith or cut moral corners, then you know for sure that you could do the right things the right ways and still come out tops.
The reason a massive number of people appreciate the honesty of the motivational speeches of Dayo Olomu is because he has lived what he is speaking. A man who has grown up with very little and chosen not to blame anyone for lacking good things of life, but instead used that lack as impetus to get out there and be inspired to achieve surely has a lesson or two to teach others.
My tribute here is to the woman who spent her life living by example so her children learn not to complain about problems but to seize it with both hands as opportunity to excel in the area of challenge.
The lesson to mothers today comes from the fountain of knowledge of Mumsie, Mrs. Florence A. Olomu, and mirrored by her children, especially Dayo. It is easy to see the awesome impact mothers can have on sons to ensure they learn to treat women well, live an honest and hardworking life, be true to themselves and aspire to live a life of virtue.
It does make me wince when I hear some young ladies nonchalantly say “men are dogs” and of “no use”, and yet they have a son or praying to God for a child that might be a boy. I know for a fact that our words are powerful and that is why churches like CCC and C&S that treat things of the spirit with reverence do end up having serious impact in the lives of their congregation.
I have never been a member of the white garment church, but what you realise when you observe is that there is intense enlightenment in the power of words in those churches, as they talk along the lines of professing with your mouth what you wish and pray for.
It will be good if the one thing that we all learn from Mumsie is to teach ourselves and our children or kids around us how to love everyone around us without “attached strings” so that we show respect for them and treat them well; handle adversity as a challenge, and like the kids that Mumsie groomed not be bothered about lacking anything, but rather see that as opportunity to take on the challenge of having that thing and finally never see failure, but rather deem not achieving as a chance to get better as we try.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
BAYO OHU - A Gentleman Journalist just wasted
My shoulder dropped and my heart sank when I read an email from a group of friends that we attended the same Polytechnic in Nigeria. The subject field of the email had in bold capital letters "BAYO OHU MURDERED".
I was in shock because this is one of the most gentle course mates I had while at the Ogun State Polytechnic studying Mass Communication at the HND level. I happen to belong to the group that did their OND at the Ogun Poly while Bayo came from Federal Poly, Bida. But our HND class was great fun because we had a bunch of guys and ladies that were out to enjoy themselves as much as they were dead keen to achieve something in life.
Amongst the core group of friends in our year were folks who are now Editors/Marketing Managers in major newspapers in Nigeria (Vanguard, Guardian, ThisDay, Punch, etc), Directors of Communications/PR in major organisations in the country (including British Council and Banks), broadcast journalists and key players in the Advertising and PR sector (such as IMC 24-7 – leading outdoor/bill boards ad agency and a host of others). Bayo was one of us and he was a brilliant mind with a smile even when the joke is on him.
Bayo was a guy who quite a few of us could seat with and crack jokes and banter, sometimes at his expense and he always managed never to take it personal or take offence, rather, he has a fantastic sense of humour and somehow will find a way to deflect it all and parry it on to someone else.
I can not begin to imagine what Bayo could have done to offend anyone to the point of his life being snuffed out in this untimely and heartbreakingly violent manner. I have scrounged around for information about Bayo's violent murder and all of the stories I am reading online do not bring comfort to my soul as I hear statements from the law enforcement agencies.
I am gob smacked by the fact that a Commissioner of Police was quoted as saying it could be murder, then came back to say its probably armed robbery because Bayo's laptop was taken by the assassins that gunned down my friend and a brother.
I was in shock because this is one of the most gentle course mates I had while at the Ogun State Polytechnic studying Mass Communication at the HND level. I happen to belong to the group that did their OND at the Ogun Poly while Bayo came from Federal Poly, Bida. But our HND class was great fun because we had a bunch of guys and ladies that were out to enjoy themselves as much as they were dead keen to achieve something in life.
Amongst the core group of friends in our year were folks who are now Editors/Marketing Managers in major newspapers in Nigeria (Vanguard, Guardian, ThisDay, Punch, etc), Directors of Communications/PR in major organisations in the country (including British Council and Banks), broadcast journalists and key players in the Advertising and PR sector (such as IMC 24-7 – leading outdoor/bill boards ad agency and a host of others). Bayo was one of us and he was a brilliant mind with a smile even when the joke is on him.
Bayo was a guy who quite a few of us could seat with and crack jokes and banter, sometimes at his expense and he always managed never to take it personal or take offence, rather, he has a fantastic sense of humour and somehow will find a way to deflect it all and parry it on to someone else.
I can not begin to imagine what Bayo could have done to offend anyone to the point of his life being snuffed out in this untimely and heartbreakingly violent manner. I have scrounged around for information about Bayo's violent murder and all of the stories I am reading online do not bring comfort to my soul as I hear statements from the law enforcement agencies.
I am gob smacked by the fact that a Commissioner of Police was quoted as saying it could be murder, then came back to say its probably armed robbery because Bayo's laptop was taken by the assassins that gunned down my friend and a brother.
It goes beyond being a worrying phenomenon when a young, vibrant, intelligent and truly talented Nigerian is wasted in this manner with no sign of the culprits being brought to books. The sad side of the story is the fact that we may never know whodunit and why this dastardly act was committed.
I do recall interviewing a former Police Commissioner a few years ago on my radio show “Breakfast with Mr. Kay” and I learnt that the police do not have any enduring system of keeping data, its all in hard copy, paper files. I could not for the life of me imagine a police force in the 21st Century without computer systems to keep information about crime committed, who did, what’s the details of the investigation and so on. It explained why sometimes the Nigeria Police do claim that case files have gone missing and details of investigations carried out are lost forever.
Like everything else in Nigeria, the Police Force mirrors the poor state of affairs and institutional failure that makes a campaign like “LightUpNigeria” absolutely critical and essential. How else do we describe a nation swimming in trillions of oil dollars and yet remain unsuccessful in ensuring the Presidency and major government institutions do not rely on generator and diesel for electricity.
How do we explain the report that in the not so distant past, Aso Rock, the official residence of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria was thrown into darkness caused, not by PHCL, but malfunctioning generators, that needed engineers from abroad to come in and repair.
These are the kind of stories you can only imagine happening in films, a kind of Kongi Village story where the Village Head mismanages the finance of the people and fail to deliver on their expectation with the result being the gods punishing Village Head with total darkness around him. The plot thickens but I will not go into writing a play on this occasion just to make my point.
Those of us who are course mates that attended Ogun Poly and had the special privilege of being Bayo Ohu’s friend and classmates have come together to set up something small for his kids. The details of it will be in the public domain for other people that may wish to join hands with us in this noble plan in due course.
The question that will continue to play on my mind is whodunit and why. This is the same kind of question that has plagued my mind about the Late Chief Bola Ige, erstwhile Minister who was murdered in his house.
I am sick to the depth of my stomach by the thought in my head that if hired assassins could get away with killing Chief Bola Ige and till today, inspite of the President saying no stones will be left unturned to find the flipping murderers, yet no one has been brought to books, what are the chances that Bayo Ohu’s assassins and their masters will ever be caught?
I am pouring my heart into this as a way of cleansing the shattering that comes with heartbrokenness inflicted by the loss of a good friend. This is not the same as crying, rolling on the floor with tears flowing and shouting profanities, swearing and cursing the perpetrators of this act.
The essence of my blog on this occasion is to touch the heart of brothers and sisters who love our nation and humanity to begin to look within to find solutions that will bring the much needed change to a country that is rapidly degenerating into a ridiculous embarrassment. A nation bountiful in talent, blessed with natural, mineral and human resources and yet failing to utilise that which we are blessed with to get that which we desire.
My final word on this will be that we do not need to pray for Nigeria anymore. Those of us living in this part of the world with the advantage of having satellite navigator know how it works and I believe I can say it’s the same way God works. I believe God is like a Sat Nav and no one can convince me otherwise.
The Sat Nav tells you to turn right in 300yards, then in 30yards it goes "turn right", if you ignore it, you miss the way, then it re-routes you and gives further instruction on how to reach your destination. It never force your hand to turn or help you speed up to get to your destination in quick time. It will actually help you recalculate your journey time and what you have is a situation where your 25 minute journey could be changed to 40minutes and as long as you refuse to follow the basic instructions, you may never reach your destination.
In essence, Nigeria and Nigerians need not focus anymore on prayers because God is not coming down from heaven to help us. He has blessed us with all we need to make us one of the greatest people and nation on earth. Its all in our hands to decide whether to take the right turn or go the wrong way, continue to allow wrong people lead God’s blessed people or claim our esteemed position as emerging market with amazing abundance of resources.
Do I think we can find the assassins and their masters that sealed the fate of Bayo Ohu, guess what, I know we can, Yes We Can, but those who know the perpetrators will have to have their conscience pricked and then expose the culprits. I do not want to deliver a sermon or preach here, but if only we obey and do the right things, then things will begin to work.
That starts with you and I. As a nation, we need to pray less and obey God more…
May the Soul of Bayo Ohu Rest In Perfect Peace…
Friday, October 02, 2009
Nigeria - 49 on the brink of B I G 5 0
I was recently appointed Project Manager and assigned to implement change management for a UK based company that has a culture of being laid back in the way members of staff treat their most prized assets – their customers and the information on their databases.
I was informed that as part of the change the organisation was expecting me to implement, a new Management Information System was to be deployed so that the gathering of information about customers/clients will be done differently and across territories (around the country) so that its standard and follows best practice.
I am not able to give much more details about this project as I delivered it successfully and will be wrong to put all their information in my blog without permission from the company’s management.
However, as much as I was on top of things in terms of the change management strategy and how it was deployed, I learnt quite a few new things and each time I pick up something new, I kept thinking about businesses in Nigeria and governance of the country as a whole.
I thought about how the Nigerian government at the federal level has failed to plan for change from when we secured independence. How the various regimes never thought about the need to implement any kind of change to the orientation, attitude and governance inspite of the conspicuous need for a change when new government take over.
It is a known fact amongst practitioners in my line of business that the success of any project is subject to the willingness of the affected individuals to change their attitudes, their mindsets, and their work habits.
The key elements for making this happen will have Communication first on its agenda. What is each regime aspiring to achieve, how will they go about it, what will be the yardstick for measuring success at the end of their term in office, at what point are Nigerians able to assess consistency in the delivery of promises, at what point is the government able to come back to the nation to bolster the support given when buy-in was secured as a result of election into office.
Every government in Nigeria over the last 49 years failed us as a nation and as a people, we failed ourselves in not calling them to order and opting or even demanding a change that favours us and does the nation good.
I was truly privileged to have had a special interview with someone that has been described severally as the heart and conscience of the nation (The Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN). As far as I know, the live interview I had with him on Breakfast with Mr. Kay, broadcast live on EKO FM, was the last he had as a guest of any interactive radio show before he passed away. Because of the poor health and incredible passion when discussing Nigeria, he was advised by his Doctors not to grant any more interviews, but he made one exception and was with me live in the studio on the 47th Anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence.
He was glad he granted the interview because it was his opportunity to highlight the failure of our system, people in government and as he’s done all his adult life, diagnose and prescribe solutions to the malaise of the nation. It was also a joy to have so many people call into the show, not to discuss the 47th Independence anniversary, but rather pour accolades on Chief Fawehinmi for his tenacity, consistency and love for Nigeria.
OK, this is not a blog about Gani, it’s about our nation and what to expect when we reach the golden jubilee of independence. Let me get back to the first key to implementing the much needed change for our nation.
I am still waiting and I know thousands of Nigerians who are my friends on Facebook, Twitters, MySpace and read my Blog are waiting too to hear what the government of Alh Shehu Musa Yar’Adua want to do for Nigeria, because the Seven Point Agenda has become the most ridiculed agenda in the history of the nation. Some people have even asked that this government should just focus on One Point Agenda and make it work. That should be a case of taking up the campaign “LightUpNigeria” and improve power supply.
Let this government impart messages or information with specific and measurable goals on a single point agenda for change. Let the entire energy of the nation be channelled into implementing the change as campaigned for by “LightUpNigeria”. Let every newspaper begin to talk about strategies, costs, implications and so on of improving power supply.
I have had the unusual privilege of having lunch with two former Presidents of Nigeria on a one-to-one basis and their conclusion is that there are powerful people in Nigeria that continue to wreak havoc and cause mayhem by sabotaging efforts of government to manage the process of improving power supply to the nation. Out of respect for people older than me, I did not tell them pointedly that it sounded stupid, but I did state clearly during our conversation that it sounds weak and is unacceptable excuse.
I know that there is power in number and part of what I do as change agent in business environment is to secure more and more buy-ins so that the number of supporters become overwhelming for fifth columnists or saboteurs, unless of course there is no will to make the change happen, which is where I tend to place the government of Nigeria over the last 49years. They seem to have surrendered the will to implement change that will see any form of tangible and “value for money” kind of change.
There is so much to say about the essence and value of communication in changing the “sick Giant of Africa” into a power house with awesome investment opportunity for Nigerians at home and abroad, as well as foreign investors. I read the online edition of various Nigerian Newspapers regularly and I wonder every time, why are we not focusing of the things that matter? Why will the Nigerian media not leave “objectivity” aside and pursue sensible agenda that will help ensure the nation prospers as a whole and I am not talking about prosperity of a few that can afford private jets, yachts and mansions in Europe.
We do need to look at the other elements of implementing change management that will bring Nigeria to the 21st Century and prepare us for a worthy celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence come 1st October 2010.
The objectives of the government should be made clearer, every Nigerian has a right to know what this government is striving to achieve in terms of objectives. There should be a complete clarity on what they are, when they are scheduled to be achieved and whatever will not be achieved in the current term in office, what timescale is set for them so one knows.
Standards and Process form the other elements that we have completely removed from the dictionary in use by our leaders. Nothing happens by accident in life is often deemed a cliché, but to a large extent it is true.
Nigerians have to begin to look within ourselves individually even before government put processes and standards in place, why do we as a people accept less than we deserved or can get. Why do we see poor and shoddy things being done and simply take our eyes off the ball because it seems like that is normal in Nigeria.
We need to begin to challenge ourselves to demand more, expect more and deliver more in every area of our lives both individually and corporately as a nation. The change “President Barack Obama” that hit United States of America did not happen by accident. Status Quo was challenged, boats were rocked, glass ceilings came crashing down, “attitudes, mindsets and work habits” had to change for that change to be manifest.
Let’s “LightUpNigeria” as a starting point, rid the nation of rogues, thiefs and saboteurs depriving us of the opportunity to not live in darkness in a nation that could afford to be the beacon of Africa.
I am not through with this yet, so this is only first instalment of a three-part blog. More to come in due course. I am hoping that as you have read this, you will be looking and aspiring to become a change agent for Nigeria and Nigerians.
I was informed that as part of the change the organisation was expecting me to implement, a new Management Information System was to be deployed so that the gathering of information about customers/clients will be done differently and across territories (around the country) so that its standard and follows best practice.
I am not able to give much more details about this project as I delivered it successfully and will be wrong to put all their information in my blog without permission from the company’s management.
However, as much as I was on top of things in terms of the change management strategy and how it was deployed, I learnt quite a few new things and each time I pick up something new, I kept thinking about businesses in Nigeria and governance of the country as a whole.
I thought about how the Nigerian government at the federal level has failed to plan for change from when we secured independence. How the various regimes never thought about the need to implement any kind of change to the orientation, attitude and governance inspite of the conspicuous need for a change when new government take over.
It is a known fact amongst practitioners in my line of business that the success of any project is subject to the willingness of the affected individuals to change their attitudes, their mindsets, and their work habits.
The key elements for making this happen will have Communication first on its agenda. What is each regime aspiring to achieve, how will they go about it, what will be the yardstick for measuring success at the end of their term in office, at what point are Nigerians able to assess consistency in the delivery of promises, at what point is the government able to come back to the nation to bolster the support given when buy-in was secured as a result of election into office.
Every government in Nigeria over the last 49 years failed us as a nation and as a people, we failed ourselves in not calling them to order and opting or even demanding a change that favours us and does the nation good.
I was truly privileged to have had a special interview with someone that has been described severally as the heart and conscience of the nation (The Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN). As far as I know, the live interview I had with him on Breakfast with Mr. Kay, broadcast live on EKO FM, was the last he had as a guest of any interactive radio show before he passed away. Because of the poor health and incredible passion when discussing Nigeria, he was advised by his Doctors not to grant any more interviews, but he made one exception and was with me live in the studio on the 47th Anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence.
He was glad he granted the interview because it was his opportunity to highlight the failure of our system, people in government and as he’s done all his adult life, diagnose and prescribe solutions to the malaise of the nation. It was also a joy to have so many people call into the show, not to discuss the 47th Independence anniversary, but rather pour accolades on Chief Fawehinmi for his tenacity, consistency and love for Nigeria.
OK, this is not a blog about Gani, it’s about our nation and what to expect when we reach the golden jubilee of independence. Let me get back to the first key to implementing the much needed change for our nation.
I am still waiting and I know thousands of Nigerians who are my friends on Facebook, Twitters, MySpace and read my Blog are waiting too to hear what the government of Alh Shehu Musa Yar’Adua want to do for Nigeria, because the Seven Point Agenda has become the most ridiculed agenda in the history of the nation. Some people have even asked that this government should just focus on One Point Agenda and make it work. That should be a case of taking up the campaign “LightUpNigeria” and improve power supply.
Let this government impart messages or information with specific and measurable goals on a single point agenda for change. Let the entire energy of the nation be channelled into implementing the change as campaigned for by “LightUpNigeria”. Let every newspaper begin to talk about strategies, costs, implications and so on of improving power supply.
I have had the unusual privilege of having lunch with two former Presidents of Nigeria on a one-to-one basis and their conclusion is that there are powerful people in Nigeria that continue to wreak havoc and cause mayhem by sabotaging efforts of government to manage the process of improving power supply to the nation. Out of respect for people older than me, I did not tell them pointedly that it sounded stupid, but I did state clearly during our conversation that it sounds weak and is unacceptable excuse.
I know that there is power in number and part of what I do as change agent in business environment is to secure more and more buy-ins so that the number of supporters become overwhelming for fifth columnists or saboteurs, unless of course there is no will to make the change happen, which is where I tend to place the government of Nigeria over the last 49years. They seem to have surrendered the will to implement change that will see any form of tangible and “value for money” kind of change.
There is so much to say about the essence and value of communication in changing the “sick Giant of Africa” into a power house with awesome investment opportunity for Nigerians at home and abroad, as well as foreign investors. I read the online edition of various Nigerian Newspapers regularly and I wonder every time, why are we not focusing of the things that matter? Why will the Nigerian media not leave “objectivity” aside and pursue sensible agenda that will help ensure the nation prospers as a whole and I am not talking about prosperity of a few that can afford private jets, yachts and mansions in Europe.
We do need to look at the other elements of implementing change management that will bring Nigeria to the 21st Century and prepare us for a worthy celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence come 1st October 2010.
The objectives of the government should be made clearer, every Nigerian has a right to know what this government is striving to achieve in terms of objectives. There should be a complete clarity on what they are, when they are scheduled to be achieved and whatever will not be achieved in the current term in office, what timescale is set for them so one knows.
Standards and Process form the other elements that we have completely removed from the dictionary in use by our leaders. Nothing happens by accident in life is often deemed a cliché, but to a large extent it is true.
Nigerians have to begin to look within ourselves individually even before government put processes and standards in place, why do we as a people accept less than we deserved or can get. Why do we see poor and shoddy things being done and simply take our eyes off the ball because it seems like that is normal in Nigeria.
We need to begin to challenge ourselves to demand more, expect more and deliver more in every area of our lives both individually and corporately as a nation. The change “President Barack Obama” that hit United States of America did not happen by accident. Status Quo was challenged, boats were rocked, glass ceilings came crashing down, “attitudes, mindsets and work habits” had to change for that change to be manifest.
Let’s “LightUpNigeria” as a starting point, rid the nation of rogues, thiefs and saboteurs depriving us of the opportunity to not live in darkness in a nation that could afford to be the beacon of Africa.
I am not through with this yet, so this is only first instalment of a three-part blog. More to come in due course. I am hoping that as you have read this, you will be looking and aspiring to become a change agent for Nigeria and Nigerians.
Friday, August 28, 2009
CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi's Revolution
I was on my way to Central London this morning when I got a call from my superbly enthusiastic and talented Associate Producer - Rosemary Ajayi, explaining to me in a rushed tone that the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria is in town and will be making a presentation to the UK Finance sector at a very cosy and classy hotel, just behind Liverpool Street Station.
I had been talking to Mr. Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson of EFCC earlier with regards having a telephone interview with him on the Saturday morning "Africa This Week" which I present on BEN Television Sky 184 and he had agreed to feature on the show, which was quite exciting considering the controversy generated as a result of EFCC's pursuit of Bank CEOs and Directors that were sacked by the CBN Governor.
My first thought on getting the information from Rosemary was to try and get the CBN Governor to accept my invitation to be interviewed live on my TV show for Saturday. I headed straight for Liverpool Street, arrived about 15 minutes late for the presentation and sat through the rest of the very intelligent and enlightening information that Mr. Lamido Sanusi put forward. I have never seen the Governor prior to today's event, except for the photograph on websites and never heard him speak before.
I was quite impressed by the measured, soft-spoken, and very eloquent speech/presentation by the Governor, I have not heard this kind of quality presentation from someone in senior public position from Nigeria in recent times, so I found this quite refreshing.
There was a truly diverse audience at the event and this was obvious during question time as the questions came from senior banking executives from Deutche Bank, Morgan & Stanley, JP Morgan, BBC reporter, Africa Confidential, and Financial Times to name a few, and the Governor gave detailed response to all the questions, with the exception of two questions which he deflected to the two Deputy Governors flanking him on the high table.
At the end of the event, I had a quick interview with the CBN Governor. I asked him how much has been recovered since August 14 announcement of the sacking of the CEOs of the 5 Banks affecting by the poorly serviced/non-performing loans, he was not able to give concise amount but stated that Oceanic Bank has recovered about N13Billion, while Intercontinental Bank has recovered a bit more than that.
When I quizzed him on the issue of loans by banks to the government departments that have not been servicing or paying back, as well as allegation by a couple of the banks that they have put in money into the energy and oil sector, Governor Lamido Sanusi's response was that loans the sacked CEOs claimed were given to government depts and energy sector which are poorly serviced constitute a small percentage of the Billions of Dollars that have been described by his office as non-performing loans.
I kept at him to give me an indication of what is the size of the small percentage that he was talking about, and eventually he said its just under 5%, which means over 90% of the billions have gone to "powerful and highly placed individuals and organisations", using the words of Governor Sanusi. He clearly believes that once these individuals are subjected to the pressure they are now under they will have to respect the laws of the land by paying up. He chuckled and explained that even some of those who claim they are going to court to seek redress for being exposed will have gone back to the banks to pay their debt.
I asked a tricky question on the share price fixing allegations against Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Sanusi seemed to have chosen his words carefully and stated emphatically, that he will not indulge in rumours and unsubstantiated allegations about shares price-fixing. He said that as far as the CBN is aware, there are no price-fixing confirmed.
I will be taking him up on that again tomorrow when he features on my Saturday morning show "Africa This Week" on BEN Television Sky Channel 184 from 10a.m. to 11a.m.
I expect the full interview today to be on BEN Television tonight, with the Governor responding to my questions on state of Nigerian economy, the growth the CBN believes will be driven by the agriculture sector, the expectation of improvement in electricity that will drive SME growth and more.
See why I said the interview was interesting, just watch it tonight as appetiser and then look out for the full 1 Hours interview that's coming live on saturday... phew... that's me done for the day... :-)
I had been talking to Mr. Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson of EFCC earlier with regards having a telephone interview with him on the Saturday morning "Africa This Week" which I present on BEN Television Sky 184 and he had agreed to feature on the show, which was quite exciting considering the controversy generated as a result of EFCC's pursuit of Bank CEOs and Directors that were sacked by the CBN Governor.
My first thought on getting the information from Rosemary was to try and get the CBN Governor to accept my invitation to be interviewed live on my TV show for Saturday. I headed straight for Liverpool Street, arrived about 15 minutes late for the presentation and sat through the rest of the very intelligent and enlightening information that Mr. Lamido Sanusi put forward. I have never seen the Governor prior to today's event, except for the photograph on websites and never heard him speak before.
I was quite impressed by the measured, soft-spoken, and very eloquent speech/presentation by the Governor, I have not heard this kind of quality presentation from someone in senior public position from Nigeria in recent times, so I found this quite refreshing.
There was a truly diverse audience at the event and this was obvious during question time as the questions came from senior banking executives from Deutche Bank, Morgan & Stanley, JP Morgan, BBC reporter, Africa Confidential, and Financial Times to name a few, and the Governor gave detailed response to all the questions, with the exception of two questions which he deflected to the two Deputy Governors flanking him on the high table.
At the end of the event, I had a quick interview with the CBN Governor. I asked him how much has been recovered since August 14 announcement of the sacking of the CEOs of the 5 Banks affecting by the poorly serviced/non-performing loans, he was not able to give concise amount but stated that Oceanic Bank has recovered about N13Billion, while Intercontinental Bank has recovered a bit more than that.
When I quizzed him on the issue of loans by banks to the government departments that have not been servicing or paying back, as well as allegation by a couple of the banks that they have put in money into the energy and oil sector, Governor Lamido Sanusi's response was that loans the sacked CEOs claimed were given to government depts and energy sector which are poorly serviced constitute a small percentage of the Billions of Dollars that have been described by his office as non-performing loans.
I kept at him to give me an indication of what is the size of the small percentage that he was talking about, and eventually he said its just under 5%, which means over 90% of the billions have gone to "powerful and highly placed individuals and organisations", using the words of Governor Sanusi. He clearly believes that once these individuals are subjected to the pressure they are now under they will have to respect the laws of the land by paying up. He chuckled and explained that even some of those who claim they are going to court to seek redress for being exposed will have gone back to the banks to pay their debt.
I asked a tricky question on the share price fixing allegations against Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Sanusi seemed to have chosen his words carefully and stated emphatically, that he will not indulge in rumours and unsubstantiated allegations about shares price-fixing. He said that as far as the CBN is aware, there are no price-fixing confirmed.
I will be taking him up on that again tomorrow when he features on my Saturday morning show "Africa This Week" on BEN Television Sky Channel 184 from 10a.m. to 11a.m.
I expect the full interview today to be on BEN Television tonight, with the Governor responding to my questions on state of Nigerian economy, the growth the CBN believes will be driven by the agriculture sector, the expectation of improvement in electricity that will drive SME growth and more.
See why I said the interview was interesting, just watch it tonight as appetiser and then look out for the full 1 Hours interview that's coming live on saturday... phew... that's me done for the day... :-)
Monday, August 24, 2009
State of Health Care in Nigeria
I am often wondering about when Nigeria will arrive at a point where basic necessities of life will work. Pondering and wondering do nothing for the good of humanity, as my church Pastor has said on a few occasions, "Good intentions count for nothing", in essence, until action is taken, all the good intentions in the world would not do anyone any good.
Where am I going with this you wonder, well its to do with the state of health care in Nigeria. I have a lot of issues with a lot of things being done in Nigeria and I know that if I do not focus on one at a time, I may lose my sanity... its not funny... actually it may be funny in a sad way, but very true.
In the late 1980s, I nearly lost my life to Typhoid Fever, I could have died because of the poor health care at that point. I went to the public hospital, time was wasted in treating what was thought to be a simple malaria, but no diagnosis or test to confirm. When it got worse, my girlfriend at that point in time, Oh God bless her, she encouraged me to go private, with virtually no fund. The truth of the situation was that I was on the verge of completing my exams at the Ogun State Polytechnic and I was so broke, there was no money to buy Panadol talk less of paying a private hospital.
I was saved by a young doctor, who was a friend to my then girlfriend. He checked me out, managed to get me into the private hospital, secure blood test and diagnosed Typhoid. The money to buy the rest of the treatment was raised quickly and I am today grateful to a handful of friends that rallied round to save my life from something that should not be so life threatening.
Just in 2006, I learnt about the accident where over 100 lives were lost on the Ife-Ibadan motorway. The church I attended that sunday, the congregation was asked to pray that God will battle against the blood-sucking demons that make the accidents happen. The story of how that accident happened will be in another blog, but the point I am keen on making here was the fact that lives were lost, not just because of the unfortunate accident, but because there was no infrastructure in place to respond quickly.
There were no ambulances, no fire service to rescue lives and no equipment in the general hospitals to initially stabilize the victims or progress treatment to a fairly standard level. If you have seen how accident victims are carried and shoved/cramped into back of cars to rush them to hospital in Nigeria, you will understand why higher percentage die or are disabled for life. I have a number of other stories of this nature to tell, including the loss of the life of my mother-in-law some years back through an accident that should not have claimed her life.
The most recent is a very good friend, an editor of one of the popular Nigerian newspapers, whose mum had an accident a few days ago up north. She was practically in tears as she saw her mother in terrible pain, but the poorly trained and poorly equipped hospital staff including doctors could not do much to help. The mum has been moved to a private hospital and as at this morning, she confirmed some amount of stability but stated clearly the infrastructure and training even in private hospital in Kaduna is still appalling, in fact I reckon it must be disgraceful.
I was at the Bloggers' Conference this last weekend and was privileged to meet Dr. Ike Anya, a UK based medical practitioner who has been campaigning and supporting initiatives to engage colleagues in Diaspora to help with the capacity issue in Nigeria. Dr. Anya acknowledged efforts of other various Nigerian interest groups trying to improve situation back home, but unfortunately, the only way all of those initiatives and effort would amount to anything substantial is if the Government would coordinate the effort and put a strategy in place to maximize outcome of all private and charitable initiatives from diaspora.
In my usual style of looking for solutions rather than just moaning / wingeing about problems, I am writing this piece to profile the issue, engage friends who may wish to join hands with existing groups either in Diaspora or back home in Nigeria and most importantly, source for coordinated approach to secure Nigeria's Minister of Health buy-in. This final point will be to get the Ministry to work out best way possible to tap into capacity from Diaspora as some of the best Doctors, Medical Consultants and Registrars in the medical field in UK and US are actually Nigerians.
As you read this blog, I hope you will feel concerned enough to think of one way or the other to contribute something to help improve health care in Nigeria and save a life or two... If you are unsure of what to do or where to start, feel free to contact me to point you in the direction of organisations you can add value to.
Where am I going with this you wonder, well its to do with the state of health care in Nigeria. I have a lot of issues with a lot of things being done in Nigeria and I know that if I do not focus on one at a time, I may lose my sanity... its not funny... actually it may be funny in a sad way, but very true.
In the late 1980s, I nearly lost my life to Typhoid Fever, I could have died because of the poor health care at that point. I went to the public hospital, time was wasted in treating what was thought to be a simple malaria, but no diagnosis or test to confirm. When it got worse, my girlfriend at that point in time, Oh God bless her, she encouraged me to go private, with virtually no fund. The truth of the situation was that I was on the verge of completing my exams at the Ogun State Polytechnic and I was so broke, there was no money to buy Panadol talk less of paying a private hospital.
I was saved by a young doctor, who was a friend to my then girlfriend. He checked me out, managed to get me into the private hospital, secure blood test and diagnosed Typhoid. The money to buy the rest of the treatment was raised quickly and I am today grateful to a handful of friends that rallied round to save my life from something that should not be so life threatening.
Just in 2006, I learnt about the accident where over 100 lives were lost on the Ife-Ibadan motorway. The church I attended that sunday, the congregation was asked to pray that God will battle against the blood-sucking demons that make the accidents happen. The story of how that accident happened will be in another blog, but the point I am keen on making here was the fact that lives were lost, not just because of the unfortunate accident, but because there was no infrastructure in place to respond quickly.
There were no ambulances, no fire service to rescue lives and no equipment in the general hospitals to initially stabilize the victims or progress treatment to a fairly standard level. If you have seen how accident victims are carried and shoved/cramped into back of cars to rush them to hospital in Nigeria, you will understand why higher percentage die or are disabled for life. I have a number of other stories of this nature to tell, including the loss of the life of my mother-in-law some years back through an accident that should not have claimed her life.
The most recent is a very good friend, an editor of one of the popular Nigerian newspapers, whose mum had an accident a few days ago up north. She was practically in tears as she saw her mother in terrible pain, but the poorly trained and poorly equipped hospital staff including doctors could not do much to help. The mum has been moved to a private hospital and as at this morning, she confirmed some amount of stability but stated clearly the infrastructure and training even in private hospital in Kaduna is still appalling, in fact I reckon it must be disgraceful.
I was at the Bloggers' Conference this last weekend and was privileged to meet Dr. Ike Anya, a UK based medical practitioner who has been campaigning and supporting initiatives to engage colleagues in Diaspora to help with the capacity issue in Nigeria. Dr. Anya acknowledged efforts of other various Nigerian interest groups trying to improve situation back home, but unfortunately, the only way all of those initiatives and effort would amount to anything substantial is if the Government would coordinate the effort and put a strategy in place to maximize outcome of all private and charitable initiatives from diaspora.
In my usual style of looking for solutions rather than just moaning / wingeing about problems, I am writing this piece to profile the issue, engage friends who may wish to join hands with existing groups either in Diaspora or back home in Nigeria and most importantly, source for coordinated approach to secure Nigeria's Minister of Health buy-in. This final point will be to get the Ministry to work out best way possible to tap into capacity from Diaspora as some of the best Doctors, Medical Consultants and Registrars in the medical field in UK and US are actually Nigerians.
As you read this blog, I hope you will feel concerned enough to think of one way or the other to contribute something to help improve health care in Nigeria and save a life or two... If you are unsure of what to do or where to start, feel free to contact me to point you in the direction of organisations you can add value to.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Bloggers' Conference
I was at the Bloggers' Conference yesterday, it was held at the Account 3 Events' building in Bethnal Green, London from about midday till 6pm. I had a great time just being amongst kindred spirits, people of like minds, some who blog consistently, some who only do it as occasional opportunity to express frustration and poor out the venom of anger in words against authority/society/businesses/government and anything that is found wanting in their views and those who wanted to know about "this thing called blogging"... :-)
The event was organised by a talented young lady Tundun Adeyemo, a consistent blogger (http://tundunadeyemo.blogspot.com/) you can check out her usually interesting 5 Minutes Blog.
There were quite a few people there that I found very interesting and I have decided my blogging has got to be more consistently as well as making sure its now targetted at achieving a specific change rather than just expressing opinion. I have always believe in being a change agent in my professional life, but like a fairly large number of people who blog, we take blogging as something to use as platform to voice thoughts, opinion and so on, not necessarily with a view to change anything.
I spoke at the event and I was inspired to say exactly what I have just mentioned above, I ensured bloggers take cognizance of this. In doing so, I had a sizable number of bloggers in attendance to commit to blogging with a view to change things.
Here are my steps to making the change happen:
- identifying what needs to change and why
- identifying your own solution that could bring change, even if your solution may turn out not being the best
- believing you can influence or create change or even impact/inspire people that can create change to act on your words
- get BLOGGING to enable the words out - even the bible said God created the earth by the Word
- finally do all in your power to share the word, find every possibility to enable visibility, send it out via email, send links to your blog to friends, share on facebook, bebo, twitter, myspace and very social networking site you use.
This is what I have also committed to at the event and I will say "So Help Me God... "
More to come in a bit... :-)
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