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“IF TRADITIONAL RULERS ARE GIVEN THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE, THE SECURITY SITUATION WON’T BE AS OVERWHELMING AS IT IS NOW” Oba Oyelude Makama Tegbuson 111

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By Akudo Abengowe, Sam Fadipe, Godwin

If you have never heard of Kabiyesi Tegbuson, then you can meet him through this interview. Kabiyesi can be described as a man of many parts, a crown king, a blue blood, a civil engineer, an entrepreneur, a leader and a detribalized Nigerian, who has lived in and visited most states in Nigeria and speaks many languages as well. The first time I met Kabiyesi, he was looking like a regular man without the strappings of his office. He wore a white long gown and was very tired from his trip, though we had a few conversations with the other colleagues I went with, and then the interview was rescheduled for the next day. I got more curious after that visit and sought to find out more about Kabiyesi, of course, the internet had enough materials on him. However, nothing prepared me for the wealth of knowledge and deep insight that Kabiyesi has about almost every topic. His leadership values and principles are inspiring and should be replicated by every leader. His approach to issues especially relating to the development of his community should be imitated by every leader. When you read through this interview, you would understand why Kabiyesi is making landmark achievements in his community Owu-Kuta and for his people. In this interview however, Kabiyesi goes a bit deeper and reveals a little bit more about himself. Without much ado, let’s meet Oba Oyelude Tegbuson….

Your Majesty, let’s know a bit more about your background?

His Royal Majesty, Oba Hameed Adekunle Oyelude Makama Tegbosun III, I am the Olowu of Owu-kuta and the Chairman, Supreme Council of Owu Obas. I am a man of many parts. I was born in the north, grew up in the north. I grew up in Maiduguri partly and Zaria partly and served in Minna, Niger state. I am a civil engineer; I have my BSc in Civil Engineering. Even before I ascended the throne of my forebearers, I’ve been into construction. I have a registered construction company that I have been using for the past 25 years Kingroad Construction as far back as when I didn’t even know that destiny will toss it upon me among other things to be on the throne. Furthermore, I enjoy a very fraternal relationship with my friends and acquaintances up north. I could be qualified to be a true Nigerian because I have friends even in the east; valuable ones. You know if you call someone a valuable friend, you would have been together for quite a number of times, which I could call them valuable friends in the real sense of it and it has rubbed off positively on my community.

How was your growing up like?

Growing up, my father Prince Oyebayo Oyelude was a soldier. I was born in Abakaliki and taken to Maiduguri. I’ve never gone so deep into telling anyone because I’ve been waiting to drop it when I clock 10 years on the throne. If God spares our lives, I’ve planned a lot of activities. That’s the period I wish I could have come up with an autobiography and other things like that. Coincidentally, I was born in the east but brought up in the north. As a child, the first water a child will take, I took it in the east so I’m qualified as an easterner but not as a Biafran (laughs). Yes, I’m qualified as an easterner, so if Agalata must come, not that type of Agalata. Some years back, Eze Njemanze gave me Enyioha (Friend of all), he did not know I’m a prince that is entitled to the throne. If you look at the meaning of the title Enyioha first of all, it tells you about my personality and character. Eze Ndi Owerri Njemanze gave me Enyioha when I went to represent General Babangida in all the activities then. That was the day Rochas was launching the first Rochas Foundation School. I commissioned it on behalf of General Babangida.

I’m a Nigerian, a detribalized Nigerian. I believe in a united entity of this nation. I believe in togetherness; we can aspire to anything in this country and we can make this country great. I don’t believe we can do it all alone or individually. All the agitation is political, it’s strictly political. If any Igbo man is the president, nobody will call for the breaking if the country. When Obasanjo was there, there was no call for the country to break. No Yoruba man said he wanted to separate. So, it’s strictly political and I, with all sense of reasoning think if the country survived civil war, we will survive this one too.

Sir, what about your educational background?

I attended primary school, I attended secondary school. Like I told you earlier, next year, the activities would have taken up almost one week of planning for our 10 years anniversary on the throne. We have a lot of things to showcase; we’ve moved our community close to 100 years beyond where we met it. God has been merciful we’ve done that. For most of the things I’ve not told the media before, I believe that is the appropriate time to tell the media.

The prerequisite qualification for a traditional ruler is that he has to be a prince. Hence, I’m not applying to be a minister to describe the national assembly, so we’ll go deep into my biography when I want to do that. God will spare our lives; it’s going to be a week-long program that will attract Nigerians. East, North, South-south: you will see them there.

So, sir you don’t want to talk much about that?

I don’t want to go deep about that because a lot of work is ongoing, so don’t let me preempt those who are working on certain materials.

Sir, what about your leadership vision, policies and the rest?

As you are aware, ours is aristocratic, from generation to generation, ours is not like the real political leadership. Traditional institutions are aristocratic. If you are married to the family, you got a child, naturally he’s a blue blood, so the leadership is in-born. My philosophy about leadership at the traditional level where I am is a clear departure from the past. In the past during the time of our forebearers, the community serves the king but now we (the kings) serve the community. Gone are those days when the community serves the king with what they have. Those that didn’t have what to offer the king will use their bodies to farm for the king. As royalty, that’s what they do then, but now we strive hard to make sure we serve the community. Many people even forget that as a traditional ruler, you don’t have a budget like the local government chairman or the commissioner or governor. If your community does not have light, rather than going to the politician, they will go to the palace and say Kabiyesi, there’s no light.

I still have some classmates of mine that will be troubling me to find a contract for them and I’ll say no, it’s not like that. I can only offer them farmland. I can dash you a certain farmland to start farming. But as many of them do not know that my own philosophy on leadership at the traditional level is that I believe, perhaps because I’m the youngest to have ever found myself on the throne in my community as the 13th Olowu of Owu-kuta. Nobody of my age grade according to history has found himself there. I believe I should be a catalyst of development rather than just sitting back and counting time and the tenure of a traditional ruler ends when he sleeps and does not wake up, that’s when it ends. So, every day and every moment counts. No week or month passes by without me making any significant breakthrough in the community since my enthronement. So, my leadership has always been about giving back to the community, doing more, enticing and attracting one or two things to the community. I am always doing that and I forget every day that I have personal issues, I have kids. That is the way it’s going.

So Kabiyesi, how will you describe the current challenges facing traditional institutions in Nigeria, do you think the government is really paying much attention to the traditional institutions?

No, the government itself has missed it, the politicians missed it rather. In terms of welfare, the last administration that did a resemblance of welfare to the traditional institutions was General Abacha’s administration. It was during his time that a memo was issued that is still being followed till today. No other government has ever thought of any good thing for our traditional rulers other than the military administration of General Abacha. He said they should be given 5% of gross allocation to the local government. Out of that 5% they will remove salary and in a local government at times you will find 5 traditional rulers and in some you will find 20. In the east you will find autonomous. So, from that 5% all the traditional rulers are being paid, it’s not the state government that is paying them. It comes from the federation account. They will pay the traditional rulers then they will pay the chiefs stipends. The government got it wrong especially the civilian administration under the current democratic setting.

No constitutional rule is made for traditional institutions and no adequate welfare package while the citizens are expecting much from the traditional rulers. So, the traditional institution has not been faring well but it is striving hard to remain relevant. No more powerful traditional rulers; all we have now are influential traditional rulers. The colonial masters took most of the powers of traditional rulers away so as to subjugate us to their colonial mentality because they met us well organized under the traditional system. They met us well organized so they had to withdraw those powers from the traditional institutions. They vest our earlier politicians, the Awolowos, the Sardaunas. It was during the time of Awolowo they removed the first Alaafin, the father of the current Alaafin. It was during the time of Sardauna they removed the grandfather of Sanusi and if we dig into the archives, we will see what happened in the east and the far south. So, the first set of politicians had to crash the rest.

There is no chapter where the traditional institution is mentioned in the Nigerian constitution and if the traditional rulers are given their rightful place in the Nigerian constitution, the security situation that is overwhelming the country now will not be as bad as this. As a king, you will have district heads, you will have ward heads and you will have compound heads. If a visitor comes, the compound head will notify the compound about whose house the visitor sleeps. The compound head will forward it to the district head and the district head will forward it to the king and then we monitor with checks and balances. But now everything is just in the contrary. That is why I’ve always been advocating that this democracy we are practicing does not suit us. We don’t need to copy America hook, line and sinker. America’s presidential system does not suit us. We should sit down and fashion out our own system based on our peculiarity that will suit us. What is wrong after civil war from 1967 to 1970, what is wrong in ceding the presidency to the east? nothing! What is wrong in an Igbo man becoming chief of defense; becoming anything without hesitation in this country? Power should devolve from the federal. A lot of power is concentrated at the center. Devolution of power should come. There are people calling for restructuring, I don’t believe in restructuring, what are we restructuring? Let there be devolution of power. What is the Federal Government doing with marriage registry? What are they doing with agriculture at the federal level? Federal Government should remain with defense and external/ foreign affairs. Every other thing should come to the states. If the north does not want beer to be sold in their place, they should not share from the VAT and tax. That is devolution of power under true federalism. You say you want to apply Shari’a law. If an Igbo man has a depot of Nigerian brewery, Hisbah will go there and confiscate it and Nigerian brewery headquarters here pays VAT every month; billions and it will be shared across federation accounts and you are not rejecting yet you say one Nigeria. I think our intelligence in this country needs to really sit and say that we want true fiscal federalism, are we practicing it? Then let’s domesticate a system that will work for us. This Nigerian system was copied through Jimmy Carter, we don’t need to copy them. When we copy America, we say we lay fundamental human rights but when DJ Switch said there was genocide, she fled away. When it happened in America in Capitol, they said it was insurrection. That place that it was only one person who died, they said it was insurrection, homegrown terrorist. May God save us.

Sir I want to ask, you said there is no specific role of traditional rulers in the constitution but then the roles the traditional rulers are called to play or are expected to play in terms of solving crisis

(Cuts in) That is just a natural role. If there is a state law and ethics, not the Nigerian constitution, each state has law and ethics, every traditional ruler in Nigeria that is being appointed after being selected by the oracle or whichever means they use in their respective places. The natural role of which the government transcribe into the instrument of authority, they said it is to maintain culture and tradition. You see a traditional ruler that is walking and preaching the Bible, it is just an aberration; no traditional ruler in the south-west where I come from is being enthroned in the church, so we are not religious leaders. We are to maintain and preserve our culture and tradition. No traditional ruler is enthroned in the mosque in the south-west. In the east, they are also not enthroned in the church, strictly traditional institution.

That role is natural because an average traditional ruler that is a true traditional ruler has a connection with his ancestors and the land. So, the people will naturally pay obedience to him and if there is anything, there is a court in every palace. We met our forefathers doing it, average citizens will even prefer to go there than to even go to conventional courts that they will adjourn today and adjourn tomorrow and there will still be miscarriage of justice eventually but they know. Even a retired judge will prefer his case to be tried in the royal court than going to conventional courts because when they ask him to swear, he knows the consequences. One million people can swear with the Bible, one million people can swear with the Qur’an, nothing will happen.

Sir can you talk about the Nigeria of your dreams?

The Nigeria of my dream is a country where everybody will have an equal opportunity. Nigeria of my dreams is the nation where we will remain peaceful and coexist in harmony. A society where you don’t need to know anybody to attain any height in the country. On merit, you can attain any height, that is the country of my dream. The country of my dream is where you will not be asked where you are from before you merit something. Provided you are a Nigerian and a human being, you are qualified to be anything. Nigeria of my dream is where what happened to Obama in America, in Kenya to become the president of the most powerful country in the world won’t stop an Igbo man from becoming governor in Osun state in the future. It won’t stop an Osun man from becoming governor in Igbo land in the future. That is the country of my dreams.

Coincidentally, it is only the military that does that. The military will post a Hausa man to a core Yoruba state, post a Yoruba man to a core Fulani-dominated area and nothing will happen; everybody will keep quiet. A Nigeria that we will unite like the way we unite and watch football. You know when there is football, you don’t hear of Biafra or Oduduwa. You neither hear of Arewa, you hear one Nigeria. So why can’t we practicalize that in our coexistence. That is the Nigeria of my dream, where every national issue will not be mistaken for tribal sentiment.

Sir, I want to take a look at your vision, you said you want to transform Owu-kuta into a small London. So how far would you say you have gone in achieving that and what is that big milestone that you are expecting to do for your community?

I am moving at my own pace but I’ll leave majority of the answers to my subjects. They are the ones that are supposed to be answering that. It will be even left for me to blow my trumpet and I’m not used to that but I can conveniently without any fear of contradiction still repeat that I have taken Owu-kuta over many decades more than where I met it but I’ll remind you when you are in Kuta to go round and ask my subjects because I want to even have a feel; they are the ones to be answering that.

Your majesty, you are a philanthropist

(Cuts in) An Oba is not supposed to be a philanthropist, I’m just doing my little bit. Check the Bible, they will take from those who don’t even have to give those who have. That’s the definition of Oba; they will take from those who don’t have. If you don’t have in cash, you will have in farm crops, if you don’t have in farm crops, you will use your sweat to work for the king. What is the essence of tax? Who spends the tax? It is only that God put it in my mind that I should be doing the little I’m doing. That is why in Yoruba there is a proverb that there is no help me carry this load in the palace, it is help me drop this load.

That is the way our forefathers have been doing it. In their town, the same thing. If you have a farm, you have a lot to harvest and you want the king to have one out of it. It is proof of ownership that you are the owner of the land. It may be as small as one corn but they will take it there then and when you don’t even have, the elders will measure a portion of land for you to farm for the king. That’s why I said my own philosophy on leadership is different. We are the ones serving the community rather than the community serving us.

So, what propelled you to make that decision?

A lot of things. One, my community is an ancient community and with my exposure, I look at it that the community is lacking in many things so I really need to rally my subject’s round. What they expect from the political class, if they could find it at the royal palace, then that will be everything. I’m used to that due to my modern upbringing. I believe if a person mistakenly comes across me, he should have one thing or the other to say about me at the end of the day. Rather than doing juju or take money to one pastor that will gather it and buy plane, no matter how poor you are, if you have given, it is a big sacrifice. It is a big one rather than doing juju or giving pastor or alfa that you think is praying for you but is sleeping instead. Your giving is enough sacrifice. Not blood sacrifice, it’s about giving alms and it will work like magic.

Sir, this situation whereby you are doing a lot for your community and actually have the good of the community at heart then what will be the roles of the house of representatives and the people representing at the government level?

They are doing what they could do. In my case, most of the political appointees from my kingdom are always having me to contend with because of the pace at which I am moving. We have a representative, last week he was tarring a road, Oba’s constituency project; he said this is what I want. We have the chairman of the local government there. There is none of them that I give breathing space except they serve. If they don’t serve, we all ensure you don’t get there back because politically I owe my community and every reasonable leader, quote and unquote I will support the government of the day because they are the ones that have the budget to do good to your community. If you are a traditional ruler and you antagonize government, you are not the one to suffer it. You may have a way to feed yourself but your community will suffer it throughout the tenure of the administration that you antagonized as a traditional ruler. So,
my good relationship with the current administration is paying off for my community. There is nothing I will request for that they will not look at.

Sir, can you share some of your values with us

Like I told you, I am working on certain things and I will factor you people in. Some major editors are working on certain things. I will factor you people in. Your big brothers in the industry, the media are working on certain things for our 10 years anniversary. Some of them who are friends are doing selflessly. Some will commission to do it on consultancy basis because it’s going to be an elaborate one.

Of recently, there has been a push for the Oduduwa nation by Sunday Igboho. As a traditional ruler of the south-west and even the Alake of Egbaland is challenging Sunday Igboho to come down to Abeokuta. As a traditional ruler, are you in support of that action?

You will just have a simple answer. Creating a country or breaking a nation goes beyond mere telephone and data. Who are the people behind it? How many people have been consulted? Is it easy to create a country out of a country? If it were easy Ojukwu would have succeeded. If it were easy, when Awolowo did not become president he would have attempted something. This is just mere politics and it will pass.

Do you think that the man Sunday Igboho is exceeding his powers?

I don’t want to discuss about him, I don’t want to discuss Sunday Igboho. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a critical stakeholder by virtue of my position as a traditional ruler, every traditional ruler in this country is a stakeholder. How many traditional rulers have the so-called agitators held meetings with? Do you want us to be like Southern Sudan that fought themselves to a standstill after almost 20 years and the United Nations asked them to do a referendum and they voted? Then up till today, Osun state that is not as buoyant as Lagos state is more buoyant than Southern Sudan. Southern Sudan is suffering from hunger and famine today. Is that where you want us to go? No well-thinking Nigerian will say that at this crucial moment of our nation building, we should be thinking of unreasonable separation. Even in the east, a section of MASSOB is calling for separation. Uwuazurike is not calling for separation. Uwuazurike’s MASSOB has different faction and ideology contrary to the ESN case. Ask those who are calling for separation. Is it on the streets that the separation will come? Don’t they know the army barracks to protest there? Let them go to the army barracks to protest and I will know they are serious. Ojo cantonment in Lagos is there, Ikeja cantonment is there, so many. In Ibadan where the agitators are from, Odogbo cantonment is there. If I see them moving and marching to the army barracks, I will say yes, Oduduwa nation or they move to Obinze barracks, not inside the bush and say they are doing ESN. Go to the barracks and say we’ve come with our own odenigwe, no one Nigeria again; then all of us can say our sons and daughters are ready. I don’t think we are ready for that now. The country does not need it; we need prayers more; we need to be united.

When you say you don’t want one Nigeria, an election is happening and you are participating. Senator Abaribe stood surety for Nnamdi Kanu. Why doesn’t Nnamdi Kanu ask Abaribe to resign first and say we don’t want Nigeria? Abaribe is a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Let’s leave the aspect of Sunday Igboho for another time. Have you seen Nnamdi Kanu ask any senator to resign? Abaribe is the closest senator to him because he stood surety for him. Since his father died, Abaribe has been his next of kin till today. He did not ask Abaribe to resign from his position as Federal Government of Nigeria senator (laughs).

Sir, what’s your advice to Nigerians as we are going through economic “shakeup”

My advice to my fellow Nigerians and our subjects within the 6 geopolitical zones is that, we should be resolute. We should be patriotic at heart. Most of the prosperous nations have passed through more than this before. We will overcome it; it is a challenge in the course of nation building. The pandemic has made the world’s economy a little bit slow and worse but we’ve entered recession and come out of recession. If the economy is slow in developing but there is security, there will still be rest of mind and investors will come, but the insecurity is being heightened by the political class. So, our political class should have the fear of God and remember that we are all going to die and be answerable to God who sees all of us.

 

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Interview

NAUB: MR PRESIDENT, WHO ARE THOSE PLANNING TO KILL THE ONLY FEDERAL UNIVERSITY THAT DOES NOT GO ON STRIKE?

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By femi Oyewale

 

 

Higher education in Nigeria, quite frankly, is facing immense challenges including but not limited to poor infrastructure, unrealistic academic calendars resulting in extra years against stipulated durations, lack of teaching equipment, social menace, poor funding, amongst others.

 

 

 

Interestingly, Nigerian Army University, Biu (NAUB) is quite unique from other federal universities in the sense that since inception, there has not been any issue of strike, cultism, protest, or anti-social conduct.

Rather, the university is reputed for its excellent condition of learning environment.

 

This was aptly covered by the Governor of Borno State, H.E Professor Babagana Umara Zulum through his deputy during the maiden edition of the convocation ceremony of NAUB on Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at the University’s main campus ( note not temporary campus within five years of existence) in Biu, Borno State.

 

 

 

The Borno State governor said he was physically present at the groundbreaking ceremony of the foundation laying stone of NAUB five years ago, and he is impressed by what he has seen adding that it must take military precision and focus to put in a full-fledged and functional university on a barren land in such a short period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Governor further thanked the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army, the traditional rulers, scholars and academics philanthropist, industrialists, associates and men and women of goodwill from within and outside Borno State for the selfless service of gradually re-modelling the future of Borno State in particular and Nigeria in general and for putting Borno State on the path of further greatness through the Nigerian Army university, Biu.

 

Why then do we plan to abort such a great independent institution of learning known as a barrier breaker and line crosser by merging it with NDA whose missions and visions are not in tandem with each other

Why cut short the dreams of such noble ideas via politics?

 

Are there those who do not want a stable educational system in Nigeria?

Are there external forces or their agents at home trying to destroy a good foundation for a stable educational system in Nigeria?

Is NAUB in competition with the private universities?

Are there big shots who benefit from a chaotic educational system in Nigeria?

 

Are there some subterranean forces working within the system to achieve the Boko Haram objective that “education is sin”?

 

 

 

The words of Governor Zulum rings a wise bell when he said that Boko Haram insurgents have achieved their objectives if the university is scrapped.

 

 

 

 

 

“Therefore, we appeal to Mr. President to look into this issue so that the Army University Biu would remain a university… because of the importance of education in this part of the country, where Boko Haram is saying that education is forbidden. And I think that by allowing this Army university to be scrapped, they might have achieved one or two of their objectives,” he said.

 

The governor noted that, for over a decade, Borno State has been facing a serious crisis that has denied many children access to education.

 

“Therefore, this university is very important to not only the people of Borno State but our neighbouring states,” he said.

 

 

 

Look at the Western countries that started with military polytechnics that propelled revolution in military equipment development.

 

Many of these developed countries collaborated jointly through civil-military research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Swedish Defence University established like NAUB is Sweden’s leading resource in, and first choice for, education, training and research in the management of crisis, war and periods of tension in the leadership of both civil and military agencies. The Swedish Defence University is an accredited institution for academic education for military and civilian students and researchers where different experiences, approaches, and traditions come together. It has become a hub for both national and international students.

 

 

 

 

 

It might shock you to know that American Military University (AMU) and American Public University (APU). APUS is wholly owned by American Public Education, Inc., a publicly traded private-sector corporation that offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees, in addition to dual degrees, certificate programs and learning tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my NYSC, I served in the Nigerian Army School of Education (NASE), Ilorin, which is a renowned military institution focused on providing high-quality education and training for Nigerian Army personnel and civilians. So why the proposed merger of NAUB?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, the Nigerian Army University Biu provides such a platform for the Nigerian military towards technological innovation, research, and development in varied fields for national defence and security breakthroughs like many modern nations. In fact, instead of downgrading the Nigerian Army University, many more Army universities should be established in Nigeria. That is the way out for a caricature type of educational system that has failed to have stability over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is not interested in seeing that a federal university graduates its students within the regular course time frame?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Must programmes of all federal universities be easily disrupted. A course of 4 or 5 years ends up taking over 6 to 7 years to complete. The worst part is that many universities end up in a crash programme to be able to cover up for the lost times. The terrible damage to these universities’ products is the very low standard of graduates.

 

Who wants the Nigerian educational system to collapse completely? These are rhetorical questions the amiable president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all stakeholders should ask those proposing the merger to answer us publicly, else should let the matter die forever in the abyss of hasty decision.

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Interview

Tunji Ojo Has No Case To Answer” – Shehu Sanni 

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Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, says Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has no case to answer regarding the contract awarded to a company linked to him by suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

Sani, in a chat with The Whistler, said Tunji-Ojo did not violate any public service law since he resigned from the company years ago.

 

” It could have been a conflict of interest if he hadn’t resigned.

The senator further said it is “not his ministry (that awarded contracts), and companies have the right to pursue businesses anywhere.

“Edu’s case is very clear and can’t be equated with that of a company associated with Hon Ojo.

“Legally, he can’t be held to account on this matter.

“Let’s not be distracted,” Sani said.

“The extant provision of the law under the 1999 Constitution is that anybody who is a public servant cannot engage in any business other than farming,” said Nelson Kebordih, a senior lawyer whose interest is in public policy.

He said the implication of the law is “that a person must be in active control and directorship of the company in the management of any enterprise.

“You are permitted to own shares because owning a share does not put you in the day-to-day management of the company or any enterprise.

“If he (Tunji-Ojo) has resigned from being a director, the law does not stop him from owning shares in the company,” he stated.

The former lawmaker’s position aligns with the 2008 Federal Service Rules on Chapter 4 which states that “Public officers are not prohibited from holding shares in both public and private companies operating in Nigeria or abroad except that they must not be Directors in private companies, and may only be Directors in public companies if nominated by Government.”

 

Following the suspension and quizzing of Edu, concerning alleged financial sleaze, the Minister of Interior has come under pressure to resign or equally be suspended by the president after it emerged that his company, New Planet Project Ltd, also received a contract from Edu.

Edu had awarded some companies contracts, some of which were unregistered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) raising concern of fraud and illegality.

Tunji-Ojo is also being pressured to step down with many commentators saying he has flouted the Public Service Rules which barred public servants from being awarded contracts or contracting any business except farming.

But the Minister while speaking on television explained that he had resigned since 2009 from the company.

“Almost five years ago, I resigned as director of the company, so I’m not a director. I resigned on 1st of February, 2009, you can take that to the bank,” the minister had said.

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Interview

‘The Coleman Wires and Cables Business Story is a Journey From Grass to Grace’

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On the sidelines of the 12th Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) organized by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. George Onafowokan, the Managing Director/CEO of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, a leading Nigerian brand manufacturer of wires and cables, shared secrets to his business success amid recent national and global economic challenges. Onafowokan maintains that as a Nigerian, one can start a small business and grow organically into a big global competitor…..

 

What do you mean when you said Coleman Wires and Cable’s story is one of “grass to grace”?

 

Coleman Wires and Cable was registered as a company in 1975, but we began as a small-scale business in 1996. In 2021, we had to restructure our operations to overcome the setbacks we faced from the beginning, and that’s when I became the Managing Director.

Our story is one of grassroots to grace. Through investing time and effort over the years, we were able to systematically grow from a micro-small company into a small, medium, large, and extremely large company in terms of size. Our business vision started small, but we strategically expanded it. Please note, our aim was not to become the largest company, but it began with the goal of being the preferred wires and cable choice for Nigerians in terms of quality.

Subsequently. we found that every Nigerian preferred locally made cables over the foreign imported ones. So, the question of why we can’t build a company capable of servicing the entire nation and the global market arose; with this, our vision expanded. We progressed from a humble factory to a ripple plant that became the largest in West Africa at the time it was built. Starting out from 20,000 square meters, we expanded to 30,000 square meters and further into the Shagamu plant, which began with over 100,000 and has grown to over 350,000 square meters today.

We diversified into other products, such as high-voltage cables, and we became the first in the country and in West Africa. This achievement made Nigeria the fifth country in the world to produce such cables. Today, more than fifty percent of Coleman’s products are not produced by any other company in Nigeria, West Africa, and most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This accomplishment is a testament to the story developed by a predominantly 99 percent Nigerian team. It illustrates that it is possible to be Nigerian and organically grow into a global competitor.

Could you provide some insight into your personal background for the readers?

Certainly! I am George Onafowokan, the second generation of the Onafowokan family, born into the distinguished lineage of Asiwaju Solomon Kayode Onafowokan. He is currently the second Asiwaju of Remo, succeeding Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and is well-regarded as a business mogul. Personally, I am a family man with a spouse and children.

I pursued my first degree in Accounting and Finance in the UK, followed by a postgraduate degree in Information and Management. With a penchant for improving processes and a dedication to giving back, I often find myself engrossed in thoughts on how to enhance various aspects of life.

Having witnessed the success of companies I’ve mentored in Nigeria, I am committed to building the capacity of individuals and small to medium-scale businesses. My guiding principle, which I consider my calling, is to contribute to the growth and improvement of others over time.

Reflecting on my upbringing, my father’s journey serves as a true “grass to grace” story. From humble beginnings in a one-bedroom apartment, he worked his way up to become well-educated and stand out among his peers. However, my perspective evolved when, at the age of twelve, my aunt imparted valuable advice. She encouraged me to cease complaining and adopt the mindset that my parents served as vessels for me to enter the world. Once in the world, their responsibility concluded. Embracing this philosophy, I no longer felt entitled to my parents’ resources and committed to earning everything I needed. This mentality shaped my life principle—I don’t expect anyone to owe me anything. Consequently, I work diligently, understanding that neither a “yes” nor a “no” signifies offense or entitlement.

 

Was Coleman Wires and Cables your first business?

No, Coleman was not my first business; it is a family business. I started my own business when I was young. At the age of sixteen, I ventured into my first wine business. By the time I completed university, I had my own business in the UK, specializing in financing and exporting to Nigeria using containers. My initial entry into the cable business involved supplying raw materials, and coincidentally, one of my main clients was Coleman.

You spoke about replicating yourself; how can one access mentorship opportunities from you?

 

I am one of those who don’t believe that you can run a business as a one-man show. Therefore, you have to build human capacity in every way, integrate it into your structure, empower the people around you, and let them handle their responsibilities. Personally, I have built a team around what I do. I started in a business where I handled every department myself, but today, I am not involved in those tasks anymore.

Most importantly, I empower them to effectively perform their jobs and give them a sense of belonging, so they feel that their contributions have value.

In many companies in Nigeria, you often find that the Managing Director or CEOs are the only individuals making decisions, while the rest are mere yes-ma or yes-sir. I wouldn’t run a business that way.

Are there mentorship opportunities for people outside your current team?

No, we have not fully structured it for everyone; we currently have a limited number, mostly for individuals already in the industry. However, from my work with the LCCI mentoring group and my team, I have found that what most people generally need is a simple understanding and mentoring to discover what aspects of their life or history they could improve upon or learn from.

What has Coleman been doing with the NCDMB?

For us, we are a success story of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) because we have been working with the board since 2017. Prior to that, in 2008, I met with Senator Lee Maeba, who led the private bill for the local content law before it became an act in 2010. I could see the passion in the man when he talked about the whole idea, and from that passion, we took action. “Taking action” means we started putting our money where our mouth is, began examining areas in the law that affect business and expanding capacity, and we have succeeded in doing so. Over the years, it has been challenging to break into these oil and gas companies, but we have managed to do so. We primarily supply cables to their vendors, without handling any installation. We supply for NLNG projects, Shell, and Mobile. We have been able to provide cables that have never been produced by any other company in Nigeria.

 

In the face of business and economic setbacks, Coleman expanded. What did you do differently?

First, I think we took a strategic position to ensure our ability to continue operations. Second, we minimized our losses and restructured our capacity. One month before the Covid-19 shutdown, we had submitted a request for restructuring with our banks. We had slowed down, scrutinized all our positions, and had already started reducing the size of our business. By the time we entered the Covid-19 pandemic, we operated with the same number of staff for about a year. After Covid-19 started easing, we increased the number of staff. Therefore, we were somewhat prepared for Covid-19, and over the years in our business, we had already trained specific capacity. During Covid-19, we were able to build two factories without anyone coming from abroad. Covid-19 has, in a way, compelled everyone to enhance their in-country capacity.

In your panel discussion, you mentioned that the NCDMB should replicate the success in the petroleum industry in manufacturing. So, in concrete terms, what are you looking for to happen?

 

Replicating success in manufacturing means being intentional with manufacturers, ensuring that they perform well because there are not a lot of manufacturers. We need to be more deliberate, encourage more factories, open more businesses here, and manufacture goods instead of just assembling them. That is the focus I am emphasizing. There should be a deliberate action to build local capacity.

 

What is the future for Coleman?

 

The future for Coleman is still very bright. The opportunities have not stopped. We have two or three projects that are still ongoing, which will be finished by the first quarter of next year. The copper and aluminum factories are underway, the fiber-2 project, the expansion and completion of the Shagamu project, and our power project to increase our capacity from 16 to 24 megawatts. We are also looking to supply around West and Central Africa going forward in the next year, and later on, in East Africa. Our export plan is quite extensive, and we hope to see significant figures coming out of it, apart from Nigeria.

I believe we need to trust in the opportunities that abound in Nigeria, and in time, we are all going to reap the benefits. Regardless of the situation, Nigeria still finds its way to continue growing; and if given peace and the chance by the government, we would most likely see an upward swing in businesses by 2025.

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