‘Too many regulations stifle businesses, creativity in Nigeria’

The Guardian Nigeria|FEMI ADEKOYA

Anthony Okoye is the President of Enterpreneurs’ Organisation (EO), Lagos Chapter, a global network specializing in leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow through peer-to-peer learning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and connections to experts. In this interview with FEMI ADEKOYA, he x-rays Nigeria’s enterprise environment, advocating increased freedom for businesses to operate profitably in the country.
IN many developed climes, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the driving force in such economies, why has it remain a challenge in achieving such feat in Nigeria? In my experience, it’s SMEs that create majority of the jobs.
They create more jobs than the government and the big conglomerates. Even if it is a company of one, employing just one person, it has the opportunity to create more jobs whereas governments or big businesses always have a cap or what they call embargoes. Entrepreneurs want to keep growing their businesses.

EO in Nigeria is quite young, we are about three years old, we have a long term plan to sit with the state government and proffer solutions to the exodus of businesses from the state and country as a whole. For instance, the EO and the White house in America have enormous cooperation because EO is significant at that level. In Nigeria, we are new and we are just reaching out to different organisations such as the ministries of finance and commerce, SMEDAN among others

SMEs are the ones that bring about change, by getting more of them, you create momentum, and when you have momentum, you have movement and when you have movement, you go from transition to transformation. At transformation is where you lift up everybody.
This transformation is not the case here in Nigeria because the business environment is stifling. Many are the challenges of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and in other climes. One of such is the challenge of funding. How do you think SMEs can overcome it? Reduce overregulation.
Small businesses are always paying for one license or the other, this tax or the other and the money is not going back into the company, it’s money the owner of the company cannot reinvest into the business.
SMEs must be intelligent to look at the way they use their money, be consistent in their behaviour, work from an ethical point and really surround themselves with people they can trust. If you have to make a mistake, make it fast, learn fast and do not repeat that mistake.
The good news is that there are a lot of companies that want to give money to the SMEs provided you know what you are doing. As the head of the Enterpreneurs’ Organisation (EO) in Lagos, how do you implement your advocacy agenda especially to the state and Federal governments in ensuring plans and programmes that support SMEs are given priority? EO in Nigeria is quite young, we are about three years old, we have a long term plan to sit with the state government and proffer solutions to the exodus of businesses from the state and country as a whole.
For instance, the EO and the White house in America have enormous cooperation because EO is significant at that level. In Nigeria, we are new and we are just reaching out to different organisations such as the ministries of finance and commerce, SMEDAN among others.
Globally, the mortality ratio of small businesses is about one company to every 7 minutes, which depicts the high mortality rate of businesses. Where does Nigeria stand? Yes, that is a global statistics.
In Nigeria we are not good with data because we do not keep records suffice to say that statistics in Nigeria are more worrisome. What we do in EO is learning. For EO, knowledge is key.
You can fail but you should be able to learn from that failure. Failure is not a bad thing, it is what you do afterwards that matters. If you fail in something, learn from it so that you will not repeat the same mistake again.
If you plan very well ahead, it will reduce the incidence of failures. The key thing is to be informed in the business you are doing, do your due diligence before you start.
There is something about EO is called ‘boldlygo’. It is one of our core values, it advocates that you should believe in your own potential and take calculated risks.
With us, you are thrown into the midst of people who share with you, it is like a brotherhood – people who have gone through the same path you are trying to go now, they teach you not to make the same mistakes they have made in the past.
Through the forum, a forum is made up of about eight people, members of the forum share experiences. They will not advice you but would share experience of what they did when they had similar challenges in their business. People learn one of two things from the sharing experiences.
If you need more than you can get at the sharing sessions, then there is mentorship programme. The entrepreneur is attached to mentors in his areas of business for mentorship.
There is accountability checks to make sure that your overcome the challenges and survive. Trust is important in the Nigerian business terrain and yet it is very scarce to earn.
How do EO mentees keep this in focus? Trust is key. Trust and integrity are critical success factors in businesses. Once you lose integrity, you lose everything. What we do is that we invite successful entrepreneurs that have gone through the process. Most often what you hear is that trust and integrity are rare.
One of our keynote speakers at the last EO learning event in February, Mr. Tonye Cole, Managing Director, Sahara Oil, told us that what he does is to invest in and build relationship to ensure success of his business.
We identify people of integrity and great entrepreneurial spirit who have succeeded in clean ways to speak to young start-ups, they become mentors and our young ones will hear their stories and believe that they can succeed doing things the right ways. Our members share their stories on how they started and succeed.
With integrity, your partners, customers and suppliers feel safe doing business with you. If you have your way with policy makers in the country today, what policy will your advocate to boost entrepreneurship? Too many regulations stifle businesses, creativity and ideas. What I will advocate is possibly a tax holiday for young businesses; the government does not need to harass them with taxes. For instance a 5-year tax holiday for young businesses will not be a bad idea.
This is the time they needed to do all the plowbacks to stabilize the business. Secondly, the government should provide a learning opportunity. For instance, create opportunities with Business Schools such as the Pan African University.
The EO connects youngsters to Business schools. The MIT in America designs programmes young businessmen can attend within a short time – a week or two all aimed at teaching these young guys the way to go.
The government must provide educational opportunities that will thrive entrepreneurial opportunity at a highly subsidized cost or on a totally free basis.
For instance the school can bring somebody like Richard Branson of the Virgin Group, honest businessmen that can share their experiences with them, the students will be there to learn while the government picks the bill.
That is contributing to growth of SMEs. By hearing from people how they succeeded can spur the younger generation on and make sure they do not fail or make mistakes.
Would you say entrepreneurs in Nigeria get a fair deal from the governments – State and Federal? No, not at all. It is very difficult to run businesses in Nigeria. Abroad, financing is very easy.
All they need is to see your plan, once your plan makes sense, you have a range of options to financing. In Nigeria, I won’t say it is the same because in Nigeria, the cost of funding is very high, so it is tough and also educational opportunities are very limited, credible examples of business are also very scarce.
So the terrain is very tough but the good news is that technology has actually come to the rescue. As they say with information technology the world is a small place.
Most learning exercises are now web-based. You can actually get the best education through the web, which means you can get connected to the best brains in world through the web and share experiences.
However, the issue of funding is still a tough one, the issue of infrastructure like power; good roads among others, post a daunting challenge. There is some kind of disconnect between the private sector and government.
We have fought that many years ago and I think the gap is beginning to narrow and more so through education and enlightenment, people will continue to understand the significance of entrepreneurs in providing employment for Nigerians. This is actually the only way; government has stopped being the biggest employer of labour.
It is through entrepreneurs and private businesses that we can solve the challenges of unemployment currently confronting the country. Funding and regulatory pressures are just a few of the challenges of the entrepreneurs in Nigeria, how can they survive amidst all these? For me as an entrepreneur, freedom is the most important thing.
I understand the importance of regulation. However, over regulation stifles creativity and entrepreneurs thrives on creativity, they learn and grow by making mistakes.
In my experience, too much regulation slows down progress. For instance, the United States is a country that supports entrepreneurs greatly, the more freedom they have, the faster they grow the company.
What makes Entrepreneurs’ Organisation different from other organisations? EO is about learning. It is about how we can engage the world leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow and our core values of ‘trust and respect’, ‘boldly go’ and ‘make a mark’.
I was fortunate to attend MIT’s programme called entrepreneur Masters programme at MIT campus through EO and that really was the point of transformation in my life.
It taught me so much, we met some of the world’s business leaders and that was very transforming. EO has been a really great, wonderful people. We are like a family and we encourage people on so many global events.
I came back from South Africa a few days ago, where we attended a program called “Ignite” – it’s about bringing businessmen together to network.
In May, there is also another meeting in San Diego which is a global learning conference. In July we are having the Berlin unlimited, another event. EO is always organizing one learning event or the other.
That’s what makes EO thick – the quest for learning because it’s through leaning and experience that you grow. Does the top echelon of this global body of Entrepreneurs understand that Nigeria’s entrepreneurial landscape has its peculiar challenges? EO is about learning.
The beauty of it is that we are in about 46 countries and each country with its own peculiarities. We have about 146 chapters with about 11,000 members globally coming together to share experiences that will proffer solution to different entrepreneurial challenges.
In terms of funds there is a plan where people are connected to venture capitalists or other fund financiers who can help to source for funds for the business.
However, the fact is that EO is a non-solicitation organization, we don’t ask people for anything because you want to be safe, we do not solicit essentially.

No, not at all. It is very difficult to run businesses in Nigeria. Abroad, financing is very easy. All they need is to see your plan, once your plan makes sense, you have a range of options to financing. In Nigeria, I won’t say it is the same because in Nigeria, the cost of funding is very high, so it is tough and also educational opportunities are very limited, credible examples of business are also very scarce. So the terrain is very tough but the good news is that technology has actually come to the rescue

How do you situate the role of Entrepreneurs’ Organisation in the Nigerian economy? EO is only by invitation. You must have a minimum of one million dollars revenue and the beauty is that it’s a team of peers. In EO, we are very vulnerable to each other, thus, we must all have integrity.
If an EO member knows an EO member, he trusts him totally. He feels 100% safe with me and that way if he wants to expand his business say into South Africa, there is what we call EO Connect through which he can look for members in such business so that they can partner.
Similarly when a member in South Africa is coming into the Nigerian market, he can do same and he will feel safe with him notwithstanding the very obnoxious reputation we have in Nigeria.
This is ensured because there a rigorous screening process before you join EO such that when you join the body, it will give you a platform so that other credible businesses abroad will know that you are credible unlike the general feeling about Nigerian businesses.
The one million dollars minimum requirement to become a member translates to about N200 million. Very few SMEs can attain such turnover.
This looks like a deliberate strategy to make EO an exclusive club to a select few? No it is not. The fact is that we have different programmes.
There is what we call the accelerator programme. This helps those who are making like 150,000 -200,000 dollars to move to 1million dollars. There are some programmes that EO organizes to move people from the lower level to higher pedestal in revenue generation in their businesses.
There is a lot of mentorship programmes in EO. One critical thing is that it enables you not to just focus on money and business, it enables you to have impact in your community, your family and so on. It enhances a total person -we call it EO 360. It is not just about money.
It helps you to organise your business such that you can have time for your family and community. We mentor prospective entrepreneurs so that you can help them develop their businesses.
For instance, the EO Global Students Entrepreneurs’ Awards (GSEA) is a mentoring programme by EO to help participants build their businesses.
They are engaged in competitions that will help them develop their businesses. We do this because we believe the youth is the future of any nation and they need to be encouraged. There are a lot of young Nigerians with smart ideas but lack the finance to translate it to business.
Does EO have a plan to set up a pool of funds, which SMEs and start-up can leverage? EO does not really do this officially but through our relationships.
For instance, we are trying to structure a relationship with the Tony Elumelu Foundation. We also work with the Stamford Centre of Innovation in Africa where they support and train budding entrepreneurs to make sure they are doing the right things while they also help to arrange financiers who will conduct findings and feasibility study to be sure you are qualified for the funds.
The first and primary thing to us is to get you to understand how to structure your business, develop processes so that when you get the funds, you can deploy it appropriately.
As a budding entrepreneur if you have a smart idea and your business plan is good, you will find the funds to invest in your business but officially it might not be through EO but through our different partner organisations. What is your advice to young entrepreneurs? Take chances, be different.
First know why you do what you do. Why am I in this business? Is it just to make money? That is not enough. Millions of people who set out in business to make money don’t last. Know your purpose, when you do, people will buy from you.
Always be excited at taking calculated risks. The EO E360 degrees entrepreneur is the way to go. It includes my business, my family, my community and me and you treat all of them equally because that gives the entrepreneur balance.
The recently concluded Global Students Entrepreneurs Awards (GSEA) is a form of giving back to the community by EO members. It means we are investing in the future of these young boys and girls because they learnt how to do things better, how to engage with others, network and build better and enduring ethical businesses.


Sterling Bank to raise $150m fresh capital

The Guardian Nigeria|Editorial board

Sterling BankSTERLING Bank has unveiled its plans to raise between $100million (N20billion) and $150millon (N30biilion) in Tier 2 capital this year to fund its expansion projects.
The Bank’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/Executive Director, Abubakar Suleiman, disclosed this at an interactive session with Business Editors in Lagos recently.
He explained that the Bank was on track on its expansion targets, which it unveiled in 2013 and would soon embark on another phase of its growth strategy.
According to him, the bank currently has 1.5 million customers and has been able to achieve over three per cent market share from 1 per cent a few years ago.
He revealed that from 84 branches in 2006, the lender’s branch network should hit the 200 mark by the end of the year adding that it would increase the number of its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to 1000 by the end of this year.
He also stated that the bank will soon deploy a new core banking application which would significantly boost the quality of its operations and service delivery
The Executive Director said that the bank’s goal was to be among the top five lenders in the industry not in terms of balance sheet size but in the areas of quality service delivery and compliance to regulations.
He pointed out that there were banks with much bigger balance sheets, which were not meeting customers’ expectations in key areas, stressing that as Sterling Bank expands and becomes a bigger financial institution, it will continue to outperform its peer group.
As he put it, “We have consistently outperformed our peer group and we will outperform the next group. We want to be there when it comes to service delivery, in terms of compliance to regulations and how we are perceived as good corporate citizens.”
He disclosed that the lender would raise between $100million (N20billion) and $150millon (N30biilion) in Tier 2 capital this year to fund its expansion plans.

Positioning the Eighth Assembly to deliver democracy dividends

The Guardian Nigeria|Adamu Abuh, Abuja

ASSEMBLY In line with its constitutional mandate to strengthen the legislative arm of government, the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) organised a five- day induction Certificate Course on Legislative Studies for both returning and newly elected members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The initiative organised by the Dr Ladi Hamalai led Institute was a proactive effort designed to train and equip new legislators with the relevant and necessary knowledge, skills and understanding of the their responsibilities and the legislative environment in the eight session of the National Assembly billed to be inaugurated on the June 6, after the swearing in of the President -elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
The initiative was imperative in view of the high turnover rate in the legislature since the return to democratic rule in 1979. In the coming 8th Assembly, of the 360 members of the House of Representatives, only 85 are returning while of the 109 senators, there are 33 Senators that retained their seats in the just concluded poll.
Arriving at the National Assembly as a new legislator could be a daunting experience and a tough test for many. For some of the newly elected legislators, they could be faced with an alien working environment which is disorientating and can be difficult.
Not only is there a new job to get to grips with, a vast amount of information to absorb, but also formal procedures to master. The induction programme organised by NILS recognises that the effectiveness of the legislature ultimately depends on the quality of its members who are required to have a basic understanding of legislative processes in order to work within committees and the House. Such a programme is therefore critical as new legislators join the parliament.
The 5-Day induction course witnessed several technical presentations from diverse topics on legislative practice and procedures and had resource persons, who were Nigerians with robust legislative experience.
The programme was graced by the President elect, Muhammadu Buhari who solicited the support of the lawmakers in his quest to offer good governance and tackle the myriad of problems besetting the country.
Among resource persons were serving and former principal officers such as the senate president, David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu and those of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,  Emeka Ihedioha, Femi Gbajabiamila and Ghali Umar Na’Abba, who were on hand to share experiences with their colleagues.
The first and second sessions were chaired by the Senate President, David Mark, where Senator Ita Enang set the ball rolling in a paper presentation entitled: “Legislative procedures and practice in the National Assembly: focus on standing orders”.
Enang who is the Chairman, Senate committee on Rules and Business, congratulated the newly elected federal legislators adding that the legislature remains a highly cerebral arm of government.
Drawing from his reservoir of legislative experience, he stressed that the task of the legislature is principally about law making for the good governance of the country adding that it behooves the lawmakers to acquire the requisite knowledge to achieve the desired goal.
Dwelling on salient concepts such as consideration of bills, motions, Petitions, Privileges, State of Emergency, Procedure on Treaties, Matters of Urgent Public Importance among others which provoked discourse among participants, he noted: “It is the law that we make or enact in the National Assembly that goes for application or interpretation in the Federal or State High Courts, upon which a dissatisfied party may appeal to a higher court for determination of specific Constitutional matters.
This imposes on the legislature, the need for intellectual capacity and legislative dexterity. “ Na’Abba who delivered a paper in the second session entitled: “Separation of powers, checks and balances, the appropriation process and good governance- the legislative perspective” critically examined the symbiotic relationships among various institutions that facilitate democratic governance.
Making reference to the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary, with special interest in the appropriation process, he illustrated how such relationships help to bring about good governance.
Na’ Abba who had a running battle with the executive arm under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when he presided over the affairs of the lower legislative chambers, asserted that contrary to widely held notion, there was nothing unusual if there are frictionS between the executive and the legislative arms of government if it is in the interest of the citizenry.
He noted: “It must be appreciated that the idea of Separation of Powers and checks and balances is not to make the institutions of democracy friction free.
The Executive will never perceive the Legislature as fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities unless the Legislature is pliant or subservient to it. Equally, the Legislature will never cease to perceive the Executive as arrogant and anti-people. This friction is healthy for all democracies.
“There is in this country, rightly, the public perception that, the Executive branch at all levels seeks to always have a Legislature that is pliant and subservient and thus easily controllable.
The mutual leadership gap that exists for the past fifteen years must therefore be closed. It is without doubt, foolhardy and short sighted in a constitutional democratic regime to govern with a Legislature that is not autonomous, independent and vibrant and which is unable to provide the much desired constitutional check for Executive governance.”
He thereby listed three fundamental requirements for fostering the much needed harmony between the Executive and the Legislature for the delivery of good governance thus; That each arm must keep within the limits of its power as enunciated in the constitution, that arrogance of state power as well as its intolerance must be restrained, that constructive engagement through consultations and dialogue is necessary.
Another session was chaired by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. A paper on “Opening of a new Parliament” was presented by the Clerk to the House of Reps, Alh. Muhammed A. Sani-Omolori.
He described the parliament as “a section or region of a democratic nation”. He pointed out that the core basis of parliamentary system should be representation of people and their interests noting that an important in-house business to be conducted by a new parliament is the formation and composition of Committees as well as the appointment of the Chairmen for the Committees.
This, he said is an exercise that is usually guided and conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Standing Orders of the two Chambers adding that the composition of Committees and appointment of their Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen is usually carried out through collaborative work among the Presiding Officers, the Selection Committee and the political parties’ caucuses.
And to wrap up the session, a paper presentation on “Representation and Constituency Relation” by Dr. Rasheed Raman attempted to capture the very essence of representation as well as the nature it should assume in an ideal democratic society. He argued that in all of its functions, “the legitimacy of parliament and its members rests upon a central claim: that parliament institutionalizes political representation in society”.
Ladi Hamalai The concept of representation according to him, focuses in particular on the questions of how members of parliament relate themselves to the electorate, whom they represent in their decision making and in what way they aim to represent a given constituency.
The Chairman House Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa in a presentation on the topic  “Effective Communication in the Legislature” charged the newly inducted legislators to adopt a renewed and vibrant communication strategy that will ensure a two-way communication that is in line with the 21st communication realities and reflect the mood of the nation for a better Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa noted that since the substantial and critical business of the legislature are done at the committee levels, and the legislative institution being a transparent and open system, it behooves the National Assembly, as an institution, and respective Parliamentarians to optimize the use of the social media platforms which is effective and cost efficient to carry their constituents along.
She emphasized that work of the Parliament should account for about 70 per cent of media reportage, urging that Bills, Motions, Public Hearing and Committee activities should  be promptly posted on the social media and websites in order to make it more interactive and responsive.
She called for the establishment of a state of the arts media centre and an e-library within the precinct of the National Assembly to enhance efficient dissemination of parliamentary proceedings.
She further advocated for the sustenance of public hearing as a means of promoting efficiency, transparency and public participation.
While commending the National Institute for Legislative Studies for its vision on training and capacity building, Dabiri-Erewa noted that such regular seminars will continue to provide the right atmosphere for active engagement of all stakeholders and ultimately provide opportunities to correct the erroneous perception and misconceptions about such issues as, the salaries of the legislature and the notion of constituency projects among others.

Stakeholders advocate tax compliance in Nigeria

The Guardian Nigeria|Lucky Orioha

Photo: expatarrivalsAs Nigeria continues to deal with dwindling income, stakeholders in the tax industry have advocated efforts to encourage tax compliance in the country. The Director Large Tax Payers Department, Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS), Innocent Ohagwa , who spoke on behalf ...

 

 

CMB Building partners EbonylifeTv on Desperate Housewives Africa

The Guardian Nigeria|editor

CEO, Ebonylife TV, Mo Abudu(left) and MD/CEO, CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company, Mr Kelechukwu Mbagwu during the signing of the MoU on the movie Desperate Housewives Africa in Ikoyi. A leading firm in the housing sector in Lagos, CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle network, Channel 165 on DStv, to bring Desperate Housewives Africa to Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Desperate Housewives Africa is based on the multiple award winning ABC television drama hit series, Desperate Housewives. The African version of the Emmy Award winning series has been produced with an all-African cast and storyline and it is the first international drama format ever to be made in Africa.
According to a statement by CMB’s Corporate Affairs Officer, Abiola Ogunrinde : “It is set in a serene and exquisite location with the perfect ambience to portray African values and culture.
This is why CMB provided one of its beautiful estates, the Pearl Nuga Park Estate, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos, with an extension selling out fast. As a partner, CMB is proud to bring the best location set to viewers all over Africa.

Falomo hosts Rotary Flame, intensifies fight against polio

The Guardian Nigeria|Odita Sunday

AS part of efforts towards global vaccination targeting eradication of poliomyelitis, the Rotary Club of Falomo, Lagos, District 9110 has hosted the Polio Torch from India.
The hosting symbolizes that even though many children continue to suffer from the disease, which causes crippling disability, there is still hope that the disease would be wiped out of the country.
President, Rotary Club of Falomo, Gboyega Lesi said the initiative tagged “Polio Flame” is a project targeted at complete eradication of the disease from the world.
He explained that world leaders have touched the PolioTorch from India where funds have been raised as part of commitment to eradicate polio from countries including Nigeria.
According to him, “we want to ensure complete eradication of polio from the world and Rotary has played important role in the battle against polio in Nigeria and the world.
We will use this project to raise funds and we want other corporate organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals to join us in the funding and partnering to eradicate polio.”
The flame is coming to Nigeria for the first time. It would go round other countries because Rotary Foundation needs money to help eradicate this disease. In active support of the eradication of polio from Nigeria, the club raised a whooping USD9,000.

2015 carnival, tale of thrills amid low turnout

The Guardian Nigeria|Wole Oyebade

Scene from the Lagos Carnival held at the weekend. THE last carnival procession in the life of governor Babatunde Fashola-led administration was filled with glamour and fun at the weekend, but for several empty seats and low turnout at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) end of the street parade.
Indeed, it was the lowest turnout ever witnessed in the last eight editions of the carnival. Several postponement of the date was though blamed for the low turnout, but participants fingered heavy traffic and tight security barricade that dotted the nooks and crannies of the TBS ground.
The security measure, it was gathered, was to ensure miscreants do not have a filled day like it was the case last year. Besides, absence of life performances by ace musicians also stole some bits of excitement from the festival of colours and displays.
The attendees, who also complained of lateness in starting the carnival, which they attributed to traffic across the metropolis as a result of the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.
Oba Owolabi Adeniyi, the traditional ruler of Igbobi-Sabe in Yaba, in fact complained that this year’s carnival started rather late at about 1:40 p.m. unlike in 2014 when it started at about 10:00 a.m. “
I have been at the venue since 10:00 a.m. because I thought they will start early. I am disappointed that this year’s edition started late,” Adeniyi said. While the waiting at TBS ground took longer than usual, the carnival spirit was felt around Lagos Island.
It, however, could not draw sizeable crowd to the TBS for the ground finale. At exactly 1p.m. Eko Samba Community led the carnival processions with sonorous drumbeat and dances.
Coming from various streets, diverse colourful groups funneled into the TBS to begin a major highlight of the Lagos Carnival 2015. The Isolo 139-man group came in with demonstration of procession typical of the slave trade era.
In a masterful performance, they broke into dance steps to entertain the cheering crowd. About 165-man group from Ketu and Ifako also followed. The team from Ifako, in all white and orange attire, staged freestyles acrobatic display.
Agege came into the arena in all yellow outfit that were revealing on several of the female dancers. Ikosi Legacy troupe also followed in Shaka Zulu fashion as the afternoon wore on.
State governor, Babatunde Fashola urged all the sponsors, participants, designers and manufacturers of the costumes to continue to work hard to expand on what the present administration has done.
Fashola described the day as a great family day where all the children, parents can come out, dance, sing, display and generally have fun, stressing that a nation that has so many young people needs many more of such activity to expend the energies that it has and to channel them to productive purposes.
He expressed hope that the participants in the 2015 Carnival have all enjoyed themselves in spite of the delays prompted by the shifting of the elections that the present administration was determined to hold the carnival nonetheless.
Citing that it was the last carnival he would be addressing a state governor, Fashola expressed optimism that the Governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode, would stage 2016 Carnival.
Prominent among the spectators were the Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, All Progressives Congress Woman leader in the South West, Kemi Nelson and several tourists from within and outside the country.

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Emulating Lee Kuan Yew

The Guardian Nigeria|Omozuwa Gabriel Osamwonyi

Yew IT is no longer news that Lee Kuan Yew, the innovative architect of modern Singapore, died on March 23 at age 91. During his 31 years as prime minister, he astounded global leaders by his problem-solving and forward-thinking ingenuities.
These ingenuities accelerated the transformation of a tiny third-world, multi-racial, vulnerable, and volatile city-state to an equitable first-world fortress of wealth and power.
Hence, he is seen as the élan-vital of the political history and economic miracle of modern Singapore. The occasion of his demise presents us another opportunity to reflect on the dynamics of prescient leadership.
When I heard about his death, the question that came to my mind unbidden was: When will Nigeria start raising leaders like him? The cogency of this question is underpinned by President Goodluck Jonathan’s candid assessment of Nigeria’s political leaders.
On December 9, 2013, a national newspaper reported that: “Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said Nigerian politicians lacked the virtues of great men and that none could be compared to the late former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela.” If Nigerian politicians truly lack the virtues of Mandela, they also lack those of Lee.
Lee demonstrated that great leaders retain a style repertoire. As the need arises, they deftly switch from visionary style to coaching to affiliative, but almost always shun the autocratic mode.

I assume that if Nigeria’s ruling elite will emulate Lee and have doable succession plans, the benefits will be enormous. Political instability, project truncation resulting from change of regime, and economic woes stemming from the foibles of rookie leaders will significantly abate

Lee invented a pragmatic system of governance, void of pseudo-ideological frills, yet, artily integrated democracy with benevolent authoritarianism and the free market with state capitalism.
Lee is a model of the coaching leader. Knowing that success without successor is the flipside of failure, he effectively developed bright minds for leadership positions. In 1990, at the age of 66, he handed over power to his loyal friend, Goh Chok Tong.
Thereafter, he groomed his son Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong, for premiership. Lee Hsien Loong, the incumbent Prime Minister of Singapore is a glowing tribute to the efficacy of his father’s succession plan.
However, some critics have dubbed it dynastic politics and a negation of his merit-driven public service. I assume that if Nigeria’s ruling elite will emulate Lee and have doable succession plans, the benefits will be enormous.
Political instability, project truncation resulting from change of regime, and economic woes stemming from the foibles of rookie leaders will significantly abate.
Sadly, mentoring is not part of our political culture, because of the deep-rootedness of die-on-the-throne syndrome. Many politicians prefer to die in power than to empower budding leaders for excellence in public service.
Not many leaders in Nigeria are like Lee, a come-with-me leader, who transcended the trappings of hierarchy, authority, and prestige. In 1965, when Singapore was evicted from Malaysia, his strength of character and sagacity enabled him to provide meaning, guidance, direction, and purpose to a resource-deficit nation at the cusp of decline. His influence flowed from his vision-value harmony.
This is not a common attribute of Nigerian leaders. Their vision of a transformed Nigeria hardly inspires popular support, because it does not align with their manifestly skewed values, which makes them do-as-I-tell-you leaders, not come-with-me leaders. Lee once posited that: “A strong political leadership needs a neutral, efficient, honest civil service.”
Therefore, he made meritocracy the hallmark of Singapore’s public service; where there is ample room for competent and credible professionals to grow and no space for the unprincipled and intellectually lazy to excel.

Low salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public service, but once in charge will show their true colour, and ruin the country

Think of what will happen in Nigeria, if what you know trumps who you know, if capacity ranks above connection. We will be at the vanguard of global development, not its backwaters.
We endanger the nation by not putting due accent on merit. Anywhere merit is not prioritised mediocrity flourishes at the expense of long-term development. To achieve systemic revamping of Nigeria, we should jettison quota system and promote meritocracy. To entrench efficiency and probity in the public service, public servants must be well paid.
Huge income disparity between public servants and their private sector counterparts incentivises corruption and half-hearted commitment to noble service. Lee says it best: “Low salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public service, but once in charge will show their true colour, and ruin the country.”
Singapore’s remarkable success is a glowing tribute to the centrality of selfless leadership. Nigeria’s pursuit for shared prosperity will be dreamlike, if the predatory instincts of the ruling class are not tamed. Self-centredness makes leaders objects of odium, instead of stimulants of innovations and admirations.
We now associate leadership with the causes of hardship. This rather faulty association is partly correct, because some insensate leaders shaped our political history and are setting tomorrow’s tone.
It is easier for the blind to hit the bull’s eye than for a self-seeking leader to elevate people to higher spheres of meaning and wellbeing. Self-seekers are bad leaders.
As fatal parasites, they weaken the viability and stability of nations. Lastly, short-termism is a characteristic of leadership in Nigeria. Our leaders should endeavour to be like Lee, a long-term thinker. For example, in 1961, when Singapore needed to secure her water supply, she ratified a 100-year memorandum of understanding with Malaysia.
Giving the vulnerability of such reliance, she invested in self supply by developing reservoirs, desalination plants, and water reclamation facilities.
Lee teaches that good leadership solves present and anticipated future problem. He aptly summarised his life mission and leadership philosophy thus: “Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up.”

Wenger: I still need Walcott as centre-forward

The Guardian Nigeria|editor

Arsene Wenger ARSENE Wenger says he is keen to guide Theo Walcott through a “golden age”, as speculation persists that the forward could leave Arsenal this summer.
Walcott has been limite to just 21 appearances since the start of last season due to a string of injury problems and, with the England international’s contract expiring at the end of next season, reports suggest that he may be forced to leave the Emirates Stadium if he cannot reclaim his place in Wenger’s starting XI.
However, the Arsenal manager has again rebuffed any suggestion that he could sell the England international, insisting that he is determined to help Walcott reach the peak of his powers, and says that he intends to deploy the 26-year-old as a centre-forward.
“I bought him at Southampton when he was 17 because I believe in his qualities as a good finisher and the timing of his runs are very intelligent,” Wenger told reporters.
“He’s at the best age now. Being 26 to 32 as a striker is the best age as a striker and I wouldn’t like to miss that golden age.
 “I think his position will be striker.
I work with him in both situations, as a striker and as a wide player. But the quality of the runs is so fantastic with the pace he has. When he was younger he was rushing his finishing but he is a good finisher now.

 “He can be transformed. He is naturally gifted to play in this position but he has different qualities.
“Olivier Giroud has a physical presence, back to goal, can head the ball. Theo is more a guy who is a runner, who goes behind.” Wenger also believes that Walcott will choose to remain at Arsenal, because he has grown to “love the club”.
“I think he wants to stay. Of the whole squad he is the player who has played the most games for us,” he added.

“Nobody has played more for us than Theo. He has played 202 (Premier League) games and that means he is part of us.”