From evangelism to bottled water

The Diocese of Osun of The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), seems to be doing more than evangelism and winning souls for Christ. It has gone into a commercial venture to oil the throats and stomach of the people so to speak with the production of bottle water named Aquados.

The journey to the water business began in January 2010, when the Diocesan board under the leadership of the Bishop, Rt. Rev. James Afolabi Popoola, resolved to invest in some key areas of economy in order to among other things generate more fund for the smooth running of the Diocese.

Other reasons adduced for venturing into bottling water for sale include creating job opportunity for some unemployed youths and provision of neat and high quality water products, hygienically produced in a neat environment for members of the public.

The water factory located within the Bishop’s Court at Isale-Aro, Osogbo, commenced full operation in November 2010, as a subsidiary of the Osun Diocese Investment Company Limited. It was commissioned by the Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori on October 9, 2010.

To make the business run smoothly, a nine member, board of directors was set up to look after the affairs of the factory. The directors, who are successful professionals and business men and members of the Anglican Church in the Diocese include, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, Chief J. O. Oyayinka, Engr. Seye Adepoju, Mr. Tunji Adeleke, Mr. Ajayi Oladipo, Mr. Pade Odedele and Rev. Moses Badejo, who serves as the GeneralManager of the factory.

Apart from obtaining an approval of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to validate the quality of its production, the factory’s 75 and 50cl table water have also been certified by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, a development that was celebrated at the Diocese.

At a ceremony to present the SON certificate the Bishop, Rt. Rev. Popoola, disclosed that the factory was being patronised by corporate organisations, including hotels, canteens and eateries and Anglican Church members.

Presenting the certificate, the Osun State Director of the agency, Engr. Dele Ayeni, said they are satisfied with the company’s standard, operation and products.

The General Manager of the factory, Rev. Badejo, disclosed that the investment employs 18 workers who, according to him, are well paid. He said the factory’s products would soon be sold outside Osun State as the management is already discussing with customers in the northern part of the country.

Osun governor’s wife challenges artistes on culture

Osun State Governor’s wife, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam have urged theartre artistes to instill good culture and character in the young ones through their profession.
The duo spoke in Osogbo on Sunday at the launch of a Yoruba film, produced by Mrs. Foluke Amere, wife of the House of Representative member, representing Iwo/Ayedire/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency, Hon. Gafar Amere, which was celebrated amidst fanfare.
Mrs Aregbesola, who described artiste as teachers, said that evidences have shown that young ones, cultivate the habit they watch on films.
She added that the artistes can assist the administration of Governor Aregbesola in the propagation of Omoluabi ethos being propagated by the administration.
She added: “Artistes are teachers, because what our children, even the old watch on video sometimes serve as guide for them.
“This is the reason our thearter professionals must always come up with ideas that will instill good character in our children,” she said.
Also, Hon. Salaam urged the artistes to always be proud of their profession and use it to help the government in the development of society.
He said: “As you entertain, try to use your profession to help the society by propagating Omoluabi culture.”
Commending the governor for ensuring peace in the state, which, according to him, allows all professions to thrive, he said that this has brought rapid development to the state.
Speaking, the producer of the film, Mrs Amere said that the film was tailored towards propagating Omoluabi ethos.
She further noted that the major objective of the film was to showcase Yoruba culture and tradition.
Present at the occasion were the state Deputy Governor, Otunba Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; Senators Babajide Omoworare of Osun East, Mudashir Hussein of Osun West and Gbenga Ashafa from Lagos State.
Other are members of the House of Representatives, members of the state House of Assembly, members of the state executive council, Yoruba film producers, actors and actresses among others.

Peaceful students, trouble-shooting parents

With the furore that accompanied the decision of students of Baptist High School, Iwo, to wear different, albeit unapproved school uniform(s) to school recently, reflecting their religious beliefs, one would have thought that the school and indeed the entire community would be on fire.
But on February 10, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola chose to visit and douse the tension, everywhere and everything were calm. The semi urban town was as usual quiet, so also was the secondary school that grabbed the headlines in the media recently for the wrong reason.
By 7:45 a.m. when The Nation arrived at the sprawling premises of one of the most popular schools in Southwest, most of the teachers were already at work but the majority gathered in twos and threes, silently discussing the expected event of the day.
Wearing curious looks, the teachers and the five principals in the school attempted to carry out the instruction of the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary for the area (Osun West), Mr Adisa Olabamiji, to convene a single general assembly for all the students in the school. They were expecting the governor who pledged to visit the school for a peace meeting with all stakeholders in the crisis to address the general assembly.
A total of 92 students had worn unapproved uniforms to school the week before to create chaos and attract the attention of the world to the uniform crisis rocking the ongoing reform in the secondary education system. While some wore church choir robes, some came to school in traditional egungun (masquerade) costume, stirring tension and controversy on the propriety of the school uniform policy of the state.
But on this Monday morning, the students were in their normal joyous mood as they clutched to each other, trooping into the compound in large number. Unlike their teachers, the presence of some adults who converged inside the school compound near the gate, did not change the students’ mood. They were friends, colleagues and manifested no sign of segregation.
This was conveyed in the way non-Muslim students clutched to their hijab-wearing Muslim friends and the happiness expressed in the way they exchanged banters as they walked into the compound. Obviously, to them, there was neither threat nor trouble. Peace could be read on their faces while they bubbled in friendship spirit. To the students, all was fine!
They all appeared in the approved uniform distributed to them by the state government. With common chocolate brown trousers, skirt, shorts or pinafore as appropriate, the students donned yellow or gold colour top to match, with a beret to differentiate the schools. Female Muslims students, however, wore hijab as a mark of their religious belief.
After a short period of foot-dragging, the bell for assembly rang at exactly 8:10 a.m. but the students did not gather quickly. It took them another 10 minutes before they responded to the call for assembly. At that time, suspicion was filling the air on the turn which the planned event would take as the crowd of adults at the gate was swelling.
Then, the Tutor-General addressed the assembly. He told them that the state government meant well with the new policy, adding that the mega-school being constructed would accommodate most of the high school students in the area. He highlighted some of the specific aspects of the policy aimed at making the students better adults in the future. Mr. Olabamiji urged them to show understanding with the government and maximise the opportunities being offered them.

The school

Baptist High School, Iwo was established in 1955 by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. It was a first-class secondary school with full boarding facilities. Located in the then serene Adeeke area of Iwo but development later expanded the town to the location.
It has produced several renowned personalities and carries the name of the Baptist church high. In spite of the take-over of all mission schools by the government in 1976, members of the church and the alumni still see Baptist High School, Iwo as a missionary school of sort.

Build up to the event

As the assembly was going on, the crowd of locals made up of parents and government officials began to grow steadily. At 12:27 pm, the helicopter conveying the governor appeared on he sky an appearance that threw the students into a frenzy of jubilation. They screamed and jumped as they moved towards the direction where the chopper was to land. They criss-crossed the lines they had formed to usher him into the open field, venue of the meeting, flouting directive of security agents. But they were not punished. It was emotional!
A minute later, the green helicopter marked 5N BLI, touched ground. The ecstasy, particularly among the students and locals was palpable. They pressed towards the governor as they screamed: “Ogbeni, Ogbeni,” waving their hands.
Aregbesola did not disappoint them. He also waved as soon as he became visible through the helicopter’s window in his school uniform. With a broad smile, he alighted from the copter and was led by security agents towards the waiting crowd. The governor ignored the thick dust generated from the preponderance of legs marching the graded piece of land as he trudged into the thick crowd. They massed him in ecstasy. It was a rousing welcome at its best!
Then, the meeting commenced. It was an outpouring of emotion.
After the opening prayer by representatives of the Christian, Muslim and traditional worshippers communities, the Secretary, Iwo Local Government, Alhaji Kamardeen Alao, welcomed the governor and members of his cabinet.
Hailing Aregbesola for the systematic way he handled the crisis, he recalled that the deputy governor, Mrs Titilayo Laoye-Tomori and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, had visited the town to discuss with warring religious leaders but that it was good that the governor eventually came.
He prayed for peace to continue to reign in the town and lauded the Aregbesola administration for the production of the learning tablet dubbed “Opon Imo.”
Giving the reasons for the meeting, the Tutor-General, Mr Olabamiji, explained that the parley was to find a lasting solution to the crisis and to distribute Opon Imo to the students. He reiterated the need for peace to reign in schools and to support the Aregbesola administration.
According to him, “our governor observed that poor results have been emanating from our schools. He was not happy. That is the reason he has been introducing several reforms in the education sector including appointing a principal as a Permanent Secretary (PS). It has never happened in the history of this state. With the many reforms, teachers are now working harder because they are happier and students are doing better in public examinations.
“Eight days ago, trouble started in this school but we thanked God that our intervention changed things. We have held several peace meetings including the one called by governor last week. This is the biggest peace meeting.
“This government believes that we are all one and religion should not tear us apart. Hence, he brought the government here to have a face-to-face meeting with stakeholders. Christians were not represented at the Osogbo meeting, hence, Aregbesola decided to come down here.”
The PS disclosed that the school has a total of 2,123 students including 479 students in Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3).
The Deputy Governor who also doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Laoye-Tomori explained that the gathering was not a political meeting but that people should not be surprised to see the crowd because Aregbesola has a magnetic pull.
Addressing the crisis, she said: “The governor watched how some students came to school in unconventional uniform. But as a father to all, he directed that none of them should be punished. He has invited their parents and had a successful meeting with them on Friday. His coming (here today) is to broke permanent peace. Both the students and the parents are here.
“For us in the Osun State, the importance we attach to education makes us put education in the front burner. We are determined to produce true leaders of tomorrow. That is why we provide appropriate tools and facilities that enhance learning. We always work for peace in our schools and everywhere in Osun. (And) in furtherance of the technology-based education, the governor will distribute Opon Imo to our students here today.”
The Deputy-Governor sued for peace and love among students. “Let parents also lead in showing love,” she said.
As the programme progressed, religious leaders were called upon to present their positions on the issue. First to speak was the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Iwo, Rev. Dr. Bayo Ademuyiwa.
Ademuyiwa said, the Christian community, most of who are the parents were pained by the troubles emanating in the school system. Emphasising that the troubles are unnecessary, he said Christians would continue to reject wearing of unconventional uniform to school.
“We are pained that unnecessary issues are troubling our education. CAN says ‘No’ to wearing of unconventional uniform. Our governor sees equity. He is not partial. We think the governor should make a statement on this. Christian children began to wear unconventional uniforms when they realised that their counterparts in other religions wore it without being punished.
“At the meeting with the governor, religious leaders agreed that no child should wear unconventional uniform. Our children didn’t wear it today because we prevailed on them while Muslims wore theirs.
“Christians want equity. Please define conventional uniform for all of us,” he said.
He, however, charged students to concentrate on their studies, and not the uniform issue.
In their presentation, spokesman for the Muslim community, Sheik Idris Mogaji, pointed out that Western education experienced delayed growth in Iwo in the early times because Muslims discovered that many of their children that went to school abandoned the religion for Christianity. “We are not interested in using force. We are just following the Qur’an. We support the government and its activities,” he said. He also alleged that Muslims are always criticised for sticking to the precepts of the Qur’an.
In their presentation, spokesperson of the traditionalists Miss Ifawole Anifalaje, simply declared: “We are for peace and traditional religion does not support violence.” She thereafter pronounced a lengthy blessing on the gathering and the entire state.
The representative of the Oluwo-in-Council, Chief Akeem Oyebimpe Bello, sued for peace among all stakeholders. He admonished students to concentrate on their studies and reject offer to be used as cannon fodders.
He said: “Children, pay more attention to your studies than any other thing. The future belongs to you and education is what will help you to fulfill your dreams in life. This generation of your parents would soon grow old. This problem is age-long in Iwo. It was muffled by previous governors. We have held meetings with leaders of the two religions and we believe this administration will resolve it once and for all.”
SS3 students in the school were given the Opon Imo by the Deputy Governor. She disclosed that government was working towards distributing 150,000 copies of the tablet across the state.
Two of their representatives, Samuel Aremu and Mutiyat Bashir, expressed gratitude to the governor for the tablets. They also appealed to parents to allow them concentrate on their studies by shunning any action that is capable of causing chaos in the schools.
Samuel said: “We students have no problem among ourselves. Those misbehaving are being sponsored by their parents. Parents, let peace reign.”
“We are not happy about this chaos. We beg our parents to let peace reign. We can’t concentrate on our studies in an atmosphere of chaos. Government, please do something about it,” Bashir said.
Addressing the crowd, Aregbesola, after singing three Yoruba songs that emphasised the importance of education, told the audience that he attended school in a local community but thanked God for taking him to his current position.
“I came to address you children, especially. This is the only platform for you to become great in life. You can be great if you pay attention to your studies and work hard. That is why we take education seriously. No state takes education as seriously as the Osun State. I want to advise you to face your studies. Your future is important to us. Let our investments on you show.
“When you see us running up and down, it is because we want you to have a great future. Don’t let such ugly incident recur. Wise people don’t show protest in a way that will destroy the society. When they push you, don’t push yourselves.
“For efficiency, we divided school management into three with three Tutors-General as heads. We have also employed over 10,000 teachers, 58 per cent of the number of teachers we inherited. We give free food and fruits, all with a view to improving the quality of education in the state. We can only be proud to see you succeed. Don’t let us regret what we are doing. We are building excellent schools. It is all because of you and future generations. We have paid N400 million for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination this year. We spent N850 million yearly to remove the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) levy. This government has good plan for you.”
The governor disclosed that a section of the society went to court over the matter because the government is neutral. He said the government could not go further on the issue pending the determination of the case. But he emphasised; “Those inciting people against us will fail.”
Aregbesola declared: “I have decided to visit you today after I heard about a little misunderstanding and consequent bad behaviour by a very tiny number among you, which does not by any stretch of the imagination approximate the spirit of amity and scholarship in this school and even the community. The manner in which you have all received me has put a lie to the antics of mischief makers, who made futile bid to impress upon the whole world that this school and indeed Iwo town are on the verge of civil war.
“On the contrary, what I have seen are happy students in gay mood willing to project the Omoluabi ethos and looking to the future with great hope. This indeed is our desire for you. Our philosophy of education is the creation of the total man, a man who is physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually equipped to contribute to societal development. This is a man who views his acquisition and life attainment as instruments in the service of society and improvement of fellow citizens. This new person stands confident and radiates love to fellow human beings and is never threatened by other people who are different from him or her in some respects.
“Education is the means by which this new man is produced. Our interest in education even goes further. The world is now a rapidly changing place. Knowledge has become the basis of power and no longer the old notions of large territory, large army, large human population and large deposits of material resources.
“The most powerful nations are those that know how to use resources and trade in knowledge. Our world is now controlled by those who know technology and not those who have it. It means in essence that a nation that knows how to manufacture cars, tractors and nuclear weapons is superior to those who merely have the money to buy them. The former is the master while the later is a mere servant.
As we are, we are already marginalised in that world and our pie will further shrink in the future if we do not prepare our youth to compete favourably in that imminent future. We are therefore preparing those who will be political leaders, scientists, clergies, diplomats, inventors, captains of industries and leaders in all respects in the next 20 years, at least.”

Education: before and now

The governor rolled out data on steps taken and policies introduced so far to address the poor state of education. He enjoined all stakeholders to support the efforts aimed at putting the state on the world map, particularly in the area of teaching and learning and its attendant harvests.
His words: “Let me briefly intimate you with our commitment to education since our inauguration three years ago. The first thing we did was to convoke an education summit which was attended by eminent stakeholders in education, including Prof. Wole Soyinka. The reforms we have carried out emanate from the summit. We realised that there was shortage of teachers and as of now, we have employed 10,407 teachers in all categories of schools. We now have a total number of 12,715 teachers in primary schools and 7,848 teachers in secondary schools. This is 54.8 per cent more than we inherited. We have also employed 564 non-teaching staff in schools.
The salaries and pensions we consequently pay every year is N16.8 billion for primary school teachers while N10.3 billion is expended on same in secondary schools. So, on salary alone, we are spending a total of N27.1 billion. For the free school uniforms we gave to pupils, we have spent N900 million. For the free school feeding programme, we commit N3.6 billion every year. For the furniture supplied to the schools, we have committed N2.5 billion. Before we came, no school had instructional materials and again, on this, we have spent N503 million. The total grants to schools stand at N856 million against N122 million recorded for previous administration. We have also paid N400 million for WAEC fees against N38 million paid by previous administration.
We have spent so far N1.2 billion on Opon Imo and this includes the delivery of 50,000 units of the tablets, some of which will be distributed in this school today. We have spent N14.4 billion on capital projects so far for the construction of brand new 13 elementary schools, 14 middle schools and 12 high schools. Work is ongoing. We have also spent N1.6 billion on school renovations and will continue until all our schools are all centres of excellence.
The total recurrent annual expenditure on elementary schools is N21 billion, amounting to N84,000 per capital spending on each pupil while for secondary schools, it is N13.43 billion and per capital of N30,000 on each pupil. Our capital expenditure on all schools stands at N31.31 billion.
We are not just bandying figures. These are good money spent and reflected on increased school enrolment and healthy and well-fed school children; in the cutting edge instrument of Opon Imo; in conducive environment for learning; and in drastically improved performance in internal and national examinations. They are reflected in brand new uniforms; in fulfilled teachers who now have instructional aid for the first time; in promptly paid salaries; and ultimately in self assured youths bracing up with confidence to the future.
Beyond our financial commitment, we have invested hope in you; the hope that you will realise your greatest potentials and be a winner in your life endeavour; the hope that you will redeem our future that looked bleak hitherto. You cannot let us down. It is our hope that Nobel Laureates; renowned clergies like Pastors Adeboye and Kumuyi; Imams like Sheik Adelabu; army generals like Petinrin; great entertainers like Moses Adejumo (Baba Sala), Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande) and King Sunny Ade; inventors like Prof. Makanjuola; eminent jurists like Kayode Esho and Emmanuel Ayoola; astute diplomats like Hastrup and Fafowora; and great politicians like Bola Ige.
I want you to know that our concern for you is getting the best education available. You should, therefore, avoid distractions and indiscipline. We view you all as created equal by God and are therefore our shining stars. We cannot place any group above other.”

Government’s position on the crisis

Aregbesola insisted that a pending case against the government on the case renders it incapacitated to act further.
“We are a product of the rule of law and this has guided all our actions. As we have said in the past, we have not approved the use of hijab in any school. Let me repeat this again for the hearing of mischief-makers who have been working tirelessly to bring religious war to our state; those prompting chaos and conflagration in our state; those who have well established antecedent of violent behaviour; those sowing the seed of discord in our schools and community and inciting one religion against another (and they will all fail miserably by the grace of the Almighty), that the government did not at any time approve the use of hijab in any school, before the matter went to court. It is the court’s position that the status quo ante be maintained until the case is determined. This means that where it is in use, it will be maintained and it should not be extended to where it is not. This is the beauty of democracy, where there is respect for the rule of law.
We have set up a committee on discipline in public school and when we receive their report, we shall begin to enforce discipline in all schools. The future we are preparing you for has no place for unruly and undisciplined persons. Order, they say, is the first law in Heaven.
Yoruba people have a tradition of accommodation and inclusion; that is why our families are interwoven around all religions. Some people, goaded from hell, however, are working to break our bond of unity by beating the drum of religious war. They will fail and only they and their families will dance to that evil beat,” Aregbesola concluded. He, thereafter, set up a six-man committee headed by Barr. Gbadegesin Adeseji. The committee has one week to examine the crisis and submit its recommendations

Three things Southwest governors must do, by Oodu’a GMD

Three things Southwest governors must do, by Oodu’a GMD

Oodu’a Investments Limited, the business arm of five Southwest states, has been a story of successes and failures over the years, but, according to its Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Adebayo Jimoh, the conglomerate is well on course to transforming the social and economic landscape of Yorubaland. Jimoh, who is retiring next month after nine years in the saddle, spoke with BISI OLADELE

Nine years as the GMD/CEO of Oodu’a Investments Limited. How has it been?

It has been a very interesting, challenging period and more importantly, it has been a period of getting to know the needs, aspirations and demands of the Yoruba nation and focusing on fulfilling some of the needs and aspirations of the Yoruba people. I thank God that within the nine years, I have done a bit and I am much fulfilled.

You said it has been interesting and challenging. How interesting?

It has been interesting in the sense that one taught one knew all but Odu’a Investment Company is another school entirely where you have to learn a lot about the people’s culture, the way the Yoruba want their assets to be utilised and their desires and their urge and passion for empowerment and progress. The Yoruba as a people are very assertive. So, for everything you do, they are questioning you and you may not have the answers. That’s why I said that Odu’a is a school that teaches you how to satisfy the needs and the aspirations of the Yoruba people. You will be learning all over again no matter what you think you know. So for me, it was a worthy experience and very, very interesting one as a student.

You also said it has been challenging, how challenging?

Well, challenging in the sense that when you get to a place, you need resources to work with and the resources come in the form of human capital, that is, the human index: the people, the financial resources, the funding and the intellectual resources, that is, getting to understand the strategy that you need to use for whatever you want to do. In terms of the resources of people, we’ve had to really identify among our staff, our skill gaps because I saw that we have human resources ready to contribute their quota but the challenge is that they have some training needs which I saw as skill gaps that we require to fill up. Based on that, we have to organise a program deliberately to improve on the skills and the capacity of the staff so as to be able to meet with the challenges.

In terms of the financial resources, it is never enough because of the type of decadence that most of our assets and properties were when I came into this company. It was an eyesore and rather than complaining, what we have to do is to utilise those resources through some financial engineering to now identify what I call “our priorities” and how these priorities could be met using the resources. And of course, the financial opportunities are out there from the financial institutions but you have to prepare a sound, bankable document, good proposal that will be acceptable to the financiers, partners to enable them join hands with you to bring those decadent assets back to functioning because we have to put our assets to optimal use. They were in a state of decadence because they were not meeting up with the expectation of the users and as such we have properties but they were not sweating. And to make these properties sweat we have to add value to them. So we had to look for resources to do that.

Then, the third aspects which I see as the intellectual capacity that is identifying how to do it. What we did was to organise a retreat. Immediately I came into Oodu’a nine years ago, we organised a business retreat to redefine our mission and vision, get our core values well spelt out and change the mindset of the people who will contr-ibute  to achieving the set goals and objectives because no matter  the resources you’ve had, if you don’t have the people and you do not have what I call “the road map” as to how to navigate the road you will get lost and if you don’t get lost you might even take a longer time because the longer you wait on issues the more expensive it will become. So we had to set all that. That was what I called “the preparatory stage.” It took about three years to get all these things in place. Then we fired on when we got settled for what I called “the foundation.”

How did your employers respond to spending three years to prepare the foundation for a structure to be built? How patient were they?

Actually, that was a period of storm and stress in the history of this company. Communication is so important.  We kept on informing our stakeholders, especially the committee of governors at every stage we were. So, they knew that there was a need for us to clear the ugly table and have a clean slate as it were, to commence our activities. Mind you, at that period, it was not as if we folded our arms. We were putting up our business plans together, seeking the necessary approvals, making plans with partners, seeking the buying-in of our various partners and along this period of time, embarking on intellectual development and getting the right people who believed in the vision. So, it was a gamut of activities going on simultaneously. It was at that period we recapitalised Wema Bank in 2008. It was at that period we paid a N10 billion debt that we met that O’net owed WEMA Bank. And we had a challenge: either pay the debt and keep Wema Bank standing or do everything to make it impossible to pay the debt and WEMA Bank crashes, O’net crashes and Oodu’a is in trouble. But we chose the former by making sure that we paid the debt.

Coming from the private sector to a quasi public-private company like Oodu’a Investment, what were your expectations when you were applying for the job?

My expectations when I was applying for the job was that Oodu’a was an institution that had some governance processes with set rewards and punishments, with set objectives and processes of achieving those objectives; a company that was very institutional in its approach to even business dealings. Some of my expectations were met when I came in. There were a few we had to work on and I can tell you easily that the first time I got into Oodu’a, at least that first week when I saw the way the company was run, I told myself that I have really come to work and I said to myself that I was up to the task

How will you describe your first day at work?

My first day was a wow experience. Is this the place?

Was that of disappointment or what?

Yes, it was a bit of surprise. I expected to see a well organised company but I didn’t see that. I was a bit disappointed. And that in itself was a big challenge for me and that was what I said led to our looking at the whole gamut again to see how we could make the place attractive to partners, people willing to work with us, banks that will come in, and have a decent environment and all that.

So, some of your expectations were met, some were not met?

Yes, some were not met.

Can you share with us a few of them?

In terms of the financial resources of the company, I was surprised that the company at that time was not able to meet up with some of its financial obligations like salaries, paying statutory bills and all that. Corporate responsibilities were not being met. And for me, that wasn’t the best for any institution worth its salt. Those were the aspects of the disappointments. But the good aspect of that was that there were people who were willing to be led, there were people who were expecting change. They were only waiting for a leader that will take them through. There were people that were expecting to get out of the rubbles. I can remember the first meeting when I introduced what I called the “Speaker Forum.” I told them in the forum there is immunity. Say your mind. Most of the ideas that we now translated into great works that a lot of people are commending today came from the same people that were in Oodu’a before I came here. And this one thing I keep on saying about the Yoruba: we are always an emerging group. We are ready to move and we are very painstaking; a group of people that with a trigger, will move mountains.

On the day of the commissioning of the Heritage and Cocoa Mall, the business arm of the AREWA sent delegates. What sort of relationship exists between Odu’a and such organisations?

Actually, I think the good news is that Oodu’a is now seen as the standard, the best international standard for any development finance institution; the original body that anybody will want to strive to meet up with. And if you notice that even on the international scene, on the African scene, we were last year rated by African Development Bank review of prudential standard and guidelines as one of the 10 best managed regional institutions in Africa. Oodu’a got the prize.

Talking about the regional bodies in Nigeria, there are probably only two now, the New Nigerian Development Company owned by the Arewa people and Oodu’a Investments Limited. And I can tell you that they have even been coming here for us to train them, to expose them to some of our practices, to tell them how we do things. So, they were very happy to come and witness the commissioning of the mall. They saw it as something they should also learn to do. And even at the NIPC – Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, they’ve given Oodu’a a seat there. We have a desk at NIPC in Abuja and we are working in harmony with the NIPC. So, the perception has changed. There was a previous perception of ‘don’t touch.” Now, there is a perception of “this is the model.” Oodu’a is the model that any regional body should look for and that’s why Arewa people sent their delegates to come here.

What other major breakthroughs can you remember?

Well, the major breakthrough I will say we have done which if we don’t see the result now, we’ll start seeing the result in the next five years, is our youth empowerment scheme. And this youth empowerment scheme is a deliberate project which the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo started in the 60s that gave birth to buildings like Cocoa House and a lot of projects and industrial estates. The southwest is an agrarian region where if we focus on our agricultural development we would develop a lot of agro-allied processing companies, not to talk of the revenue from export. But the last statistics that I have access to shows that the average age of our farmers in the hinterlands and the rural communities is between 65 and 70. The remaining youths are all on Okada (commercial motorcyclist) or doing other activities that do not add value to our natural resources, which normally for any nation to develop, the first thing you have to utilise is your natural resources.

We identified the need to establish farmers’ academy, skill acquisition centers in conjunction with some states. Those that came up to embrace the project were happy. Those states that didn’t embrace the projects are now running round to see how we can support them. The Ede Farmers’ Academy in Osun State in conjunction with Osun has trained more 1,000 youths in the art of modern agriculture. And I will tell you that when we went for the last graduation that was attended by the governor – Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, he was pleased to hear the graduands say that they now have their own farms in their rural areas and they brought their harvest. Some of them now plant and develop improved seedlings and they sell these seedlings. We have trained farmers that sell vegetables and from sales of vegetables and groceries they are now making money.

The farmers’ academy in Awe has trained over 800 farmers within the last three years. The question is what would have happened to those youths without this training? And there is a lot of support coming from the Bank of Agriculture because they form themselves into cooperatives and also the FADAMA group. And some of the states are also giving them some quick intervention funds through some agricultural inputs. So, we are already investing into our society and environment through this capacity building. They are taught not just farming, they are even taught basic marketing; they are taught book-keeping, they are taught how to negotiate, they know entries. You’ve got to see their passion for agriculture and what we are saying is that we are preparing southwestern Nigeria for this.

One of the greatest moments, the best time that I enjoyed myself was when some of our graduates from Ede Farmers’ Academy harvested water melon and cucumber from their farms as well as onions and there was a toast of that at the Government House in Osogbo during the Ramaddan. So, we no longer depend on the northern farmers to eat onions, water melons and cucumber. There are farms now in Oyo State where people plant pepper and tomatoes and most of them are graduates that were trained by us. We are also encouraging skill training. Okada riding is not for the Yoruba man. It is an abomination. We are supposed to acquire skills that we can hand over to our children and that is one area I think we’ve made impact.

On the intellectual level, we have also introduced a programme called “Nurturing the Future Leaders” through a scholarship scheme that Oodu’a initiated four years ago. Today, we have given about 800 Yoruba indigent but brilliant students studying in federal universities scholarship. I can tell you that some of these boys and girls have come out with first class degrees. We have beautiful attestations, letters thanking us because most of them wouldn’t have been able to complete their education without the intervention of Oodu’a. So, that is why I’m saying that some of these things we are doing, the effect might not be immediate. In another five to 10 years, this scheme will now have a story to tell but for Oodu’a CSR we wouldn’t have been what we are.

Is there any other major breakthrough you can remember?

The others include the real estate development. A lot of our properties were not generating revenues. What we did was to deliberately put up a program we called PRP- (Property Redeployment Project) and we started from Lagos – the Oodu’a building in Ikoyi. We demolished what was on it and redeveloped beautiful apartments and we were getting more rentals. We came to Ibadan and we did the Orange Court, a beautiful estate from just one property, a dilapidated property. We were able to put up 12 apartments. When we finished that, we went to Almond to develop Almond court in Ibadan too. It’s a beautiful residential area. We did the Odu’a Shopping complex in Idi-Ape area. We just finished a project in Jericho which we have taken on. It is also some real estate development of our old estate. We are doing the Mango Court in conjunction with a partner. There is Kings Court and the crowning jewel is the Cocoa and Heritage mall at the old Sketch premises that was abandoned for about 15 years and even Cocoa House that was also abandoned for 18 year were redeveloped to. They have all now come back to life. And the good news is that for all these there is an effect of job creations. A lot of people now have jobs. The mall has created over 2,000 jobs and we are crowning it again with a mall that will be opened in Lagos which we are doing in partnership with a developer in Apapa. The mall is called Apapa Mall. It will come up in July this year by the grace of God. We’ll open that mall and Shoprite and all these people here have already signed to that.

There are a couple of other things we’ve done. In Ekiti State, we are reviving a moribund brick factory and that will be commissioned by the end of February. It’s in partnership with Ekiti State government. In Osogbo, to make commercial activities easy and to lessen the pace of getting the government urban renewal project on, we are developing what we call “Aje International Market.” In the first phase, we are building 600 shops. The shops are all ready and they will soon be commissioned.

You mentioned the development of the premises of the former Sketch newspapers. What is happening to Sketch? Some people are saying Sketch has been sold to Mr Jimoh Ibrahim. What exactly is the situation with the newspaper?

That’s not true. Sketch has never been sold and it will never be sold. If anybody is saying it has been sold to Jimoh Ibrahim. That is not correct because Oodu’a will never sell any of its assets. We’ll rather partner. What we’ve done now is that we have identified a crop of professionals in journalism who came together. We have signed an MoU with them. At least last week, their partners came from the UK to visit the new site where Sketch is going to be located to take measur-ement  for the machines  that will be brought to commence the publication of Sketch. And I want to believe that before the end of this year, Sketch will form one of the staples on the vendor’s desk. It’s a partnership program between Odu’a and a crop of professional journalists. I don’t want to mention their names. It is going to be located at the OPPC (Oodua Printing and Publishing) premises in Eleyele.

What will you regard as major challenges that if you had the opportunity to spend another nine years, you would want to confront head on?

Well, the major challenges that I will say that I faced during the course of my tenure as the GMD were the initial misunderstanding between Management and Board; not all the boards. I had the privilege, I don’t know if there would be any GMD that will have that privilege again, of working with six chairmen and several governors. And, in that course of situation you have various opinions. But our ability to relate meaningfully with all of them made us scale through. But there were some few thorns. You know some situations where some directors did not really understand what corporate governance is. And for those ones we told them that they either work with us or they leave us. And we are able to courageously maintain our stand. But by and large when such directors that came in the course of my tenure found out that what they were looking at was not necessarily part of normal corporate activities, they handed off. So, it’s been some ups and down but our relationship and communication were able to fill the gap.

Any other challenge?

Well, the other challenges include the normal challenge of lack of adequate resources, especially funding whereby we have to bend backward and forward to ensure that we achieve whatever we needed to achieve with very tough conditions attached. And I would have wished that the (owner) states at least for once revisited the level of share capital of Odu’a and try to put in more money and target such money towards upgrading the standards of our hotels to international standards. We have tried, we’ve done everything possible to get investors who will come and work with us. But for these hotels to become international standard we need tons and tons of money. So, I’m still appealing to the stakeholders to put in money and target the money specifically for hotel development and they will have very good returns.

In the course of your duty you’ve had to work with people, organisations and communities across Yoruba land. As you are leaving Oodu’a, what do you consider as the most important thing you have learnt from that?

What I have learnt working with our people is that you should never make a promise you cannot fulfill to the Yoruba because they never forget. And for me, I always weigh and understand the size of my cloth before I take any measurement. And I think it has been a very strong guiding principle in navigating the nine years. I have never deceived any man and I will call a spade a spade. The Yoruba man appreciates that in the long run. Initially, it could be painful but at the end of it they smile.

Having seen the resources, the people, the interest etc, what would you be taking home as a new experience that can form the content of your advice to maybe investors, governments, entrepreneur and other key sectors of the society?

I would say this in a simple way that having spend nine years and having gone through every nook and cranny, including the last mile in the southwestern Nigeria I see tremendous investment opportunities in the region, begging for resources and I want to appeal to our leaders to look more into investments that touch more on the lives of the people. And I can say that I have seen the current crop of our governors in the states trying as much as possible to take on infrastructural development because the infrastructural needs are always the stepping stones for attracting investments. And those investment opportunities that are begging to be addressed, if these infrastructure are not there, development will be impossible. So, I link the two together as kind of a value chain that has to be really addressed.

With your experience on this seat, if it were possible for you to be made the Governor of Southwest with executive powers, what would be your three top priorities?

The first one will be agriculture. The second one will be building up of infrastructure and of course, the third will be capacity building; developing the intellect of our people for industrialisation.

Lagos is not among the owner states of Oodu’a. Why?

Well, you see I want to probably step back a bit. I think that is now being addressed with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN). Through this regional integration, Lagos is already part of the southwest. So, it will not be right to say Lagos is not part of southwest. Geographically it is and with the DAWN commission, they have now commenced that. And I want to see a situation whereby Oodu’a and Ibile Holdings, which is owned by the Lagos State government, begin to work together. I mean if the Arewa people, the new Nigerian Development Company is in a kind of linkage with Oodua, what stops Ibile Holdings from doing so? So the platform has been formed with the regional integration project and we stand to gain by ensuring that we walk through this for socio-economic development. And by the time the socio-economic emancipation is well attained, it will touch on our political life easily without anybody forcing it.

How will you describe the future of Oodua that you are leaving behind?

The future of Oodu’a is very bright and I can say this with all sense of responsibility because a strong foundation has been laid. The perception of Oodu’a has changed and improved. The people are well prepared to face the challenges and nobody can come and lead Oodu’a and take it back to the dark days. The person will not survive a week. People have changed. People are happy. People want to see Oodu’a grow more and the future is very bright. But Oodu’a should continue to seize the opportunities, especially in this immediate environment, for there are several opportunities that we can work with.

There is an emergence of mega businesses in Nigeria today, symbolised by Dangote and the like. They are kind of businesses bigger than Oodu’a. Don’t you see them posing as a threat to regional business organisations like Oodu’a?

Well, it’s even wrong for us to think we are regional businesses. I keep saying it. We must grow beyond being a regional business. We must be able to engage on businesses that will expand beyond the scope of our region. And I say to you the opportunities are there because we’ve laid the foundation. And that’s what Oodu’a should do. Oodu’a should now utilize the resources that are available. What are the resources that Dangote is using? Ibese in Ogun State. But he has huge funds. He has a lot of international capital flowing in. He has a lot of high level technology and he’s a committed man that sees business purely as business. And Oodu’a must see business purely as business devoid of political inclinations. When we were trying to put this Cocoa/Heritage Mall in Ibadan, can you imagine somebody questioning why we were putting it in Ibadan? Why not in my state? Whereas for any economic sense in the whole of the Southwest apart from Lagos, it makes sense to have a mall in Ibadan rather than in another town even if the town is a member of Oodu’a. So our thinking should be out of emotions. That is when we will also be able to do this mega business. Approvals should come without saying “me too.” Approval should be based on merit. We have gone through this type of challenges. When you want to do a project they will say why don’t you do it here? As if it is something we have to be scattering all over the place and not focusing but for courage and determination, some of these things would not have been possible. So Oodu’a should move from this regional thinking and emotional decisions to global thinking and the foundation has already been laid.

Oodu’a has invested in insurance, in banking, oil and gas, roofing, travel and tourism and all of that. Why not sports, entertainment and other areas?

Well, those are what I would say fall within CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). That’s the way I see it and I know that sport is a big business. I mean, if for instance we have a club like Manchester United or Chelsea Football Club owned by Oodu’a, then every shareholder should be smiling to the bank. Isn’t it? But in our environment we need to be supporting sports, however I want to believe that by the time our premier league improves, nothing stops Odu’a from investing in a very strong team and being a big owner that would also turn it into real business. But as it is now, the Glo-premier league is still struggling. And again the government rules, interventions, am talking about Nigerian Football Federation, make it unattractive for any private institution to go into sport.

In other parts of the world, particularly the developed world, in spite of the phenomenal growth of mobile phones, landlines are still in good use. What led to the fall of O’net? Why is O’net not doing well?

It’s got some historical antecedents which I don’t want to bore you with. The initial technology that was bought in 2003 was a wrong technology, the CDMA. But we’ve gone beyond that. And in going forward, what we identified is that Odu’a Investment Limited, as it is incorporated now, will not have the capacity to run a telecommunication company. All we needed to do was to get a strong partner that has the technical and financial resources and management to take the company up. We tried; we advertised, we did all sorts of things; at the end we got Concave Limited. It is not as if Concave has done marvelously well but from the rot of the place they’ve been able to at least bring back that company to a level of acceptance. And they have now identified the niche which is the broad band internet services and data capturing through what they called the “Small Enterprise Development Scheme for their own telecoms playing low on voice line, on the voice business and only focusing on the data and broad band technology. However, on your question on land line, that is the future of  O’net, I know that Concave Communications is addressing the issue of landlines.

What will you consider as your strength that helps you to succeed in leading people and other resources?

I was well prepared for this job and I think I came with the experience of having worked with various types of people cutting the across the whole country from my previous experience in John Holt Plc and of course my training as an industrial psychologist.

If you are to advise upcoming leaders, what would you tell them?

I will say to my successor, the incoming GMD that he must be prepared always and he must be ahead of his peers and even the team intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. And he must also learn the act of humility and contentment. But one other thing is he’s going to be prayerful so as not to step on the toes that are terrible. He will step on toes but make sure when you step on those toes you are able to say ‘sorry’ and you get on with your work.

How hot or cold is the seat of Odu’a GMD/CEO?

Well it’s a very hot seat but you can make it very comfortable by ensuring that you do what the people of the Yoruba nation expect from you. The Yoruba will not take any nonsense from anybody.

As a top executive it is normal that if you could actually increase the number of hours in a day you will do it. With the demand of this job, what’s your family life like?

Thank God my kids are grown up. They’ve all left school and I thank God for that. My wife understands the fact that I need to do more extra work and most times even when I’m asleep and the phone rings and I know that it’s a phone that is business related, I wake up to pick it up. She doesn’t like it but I tell her it could be an emergency. So it is taking a toll on me as a family man, especially having time for my extended family that I love to always see because of my parents,  but I try as much as possible to leave Sunday – one day in a week – to myself and then I don’t attend to any other thing except my exercises. I go to play golf in the morning, eat with my family, visit my parents and my elderly friends because most of my friends are elderly

After Oodu’a what next?

I’m going home.

Are you fulfilled in life?

Very fulfilled.

Police train 60,000 ahead of Osun, Ekiti elections

No fewer than 60,000 mobile policemen are currently undergoing training at the Mobile Police Training College, Ila Oragun, Osun State ahead of the upcoming governorship elections later in the year in Osun and Ekiti States.
The mobile policemen are expected to be part of a larger contingent of policemen to be deployed across the country during the 2015 general elections.
The first batch of the 60,000 cops began their training Friday, last week at the college in Ila-Oragun where 7,000 participants were inaugurated.
The commencement of the training coincided with the release of the time table for this year governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States as well as the 2015 general polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the Commandant of the college, Mr. Jackson Olumuyiwa El-Ekoh, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), the aim of the training programme was to keep the officers and men of the police mobile force combat ready so as to checkmate likely hoodlums or miscreants before, during and after the 2015 general elections.
The training which would come in series of three month duration for each batch of the participants was at the instance of Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji M.D. Abubakar. According to the Commandant, it was the idea of Abubakar and the IGP was passionate about the programme and he is being briefed on hourly basis about its progress.
Apart from a combat course for the participants, other aspect of the training would include specialised courses in Electoral Act, Fundamental Human Rights, The Rule of Law, Democracy and Conflict Resolution, Crisis Management, Disaster Management and Operations, Bomb Awareness, Improvised Explosive Devices and Evacuation among others.
Reading a riot act to those who could not meet the standard of the training, DCP El-Ekoh warned that they would be demobilised and sent back to the conventional arm of the Force.  He reminded the participants of their pledge to make the country safe and secured, noting that the work of the police required discipline, intelligence, integrity and dedication to serve their fatherland.
Corroborating the college commandant, his deputy, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mr. Livingstone Orutugu, said the participants would be trained on how to be civil while discharging their statutory duties. He said resource persons are drawn from the universities and professional bodies to compliment the well-rounded and tested personnel of the college.
The image maker of the college, Mr. Azeez Idowu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), also said the programme started early in 2014 to avoid crisis associated with security during elections. He said the college founded eight years ago had justified the fund expended on it with the marked improvement on the image of the police force. He said: “Officers and men are more civil, crime rate in many parts of the country is going down, there are no road blocks as directed by the Inspector-General of Police, there are no reports of police intimidation and harassment by members of the public. The college training has impacted positively and significantly on the performance of the police.”
Two of the participants in the first batch of the training programme, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Abdul Majeed Issa, and a police corporal, Umoru Haruna, said they are looking forward to a robust experience during their training.