Nigeria should promote sports tourism
Tell me more about what you do?
I am government policy advisor. In other words, I craft macro, and sometimes, implement micro policies in an advisory capacity. This is usually in the International trade segment, and covers a wide range of issues, particularly redefining a country’s comparative advantages in a highly competitive global economy. Nigeria needs that re-defined, currently.
I get asked a lot why my focus has been more to foreign governments, and not the Nigerian government. Well, if a country and its people are ready and hungry for change, in as much as I have the talent and skill pool to add value to their change cycle, I would. Ghana is right next door to Nigeria, and between 1997 and 1999, I did a host of development work in that country, including a bespoke assignment as part of Queen Elizabeth IIs state visit to Ghana, in 1999.
I do not hold back as long as the people are eager and willing with a show of sincere commitment, then I will offer them the expertise we can.
You have not done much with Nigeria , what is the hindrance?
I hinted on this above a little, but let me expand further. First, it has to do with the business culture. We have different business culture in different countries. Have you fallen in love with the business culture or you are reluctant to get trapped in the culture, so we have to be cautious.
Two years ago, we did a small advisory remit in Nigeria, and previous to that, I had developed a human capital relationship on two occasions with the Lagos Business School, in areas covering the telecommunication industry, just when it was taking shape in the early 2000, and private sector business advisory .
As indicated, we have odne some work across the ECOWAS region. In 1993 or there about, for the then government of Cote D’Ivoire, on Tourism development, when they caught on the idea of attracting African Americans to their “then” beautiful paradise country. I worked with Adama Coulibaly, who was then the Tourism Minister, and his director, Wilfred Adebiaye.
In Ghana, we worked on a process audit for then SSB bank, now Societe Generale bank on its SIKA card, which was actually then in 1997, the first chip offline money purse in the entire West African region. I worked with Earnest Debrah, who was a Vice President at the bank then, and later went on to become a minister in the government of President Kuffor from 2000.
Also for Barclays bank Africa group, starting with Ghana, I designed service excellence platform prior to their launch of Prestige banking in 2000, and the offering of the first VISA branded card in Anglo-West Africa. This was many years well before Nigerian banks began issuing VISA or MasterCard accounts, as you see today.
Still in Ghana, I also did some advisory for Labadi Beach Hotel in 1998 and 1999, working with the then General Manager; Stuart Chase. The hotel was owned then by Lonrho group, but has since been recently sold to a South African Hotel base. Part of my remit then was working on some specific process at the hotel, as that was where the Queen of England stayed for three days, on her visit to Ghana.
Are you hoping to do some work in Nigeria ?
Well, hope is a good and nothing good truly come to an end, I believe. So yes, hopefully we will. It is not so much that we have to do something in Nigeria. Simply, there has to be a need, and a need that we can add value to, otherwise, we have no business in engaging where we do not have a crystal clear core competence.
That philosophy alone is sometimes an alien business culture in Nigeria, and that might explain why we are not quite here as yet.
For as long as we can do something sustainable, possible and tangible in the country, we will do it. For instance, I don’t see any reason why we cannot promote Sports Tourism in this country in a very professional way. I don’t see the reason why Nigeria does not have an ATP competition, though it is the largest market on the continent. There are still some fundamentals that still need to be in place. Why does Morocco have an ATP and South Africa have an ATP? Those two markets combined do not match Nigeria in terms of size yet Nigeria doesn’t have that. So certain things in the industry are indicators of how ready or how sustainable or how willing an economy is to embrace change.
What advice do you have for the Nigerian government to really live up to its image of Nigeria being a big country?
Honestly, there is a word called selflessness. You have to be selfless. You have to be willing to do it, and you have to want to get it. We have been helping other government, and they are not even as big as Nigeria . For instance, in Fiji on the Pacific Island region , we have an annual international tennis tournament and event. We never did it to get paid, rather, to give and to help many segments of the economy. We bring a few rising tennis players, some Hollywood stars, and it’s always a big successful. They are willing; they are ready to give, not to take. In other words, truly, there are different strokes for different folks. We need more selflessness; we need the willingness to do the things for the commonwealth of the people. I am hoping that someday we will do something for Nigeria. Ghana is just 45 minutes flight away; we did something there for two years, so why not Nigeria ?
What is your impression about Nigeria ?
This is where my roots are, this is my home, I have to have positive thoughts. Nigeria has huge potential in its people and resources. Now, there is a difference between leading and following, between being a leader and being a manager. I can be a manager but not a leader, but the moment I become a leader, I am automatically a manager. This is a country that has huge human capital and resourceful potential. So if we believe we are all selfless, it means once the “leader” is right in here, the rest of us are in line. But when the leader is not around and we are not in line, then there is a fundamental challenge there. And that is the issue that we have to solve right here now.
What is your advice for many Nigerians who want to relocate to America ? Do they have to get to America to make it?
No they don’t. I mean there are people of South Africa , Ghana . I told you I lived in Ghana for a couple of years. There are people in Dubai , there are people in Germany . There is something called ‘your creativeness and your intuitiveness’. Each one of us has a gift; we have a talent, if we think deep and check inside of us, there are things we can offer. Nine months ago, Tennis Life Africa did not exist and like I said, this is not my day job. It’s not about where you go, but what you have. It’s not where you go, but is what you have. It not where you are going, but what you are taking there. You don’t have to go to United States to make it. It is not so much where you go, you can be anywhere. But the thing is this, find out what your talents are, not your skills, because you acquire skills, but the talent you were given when you were created. Think deep to check your talent and see what you can do with it. One more thing, it a cultural thing in this part of the world, parents wants their children to become something that is usually skill-driven but they should take a look at the children and see what their talents are. If they can harness the children for talent, than it’s amazing what they can do. I don’t think in school, my parents wanted me to be a policy advisor. My dad is a doctor, my mother in the medical group as well, and they both worked in the medical field. I am sure deep down at least one of them would have hoped I became a doctor, but they were able to let us be. I was the creative [and different] one, where I can think deep, deep down look at the talent that I have, bring that to bear and offer that to solution creation. It’s not so much where you are going, but what you are taking there.
