Tanzanian Experts to Understudy Nigeria’s Growth Enhancement Scheme in the Agricultural Sector

Nigeria’s success story with the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) in the Agricultural Sector has been lauded by agricultural experts from Tanzania, expressing the willingness to understudy the scheme so as to replicate it in their country.

Members of the Team of Experts, Damian Gabagambi and Chaboba Nkangwa, who arrived Abuja on Wednesday November 27, 2013 on a visit to the Agriculture Ministry informed the Permanent Secretary as well as the Director of Fertilizer, Akinbolawa Osho and others that the Tanzanian Central Government has sent them to understudy the operational modalities of the GES.

The experts averred that they are to understudy the Permanent Secretary and his Directors as well as the heads of the operational institutions under which the GES has made progress. Also, the evolution of the scheme, the successes so far and the challenges which are currently being addressed in order to move the sector to a new level in 2014 are to be measured.

Akinbolawa Osho told the visitors that GES is primarily targeted at small holder farmers while plans have been put in place to engage multinational farmers as in the special GES in 2014. The Permanent Secretary in his remarks noted that a majority of the citizens are impressed with the progress made under GES; adding that the National Assembly has promised to support it through a legislation to institutionalise the different components of the programme for sustainability beyond the present administration. The Directors and Heads of the component units in their turns explained to the visitors the operations of GES towards achieving its feats.

The leader of the visiting team, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, Tanzania observed that the Nigerian Agricultural Policy has been a subject of discussions at continental fora; hinting that other countries in Africa will be coming to understudy and duplicate it too.

Damian Gabagambi inferred that Tanzania like Nigeria’s Agricultural practice before 2012 was dominated by a prevalence of elite culture. He also noted that in Tanzania, middlemen and political farmers are billionaires; whereas the actual farmers who labour to feed the country get poorer by the day. He further expressed confidence that their study trip to Nigeria would as in Nigeria help to dislodge the pseudo-farmers and input the vendors from their system as it is the case in Nigeria.

He recalled that Nigeria’s Growth Enhancement Scheme which is just two years old has captured 1.7 million farmers in 2012 and almost 10 million farmers so far in 2013. “The dis-lodgement of fertilizer and seed vendors/hawkers who have been laying siege to farming inputs has meant well for the real farmers. The programme has been praised and exemplified in most African and Asian countries,” he emphasized


*FMI*

Cobhams Asuquo; He May be Blind, But He’s Got It Going!!

As a child, I watched Stevie Wonder play his piano, and sing his soulful music, and I was genuinely perplexed. ‘How can he do this if he is as blind as they say?’ I wondered to myself. Perhaps he opens his eyes behind his very dark shades, and then shuts them again to make us think he is something special!!! Hilarious right? Of course Stevie Wonder is blind, but while he chose to keep his sightless eyes behind his dark shades, Cobhams Asuquo has no such qualms; born blind, the award winning music producer, songwriter and musician is putting his prodigious talent to awesome use, producing and writing for Nigeria’s top musicians like Asa and Darey, nurturing fresh musical talent and expanding the African music scene. Truth is, every Nigerian musician would like some Cobham flavour infused in their mix!

Born in 1981 to a military family of six children, raised in the downside of a military barracks, Cobhams never knew sight, so he never missed it. He was encouraged to be independent by his very patient mother who won the celebrity edition of SuperMom, a reality TV Show centered on Mothers and the sacrifices they undergo to build their homes.

Moving on, Cobhams talent and love for music was palpable from early childhood. As a young teenager, he organised ‘concerts’ in his neighbourhood, while employing his mother’s water barrels as drums. In another place and another time, Cobhams would have been enrolled in a music class, but he wasn’t, and yet!
Popular opinion in Nigeria in the 90’s didn’t give room for too much experimenting, especially with recourse to tertiary education. It had to be a ‘professional’ course or nothing, and so Cobhams was shipped off to study Law in the University, which is amazing in itself because, [I stand to be corrected] how many Universities can provide Law texts in braille? And I never met a blind lawyer either.

Anyways, so persuaded was our Superstar, so passionate was he about making music that he, wait for it…dropped out of school!!! Oh yes he did!!! The truly great ones seem to have no use for structured tertiary schooling!!!

Of his foray into the music industry, bereft of his mother’s barrels, Cobhams recalls; “(I had to) sleep on studio floors all across Lagos, worked at different studios, worked without pay, I’ve been out on the road, out on the streets, doing my thing. I had to convince people that I could do it — I had sessions that were cancelled because they weren’t sure I could deliver either because they thought I was too young or maybe as a blind person, ‘how do we trust our music which is our future and investment?”

His persistence and passion paid off, and in 2005, Cobhams signed on with Sony ATV London as a songwriter, moved on from his job as Head of Audio Productions at a local label, Questionmark Entertainment, and set up his own recording facility in 2006, Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions [CAMP], an all-encompassing entertainment company that discovers, nurtures and exposes great talents.

Many successes, awards and years later, Cobhams stands tall on the African music scene. So tall that the World Economic Forum awarded him ‘Young Global Leader’ in 2013. So tall that CNN interviews him, and he is sought after as a Speaker in high and lofty gatherings like the TEDxEuston conferences. I watched him speak [on Youtube] and it was phenomenal!

Cobhams was married in 2010 to a former classmate of mine, Yetunde Olukanni and the union has been blessed with a son.

Cobhams stated in a CNN interview, “Being blind has played an integral role in forming who I am and I think to some extent is responsible for my optimism; When you feel there’s nothing more to lose — if you want to work towards anything, you probably will want to work towards gaining and I think that’s what being blind has done for me.”

Cobhams says he is a dreamer; he is not incapacitated or inferior because of his blindness; and he has a swell sense of humour too!

By Jennifer Nkem Eneanya

Prostration in Yorubaland is a Greeting and not an Act of Worship.

The Yorubas portray respect as something cheap to observe and generally inculcate it in the mind of their children right from childhood so that it becomes part of their lives, that is why they commonly say '' Ka dọbale fun arara, iyen o ni ka ma ga '' meaning prostrating for a dwarf does not stop one from rising up again.

Prostration has been practiced in Yorubaland as a form of greeting and sign of respect for the elderly ones before the arrival of any foreign religion. In a traditional wedding ceremony, it is overwhelmingly interesting to see group of friends of the bride-groom observing prostration in front of the bride's families as a sign of request for their daughter. Due to social exposure and of course, no one expects you to fall flat on the public road or on a dirty ground whenever you meet an elderly yoruba person, that is why half-way prostration by men and half-way kneeling by women is now mostly common among the yorubas which they find easy to do whenever and wherever you meet them.

Today, prostration/bowing has been tagged as an act of worship by some religiously mis-guided Yorubas. According to their foreign religious belief, prostration is only meant to worship God and no other person deserves it, but that is according to Jewish and Arabic religious faith, according to Yoruba culture, it is an act of greeting to show respect for the elders while women kneel down. If prostration means worship in Yorubaland, it means female should as well prostrate like their male counterparts while greeting the elders.

'' Elders '' in this sense does not really mean an old man of 50, 70 or 90 years of age, once the person is older than you, you may prostrate as a sign of greeting. Kids have been prostrating for me long time before I was 20 years of age and up till today I, myself, prostrate for the people older than me. If I may get your distorted belief right, does that mean every Yoruba person is considered as a god?

Bowing down is also found in many cultures as signs of greetings around the world up till this present time, especially in the Asian countries. In Japan, people bow as a sign of greetings, not only to the elders but to anybody of any age. Likewise in China, they bow for the elders, even, the more the bow, the older the person you are greeting.

By Raymond Ajeigbe

Joyce Daniels the Talklogenic and Master of Ceremonies Par Excellence!

Joyce Daniels, Joyce Daniels, Joyce Daniels. Greetings rain in from every angle as the lady who is synonymous with the fine art of Public Speaking and ‘Compeering’ in the South-South and South-East regions of Nigeria, West Africa strides through the hallways of the Hotel Presidential, Port-Harcourt en-route yet another speaking engagement. She would be compeering events where Governors, captains of industry and the crème de la crème of the book industry in Nigeria have gathered at the Port Harcourt Book Festival, Rivers, Nigeria; one out of many others.

This charming, vivacious lady with the eponymous Speaking enterprise shares her tale of discovery and of finding her niche in a saturated industry.

Your tag phrase used to be the ‘Lady MC’, now it’s ‘Talklogenic?’

Joyce: The Lady MC was too limiting…I do much more than host events. Back then when I started, it was apt, but not any longer.

The woman behind the brand…

Joyce: I was born on the 31st of January into the Oamen family. Growing up was major fun; I am the fifth of seven children and so it was a full house with loads of friends at home; I wouldn’t trade my memories and my family for anything. I am from Edo State in Nigeria. My husband hails from Kogi State though, so you tell me, where am I really from?

I grew up in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; my parents actually met in Port Harcourt- and I stayed there till I was old enough to leave.

Education…

Joyce: My primary education was at the Staff Nursery and Primary School Federal Government College Port Harcourt; I started off my Secondary education at the University Demonstration Secondary School University of Port Harcourt and completed it at Federal Government Girls College Abuloma, Rivers State. My University education was at the University of Port Harcourt where I studied Human Anatomy-I put in for Medicine but my score wasn’t high enough-. In retrospect, I may have done things differently but I have no regrets whatsoever. However, I have never gained employment as a result of my course of study. Human anatomists usually work in a morgue or as support for Paramedics, and of course you could choose to remain in the academic environment.

Those Service Years…

Joyce: I completed my National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] deployment at the Department of Human Anatomy in the University of Maiduguri, Borno State in 2005 and I totally enjoyed it. It was fantastic except for a crisis-the first in 25 years- which occurred February 2006; it shook me up, and I thank God I survived unscathed. Borno has always been known as the ‘Home of Peace’ and I personally felt that the perpetrators should be ashamed of themselves.

How do you deal with trauma…?

Joyce: I think trauma makes me take a few steps back and think; I don’t break down and disintegrate, I start thinking of the next step, thinking through ideas to salvage what is left of the situation. I am just wired that way, and I make a conscious effort to stay that way. What doesn’t break you makes you stronger and even if it breaks you, you can choose to put yourself together again.

The Genesis of Joyce Daniels the MC…

Joyce: I have always been a talking person. The first event I compeered was the first lady’s children’s concert in 1991 organised by Miriam Babangida. I came with a group from Lagos to dance, and when we got there, the organisers decided they wanted children to compere the event. Our dance director subsequently chose me to compere the event with three other children; we were so excited at the chance to speak in public before our peers.

In Secondary school, I was President of the Debate Club and Vice President of the Press Club, so talking has always been there. I have served as the Master of Ceremony [MC] informally for friends and family severally. In 2005, a friend of mine picked me to compere her wedding and I almost went out of my mind! I was so scared, but they insisted and I had to get my wits together. The wedding was to take place in Abia State-a predominantly Igbo-speaking community- and I decided to learn a few words of Igbo language to fit in. After that, I started to consider it as an option but I didn’t really think it would work.

I got a job immediately after Youth Service as a Business Manager and worked for a few months. I got restless though and left Port Harcourt for Lagos, believing that whatever I would do would come from my inherent skills-my mouth, hands or feet- I suffered a little in Lagos as there were days when I had to go on a compulsory fast and trek long distances to be at an event- and I didn’t think I should remain dependent on my parents. I hit my first job in 2007 by chance at a friend’s house. The MC scheduled for an event failed to show and the organisers needed a replacement. The event was the launch of Sleek hair and make-up in Nigeria, and it worked out well! I wasn’t paid in cash because I was quite unknown but I got awesome benefits- I became a Sleek Rep which paid off financially; I got all the make-up I needed for years. It was a terribly good deal for me.

I got my next job that day for the next weekend and I was paid N50, 000 [about $300] to speak for two hours, and it was unbelievable! After I was paid, I kept peeking into my bag to remind myself that this had actually happened. After that, I knew I would stick with it. I got one job, then the next, and the rest is history.

I get jobs through referrals and I advertise on Facebook. I would charge about N200, 000 [$1,250] for a regular wedding; corporate events would be a tad more expensive.

Training…

Joyce: I never had any professional training on compeering, but I have learnt on the job. I have been blessed to work with professionals in the business and I also read a lot. I use humour, but I am not in the comedy industry, so I don’t get carried away.

Big jobs…
Joyce: Well, the Port Harcourt Book Festival, the Rivers State Investors Forum, and I compeered for the Abia State Governor when he was honoured by Champion Newspaper.

More than an MC…

Joyce: Much more; I train corporates in High Impact Presentations. I am a Dale Carnegie Trainer-we resolve business problems related to public speaking which includes sale success training, employee engagement training and much more. There are five facilitators in Nigeria and I am one of them.

If you weren’t talking…

Joyce: I will be acting, and I do makeovers, strictly on referrals, and I love to sing and dance.

If I want to be an MC…

Joyce: I do have a number of, -permit me to use the word- ‘protégés’ and they go with me to as many events as possible to watch and understudy which is a very good way to learn. The saying goes ‘Copy, but copy right,’ so you can copy the good sides of an MC and add to your own flavour. You would also need to read up as much as you can find, practise and get feedback.

On stage fright…

Joyce: Stage fright is part of the business, but you have to get past that. Yes, I have been tongue-tied a few times but I think my audience thought it was part of the script. People expect the best from you so they interpret even those tongue-tied moments as a well-timed pause. To prevent future occurrences though I give myself pep-talks and try to get feedback from people who saw my last performance. It is good to thrive on good comments, it helps everybody. A wise man said that ‘one of the deepest needs of mankind is the craving for appreciation.’ When someone says I am good, I take it at face value.

On choosing a path…

Joyce: Be true to who you are. When you are true to yourself and when you are professional at that truth, I think you will do well, and finances will be taken care of eventually. I still do free jobs for people now, usually on a trade by barter basis or as a way of saying thank you and other reasons.

Best thing in your wardrobe?

Joyce: Nothing in particular; I try not to be too attached to anything.

On going au naturel…

Joyce: It was part of a total lifestyle change; The Joyce healthy lifestyle regime. I stopped eating late, cut off soda drinks and started using natural Shea butter and coconut oil, and I went off relaxers too. This is a permanent change for life.

Joyce Daniels in 5 years…

Joyce: Joyce Daniels should have successfully launched and run the Joyce Daniels ‘Talkademy’ which would churn out-in particular- professional MC’s and then maybe, public speakers. By God’s grace it should kick off in April 2014 in Port Harcourt. There are other things, but I don’t want to talk about them yet.

What’s your take on life?

Joyce: Life is whatever you make of it. Do what you can, where you are with what you have and stop complaining about what you don’t have; what are you doing with what’s in your hand? I live by these principles.

Inspire a young African in one sentence…

Joyce: if you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving!!!

Interview Credit: Interview was originally conducted by Jennifer Nkem Eneaya of Konnect Africa (http://www.konnectafrica.net/)

Toyin Ojora Saraki; A Life Devoted to Service

A woman of excellence and great repute, Toyin Ojora Saraki has a heart as lovely as her face; she is a lawyer and the founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBF Africa), a pan-African maternal health and wellbeing charity, dedicated to advocacy and the formation of best practices in health, education, women’s empowerment and social welfare . She is one of the resounding voices for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Nigeria, which seek significant reduction in the rate of maternal and infant mortalities before 2015.

Toyin Saraki is the elegant wife of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki; the former Governor of Kwara State, Nigeria and also a former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). Her Excellency has devoted more than 20 years of her life to a course very dear to her heart; child and maternal health. Her main goal is to see that women no longer die from childbirth and that every child in Africa has access to all the basic needs of life.

Mrs.Saraki was born on September 6, 1964 to the family of Otunba Adekunle and Erelu Ojora. She had her elementary education in Lagos, Nigeria after which she proceeded to the United Kingdom where she attended Roedean School, Brighton Sussex. Mrs.Saraki bagged her L.L.B and L.L.M degrees at the London School of Oriental and African Studies and Kings College both of the University of London and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.

While in England, she devoted most of her time to taking care of the aged and sick. She also made efforts to be a part of the routine welfare scheme of the schools she attended. This great woman has dedicated her life to selfless service to humanity; she is always on the move to save lives and give hope to hopeless. Mrs Saraki is a global advocate of the UN’s Every Woman Every Child effort, acts as board chair of the White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, is also the Chairperson of the FIDA International Committee on Laws Protecting the Rights of Children and the Goodwill Ambassador of the Olave Baden-Powell Society (OB-PS), an organization that supports the efforts of the World Association of Girls Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). She also sits on the boards of the Global Foundation for the Elimination of Domestic Violence and The Africa Justice Foundation.

A writer once said “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”Toyin Ojora Saraki has not only lost herself, but has given herself away in the service to humanity which to another writer is the highest religion. She has gone the extra mile to do the “not so convenient”, touching the lives of many, especially those of the less privileged women and children. Hundreds of women have benefited from the enterprise scheme of her organization. She has also paid particular attention to improving the lives of people with special needs among several other lifesaving initiatives and interventions.

In a TEDx speech she recounts, “We have done a lot for legislation to raise the expectations of what your government owes you. We also work very closely on the front-line with women, we have a fund that will pay money if you need a caesarean section and you can’t pay for it, to save lives. But at the same time we believe that a health- seeking woman is necessarily an empowered woman so we try to get the woman before the emergency occurs to train them about what should be the best –case scenario…as Africans we are not there yet in what we need for our people”.

This great woman is reckoned as a leading advocate for the actualization of the rights of children. In November 2008, she delivered the keynote address at the 33rd biennial convention of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Milan, Italy on the topic “Children are the Future; What Rights, What Laws?” She has also received several awards of recognition for her contribution to the emancipation of women and children in Nigeria and beyond, including the Award for Advocate of Excellence for Maternal and Child Health from the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Chapter among many others.

Toyin Saraki is also engaged in numerous philanthropic gestures one of which is the establishment of The Lifestream Charity in 1993. The Lifestream, pioneered by Mrs.Saraki, is a group comprising of like- minded and socially responsible friends who desire to help the society. The organisation seeks children with heart deformities and has sponsored corrective surgeries in Israel, United Kingdom and South Africa. The charity also offers scholarships to indigent students, sends relief to disaster victims and builds schools for communities.

This great lady continues to make her mark in Africa, saving lives and enriching our dear Continent. You too can make a difference; brighten the corner where you are.

By Lovelyn Okafor

Young Nigerian Gets ITU Award for Tech Innovation

A young Nigerian computer science graduate, Oscar Ekponimo, is among those flying Nigeria’s flag in Bangkok Thailand, hosts of this year’s International Telecommunications Union, ITU Telecom World Conference.

Ekponimo is among the rare ten youths across the world selected by ITU to be honoured for innovations in technology. He got himself into this league, by developing a web and mobile application tagged SalvageHub, which reduces food waste and redistributes salvaged products to needy people. Retailers also use Ekponimo’s platform to track near expiry food products in stock, trigger notification on the hub and schedule pickups of donated food products.

ITU developed Young Innovators Programme as an integral part of Telecom World events and designed it to work with promising start-ups run by young people from all over the world who are using technological innovation to improve the social reality of their communities.

Each year, the Young Innovators Competition invites new start-ups and concepts to compete for one of the ten prestigious places in the programme. Chosen by a committee of world-class experts from public, private and academic sectors, the ten winners join the ITU Telecom World event for a four-day accelerator programme of pitching sessions, hands-on workshops and mentoring and also the chance to win up to USD 10 000 in funding. That was how Ekponimo emerged when his SalvageHub was selected.

Now the programme is not just an annual competition, its turning into a community. For instance, the organizers have drawn the winners of the 2012 competition to join this year’s winners in Bangkok to report back on the development of their projects after a year of mentoring and to offer the benefits of their experiences as peer-mentors to the class of 2013.

# Vanguard

TONIA OSADEBE'S BALM IN GILEAD

By Temitope Templer
Certainly TONIA OSADEBE, the last of a family of three children, is an Unknown Nigerian that should be celebrated. The 22-year old did not only graduate tops in her class in the Engineering Department of University of Denver, she, along with three others designed a project that will make a quadriplegic patient capable of only neck movement to have control of his immediate environment. The project provides solution to independent control of room devices, access to Internet, phones, and communication with nurse station outside being user friendly and language independent interface. In this interview, she tells Tope Templer OLAIYA, how she came tops in a field dominated by men.

How do you feel studying Engineering at Denver?
Yes, it is a man’s world. We were 20 per cent females in the department and because of that; they try to pay special attention to the females; for us to catch up when it is even not necessary because I graduated tops in my class. Females bring a different twist to engineering. There is this stereotype that men are logical while women are emotional. But we are breaking the stereotype. I like to do something different.

What is the design project about?

In hospitals, even if you are bedridden, at least you can move your hands. So, you have the remote controls to turn on the lights, or switch channels or call the nurse and things like that. For the quadriplegic patients, they can’t move their arms or legs, and can’t access their environment. The idea behind it is to provide the means at which patients can control their immediate environment. We met patients to find out their experiences and frustrations and we selected someone who had a motorcycle accident and couldn’t move any part of his body.

That is what I mean about females having a different twist to engineering. It was a team of four – three boys with me as leader. We built the software, connected it to a hardware that was connected to all the devices in the room, so the patient had the opportunity to change the light, the channels, chat with the nurses, access internet to keep him busy, rather than just sitting there the whole time.

The mouse has a knob on its head that would make the user to move the cursor and click to get things done, just like a mini station for him on a computer that has everything he needs to control his environment. This took us about a year to put up. It was good and successful, and everybody was pleased with the project.

The department was very supportive. I could walk into my adviser’s office any day; I have her personal phone number to call her if anything was going wrong. They bought everything. You just make a list of what you need and they sign, you buy what you need and they cover all the expenses, there are no hurdles.

Did you think of the project because you were a triangle student – from class to library and to your room? Not really, right from high school in Queens College, I was in the top 10 in my set. I always take my academics seriously. Expectations had always been high, you come home with your result and they expect nothing but all As except in Igbo and French.

I went to Denver and I was determined to keep it high, because at the end of the day, your parents will be proud of you, besides with a very good GP you can be wherever you want. Anybody who knows me will tell you I am the class clown. I make everybody laugh; anytime you come to class and there is someone doing something funny, it’s me. But despite all the noise in the class, I studied independently, so, my mates hate me for that because at the end of the exams, I come out tops, which always make them mad. I mix studies and play well. I am very sociable, I am not a triangle student, and I don’t even like the library and don’t go there.

How would you describe your stay there?
I enjoyed my stay there, but it was a trying time because I went there at a young age of 16. Typically, you start college there when you are 18. I was much younger than everyone else. Engineering is not a female major. It was not difficult to blend in Denver because black population is very small. So, I am one of the three female students and one out of the two blacks in the class. The people are very receptive and almost everybody in the campus knows me as an engineering student. Teachers there are very passionate and encourage students to be independent.

Any down moments?
There were some challenging points because of difference in culture. Going from here to a completely different, I encountered culture shock. I went there not having anybody to run to. I had to make new friends and understand their accent. I cried the first day I got there because it was all different from Nigeria, but with time, I caught up with the changes. At the beginning, I just couldn’t understand, especially with the literature class, because there was some information they expected you to have and this took me some time to catch up. I also had some problems with spellings, as the British spelling can’t be used for an American word.

And the Nigerian community?
In Denver, the Nigerian community is not much. The first time I got there, I heard there were lots of Nigerians there, but it was not until about three months of my living in Denver that I met someone who knew a few other Nigerians there.

So what next?
Right now, plans are on to patent the project over there. Already, it’s been (published) in a couple of scientific journals. Technically, it is the property of the school because they provided all the resources, but if I am interested in setting it up here, I have access to that as it is my work. Right now, I just want to be done with school, face my Master’s before thinking of commercializing it. I like the emotional impact it has on people’s life. I remembered the interview we had with a patient and how he shared his experience to make phone calls to his daughter; it was such an emotional one and to be part of all that was a great feeling for me.

The future?
My dream is to head an outfit and to manage people. I have the intention to come back home, but I have to get my Master’s out of the way. There is so much to do here. I always look forward to coming home. I eventually want to open an NGO, sometime along the line to help women in engineering field as well as mentor upcoming ones.

Rise of the Shopping Malls

The upsurge of ultra-modern shopping malls in Nigeria in recent years has presented viable opportunities for real estate growth and development in Nigeria. In recent years, Modern shopping malls have sprung up across various cities in the country. The Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki; Ikeja City Mall, Surulere and E-center, Yaba are few of the shopping malls which have become economic hubs and tourist attractions for visitors. Outside Lagos state, Shoprite Abuja and Tinapa City Resort Calabar are some of the malls attracting high patronage.

In Lagos, the Palms Shopping Centre opened in 2006 in Lagos Nigeria and is fully leased. The $40million, 430,000- square-foot, fully air-conditioned mall is a venture between Actis, U.k. private equity investor; and Snap Blu, a company controlled by Nigerian developer Tayo Amusan.

In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, Shoprite which was opened in June 2012 has had all its stores leased out within just a few weeks of its opening. Alausa which traditionally rings a bell as the seats of Lagos State government opened up further to another kind of business, on December 14, 2011 as an ultra-modern shopping mall, Ikeja City Mall, opened its doors to the public. With this, the hitherto serene ambience of the environment has become a beehive of shopping activities as residents on the Lagos Mainland axis are now taking advantage of its location to enjoy wonderful shopping experience. This is adding to its outlets in Lekki, Surulere and Ikeja, all in Lagos and one in Enugu.

Aside from the fact that Nigerians are evolving in their shopping experiences with greater preference for ultra-modern shopping malls amongst the middle-class earners in the society, another major attraction in the shopping malls are the convenience from facilities such as adequate parking lots, electricity and security.

The single storey structure at the palms shopping mall has off-road parking for approximately 720 vehicles. The Palms houses about 62 shops of varying sizes and designs which include electronic shops, boutiques, cosmetic shops, hairdressing salons, restaurants and gifts shops offers the exciting concept of “one-stop shopping” a concept that is just evolving in Nigeria.

Another significant advantage is that it adds to the pool of job opportunities as each store employs both direct and indirect staff. The Palms mall provides direct employment to approximately 700 Nigerians and has through supply chains created an estimated 5,000 more Jobs.

Despite its often high rent and purchase fees, shopping malls across the country are thriving and witnessing large subscriptions from organizations and business owners who see it as a good avenue to reach their customers.

Yusuf Adelakin, the Manager of Ritz Nigeria Limited which has its outlet at Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall, Surulere says despite the high rent charged at the mall, it offers a pool of potential customers which cannot be gotten elsewhere. “The rent is high but the customers are much too”. Families come here to shop alot, people bring their colleagues, friends, children and because of the serene environment, they have a good shopping experience and that is good for us”.

Ikeja City Mall, Alausa which opened only last year is also completely subscribed. Bola Animashaun, a marketing executive at the mall’s management office noted that people has already started indicating interest in renting or buying stores before construction work was completed. According to him, there are currently no empty stores in the mall. Owners of shops in the complex also confirmed that business has been good. Nike Ishaya, a graduate of English from the University of Lagos, owns a shop in the mall, where she trades in ladies shoes and bags. For her, business within the complex has been quite encouraging especially during the time operations began there “Due to the rate at which people visit the mall, we have had more successes within this short period of operation. We have made double the sales my mother makes in her Alade Market shop,” she explained.

Cinemas also present another attractive feature of these shooping malls as those who have such facilities boast of high patronage especially from the youths and children. The Palms Shopping Mall, Silverbird Galleria and E-Centre are major hubs especially at weekends and holidays for youths and children who take time out to watch their favourite movies on big screens.

Customers also find that they have access to genuine goods at such shopping malls as retailers are often the manufacturers themselves or direct distributors. New malls to open lured by the country’s growing population, increasing purchasing power of the elite and limitless investment opportunities, foreign and local investors are falling over themselves to set up new ultra-modern shopping malls. Malls are springing up everywhere in places like Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna.

South Africa’s Shoprite Holdings Limited is said to be the most aggressive of the international retailers operating in Nigeria. According to sources, the company plans to open as many as 700 outlets in across the country. Nigerians are also eagerly anticipating the entrance of three global retail giants; Wal-mart of the United States of America, Carrefour of France and Tesco of the United Kingdom.

Upcoming mall projects include; The Polo Park Mall in Enugu State, a planned shopping center in Ilorin, Kwara State and Spar International among others. Future and growth within modern Nigeria with a population of over 160 million and growing, Nigeria offers an excellent opportunity for investors to cash in to the growth expected to occur in the next decade or two. The success of the few ultra-modern shopping malls is testimony to this.

Many state governments have actively started developing their states by creating a friendly environment for investment. The Nigerian economy is growing, and this is leading to a demand for quality housing, office space and other related estate infrastructure. The development of the Nigerian retail market is contributing to improve local employment and training; it is also increasing tax collection of state government authorities who are starting to realize the importance of formalizing retail and shopping activities; it is generating additional demand for agricultural products; and it is showing local and foreign investors that Nigeria offers great business opportunities that with time and maturity should materialize in attractive returns.

There is still a huge gap in demand and supply and the market is open to developers to fill the gap

An insight into the Ijebus and the Ojude Oba festival

By OLUGBENGA ADEBANJO

Among the Yoruba’s of south western Nigeria, one of the major linguistic groups is the Ijebus. The Ijebu ‘‘nation’’ can be found in Lagos and Ogun states. The contribution of this unique linguistic group to contemporary Nigerian culture cannot be underestimated. There is the common saying that the Ijebus live to party or that you may find it difficult to get the Ijebu to commit his funds to a cause, but for the sake of celebration. This may be a very simplistic assessment of the psychology of the people, but two things however stand out about the Ijebu person, his resourcefulness and his strong belief in the celebration of life whatever the circumstances.

The two ‘‘virtues’’ stated above have been exploited over the years to maximum effect through the Ojude Oba festival, literarily translated as the ‘‘King’s Square’’. Initially celebrated in 1830 to herald the end of the fasting period for the Muslim community in Ijebu ode, the ancient capital of Ijebuland and by extension the Muslims in the kingdom, the Awujale the paramount ruler of the Ijebus felt that the celebration would help in gathering his subjects together in a form of thanks giving ceremony. He did not only achieve his first objective but in retrospect what has been achieved is the forging of a strong identity among the Ijebu linguistic group of the Yoruba people.

After a year of ‘‘individual struggles’’ citizens converge in Ijebu Ode to celebrates their accomplishments, share their travails but above give thanks to the almighty for preserving their lives for a successful reunion. Celebrants dress up in very expensive gears and usually divided into age groups referred to as the ‘’Regbe Regbe’’ indulge in merriment of all sorts. Horse ride displays is another interesting feature of the ceremony, where the kingdom’s past military might and pedigree is showcased for the visitors. This show of splendour which is exemplified through resourcefulness and a proud sense of identity has thrown up what can be called the ‘‘Ojude Oba Brand’’. What has made the brand accessible and acceptable is the fact that it ties with the growth of the leisure and tourism subsector of the Nigerian economy.

Over the years the Nigerian government has been at pains to ginger the interest of tourist attractions and tourism as a form of economic bulwark, among Nigerians and foreign visitors. Thus efforts to diversify the economy had been a very big tall order until recently. The Ojude Oba festival has helped in creating awareness of available viable tourist attractions in the country. Marketers and advertising firms have brought the importance of the festival to the attention of major manufacturers and service providers, sold the idea of the brand, which has been grasped with both hands. Expectedly government institutions have gotten themselves caught up in the ‘‘melee’’ and for the right reasons, realising the urgent need to diversify the Nigerian economy through the creation of jobs and additional income to government coffers.

The multiplier effect of this successful brand is the spinoff of fringe festivals catering for diverse audiences. Through comedy and music festivals, marketers and advertising firms are further provided with the opportunity of exposing other businesses catering for youths, the upwardly mobile etc. Without doubt the evolution of this ‘‘Ijebu brand’’ a plus for one of the most misunderstood peoples of Nigeria, is a cause for celebration for the nation

Segun Agbaje

Segun Agbaje is the Managing Director/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, a leading African banking group operating from an extensive branch outlay in Nigeria and banking subsidiaries in Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom.

With over 19 years of investment and international banking experience, Mr. Agbaje oversees the general management of the bank’s day-to-day operations and has earned a reputation as a truly accomplished and highly respected professional within the West Africa sub-region.

Under his leadership Guaranty Trust Bank plc has successfully gained impressive year on year market share and etched a position as the most profitable bank in Nigeria consecutively for the last 3 years. His deep understanding of complex business scenarios have enabled the Bank undertake large ticket transactions in financial advisory, structured and project finance, balance sheet restructuring, debt and equity capital raising in the Nigerian Energy, Telecommunications, Financial Services and Manufacturing sectors.

Agbaje has been very instrumental in Guaranty Trust Bank’s foray into the international capital markets over the years. This has translated into 3 major transactions: a US$350 million Regulation S Eurobond in January 2007, a US$750 million Global Depository Receipts (GDR) offer that same year and a US$500 million Eurobond in 2011. The listing of the GDRs on the London Stock Exchange made Guaranty Trust Bank the first Nigerian company and African bank to be listed on the Main Market of the London Bourse, while the US$500 million Eurobond was the first Sub-Saharan Africa financial sector benchmark Eurobond issued without a sovereign guarantee or credit enhancement from any international financial institution.

In 2012, Segun received the African Banker of the Year Award from the African Banker due to the year on year performance of the Bank. Under his leadership, Guaranty Trust Bank plc has also received numerous accolades and commendations for exceptional service delivery, innovation, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and management quality. These awards include the 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 Best Bank in Nigeria Awards from Euromoney, the 2011, 2010 and 2009 Best Bank in Nigeria Awards from the Banker Magazine and the 2011 Best Bank in Nigeria Award from EMEA Finance Awards.

His belief that service quality, innovation and technological advancement are critical factors that influence customer choices, has continued to define the operations of the bank, leading to the introduction of several innovative products and service channels that are industry firsts.

Mr. Agbaje is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and holds a B.Sc and MBA from the University of San Francisco, USA. He joined Guaranty Trust Bank as a pioneer staff in 1991, after a rewarding stint at Ernst & Young, San Francisco, USA and subsequently rose through the ranks to become an Executive Director in January 2000 and Deputy Managing Director of the Bank in August 2002. He was appointed Managing Director/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank plc in June 2011

Nigerian Emerges President of ICAO Council

A Nigerian, Dr Olumuyiwa Babatunde Aliu, has been elected President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

He is the first African to head the world body.

He was elected on Monday at the 38th Assembly of the organisation in Montreal, Canada by an assembly consisting of 172 countries.

Aliu received full support from the Federal Government.

The Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah led the Nigerian delegation to drum support for the accomplished Aliu who has built invaluable goodwill among ICAO member countries’ representatives.

This massive support for Nigerian representative as membership of ICAO Council by the international aviation community confirm the recognition of the increasing strength of Nigerian aviation industry.

The Minister, while in Canada last month, paid a courtesy call on the out-going President of the Council in his office as part of the strategy to secure his continuous support for Nigeria and also hosted several bilateral meetings with delegates of United States, the European Union and several others.

Accompanied by Director Generals and CEOs of Nigerian aviation parastatals, the Minister garnered support and pledges from many countries and regional groups, as well as international aviation stakeholders, such as Airport Council International (ACI), International Air Transport Association (IATA)

#Leadership

Nigeria's Adire Fabric

Adire is the name given to indigo dyed cloth produced by Yoruba women of south western Nigeria using a variety of resist dye techniques. Adire translates as tie and dye, and the earliest cloths were probably simple tied designs on locally-woven hand-spun cotton cloth much like those still produced in Mali.

In the early decades of the twentieth century however, the new access to large quantities of imported shirting material made possible by the spread of European textile merchants in certain Yoruba towns, notably Abeokuta, enabled women dyers to become both artists and entrepreneurs in a booming new medium. New techniques of resist dyeing were developed, most notably the practice of hand-painting designs on the cloth with a cassava starch paste prior to dyeing. This was known as adire eleko.

Alongside these a new style was soon developed that speeded up decoration by using metal stencils cut from the sheets of tin that lined tea-chests. Another method was to use sewn raffia, sometimes in combination with tied sections, while other cloths were simply folded repeatedly and tied or stitched in place. The basic shape of the cloth is that of two pieces of shirting material stitched together to create a women's wrapper cloth. Most of the designs were named, and popular designs included the jubilee pattern, (first produced for the jubilee of George V and Queen Mary in 1935), Olokun or "goddess of the sea", and Ibadadun "Ibadan is sweet."

In the 1920s and 30s adire was a major local craft in the towns of Abeokuta and Ibadan, attracting buyers from all over West Africa. Today Adire and African Fabrics Centre of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Foundation, among other Adire fabrics promoters, are determined to put the Adire, Tie and Dye fabric on the world runway. Its production, training and marketing of the fabric have been redefined to accommodate modern styles and glitz in accordance with international fashion standards.

Adire and Fabrics Centre of OOPL is at present taking up research and studying people’s fashion tastes and desires as well as a studying the mechanisation of Adire processed textiles, garments and accessories production with a view to produce in large quantity.

Modernisation, creativity and professionalism have now been added to the production and marketing of Adire, leaving room for the production of Adire crafted products such as garments, bags, shoes, slippers, sheetings, pillows, among other valuable products, that have subsequently created jobs for teeming unemployed youths.

The centre presently partners Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) on the production of tie and dye and other basic chemicals used in the production of the Adire fabrics, and also partnering the office of the Ogun State first lady, Olufunsho Amosun on training and acquisition of skills on Adire and African fabrics production. This is in order to sustain and improve on Adire fabrics production, generate employment and create means of livelihood for Nigerians

Kelvin Okafor

By Jennifer Nkem Eneanya
The News Media has been a-buzz with the name of Kelvin Okafor, the Nigerian-born, London raised Igbo boy who is making waves with his works of art.

Kelvin’s family relocated to the UK in search of a better life. His father worked as a Warden for a Council Estate, and his mother was a housewife. Kelvin grew up in one of the country’s poorest areas,and lived a life that was far from privileged. A particularly gruesome memory for him was the repossession of their family house when he was 11-years old. “It was just before I started secondary school and my life changed completely. We were homeless — not living on the street but we didn’t have a house for ourselves for the next three years. We moved from place to place, from cousin to cousin.” They lived in five different homes over the course of just a few years — before eventually moving into a council flat, where the family remain today.

Kelvin was too poor to socialize. There was simply no money to spend on trips and clubbing and drinks, so he ended up spending a lot of time alone. Thus began his sojourn into the world of art. Perhaps, poverty also kept him from drug abuse as well, which was rife in that neighbourhood. So he turned his misfortune around and spent his time perfecting his skills.

The 27 year old had an education that was made possible by the sheer doggedness of his parents. He attended St Ignatius College, a prestigious Jesuit school in Enfield, several miles away from their home — whose ex-pupils include Alfred Hitchcock and Beatles producer Sir George Martin. Kelvin went on to study Fine Art at Middlesex University, and there, he honed his budding talents to near perfection.

Jonathan Jones who writes on art for the Guardian UK and was on the jury for the 2009 Turner prize had this to say. “Kelvin Okafor is a miraculous artist. If Leonardo da Vinci was alive today and he saw what Okafor has achieved with pencil, paper and a bit of charcoal, he would recognise a talent well worthy of his respect – a brother in art. So would the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer, or the Baroque genius Caravaggio.

Kelvin draws with pencil and some charcoal, but look hard as one might, no pencil mark can be seen in his finished products. Apparently, he favours using a simple pencil because it is ‘humble’ and allows a subject to shine. [Perhaps back then, they were also the cheapest means of artistic expression he could afford.] So stunning are his pieces that a one sells for £10,000, although he could also charge anything from £800-£3,000 for his work. Each work may take from 80-100 hours to complete, given his 10-15 hour work days.

Gradually coming into the limelight, Kelvin was the recipient of the Catherine Petitgas Visitors’ Choice Prize, part of the National Open Art Competition. He was selected as one of the top two pieces of work at Cork Street Gallery’s Winter Show in 2012 and won the Cork Street open exhibition’s runner up best of show award and a cash prize. Kelvin’s work was on display at the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair at the London Science Museum. A portrait he drew of King Hussein of Jordan is to be presented to the late monarch’s widow, Queen Noor.

For those who criticise his work as not being ‘arty’ enough, Jonathan Jones has an apt comeback. He posited that “Kelvin Okafor is not alone among modern artists who have fixed their gaze on celebrity photographs. In the 19th century the Iimpressionist Edgar Degas made a painting that meticulously recreated a photograph of Princess Pauline de Metternich. In the 1960s Andy Warhol made haunting silkscreen portraits derived from magazine photographs.” So there!!!

Kelvin says that he is gratified by the joy and pride he has brought to his family, who wept for joy when the BBC carried a news item concerning him. “It makes me feel happy to know I am making my family proud. That means the most to me. It makes me want to work harder and do more.”

Wow. What a story. Kelvin has a beautiful gift that was refined in the fires of penury. What disadvantages are you facing? They may be preparing you for future greatness. Don’t ever, ever stop trying.

To view the artist’s work slide by slide, visit his blog http://kelvinokaforart.blogspot.com/ and be awed!!!

Nigeria's Victor Olalusi Graduates with 5.0 CGPA From Russian University

A Nigerian student, Victor Olalusi emerged as the best graduating student from the Russian National Research Medical University with a CGPA of 5.0 in the faculty of Clinical Sciences.

Victor Olalusi however is no stranger to academic excellence. In 2004 he had the best WAEC result in Nigeria after which he went ahead to become the best JAMB Science candidate with a score of 322. Furthermore he made the highest post UME Score of Obafemi Awolowo University Nigeria (OAU) at 325.

In 2006 Victor became the Cowbell Prize award winner. He was also granted the Nigerian Government Scholarship in Medicine and surgery in the same year.

He has bagged numerous laurels over the years and indeed the sky is simply the beginning for this 'Unknown Nigeria Ambassador'

Twins, 25, invent Made-in-Nigeria appliances

TELEVISION personality, Oprah Winfrey, once told her audience: “It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.”

Smarting from the burden of a broken home and the challenge of lacking maternal care after being raised by their father without a silver spoon, Taiwo and Kehinde Ilesanmi at a very young age decided to brave the odds and act on their inquisitive minds.It is little wonder then that most of their inventions are solutions to the intractable power problems the country has been grappling with for decades.


Walking past them on the road, they could easily be mistaken for one of the numerous destitute children pounding the streets of Lagos, but today, at age 25, they are proud owners of some innovative wholly made-in-Nigeria products that are sure to meet a dire need in most parts of the country.


Patented under their registered trademark Tikemade, some of their fascinating products include a rechargeable desktop that can be used to charge one’s phone for at least two weeks and a wireless extension connected to home appliances that can be remotely controlled by a mobile phone from anywhere in the world.

It’s not ended, in their bag of inventions are a security foot-mat that immediately notifies you on your mobile phone when someone steps on it in your absence, rechargeable lamp and a device that automatically switches off your generating set once electricity is restored and also change over the electrical switchboard from the generating set to PHCN.

Explaining the magic of their products, which are miles ahead of the imported China or Japanese appliances that flood the Nigerian market, Taiwo said once the rechargeable desktop is charged for about two hours, that is what the small bowl-like device needs to charge at least 10 mobile phones of different charging ports at a time for upwards of two weeks.

“This device is highly needed in areas where access to electricity or generating set is scarce and such communities abound in this country. There is also a USB cord to connect it with modern gadgets and a space for desktop battery charging. The chargers of all major brands of phones are also attached to the device.”

“For the wireless extension, it is an extension box where all home appliances can be connected to. The extension box can be controlled with a mobile phone. In the event that you are not around and you forgot to switch off your appliance before leaving home, you can dial a code on your mobile phone and all the appliances connected to the extension would be switched off without the network service provider deducting any money from your credit.”

“It is free on any network and it is universal, meaning it can be operated from any part of the world. We are already working on our next project, which is a Nigerian-made FM radio,” Taiwo boasted.Interestingly, all the materials for their products are sourced locally.

Apart from a version of the regular rechargeable lamps, which can be found in most homes in Nigeria, also in their kitty is a security foot-mat. Anywhere it is placed, once activated, it will immediately notify you on your mobile phone if someone steps on it, especially in your absence.

These gifted twins hail from Ondo State, but live in Ejigbo, Lagos State. They have since their tender ages at St. Jonah Nursery and Primary School, Daleko Ejigbo, been interested in technological discovery. As kids, they would dismantle little handheld devices to satisfy their curiosity and couple them back.Never far apart from each other, they proceeded to Ajumoni Grammar School, Okota and in no time joined the school’s Junior Engineering Technology (JET) club. Once settled in the club, they explored their inventive minds and helped win some laurels for the school.Their efforts didn’t go unrewarded, as they were bestowed with the Best Student in Creativity award before concluding their secondary education.

It was at this point they got stuck. With no funds to further their education, they enrolled in a School of Aviation based in Ikotun, while devoting their energies to their fast fingers and taking the brave effort to push out some of their products.“Our major concern now is marketing these products. They are useful, sellable and a solution to many people’s problems. All our products have warranty and we can be reached anywhere if there are problems with it. We give six months warranty on all the products. After the warranty period has elapsed, we would still repair the products at a reasonable cost because we are the manufacturers, this is the edge our products have over China products,” Taiwo said.“

Many of those who have seen these products are responding positively by demanding for more but we are unable to meet up with the rising demand because of the financial burden of mass production. We, therefore, need partners that would support us in mass-producing these products for the benefits of all Nigerians. Also, this will reduce unemployment in Nigeria, as it will create jobs. We need technology to advance the country and encourage other people with similar ideas too,” Kehinde noted.

The twins can be reached on 07045285650 or ilesanmitaiwo45@yahoo.com

I Am Nigeria’s Technological Saviour

Fidelis Nwachukwu is the CEO of Final Tech Engineering. He is a secondary school dropout with a natural skill to build machinery and complex engines. The father of five who hails from Abia State- Southeast Nigeria speaks to Ugochukwu Iroka about his passion for machines, the challenges he faces and his plans for the future.

What compelled you to go from engine repairs to engine building?

When I realized I had a very good understanding of mechanics, I decided to use it to help my family and my country by not hiding myself in a place where my talents won’t be fully utilized. We have many talented people in this country but they hide themselves maybe out of fear or frustration and the country gains nothing from them. I am determined that my case will be different. By God’s grace and the help of the government and fellow Nigerians, I will use my gift to benefit the nation, myself and my family.

How did you acquire the knowledge for the prototypes you build?

I trained myself by learning from my mechanic master, and reading books on engineering and practising continuously. I carry out researches on many big engineering firms and try to replicate their processes. My biggest project is a fully functional model of a multipurpose earth moving machine (miniature excavator). It has taken me 12 years of study and research to come up with this.

What are your plans for the future? 

I want to move from building prototypes to building the actual machines. I have blueprints on many projects that I plan to execute. I hope to head a firm that will greatly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign countries for technology. I want to be Nigeria’s technological saviour. I also want to help youths that are talented engineers. I plan to open a school where I can teach them and help them develop their talents.

What are the major problems you face?

My major problem is lack of funds to execute the projects. The projects are very capital intensive and I don’t have the proper equipment. That is why I moved from Abia to Abuja where I believe I would have a better chance of being noticed. I have gone to exhibit my model at the Ministry of Science and Technology, at the office of the Presidential Standing Committee on Inventions and Innovations (PSCII). I want to appeal to the government and other well meaning Nigerians to give me a chance to prove myself. Given the right environment and tools, I will surprise Nigerians with my output.

Nigeria was ranked very low in a recent survey for innovation. Why do you think this is so?

See, Nigerians are naturally innovative. The average Nigerian child makes all his toys himself from wood, plastic or paper. Therefore, it’s not an issue of lack of ingenuity. I will place the blame on the education sector; the schools do not encourage innovation. The curriculum is not practical oriented. Everything is in theory. Can you imagine chemistry students learning about titration with only textbooks? This is not good. I also believe parents should allow their children do what they want to do without trying to influence their career choices.

What advice do you have for youths who are aspiring engineers and other Nigerians?

My advice is that they continue pursuing their dreams. Engineering is not something you can learn by only reading books. You must be ready to get your hands dirty. With self belief and hard work, nothing is impossible. My advice to fellow Nigerians is that they should try to support smart and innovative people so that our economy can grow bigger.

NIGERIA SET TO BUILD A $150M CANCER INSTITUTE

The agonies of cancer patients in Nigeria and other parts of the African continent will soon become a thing of the past as Ogun State Government has concluded plans with HTI Global Cancer Partners of the United States of America to construct a $150m Cancer Institute in the State.

State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka who disclosed this at a press conference held in Abeokuta stated that the Step is another gesture of the State government to provide adequate health care services, adding that the centre would be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to render both diagnostic and curative services on all types of cancer.

Dr. Soyinka pointed out that the Institute would be situated at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu to facilitate academic affiliation, disclosing that the State government intends to make some of the cancer services available to poor patients through the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS).

The Commissioner emphasised that the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration’s commitment to resuscitating the healthcare sector remained unwavering as the institute would be the first of the its kind on the African continent.

Also speaking,his counterpart in the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Barr. Yusuph Olaniyonu observed that the move would motivate people from other parts of the continent to seek medical treatment as well as attract medical personnel to learn about the treatment of the different types of cancer.

In his remark, the Chairman, Board of Managers, HTI Global Cancer Partners, Dr. Bert Petersen said the Institute is a holistic project which would span through prevention, health promotion, screening, recruitment of expert personnel, diagnosis of all treatment modalities, research, development and training. Dr. Petersen observed that the present leadership of the State Government encouraged the partnership, lauding the government for “gradually bringing into being war against cancer”.

Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer of the USA based partners, Miss Ericka Consin-Mosheshe, expressed optimism that “by January 2015, we will treat our first patient. We realised that a lot of patients go abroad, so we anticipate that we have many patients who would not have to leave the country anymore to seek medical services”.

Agriculture Is The Future Of Nigeria

By Adam Robert Green: Senior reporter at This is Africa, focusing on trade and investment, development policy, energy and social service delivery.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series by the Financial Times’ This Is Africa publication on realizing Africa’s agricultural potential, in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation.

In the 1960s, before it turned to oil, Nigeria was one of the most promising agricultural producers in the world. Between 1962 and 1968, export crops were the country’s main foreign exchange earner. The country was number one globally in palm oil exports, well ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia, and exported 47 percent of all groundnuts, putting it ahead of the US and Argentina.

But its status as an agricultural powerhouse has declined, and steeply. While Nigeria once provided 18 percent of the global production of cocoa, second in the world in the 1960s, that figure is now down to 8 percent. And while the country produces 65 percent of tomatoes in west Africa, it is now the largest importer of tomato paste.

Nigeria’s minister for agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, reels off these statistics with regret as he discusses the country’s deteriorating agriculture sector. “Nigeria is known for nothing else than oil, and it is so sad, because we never used to have oil – all we used to have was agriculture,” he says.

Nigeria’s oil has come at the detriment of the agriculture sector, he claims, “and that is why we had a rising poverty situation. We were having growth but without robust growth able to impact millions of people because it is not connecting to agriculture.”

That might explain why Nigeria’s economic statistics are so puzzling. While the country has been posting high growth figures, and makes it into Goldman Sachs’ ‘Next 11’ emerging markets group, absolute poverty is rising, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1.25 a day. The National Bureau of Statistics says 60.9 percent of Nigerians in 2010 were living in absolute poverty, up from 54.7 percent in 2004.

But it is not just oil that has hollowed out the agriculture sector, with knock-on effects on poverty rates. Restrictive trade policies also had an effect, especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Tariff increases, a rise in import licenses and duties, and export bans and tariffs – as well as a centralisation of marketing of agricultural produce through the formation of crop-specific commodity boards – all created a lumbering, inefficient private sector, as well as opening up many opportunities for corruption. Today, Nigeria has transitioned from being a self-sufficient country in food to being a net importer, spending $11bn on imports of rice, fish and sugar. “It just makes absolutely no sense to me at all,” says Mr Adesina. “My job is to change that.”

Not everything is in the minister’s hands, of course. Climate change poses a threat to Nigerian agriculture – the World Bank recently predicted an up to 30 percent drop in the country’s crop output due to erratic rainfall and higher temperatures. But when it comes to achievable changes, Mr Adesina seems well placed to act on what lies within reach, combining an encyclopaedic knowledge of his country’s agriculture sector with a clear strategic vision.

While ministers’ portfolio’s are often fast-changing, giving them limited time to develop expertise in any given sector, Mr Adesina has a strong background as vice president of policy and partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), and a decade at the Rockefeller Foundation. He was appointed by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals. His energy is palpable, and he looks well positioned to engineer a major turnaround in Nigerian agriculture.

The change needed, he says, requires a shift in mindset. “We were not looking at agriculture through the right lens. We were looking at agriculture as a developmental activity, like a social sector in which you manage poor people in rural areas. But agriculture is not a social sector. Agriculture is a business. Seed is a business, fertiliser is a business, storage, value added, logistics and transport – it is all about business.”

He wants to change the sector’s image, putting it at the forefront of national development. “Agriculture is the future of Nigeria. And agriculture that is modernised, that is productive, that is competitive. We must be a global player,” he says.

Nigeria’s respected finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, speaks positively about Mr Adesina’s reforms to date – especially in cleaning up the corrupt fertiliser industry. Now, rather than directly participating in the delivery system for fertiliser, the government leaves that to the private sector and only provides the subsidy. This change has tackled 40 years of corruption, and ended it – Mr Adesina claims – in 90 days.

Ms Okonjo-Iweala says it has been easier to work with Mr Adesina than previous ministers. “It is not only about doling out subsidies which do not reach farmers,” she says. “That was frustrating for me the first time [I was finance minister]. Now he came and cleaned up the fertiliser issues.”

Nigeria is now seeking to add 20m metric tonnes to the domestic food supply by 2015 and to create 3.5 million jobs through agriculture. This requires more sophisticated thinking about the value addition of individual crops – cassava being but one example. “We are the largest producer of cassava in the world, at 40m metric tonnes, but I want us to become the largest processor of cassava as well,” Mr Adesina claims. “We can focus on using cassava for starch, dry cassava chips for export to China, cassava flour to replace some of the wheat flour that we are importing. So we are restructuring the space for the private sector to add value to every single thing.”

Finance is the critical catalyst to growth, and in Nigeria it has proven hard to link the two. “You find that only 2 percent of all bank lending in Nigeria goes into agriculture – a sector that is 40 percent of GDP and 70 percent of employment. The reason was because banks could not find the money trail in the agriculture sector,” Mr Adesina says.

That is beginning to change, with banks starting to look again at the opportunities offered by agriculture – which in part follows the reforms implemented by Mr Adesina’s administration to root out corruption and improve efficiency. Last year, his ministry developed a facility with the Central Bank of Nigeria – helped by donor assistance from the UK, German and US development agencies – called Nirsal, an agribusiness initiative that provides risk management, financing, trading, and strategic solutions.

The $50m facility, which leverages $3.5bn, reduces the risk of agricultural lending by providing credit risk guarantees and brokerage services to buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities, including structured buyer forums. It also, selectively, buys on its own account to bring stability to markets. In addition, Nirsal offers advice designed to connect suppliers with downstream buyers.

This is part of a market-smart initiative, rather than a heavy handed intervention in the sector. “With banks you cannot beg them to lend because they are taking care of their people’s money, so you create the value and they see the value and lend,” he says.

While banks have often had a high perceived risk of lending to agriculture, the terms can be competitive if the sector functions well. Mr Adesina worked directly with the managing directors and chief risk officers of Nigeria’s banks in order to tackle what he saw as a misperception of risk, at least if the sector’s flaws – including inefficiencies and corruption – could be cleaned up. “What we have shown the banks is that agriculture gives as high and competitive a rate of return as other sectors if structured properly. But for banks to lend, we had to fix the agricultural value chain. Now the banks are all exploding on agriculture in Nigeria.”

The percentage of lending by banks to the sector was just 1 percent in 2010 – now it is 4 percent, with a target of 10 percent. Last year, banks embarked on lending to seed companies for the first time in Nigeria. “We did an assessment at the end of the season,” recalls Mr Adesina. “The central bank governor asked the banks how much money did you lose lending to these guys last year? All the banks said zero percent. This year we expect the banks to lend $400m to seed companies alone. The reason their losses are zero is because we have changed the way we structure our agriculture sector.” The best performing stocks in the Nigerian Stock Exchange are now not banks, but agricultural companies.

Crucially, it is institutional reform – rather than simply heavier public spending – which can best unleash financing in the sector. “I do not think that throwing money at anything solves problems. It is all about policy reforms, creating incentives, getting the private sector in there, getting financial markets behind agriculture. Our goal is to become an agriculturally industrialised economy. Nigeria should be like Brazil, as far as I am concerned,” says Mr Adesina.

“Of course you need public financing of critical things like infrastructure, roads, and irrigation facilities – those are public goods that governments are obviously spending money on. But the greatest way is through the private sector.”

ACHIEVER: NIGERIAN NATIVE, AGBEDE OWNS US LARGEST BLACK ENGINEERING FIRM

Robert Agbede a brilliant student excelled in science and math at a private high school outside his hometown of Lagos which made it easy for him to receive scholarship offers from universities like Stanford, Penn State and the Colorado School of Mines, among others.

Agbede chose Montana Tech in Butte because the school would let him start at once.

  

When he arrived in Montana, Agbede stared at the bleak, frozen landscape and wondered if he'd made a mistake.

″I had black platform shoes, a two-piece suit, and bell bottoms. I grew a big afro. That was the era of 'Shaft,' and I learned how to walk like 'Super Fly,' Agbede recalled. ″But I didn't even have a coat. Of all the places I could have picked...″

Better days awaited him...

Agbede today heads Chester Engineers Inc., headquartered in Moon. Last year, the National Society of Black Engineers presented him with its 2012 Golden Torch Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. The society said Chester Engineers is the largest black-owned environmental and engineering design company in the United States and the largest water and wastewater treatment plant design and Management Company in Western Pennsylvania.

″Every so often, I ask myself, 'Why me?' ″ Agbede said.

His unlikely rise strikes long-time friend Glenn Mahone, senior partner at the Downtown law firm Reed Smith, as mythical. In any good story, Mahone said, the hero comes from nothing. He embarks on an arduous quest, ends up in a strange, foreboding land and overcomes the odds through sheer determination.

″For a black guy from Lagos, looking like Shaft, to end up in Butte, Montana - I mean, Butte, Montana! - and eventually buy Chester Engineers? That takes courage, and it takes confidence, ″ Mahone said.

Agbede spent six months in Butte before his uncle, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, convinced him to transfer.

″They said 'Pittsburgh is the smoky city,' but it was heaven to me,″ Agbede said. ″I loved it. My reference line was Butte. I said, let me get out of Butte, and I just left. I had an AMC Pacer, one of the worst cars ever, and I just left it there. In Pittsburgh, the cup was half full.″

In 1979, he graduated from Pitt with an engineering degree and entered the doctoral program while working for the research arm of the National Coal Council. Through most of the 1980s, he worked as an engineer with Babcock Co., and in 1987, his life changed, he said.

U.S. Steel called, seeking help with reducing dust from the longwall mining machine at its coal mine in Alabama, he said. The Mine Safety and Health Administration threatened to close the mine if U.S. Steel couldn't fix the problem.

″They asked how much I would charge to help,″ Agbede said. ″I didn't know; I said $1,000 because that number sounded nice to me. They agreed, and I came down for the weekend.″

In a Birmingham hotel room, Agbede could not sleep that night.

″I left the television on, and there was Jimmy Swaggart,″ Agbede said. ″He was on one knee, he was crying and saying, 'Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.' Well, I got down on my knees, too, and I prayed: 'Lord, don't use all your energy on Jimmy because I need your help, too!' ″

Underground the next morning, he quickly determined how to fix the dust problem, he said. Agbede designed a device he called a scrubber, which uses water sprayers to remove dust. He patented the design, one of several patent notices framed in the Chester Engineers offices.

″We walked out of the mine, we were wearing coveralls and gear, everyone was celebrating, and I was walking like Rambo,″ Agbede said.

Two days later, U.S. Steel asked for a proposal to work on seven other problematic mines, Agbede said. He was unsure whether he wanted to start his own business.

″I never prayed that hard in my life,″ he said. ″I called them and said, 'I need an advance' -- I was trying to make them tell me no. They said, 'How much?' and I said $17,500. They said, 'OK, go pick it up at Ross Street.' I went to pick up the check, and that's how I got started.″

He bought gear, rented an office in Monroeville and started Advance Technology Services Inc. The company grew steadily, and in 2003, Agbede bought Chester Engineers from U.S. Filter Co. Chester was founded in Pittsburgh's North Side in 1910. Today, Chester Engineers has offices throughout the country and does projects around the world. Agbede spent 225 days on the road last year.

He won't release financial numbers, for competitive reasons. He wouldn't even say how many people he employs.

He is more forthcoming about his efforts to help students. Agbede has not forgotten his roots. He established the Robert O. Agbede Scholarship at Pitt to help black students pursuing engineering degrees and has given more than $3 million in other endowments.

″A lot of people work and make a lot of money, and then later on, they realize that their lives made no difference at all,″ Miles said. ″I'm about trying to make a difference. So is Bob. This company, if we're successful, we're going to make some money. But we're also going to make a difference. ... Bob takes that seriously.″

Today, Agbede's engineering firm is the largest African-American-owned firm of its kind in the United States