Olusegun Obasanjo Archives

March 3, 2011December 22, 2012

Business in Africa: It’s Boom Time if You Can Dance

There is much more happening in Africa than what you see on TV. There is a reason the world’s big businesses are paying closer attention to the continent known for its challenges like poverty, disease, gang rape and high maternal and infant mortality. Some of the portrayals are real.

Last week, former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo said ‘

“The lack of a dependable electricity supply hampers production, the absence of good roads slows transport, and insufficient access to modern technology limits industrialization and integration into the global marketplace. The resultant inefficiencies make Africa the most difficult and expensive place in which to do business; they also slow economic growth and frustrate general development”

President Obasanjo was 100% right is the statement he made but he was yet very optimistic about the prospects for the continent, a fact that is often clouded by the pessimism. Similarly, Mr. Kofi Annan in a speech delivered at the Exeter College on February 13 portrayed a similar sentiment: hope and excitement in the years ahead for the continent of Africa. Reports from several international bodies and financial institutions point to a continent experiencing an economic boom that is creating numerous opportunities not just for the African people, but for investors and business owners all over the world.

As Kofi Annan pointed out in his speech, the country with the world’s most sustained and strongest economic growth over the last four decades is in Africa; it is Botswana. In fact, the IMF assessment establishes that the African continent will have as many as seven of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world over the next decade. The McKinsey report estimates that by 2030, the continent’s top 18 cities will have a combined spending power of $1.3 trillion. These are the reasons why multinational corporations can no longer afford to ignore the continent.

I still believe that Africa faces numerous challenges but those who have the eyes to see beyond these challenges are taking the lead and, by the time some of us wake up, the lead may be too big to catch up.

Last week I had conversation with a friend about business opportunities in our home countries. In the 45 minutes discussion I had with the friend, I can recollect that not less than 30 minutes were spent on listing the impossible. We might be right, but that is exactly what entrepreneurship is about. An entrepreneur is “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen, amidst risks and challenges, in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods”.

I would like to end with laudable example of what people like you and I have embarked upon to change their lives and change their societies. A group of African traditional dancers in Botswana met and decided to form an alliance to preserve and promote the rich and historic culture of Botswana traditional dance and music. The group, MatsosaNgwao Tradition Dancers, has being performing live music shows in the region over the past three years to promote this African cultural heritage. The MatsosaNgwao Tradition Dance group was the typical neighborhood dance group, unknown and not recognized beyond their physical location. But the group’s efforts did not go unnoticed. The Department of Culture and Youth invited them on a trip to Mumbai, India, for a cultural exchange event in 2009. It was then that the youngsters realized how far their talents could take them. Today, the group is hot. The waiting list for appointment is long. To have them say “yes” is a lifelong accomplishment

What is fascinating about the MatsosaNgwao Tradition Dancers is their impetus; it was simply to help their community preserve its cultural and historic heritage. Money and fame are the bye-products.

Many communities in Sub-Saharan Africa are endowed with functional African music accompanying work, childbirth, marriage, hunting and political activities most of which are normally associated with a particular dance. Similarly, other regions of the African continent have distinct musical and dance traditions that have not yet been exploited economically. MatsosaNgwao Tradition Dancers have shown that these are untapped gold mine in today’s world.

Out of school and thinking of what the government can do? Look at how the MatsosaNgwao Tradition Dancers did it. Opportunites abound in all areas.

If you are an investor seeking to grow your business globally or an ordinary person seeking opportunities, keep Africa on top of mind. It is still early enough to bring your ideas to the table and join the competition.

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February 19, 2011February 19, 2011

The 2011 Polls in Nigeria and The Opposition’s Lack of Seriousness

Nigerians go to the poll in April 2011 to elect a new President

The political firmament in Nigeria looks bright, with flurry of political activities as the Nigerian people seem set for the polls once again come April 2011.

It may be recalled that the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] has been in power since the advent of civilian rule in May 29 1999. The nearly 12-year rule by the PDP under various leaderships, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yaradua and Goodluck Jonathan, presents mixed feelings to the multitude of Nigerians depending on where one stands.

However, there seems to be a general consensus among several observers of the Nigerian political scene, and that is the disenchantment with the PDP and its policies. The Political party also seems to be disenchanted with itself as most people fear the party that prides itself as the largest political party in Africa seems set to self implode. The reasons for these may be deduced from the bitter and acrimonious presidential and gubernatorial primaries the party went through recently. Aside from these, other sundry reasons which find roots in the way the party was formed and run since its inception place it in a very precarious situation as it approaches the forthcoming elections.

As for the opposition political parties in Nigeria, two political parties stand out from the pack and they are the only political parties which could give the ruling party a run for its money. They are the Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] and the Congress for Progressive Change [CPC]. However, what the reality on the ground posits for these two political parties is that unless they form a strategic alliance, it may be difficult for them to wrestle power from the ruling PDP party. This reason for this assertion is attributed to the sectional spread of these two political parties. Hence real politics suggests that they form a workable coalition to battle the PDP. Unfortunately, however, the leadership of these political parties has been so far unable to solve this political arithmetic of forging a sustainable alliance.

Time is running out as the opposition political parties continue to look clueless while the ruling party has hit the campaign trail. Will the opposition parties be able to pull the carpet from the PDP’s feet? Only the April 2011 can tell.

January 15, 2011January 17, 2011

Aftermath of PDP Presidential Primaries: An End to The Northern Bogey in Nigeria?

The much anticipated People’s Democratic Party [PDP] presidential primary elections in Nigeria has come and gone. Leaving the victorious singing victory songs and the vanquished to rue their fate. That the PDP presidential primary elections were a bitterly fought and acrimonious political battle is to say the least. It succeeded in splitting the ruling party in Nigeria down the middle.

Before proceeding to examine the general theme of this discourse, it may suffice for us to go down memory lane and embark on an historical analysis of the political party PDP and also the suzerainty that Northern Nigeria exercises over the political firmament of Nigeria.

The PDP was formed from the ashes of G34 (Group of thirty four eminent persons in Nigeria) who opposed the transmutation of the late Head Of State of Nigeria, Late Army General Sani Abacha into a civilian president back then in 1998. At that time, the country was at the peak of a political crisis caused by the unjustified annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential elections believed to have been won by the late MKO Abiola.

The G34, at that time was like a moral interventionist movement in the political affairs of Nigeria, a sought of conscience of the nation at a time the ship of state was gradually sinking. Following the death of General Abacha, in 1998, the G34 transformed into a political party known as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This marked the gradual diluting of the puritanical and altruistic ideals of the group. Several powerful tendencies and entrenched interests, particularly the military class both serving and those on the reserve list seized the control of the soul of the party.

This culminated into the adoption of a former military Head of State and ex Army General Olusegun Obasanjo who had been jailed by the Abacha regime as the presidential candidate of the party then. The emergence of Olusegun Obasanjo as the presidential candidate of the PDP in 1999 is largely attributed to the efforts of powerful political powerbrokers in Northern Nigeria then. They were able to foist Olusegun Obasanjo on the country then, despite the opposition to his candidature especially from members of his own ethnic group who are predominantly found in the South Western part of Nigeria.

That Olusegun Obasanjo became the 1^st civilian president of the 4^th republic after the exit of the military in May 29, 1999 is largely attributed to the political dexterity of the North and its politics. It was simply a perfection of the political sagacity which the North had been known for since the days of the late Ahmadu Bello the 1^st premier of the Northern region. This had been the situation in Nigeria right from independence. The politics of the North was that of a well honed political strategy that ensured that the north always had its way on the political issues that affected Nigeria. MMM

However, recent trends, in the politics of the PDP and maybe Nigeria may have begun to put a lie on these and also gone ahead to reveal that the assumption of the north’s supremacy in Nigeria’s political affairs as a bogey. The reasons for arriving at this conclusion could be adduced to the recently concluded PDP presidential primary elections where the incumbent president an ethnic minority from the south of Nigeria trounced the so called northern consensus candidate of the PDP. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, the North was openly divided on the choice of a presidential aspirant to support even within the PDP. Despite the fact that some group of elderly northern politicians had come out openly to adopt and endorse one of their own as the “northern consensus candidate”.

But what could have been responsible for the comprehensive defeat of the so called northern consensus candidate? This brings us to the theme of this discourse, and in attempting to provide answer[s] to this question, 2[two] broad themes could be arrived at as exemplars/answers to this question namely:

Complicity of the Northern political elites
Revolt of the Northern masses.

All other reasons for the collapse of the Northern consensus candidate project may be found within these two [2] broad themes.

The 1^st point may be situated in the fact that the successors to the Ahmadu Bello/NPC [Northern Peoples Congress] political empire in the North have misused and abused the political structure left behind by the late political strategist. It is instructive to note that during the lifetime of the late Ahmadu Bello, he sought to actively build and project the image of a monolithic and united north with one destiny. As a matter of fact, it took a discerning observer close examination to know that the North as being projected by Ahmadu Bello was actually a spatial unit made up of several and many disparate ethnic groups. But kudos must be given to Ahmadu Bello for being able to a large extent wield these disparate ethnic groups into a single entity with a common goal and destiny. During the his life time, Ahmadu Bello sought to build social, economic and political bridges across the north, such that it wasn’t surprising that his closest personal aides were ethnic minorities within the north who didn’t even share the same faith with him. But what did his successors do with his legacy? Certainly history will not be kind on them, as they overtly and covertly rubbished his legacy over the years with the politics of hate, exclusion, ethnicity, religion, prebendalism, and other divisive actions that has turned Northern Nigeria into a volatile region with incessant ethno religious crises, and economic deprivations, hence should it be surprising that the “falcon can no longer hear the falconer?”

The second [2^nd] point is an offshoot of the 1^st as it seems the vast masses of the north are beginning to come to terms with the insincerity of their so called leaders, and have begun to take their respective destinies in their own hands, by identifying who their true leaders her. It is within these context that the seemingly indifference of the northern masses to the Northern consensus presidential project may be located. The widespread poverty and destitution in northern Nigeria particularly amongst its largely youthful population, when juxtaposed with the crass opulence and extravagance of their political leaders and their children may have begun to catch the attention of the masses in the North.

But, could the defeat of the Northern consensus candidate by an incumbent southern minority candidate really signify the laying to rest of the Northern bogey in Nigeria? The forthcoming April 2011 general elections in Nigeria looks set to answer this poser.