in Wuse, Tudun Wada and then I went into politics to serve the interests of my people. I was later appointed to serve as the Nigerian High Commissioner to the Gambia, where I served for four years. I have served as a member of the board and trustees of several cultural development organizations. I am presently the Executive Director, Commercial Services, of The National Electricity Management Services Agency with a statutory function of enforcement and providing commercial opportunities to the organizations in Nigeria’ s power sector.
POLITICS
I was lucky enough to have been developed in leadership from a very early age, throughout my school days I was always in leadership positions and that prepared me for politics. The opportunity had always been there, but I had always resisted the opportunity, until the right time. For example after my secondary school, in the second republic I was asked to come and contest for elective office, but I refused and chose instead to go to the university for higher education and I have no regrets whatsoever because the education has enabled me to go as far as representing my country abroad.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ENTRY IN TODAY’ S POLITICAL CLIMATE
There is always an opening for everything in life, if the time is right. There is absolutely no limit to achieving our destiny. Know why you have been called; have passion, purpose and be persistent no matter how difficult things may seem. Persistence makes faith to work.
DID YOU FORESEE ABUJA DEVELOPING SO RAPIDLY?
Nobody was consulted, so no one was prepared for such rapid development. In the entire 8,000 square kilometres of Abuja, there was no school in those days. There were no hospitals, only dispensaries. Now the indigenes are feeling deprived of the opportunity for self-actualization, federal government must be well guided as there are agitations among the indigenes. We must not wait for agitations to degenerate into violence before we take action.
ARE INDIGENES LEFT BEHIND IN DEVELOPMENT?
Yes; there is no accountability to the people. Ministers are appointed from other parts of the country to manage the Federal Capital Territory and the people don’ t really have a say in their affairs. There are signs and the federal government must take action early to address the imbalance.
HOW CAN THIS BE CORRECTED?
There were suggestions at the last National Conference, organized by the administration of H. E. Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan, such as the creation of additional local governments and additional Federal House of Representatives slots for Abuja, the Federal Capital Commission and the election of a Mayor for the city as is the practice in major cities across the world.
EXPERIENCE SERVING IN THE GAMBIA
My basic principle is that it is not how long I stay in a place but how much impact I make. When I went to the Gambia, we had just come out of military rule & it wasn’ t easy repairing Nigeria’ s battered image in the international community. We had to start from scratch in the task of building relationships. We tried to inculcate Nigerian culture in the Gambia and this led us to establish the Nigerian International School in the Gambia through mobilization of Nigerians in that country. I also served as the dean of the Diplomatic Community in the Gambia.
HOW CAN NIGERIA PLAY A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN AFRICA?
We must redefine the aims and objectives of our international relations without focus. We must now begin to look at diplomacy as a business, therefore wherever we don’ t get a return on investment, we must review such relationship. Nigerian diplomacy must pay attention to early warnings in Africa before crises escalate.
ADVICE TO THE YOUTH OF AFRICA
If there is a problem with your parents’ foundation, you shouldn’ t have the problem of developing yourself to have competence. We have a disconnected generation in Africa today because the youth do not seek out the right mentors. They should get mentors, because if nothing is done in this regard by the time development turns to Africa, as the trends suggest, we will be taken by surprise.
38 | PRTIMES AFRICA MARCH 2016