25022021 - Way out of Nigeria’s security problems

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20 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 We need new ways to project Nigeria positively — Young CEO By Gabriel Ewepu THE Managing Director, Multimix Academy, Oluchi Okafor, in this interview expressed concern over challenges facing Nigeria’s supply chain industry and the need for urgent attention to tackle issues including professional manpower to boost the economy, as she discloses Multimix Academy’s commitment towards changing the narrative and her views about the Nigerian Press. Excerpts; On your recent appointment as the Managing Director of Multimix Academy, what was on your mind when you accepted the appointment? Well, I’m no stranger; it is my family’s business and was founded by my father, Dr. Obiora Madu about 25 years ago. In a way, it was a full circle moment as I have done holiday jobs here as a teenager, accompanied my father for presentations as a young girl and helped him change slides on his computer before laser pointers became the in-thing. Even during my 10-year stint in corporate Nigeria, I was still involved with the company from a distance. However, it was time for the company to move in a different direction which made me take the very difficult but very necessary decision to leave paid employment and resume as General Manager of the academy. Becoming the MD of a company that has survived for so long is definitely daunting, but I have accepted the challenge wholeheartedly and with the help of the very impressive human capital of friends and mentors I have been able to build along the years. My father is now the Chairman/ CEO. What are you going to do in transforming this Academy? The transformation has already begun. Since my resumption in 2019, it has been about setting processes, and moving gradually into becoming a tech-enabled organisation. This work is currently ongoing and we are making great strides. Becoming tech-enabled essentially means that our services, customer engagement, advertising, marketing and teaching methods are up to 21st Century standards and in just two short years, we have achieved this. What areas of the academy do you want to improve and taken to the next level? We would like to be more visible than we currently are. We believe that we should be part of the conversation at all levels, where the topic is concerned in this country. The supply chain industry in Nigeria is suffering from one major thing; an extreme lack of talent, especially amongst the younger generation. They are unaware of the opportunities that lie within the sector. People who are already in it found themselves there by virtue of posting or that being The timing of Dr. Okonjo- Iweala’s appointment as DG of the WTOcould not be more important; she would not be there if she was not supported and encouraged in her quest for knowledge the only available course of study for them. We are committed to changing this narrative, one professional at a time through our intervention programmes for private and public organisations. A well trained supply chain department can make or mar an entire company and its goals. We understand this, but we need everyone else to understand this too. What do you intend to achieve in the next five years as MD? Apart from Multimix Academy becoming a household name, I would like to have achieved a lot with regards to working with the Nigerian government on supply chain and logistics matters. Many state and local governments organise training sessions in different fields for young Nigerians to give them more access to opportunities. Trainings in Logistics and Supply Chain should not be missing from the narrative. Imagine having more trained Warehousing personnel, procurement professionals, young people well versed in International trade and Import/Export processes. I would like to be a part of that and because we are an Impact First company, we measure our successes on the number of lives changed before speaking to monetary gains. This is what I intend to focus on, with the assistance of wellplaced individuals and others who buy into this vision. On the issue of girl-child education in Nigeria, are you impressed with the effort of government to give the girlchild a sense of belonging and quality education? I think a lot more needs to be done with our society in general not just the government. Yes, there needs to be more governmental support for girls in school but the society itself should also not have the perception that an educated female is a waste of money. The timing of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment as DG of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, could not be more •Oluchi Okafor important. She would not be there if she was not supported and encouraged in her quest for knowledge. She is the first African and first female in that position and it is important that we ensure she is not the last. What do you think can be done to add value to girlchild education in Nigeria? A lot of care should be given to initiatives and NGOs that cater to ensuring education among disadvantaged children, male and female alike, while ensuring that these interventions take equality seriously, in terms of ratio of participation of boys and girls. Initiatives like Slum to School, The Stellar Initiative and Girls who Code are just a few examples. What is your assessment on the way government has addressed genderbased violence with rape topping the chart after several protests on the dastardly act? I like to look at issues from what can be immediately done, and not from the sea of problems plaguing whatever it is that is being discussed. Yes, the government has done some things recently with regards to posting some individuals as sex offenders and reviewed the punishments to be more suitable for the crime. However, stigmatisation is one of the major issues surrounding this. People are reluctant to come forward with allegations because no one believes them, and the longer time passes, the harder it is to prove it in a court of law and the perpetrator more often than not, walks away scotfree. More support must be given to survivors by way of therapy, support and mental health initiatives to help them heal and live a healthy life post- trauma. Do you have any plan to be a voice in this struggle to stop gender-based violence? Definitely, I am very passionate about this subject and I participate in any and every way I can to help any initiative that fights against this. Also being a media professional, what do you think about press freedom in Nigeria? Press freedom is unfortunately mostly a myth in a lot of countries in the world and not just Nigeria. It speaks to the innate difficulty of us as human beings to take criticism or to accept the fact that our best intentions are not viewed as what it is by the public. It’s really all about perspective for all parties involved. One party thinks they are doing all they can and the other party thinks nothing is being done. Press freedom in Nigeria can definitely be better, and will help the government plug identified holes detected by the media. Can you say Nigerian Press is divided along regional, religious and political lines? It is, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing. In developed countries, different factions and regions have their own dedicated media. One central media source alone cannot serve an entire nation, certainly not one as diverse as Nigeria. It is, however, important that the regional and political sides do not descend to falsehoods and maintain journalistic integrity at all times. What is the missing link in the Nigerian Press in terms of promoting professionalism? For me, there are several missing links. Passion must be rewarded and remunerated properly. The damage in ethics with most journalists and their willingness to sacrifice their professionalism more often than not boils down to Continues on page 21 C M Y
Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 — 21 Osaide for Girls Foundation awarded scholarships to seven girls during her first anniversary. Four from the secondary school and three from the university. In the Secondary School category were Idemudia Esohe and Purity Eloghosa Edegbe from St.Maria Goretti Girls' Grammar School; Osaigbovo Franca from Oba Akenzua Sec.Sch.and Osamwonyi Mercy from Imaguero Girls Secondary School, Benin City, Edo State while in the University category were Esther Imhande Ehiawaguan, Chemical Engineering (a first class student with a CGPA of 4.94); Jasmine Aizenosa Nosa-Ehima, Civil Engineering. Post-Graduate category was Maduka Hephzibah Chidimma,Civil Engineering, who made second class upper. Lokoja varsity viral videos: Kogi women network decries attack, calls for probe By Boluwaji Obahopo LOKOJA— A nongovernmental organisation, Kogi Women Network for Democratic Change and Good Governance, KWNDCGG, has decried the attack on the former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Lokoja, Professor Angela Freeman Miri by some staff members. Last weekend, some members of the staff unions made a mock obituary poster of the former VC and circulated it round the achool. They also 'swept -off’ her feet from the institution. All these were recorded in a vedio that went viral across social network. The group, however, decried the action of those involved, describing the attack as a collective attack on womenfolk which should be resisted. National Co-ordinator of the association, Hajia Ramatu Muhammed made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja on Monday. “We berate the few individuals within the university community who came out shamelessly and childishly to embarrass the entire university community with their ill-motivated protest. Continues from page 20 “Those in the Ivory tower that should be cultured, abandoned decency, decorum and civilized way of life and embarked on a shameful, disgraceful and degrading protest carried out last Saturday.” The association who called on the law enforcement agencies to wade into the matter to unravel those behind the despicable act, stressed that those involved have been behind all sorts of wicked publications mounted in the last three and half years to cause serious disaffection in the institution between the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. (Mrs.) Angela Freeman Miri and the rest of the staff. “It should be noted that these few individuals had been the evil brains behind various skirmishes between the university community and the host communities in the past. “They lied about and raised false alarms as well as sowed the seed of discord everywhere in order to create tension and chaos in the university. Prof. Miri, on several occasions, was accused of financial recklessness, corruption, nepotism and embezzlement which they could not substantiate. “They never had the audacity and the facts to prosecute her in a law court or any of the anti-corruption bodies. What did she embezzle? No funds came to her account. Most of the projects executed are TETfund-funded projects which she worked hard to attract to the university and the contractors were not recruited by her. The work done are there for all to see. “These enemies of progress did everything within their power and imagination to pull her down, but God did not allow them to have their selfish way. The only thing they felt they could do was to place an obituary of the woman who is hale and hearty. Everyone that had input in the obituary saga has no fear of God as they wanted her dead, This is wicked of them and they have belittled themselves and made the university a laughing stock of the Nigerian society. “They have done what ordinary illiterates wouldn’t have done. What a shame, and in Yoruba parlance, if people announce anyone's death when in actual fact, he or she is alive, it simply means he or she will live long and in fact outlive his or her detractors. For Prof. Miri, it is a sign of long life for her.” We need new ways to project Nigeria positively — Young CEO welfare of Nigerians, unity survival. Other missing links boil down to personal convictions and morality, and a willingness to deep-dive for the hidden stories, and to always report the hard truth and facts. What can help the Nigerian Press impact positively in the of the country and attraction of investors and tourists to Nigeria? A lot is to be said of how we are projecting the nation. I personally think not enough attention is being paid to places like our very own Silicon Valley in Yaba, by members of the traditional press corps. The majority of the news that has gotten out there with regards to Yaba is via social media and other means of reporting. It seems like news about Nigeria is restricted to more traditional roles like medicine, education and social governance, but it is tech that is attracting big names like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey to come to Yaba. We need to look for new ways to project the nation positively. Make shelters more accessible to PLWDs, foundation tells NAPTIP By Esther Onyegbula NATIONAL Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has been urged to ensure that safe homes and shelters are more accessible to people with disability. The call was made recently in Lagos at the public dissemination of findings on gender audit report of shelters and safe homes in Lagos by Cleen Foundation. According to the Executive Director, Cleen Foundation, Benson Olugbuo: “NAPTIP should monitor existing safe homes and shelter services and ensure caregivers and other service providers take a victim-centered approach to victim care. “NAPTIP should carry out quarterly monitoring of all safe homes and shelter to ensure compliance with stipulated guidelines as well as develop uniformed template guidelines for data collation with built-in periodic Imaan Sulaiman – Ibrahim By Providence Adeyinka ANon-Governmental Organisation, NGO, Bola Oyebade Foundation, BOF, has empowered some Nigerian entrepreneurs as part of activities marking the 50th birthday anniversary of Bola Oyebade. Oyebade is the founder of the NGO and some of the items given out to empower the entrepreneurs included 15 sewing machines, 10 barbing kits, five industrial machines, five grinding machines and cash to 50 traders in 10 communities which is part of the NGO’s third anniversary celebration. Meanwhile, he urged the government to extend lowinterest loans with long payback period to entrepreneurs to further boost the small and medium scale sector. submission method of data collated by all frontline protection service providers,” he said. Olugbuo noted that it is also paramount for the agency to popularize the existing National Monitoring Centre and expand its use to accommodate data entry by other frontline protection service providers. The project, which was focused on preventing forced migration and trafficking of women and girls in Nigeria, was aimed at building resilience, promoting sustainable development as well as enabling a gendersensitive policy environment that addresses forced migration and trafficking sites. The project also seeks to strengthen genderresponsiveness of interventions by the National Agency for the Prohibition of tTrafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, and other relevant government agencies. Beyond the 16 days of activism observed globally in the month of December, the gender audit report of safe homes and trafficking shelters resonates perfectly to increase efforts to amplify the voices of women workers in the informal economy while continuing to end all forms of gender-based violence in public and private spaces. Human trafficking which mostly involves women and girls is a form of gender-based violence and must be stamped out from our communities. Gender-based violence is a pervasive threat that survives through harmful gender norms and silences, and which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic. Foundation empowers entrepreneurs, calls for low interest loan In a statement, Oyebade said that the items received by the entrepreneurs were in fulfillment of the vision of the NGO which was founded to lift individuals through economic empowerment and improve their lives. “For one to live and help others, he must be equipped with sustainable skills. The NGO planned to delve into mechanised agribusiness, micro credit scheme, entrepreneurial mentorship and vocational training,” he said. In his address titled: Turning ideas into profitable ventures, financial expert, Ayobami Alabi, said that lack of passion, commitment and poor funding are some of the factors that impede budding entrepreneurship. Alabi advised entrepreneurs to deploy their savings in starting up a business instead of borrowing. C M Y K
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