Let me thank you again, Pastor Poju Oyemade, for your constant invitations to come here, just as you said, for almost eight years now. When you first invited me, I was a much younger man, as you can imagine; because I’m told that so many young politicians have spoken here today already, so it is time for an older politician to speak.
I want to thank you again for your confidence in me and this platform to continuously expose some of the best minds that we have in our nation and some of the best ideas that we have. I also want to commend all of the previous speakers and to say that this is, in my view, one of the most important platforms that we have in our country to exchange ideas.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, nation building in its classical sense, refers to the formal and informal processes by which political leadership attempt to build a national identity, a national ethos, a national spirit, especially in ethnically and religiously diverse societies. But it is my thesis, that while government’s role is in casting the vision and creating the environment for nationhood, the real building of nations is done and best seen through the efforts and accomplishments of many outside of political leadership. Men and women in business, agriculture, education, entertainment and the arts, who by just doing their business diligently, or serving faithfully or making sacrifices, contribute to building the economies and, social systems that ultimately build the nation.
This afternoon I will share some of the stories of young people many of whom I have met, who by just doing their own work faithfully have contributed to building our economy, increased our national pride and confidence, created opportunities for others, as well as, inspired others to be the best they can be. My point is that we can contribute in profoundly transformative ways to changing our society, by just doing our bit with excellence. Let me begin with the exceptional role of young Nigerians in innovation and technology.
On the 17th of April, I did a tour of technology businesses and hubs. Paystack was my first stop; here is a safe payment system, which offers seamless money transactions between businesses and their customers. It was established in 2016, in the midst of the recession, by two young Nigerian alumni of Babcock University; Sola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi. Within the first three months of 2018, they have processed over N3billion and they generate about 40billion annually for Nigerian businesses. The company is today powering over 9000 businesses that did not exist two years ago, creating over 25,000 jobs. Paystack has over 50 employees, all under 35 years old.
I was also at Andela; a multinational company specializing in training software developers, co-founded by Nigerian-born Iyin Aboyeji, Ian Carnevale, Jeremy Johnson and Christina Sass. The company estimates that in the next 10 years, there will be 1.3million software development jobs, and only 40,000 computer science graduates to fill them. The company’s vision is to change the culture of Nigeria and the African continent, by developing talent and potential in Nigeria. Today, the company today has 1000 employees worldwide.
To enable that to happen, government’s role is to mainstream technology start-ups, to be able to benefit from the incentives of industry.
Kola Oyeneyin’s Venia Business Hub, another point I visited, is one of the earliest business hubs in Nigeria. He has provided an efficient environment for many start-ups, most of who use each other’s skills and technology cooperatively. But the pioneer of Nigerian hubs is clearly the Co-Creation Hub or CCHub founded in 2010, by two young social entrepreneurs, Bosun Tijani and Femi Longe. It provides a platform for innovative technology to solve social problems. Nearly 50 Nigerian tech driven businesses were incubated in CCHub. Some include the now famous BudgIt, Wecyclers, Genni Games, Lifebank, Gomyway, Vacantboards, Traclist, Autobox, Stutern, Gritsystems and Mamalette. All of these businesses were started by young men and women under thirty five. One of the start-ups that came out of Venia Hub is Flutterwave, founded in May 2016 by Iyin Aboyeji and a team of engineers and former bankers. This is a payment technology company that has since processed $2billion worth of transactions on its payment platforms.
Tayo Oviosu’s Paga is in a class by itself. It is the leading mobile money transfer service in Nigeria. Paga has 11,000 agents across Nigeria and 6 million users. The company has staff strength of 200 and by facilitating payments for goods and services in this way; Paga has enabled several businesses and transactions to take place.
In healthcare, many young people are solving huge problems with ease. Temi Giwa’s Lifebank and Ola Orekunrin’s Flying Doctors are two start-ups using technology and innovation to fill critical gaps in our healthcare industry. Lifebank works on the blood shortage problem in hospitals, and save lives by speeding up blood donations and delivery to hospitals in Lagos. Their Lifebank app connects and ensures delivery of blood within 55 minutes. Ola Orekunrin’s flying doctors is the first air operated emergency medical service in West Africa. Her company provides air ambulances from a pool of 20 aircrafts, and highly trained medical personnel for emergency evacuations.
The building of a self-reliant nation must mean that the nation should at least be able to feed itself. The response of many young Nigerians to the call of government to grow what we eat and eat what we grow, and also to diversify our economy, is responsible for the phenomenal growth we have experienced in the past three years in the agricultural sector. The transformation in productivity and increase in investment that Nigerian talent and entrepreneurship have brought to agriculture, is truly remarkable.
Farmcrowdy is a digital agriculture portal that crowdsources funding for farms across Nigeria. Founded in 2016 by Onyeka Akumah and three other young Nigerians; it operates like a mutual fund, pooling together money from multiple investors to establish farms and hire smallholder farmers to cultivate them, and then paying the investors dividends from the harvests from these farms. In December 2017, it succeeded in raising US$1m in capital funding. From November 2016 till date, it has over 3000 rural farmers, all have been able to keep a job, expand their farm operations and increase their revenue, as a result of intervention by Farmcrowdy.
Farmers like Sunday Ohimai, who is a cassava farmer in Edo State, Esther a maize farmer from Dorowa-Babuje, just outside Jos, who recently improved her small acreage to a hectare. Uka Eje’s Thrive Agric in Abuja, uses the same business model as Farmcrowdy also with great success.
Four years before Farmcrowdy, in 2012, Yemisi Iranloye founded Psaltry; a cassava processing company in the rural town of Ado Awaye. The starch it produces from the processed cassava is now used by several leading Nigerian food manufacturing companies, including Nestle, Unilever and Nigerian Breweries, as they increasingly replace imported starch with locally-sourced varieties. Psaltry was one of the companies that found growth opportunities in the midst of the recession, as companies cut down on imports and explored locally available substitution. In 2015, its revenues grew three-fold, and in 2016 it began building a second production line.
There is also Abdul Fatah Sadiq Murtala, 25, from Batagarawa local government in Katsina State. He founded Brio Green Agro Nigeria in 2016. It builds greenhouses and hydroponic systems. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in the growth chambers without soil. Brio Green is producing Animal fodder feed in a climate-controlled facility, year round using this technology. Brio Green Agro supplies farms and ranches with fodder feed across the country.
Kola Masha’s Babban Gona supports smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria with financing, agricultural input, training and marketing. Masha is leveraging his experience in both the private and public sectors, to deliver solutions that are changing the lives of thousands of struggling farmers like Umar Magaji. He is a 35-year-old farmer, who owns 1.5 hectares and, as of this year, leases another 2.5 hectares. He plans to increase to a further 2 hectares next year. Thanks to Babban Gona, he says, his yields are two to three times what they once were. He has refurbished his house, bought a motorcycle and enrolled his children in the village school. He is hopeful he can perform the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia within the next two years.
Angela Adelaja, founder of Fresh Direct, has perfected an innovative approach to farming, in disused containers, without soil and with very little water. What she’s doing could very well be the beginning of a farming revolution in Nigeria.
Also while visiting the Workstation Hub in Victoria Island; I had the pleasure of drinking Sola Ladoja’s fresh juice named “pick me up”. It is made by his start up called Simply Green. Simply Green is a farm-to-bottle raw organic cold press juice company. They use organic and technologically harvested practices, meaning no chemicals or pesticides are used in growing their fruits and vegetables. This is the kind of innovation that young people have brought to agriculture.
In beauty and high fashion, there is very little doubt that young Nigerians have captured, and in some instances, dominated local and international imagination. So the ground-breaking pioneering works of Deola Sagoe and Lisa Folawiyo have spawned a whole new generation of Nigerian designers, who are confidently using Nigerian and African print, to make bold and unmistakable statements in high fashion.
So today, Deola Sagoe has transformed the traditional Yoruba Iro and Buba, by using laser cut Aso-Oke to create the now famous “Komole”, the toast of brides across the country. Lisa Folawiyo has on her part, has taken beaded African print to new levels of creativity, and both of them have inspired a new generation of designers like, Andrea Iyama, and 31-year-old Amaka Osakwe, who owns the Maki oh! Brand started at the age of 23. She is now celebrated in Vogue magazine and last year in the New Yorker, she was celebrated as West Africa’s most daring designer. Her use of Adire in many collections is an intentional ploy to boldly redefine elements of culture. There are also others such as Orange Culture, Mai Atafo, are also literarily making waves in Men’s clothing.
In the beauty industry, Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder of the House of Tara and Banke Meshida, BM-PRO, stand out as pioneers who have influenced a whole generation of beauty experts, and beauty products. They have opened a new vista in bridal make up. Tara’s training of hundreds of beauty experts and franchising of her House of Tara, has created a whole new indigenously Nigerian beauty industry. This has created thousands of jobs for beauty experts and retailers. So now we see more ladies with their contours and highlights popping! Elaine Edozien Sobanjo of Shomaya and Joyce Jacob have also introduced Hollywood glamour to the Nigerian wedding make up industry.
By the way, what celebration today can beat the Nigerian wedding? From the makeup, dresses, to the decor, catering, cakes, party planning, and the photography; a whole new industry has developed around weddings by creative young people making an otherwise memorable event, even more memorable, and linking ethnicities across the country in fashion and ceremony.
Today everyone, Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, wear Aso Ebi, their wedding ceremonies are becoming increasingly similar, not by a uniformity that results in loss of culture or tradition, but by a creativity, that brings a standard while accentuating tradition and culture. The whole nature of the moderation, yet preservation of the traditional engagement ceremony, is such testament to the depth of thought and creativity of those young Nigerians who are internationalizing our wedding ceremonies. The Nigerian wedding has become so popular that film Wedding Party, was a major international commercial success.
It is perhaps in the literary arts, especially the written and spoken word that we see the difficult issues of nation building most poignantly confronted by young people. A new generation of literary torchbearers have emerged. Talents like Chimamanda Adichie, Helon Habila, Teju Cole, Chika Unigwe, Chigozie Obioma, Chibundu Onuzo, Abubakar Ibrahim, Eghosa Imasuen, Ayobami Adebayo, Elnathan John, and many more, poets like Titilope Sonuga, Dike Chukwumerije, picking up the baton from the Soyinkas and the Achebes. Their works expose the complications and the solutions to the issues associated with the mentality of persons in the post-colonial state; how a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society can thrive and survive. And how the major questions that emerge from these records and histories, can be used to build a nation.
The reflection and introspection from their talents, boldness, precision, undiluted expressions and call to action, invoke in us all, exactly what nation building and greatness is made of. They are not timid, and they represent a growing class of sophistication and confidence that confront lingering post-civil war and even post-colonial aches and pains. They highlight the hypocrisy of ethno-religious barriers often set by the elite, for selfish advantage, and expose the underlying selfishness and failure of statesmanship, that exploits fault lines for political and personal benefit. They highlight the cancer of systemic corruption, how it has eaten into the fabric of our society and cost us lives, years and retrogression. These writers and poets explore, explain and humanize the difficult issues around social justice, the humiliation and delegitimization that poverty brings, and the failures of the rule of law.
In Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, one of the main characters, a University Professor, tells his houseboy: “There are two answers to the things they will teach you about our land: the real answer and the answer you give in school to pass. You must read books and learn both answers. I will give you books, excellent books. They will teach you that a white man called Mungo Park discovered River Niger. That is rubbish. Our people fished in the Niger long before Mungo Park’s grandfather was born. But in your exam, write that it was Mungo Park.”
This reminds me of one of the proverbs that Chinua Achebe popularized: “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” An affirmation of the truth that nation-building is to a large extent about storytelling and the importance of telling our own stories and writing our own histories.
Aniete Isong’s book called Radio Sunrise is a scathing indictment of bribery in the Journalism profession. The watchdogs of our democracy are sometimes mere captives of corrupt politicians and that news and its analysis may often be paid for. There is no doubt, from what Aniete Isong’s says in her book, and also from experience, that grand corruption remains the most enduring threat to our economy. Just to give an example, three billion US dollars was stolen in the so called Strategic Alliance contracts sometime in 2013. Three Nigerians were responsible. Today, 3 billion dollars is 1trillion naira, and our entire budget, which is an estimate, not the actual cash is 7 trillion! If three people made away with 1trillion naira and the entire national budget is 7 trillion, you can’t wonder, how come it is that the economy will struggle.
When oil in our country was selling at 100 -114 dollars a barrel, the government then spent 99billion on Power, Works and Housing (separate ministries then), transport and agriculture got 15billion and 14billion respectively, in total all three ministries got 139billion. Today with all prices between 60 and 70, Power Works and Housing 415billion, Transportation 80billion, 65billion for Agriculture and a total of 560billion. How come we can do more with less income? How come we are investing in infrastructure? How come we have started Lagos Kano Standard Gauge railway, the Mambilla Hydro, the second Niger Bridge with 60% less income that we earned a few years ago? The truth is, just as Isong said, if you control corruption, you can do more with far less.
Dike Chukwumerije reminds us in his powerful poem, The Revolution has No Tribe, and he reminds us that our destinies as Nigerians, no matter our tribe or religion, are inextricably tied together. What affects one, affects all. Suffering neither knows tribe nor tongue. He says and I quote him:
“Do you not know that poverty is not an Ijaw man?
He will not spare the rest of us and afflict only the Ishan;
He will step over the river and come across the border,
So, when the drums sound let everybody answer.
Do you not know that corruption is not from Nekede?
He will not hear that Ife had no dealings with Modakeke,
He will wake up all of our children at night with hunger,
So, when the drums sound, let everybody answer.
Do you not know that our enemies have no face?
They are indigenes of no state, they come from no place,
and, if this boat capsizes every one of us will go under.
So, when the drums sound, let everybody answer.
Do not say, “I am an Iroko”, when the forest is burning.
Do not say, “I am an Obeche”, when the forest is burning as
our differences will not prevent us from perishing together
So, when the drums sound, let everybody answer.”
Nations are also built by the contributions of many public servants, those who work for governments despite the relatively poor remuneration. A few examples of these public servants – Damilola Ogunbiyi, who was 28 when as the first female General Manager of the Lagos State Electricity Board, she supervised the building of the 5 independent power plants in Lagos State, and was responsible for providing solar power to over 200 schools and primary health centers in the State.
Today, she is the first female Managing Director of the Federal Rural Electrification Agency, responsible for providing uninterrupted power to 37 Federal universities and seven teaching Hospitals. This is a new project called Energizing Education which she is pioneering from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. She started the project to provide power to Nigeria’s largest markets. Already the first phase of the project has been completed in Sabongari market in Kano, and the construction phase has also started for the Ariaria market in Aba.
Afolabi Imoukhuede handles the N-Power programme, a major feature of the Federal government’s Social Investment Programme. The programme engages 200,000 graduates across all levels of local governments. Its applications came through a portal developed by Softcom, a company of young Nigerian engineers. The process of engagement goes through that platform and millions have applied through the platform.
Tochi Nwachukwu is the Special Assistant to the President on Power Privatization responsible for transmission, doing innumerable transmission projects across the country. Imeh Okon is a Senior Special Assistant to the President, advising on railways, roads, airports and other infrastructure projects.
Mariam Masha, a medical doctor, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on IDPs and with Bisi Ogunbadejo, both have been working with IDPs in Maiduguri since August 2015. Recently, they have been managing a newly built learning centre and home for 1,500 orphans in Maiduguri. Mohammed Brimah works on the North East Humanitarian technology hub, where ground-breaking innovation is applied to tackle humanitarian challenges. All of these individuals are young people working in government, doing creative things. I have mentioned those working in the Federal Government, there are hundreds of others, working in State Governments.
But often forgotten are the excellent teachers in primary and secondary schools. Take the wonderful ingenuity and dedication of Emeafor Roland Chigozie, a secondary school teacher in the FCT, who has earned several awards for extraordinary efforts in raising our next generation.
This Micro Biology and Chemistry graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was named the best science teacher and recognized specially for exceptional performance in preparing FCT students in quiz and projects exhibitions. She also recently received another award for contributing to the 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award competitions. As a chemistry teacher, the success rate of Emeafor’s students in the past 5 years of WAEC and NECO Exams ranged from 87% to 92%.
There is also Doreen Omoregie, also a school teacher from Edo State, currently working in the FCT. She is a graduate of Chemistry Education, and she deserves this mention just because she consistently goes beyond the call of duty in discharging her responsibilities. Even as a youth corper serving in a primary school, she organized a workshop for teachers on the use of primary science kits. She was soon able to take her school towards winning the award for the first best state school in Nigeria in science. Miss Omorogbe herself was best science teacher in her school for three consecutive years. Quite remarkably, she has being able to use her knowledge in producing items like soap, sanitizer, and disinfectants etc which were used to protect students and teachers during the Ebola crises a few years ago.
It is just amazing the incredible work that these individuals do. These are the true nation builders, teachers, farmers, entrepreneurs, public servants, who work in this country, pay taxes; they bear the hardships, but remain focused. They are the determined, and most of them, just as Abiodun Jinadu said, are survivors! They are determined and committed. They are the ones who recognise that even where change is slow, it will come. They are prepared to do their own part day by day; their own dreams of greatness, their hard work are the building blocks of our nation.
And how about the young men and women of the police and armed forces who lay their lives on the line daily to protect us? The story of Late Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, has been told often. As commander of the 272 Task Force battalion, his battalion was responsible for the recapture of Bama, Baga, Monguno and later, Konduga. He was decorated for bravery and excellence. He had become a terror to Boko Haram insurgents. But he and four other soldiers were killed in an ambush. He was 36 years old, survived by his wife and three children.
The story of the late Sergeant Chukwudi Igboko went viral when he confronted armed robbers in a daylight robbery at a Zenith bank in Owerri, Imo State. He killed one of the robbers; the robbery was foiled but he and another Officer Sergeant Sunday Agbo, died of the gunshot injuries they sustained during the attack. Both of them left wives and children. It is to these men and women who fight to defend our nation from terrorism, and crime that we owe the preservation of our Nationhood. Some do not die but lose their limbs, their sight or hearing. The widows, widowers and children of these brave men and women, bear the pain and anguish of loss by themselves for many years.
And then there is the entertainment sector, whose main advantage lies in how it transcends tribe, tongue and location to bring joy to the screens of millions of Nigerians. Think of how much bliss the music videos of Clarence Peters and the bestselling comedies of Ayo Makun, Basket Mouth, Akpororo, Chioma Emeruwa (Chigal) Falz the Bad Guy, Funke Akindele (Jenifa), and the multi-talented comedian and singer Kenny Black have brought to audiences at home and abroad. They proudly fly our flag and make us proud. But one of our favourites at the villa is Senator MC Toguwaye, his Excellency the President; his impersonations of the President has the President himself, nearly falling off his chair with laughter. And then there is the newest generation, emerging as we speak on Instagram and WhatsApp. Lasisi Elenu (‘Somun just happen right now!’), Williams Uchemba (“You know I don’t like what I hate”).
Stand-up Comedy in Nigeria owes much to the pioneering efforts and mentor ship of AliBaba. He literally created a whole industry. Ayo “AY” Makun is not just successful; he has continually given a new generation of comedians a platform with his AY live shows. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
Few will deny the incredible dividends that Nollywood has brought to Nigeria. Jason Njoku and his wife Mary Remy, owners of Iroko and Rok TV pioneered live streaming of Nollywood movies, taking Nollywood to the world. They have also provided opportunities for hundreds of production personnel and agents. For a lot of these, it is to Mo Abudu, founder Ebonylife TV which airs in 49 countries, and a prolific creator of high quality afro-centric entertainment content, that pride of place must be given. Mo Abudu has continuously sought to change the negative perceptions of Africa by telling Africa stories from an African perspective. Her project, the Wedding Party, became the highest grossing Nigerian movie.
Wherever you go in the world today, on airplanes or in department stores you can hear Nigerian music. The credit for taking Nigerian music to the world must go to stars like Tiwa Savage, Davido, Olamide, Wizkid, Waje and so many others. Their creativity and talent has benefited our nation’s image and put a spring to the steps of so many young and aspiring entertainers. The credit for the discovery, grooming and production of many world class Nigeria acts and records, and building true Nigerian brands is to the likes of DonJazzy (Marvin records), and Banky W’s of E.M.E. As government, our business is to create the environment for entrepreneurs to do business, so we are working on access to cheap credit, and on providing infrastructure, especially power and greater broadband penetration.
But the task of nation building is never done. The builders confront new problems daily. Today, we are confronted with the remnants of Boko Haram, with farmer/herdsmen clashes, and the potential of ethno religious conflict, we have to feed ourselves, provide millions of new jobs, as every day, more people are added to our population. The job of the builder is not to complain or escape, but to confront and resolve.
What can we do together to ensure that we don’t spend the rest of our days looking forward to the past, frozen by inaction, we must not do the same things over and over, and hope for better results.
I believe the solution is in building that Nigerian bridge. This bridge will not be built of steel or bricks or mortar, but it must be made of the strongest materials of all, our will to excel as Nigerians, our commitment to build a new society, men and women of a new Nigerian Tribe. This is a bridge that connects us across tribes, ethnicities and dialects, a bridge that connects us across religion, politics and across even generations.
Everyone can travel on this bridge, this strong and steady bridge, a bridge that rises from innovation and traditions that span the troubled waters of our past. A bridge that will withstand the powerful forces of fear, division and exclusion. A bridge that can take the traffic of our best ideas, our creativity, our human and material resources daily to the destination of our dreams. The bridge will be built with the wisdom of the elderly and the strength of youth. All of us deserve some accolades!
God bless you, thank you very much.
* Full text of the keynote address delivered by His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, Vice President, Federal Republic Of Nigeria, at The Platform Nigeria Event, held at The Covenant Place, Iganmu, Lagos State, on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.
