ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE OCT 2023

CCOMPLISH 

M A G A Z I N E 

october 2023 

Leaders 

of Which 

Tomorrow? 

travel: 

Top 10 

Tourist 

Attractions 

in Africa 

for the Best 

Holiday 

Experience 

RealPolitik: 

What’s This 

Pan-Africa 

Call Against 

Domination? 

HAS 

AFRICA 

AWAKENED? 

Nigeria @ 63: 

The Joys, the 

Sorrows 

THE 

PARADOX 

OF NIGERIA: 

Struggling 

Internally, 

Winning 

Externally 

Aliko 

Dangote 

Africa’s Leading Strategist 

Accomplish Magazine 1

october 

2023 

contents 

feature 

4 Nigeria at 63: The Joys, 

the Sorrows. 

10 Leaders Of Which 

Tomorrow? 

cover 

18 Aliko Dangote: 

Africa’s Leading 

Strategist 

• New Strides 

• Selected Opinions of 

Dangote 

• His Networth and 

Nomination by Forbes 

• PICTURE SPEAK 

18 

REPORTAGE 

38 FEATURE & ANALYSIS 56 

THE INCUBATOR SERIES 

HEALTH 

68 Bedtime Habits of High 

Achievers 

70 FOOD & WINE 

72 

TRAVEL & LEISURE 

FOLLOW US @ entrepreneur NG 

2 

Accomplish Magazine

10 66 50 

INTERVIEW REALTOR AVENUE ARTS & THE MASTERS 

From The Editor 

As I sat up to key-in the words 

of this intro to the second 

edition of Accomplish 

Magazine, two phrases kept 

darting across my mind. Since the 

edition has been thoughtfully put 

together to commemorate Nigeria’s 

63rd Independence Day anniversary, 

I knew why those phrases just 

wouldn’t go away. You could guess 

why... 

I don’t know the discerning 

Nigerian who’s not viewing this year’s 

Independence Day anniversary with 

“mixed feelings!” or witnessing the 

widespread “dry celebration!” In fact, 

the Federal Government plugged the 

dry hose when it announced, albeit, 

considerately, that the annual event, 

which used to be marked with fun, 

dance, parades, felicitations and 

highfalutin speeches, will be held in 

low-profile this year. Even as a diehard 

optimist, I must confess that “for 

Nigeria matter, water don pass garri” 

as some would say in pidgin English. 

Some compatriots also indicated 

those mixed emotions when we 

sought their views. See it all in 

“Nigeria at 63: The Joys, the Sorrows”. 

Let’s cheer up, though, with or 

without wine to offer a toast. There 

are issues to celebrate about 

Nigeria. Our compatriots are making 

us proud in the Diaspora! Our 

sportsmen and women have been 

coiling in great wins! Nollywood and 

Naija afrobeats still get amazing 

international attention! Plus, the 

richest man in Africa is a Nigerian! 

And more... 

It’s, therefore, apt that this edition 

which marks Nigeria’s independence 

anniversary is also celebrating 

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, 

the Founder and President of 

Dangote Group with operations in 

Nigeria and across Africa! Turn the 

pages to see our special package on 

him. 

We also celebrate an artistic 

genius, one who has redefined 

artistic boundaries and uses his 

craft to push for a greener, more 

sustainable future. He is Olalekan 

Lasekan, a remarkable artist, 

industrial designer and winner of 

the 3rd National MSME Award for 

Excellence in Creative Arts. 

Since the anniversary will elicit 

conversations on the challenges 

of leadership in the country, we 

present you audacious quotations 

on the subject by two revered 

African sons - Nelson Mandela and 

Thomas Sankara. We hope that 

those quotes will inspire genuine 

turn around. 

What about the ever-declared 

but rarely-committed-to promise of 

youths being leaders of tomorrow? 

We have something on that too. 

Just turn the pages... 

There are other unique 

enlightenment write-ups on health, 

travel, art and so on. We hope our 

offering in this special edition will 

contribute to inspiring our readers 

to raise the bar in being committed 

ambassadors of a truly great 

Nigeria. True, our leaders have 

failed Nigeria but they didn’t attain 

such infamy without conscious help 

from followers - who aid them and 

then bear the brunt! 

May this be our last mixedfeelings 

Independence Day 

celebration! 

Diiyi William-West 


Editor 

Team 

CCOMPLISH 

Editor 


Contributing 

Editor 

Harry 

Senior 

correspondents 

Ikenna Ngere 

Tolulope Akinruli 

Adebayo Afolabi 

Head of design / 

web manager 

Olayiwola ajagbe 

Graphic 

designer/ social 

media handler 

Monica efeotor 

Editor in chief 

Remi Diagbare 

Marketing 

Director 

Nnamdi Dan 

Anyiam 

Business 

Development 

consultant 

Ngozi Ukpai 

Imiomozo Dan 

Anyiam 

Business 

Analyst 

Executive 

Ngozi EZE 

Advert/ 

Marketing 

Executive 

Tega Diagbare 

For advert enquiries, please contact 

Marketing Director, 

Imiomozo - 08075499632, 

Remmy +44 7424 594773 (Whatspp only) 

or email, 

accomplish@entrepreneurng.com 

Our Vision: 

To be the go-to publication for information 

and inspiration in pursuing life’s 

attainments. 

Our Mission: 

To profile and celebrate the achievements 

and lifestyle choices of outstanding leaders 

and influencers in business, manufacturing, 

agriculture, academia, administration, 

entertainment and innovation in Nigeria, 

Africa and, indeed, globally. 

Disclaimer: 

Please note that all photos used in this 

special digital edition of the ACCOMPLISH 

Magazine were sourced freely online. 

We maintains no rights over the images/ 

photos, while we have tried to give 

appropriate credit where due, we are 

aware some artistes were not credited. 

We remain committed to supporting 

intellectual property and creativity. 

© 2023 Tegali Communications 


INTERVIEW 

Nigeria at 63: 

The Joys, the 

Sorrows. 

By Diiyi William-West 

Majority of the people who witnessed 

the transition of Nigeria from 

a dependent country to an 

independent country on Saturday, 

October 1, 1960, have gone to the great beyond. 

The adolescents of that era might likely be few 

too as many people in their 60s now were born 

sometime after October 1, 1960. 

This means that majority of today’s 

“celebrants” won’t be able to tell exhilarating 

stories of what it felt like to witness the batonchange 

that released Nigeria from colonial 

rule and made it an independent country. From 

what Nigerians have experienced since that 

historic date, one may have to tweak the last 

sentence by stating that the baton-change 

only marked an end to direct, physical colonial 

rule of Great Britain! But that would be a 

discourse for another day... 

For the records, a number of media reports 

have presented us with glimpses of the “glory 

and joy” that greeted Nigeria’s Independence 

Day in 1960. According to www. tribuneonline. 

com, “The historic day was celebrated in 

grand style, from fireworks to dance troupes, 

masquerades, and even a state banquet 

where dignitaries mingled and danced. People 

rejoiced together regardless of ethnic and 

religious background, while Nigerians in the 

Diaspora joined in a unified celebration of the 

independence of Nigeria. 

The main celebration event in Obalende, 

Lagos was graced with the presence of 

Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Governor-General, Sir 

James Wilson Robertson, Queen Elizabeth 

II who was represented by a member of 

the British royal family, Princess Alexandra, 

and the Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa 

Balewa, who took on the reins of power and 

led independent Nigeria’s new coalition 

government. 

The celebrations went on for a couple of 

weeks in some states within the country and 

for those present at the Race Course (now 

Tafawa Balewa Square) in Obalende, Lagos, 

on October 1, 1960, it was an unforgettable 

experience.” 

In view of the foregoing, there was so much 

hope for Nigeria. The palpable, immense 

expectations for the country while all the 

oratory and felicitations poured forth were 

justifiable... 

Nigeria has enviable land mass! Her 

population was remarkable and has remained 

4 

Accomplish Magazine

Dr. Emmanuel Ezim 

Prof. Adaba Ibim 

Mr. Femi Sowoolu 

Dr. Mishack 

Akunekwe 

so! At some point, public affairs analysts told 

the world that one in every four Black persons 

in the world is a Nigerian! Indeed, some 

political and economic discussants even put 

the figure at one in every four Black persons! 

What about the country’s natural resources? 

Oh! It’s absolutely difficult to describe this 

without using superlatives! As some claim, 

virtually every natural resource in any other 

country can be found in this one country! 

Then, comes the frustrating irony... Sixtythree 

long years after, Nigeria and Nigerians 

are far much poorer than they were on October 

1960! The country has become divided on so 

many fronts. Infrastructural deficiencies and 

decay confront us anywhere we turn. The 

country is currently experiencing its worst 

series of security challenges; a contrived and 

complex development. One could go on and 

on. One of the most difficult-to-understand 

problems of Nigeria is how one of world’s 

leading crude oil producer shut down local 

production capacity so that a few highly 

connected individuals could earn foreign 

currencies by importing refined petroleum 

products! Are you shaking your head in 

sadness as I am doing? 

Of course, the story of Nigeria is not all 

gloom. There are many things to celebrate... 

Nigeria has done well in sports and 

entertainment. The attraction to Nollywood 

movies within West Africa and beyond has 

been quite remarkable! Nigeria has also 

earned respect in sports, medicine and more. 

Until recently, Nigeria held its head high with 

Olympic medals and records as well as other 

international records. The country now has 

much more private and public owned health 

and academic institutions though the general 

deterioration of standards is disturbing. 

Again, many Nigerians in the Diaspora 

are giving a good account of themselves in 

academics, administration at the highest 

levels of international organisations like 

the World Trade Organisation and Africa 

Development Bank etc. 

“Accomplish Magazine” decided to seek the 

views of some hard-working Nigerians, some 

of whom have been hit by Nigeria’s internally 

and externally induced failings. The interviews 

we conducted cover only a few sectors of the 

economy due to space but the opinions reveal 

a lot about how things are now and how they 

should actually be. 


The Health Sector 

Dr. Mishack 

Ikechukwu Akunekwe 

Dr. Mishack Ikechukwu Akunekwe, FWACS, FICS, is a 

medical consultant with unquenchable desire to 

see the rising of a new Nigeria. He is a widely respected 

burns, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon. He 

is also a researcher, publisher and a missionary doctor. 

Accomplish Magazine sought his views about Nigeria’s 

health sector and his responses were straight-to-thepoint. 

Accomplish Magazine: As 

Nigeria celebrates its 63rd 

Independence Day anniversary, 

what would you say are the 

issues confronting real progress 

in the country’s health sector? 

Mishack Akunekwe: The 

issues confronting real progress 

in Nigeria’s health sector can 

be categorised into three. These 

are: infrastructural, manpower 

and political will. 

First, there is poor 

infrastructural facilities in the 

health sector. For instance, 

many tertiary and secondary 

health institutions have no 

diagnostic tools like magnitude 

resonance imaging (MRI), 

computerised tomographic (CT) 

scan and radio-therapeutic 

machine; where they exist, they 

may be in bad shape! 

Poor power supply is really 

hampering services in health 

institutions and this has made 

investigations and reagents 

which require constant power 

supply not achievable. It is 

very cost-intensive to operate 

generators in hospitals etc., 

because of the cost of diesel 

and/or premium motor spirit. 

Also, there are poor 

infrastructural facilities in the 

rural areas. For instance, lack of 

electricity, poor road network, 

lack of healthy and pipe-borne 

water has resulted in the drift of 

health workers from the rural to 

the urban areas in search of a 

better working conditions, thus 

jeopardising the primary and 

secondary health care systems. 

For manpower, the doctor 

to patient ratio in Nigeria is 

1:5,000! This is worrisome when 

it’s compared with the WHO 

recommendation of 1:600. This 

situation has been worsened 

by the brain-drain termed “japa 

syndrome” being witnessed 

recently in the country. 

This “japa syndrome” has 

been orchestrated by poor 

working conditions and 

remunerations. The shortage 

of manpower has made the 

few available personnel to 

over-labour themselves. In fact, 

there have been incidences of 

health personnel, especially 

doctors, collapsing and dying 

while on duty due to “burn out” 

syndrome. When few workers do 

the work meant for many within 

the same specified time, believe 

it or not efficiency and output 

are reduced. 

With regards to political will, 

I’ll say that the political will to 

implement the lofty laws meant 

to guide the health sector 

in Nigeria is lacking. There 

is poor budgetary provision 

to the health sector. Besides 

poor budgetary provision and 

allocation, the primary health 

care system is not functionally 

effective while the secondary 

“ 

This “japa 

syndrome” 

has been 

orchestrated 

by poor working 

conditions and 

remunerations. 

The shortage 

of manpower 

has made the 

few available 

personnel to 

over-labour 

themselves. 

health care system, which is 

under state government control, 

is “sick” in many states, if not all. 

Accomplish Magazine: How 

can these challenges be 

addressed? 

Mishack Akunekwe: There is 

need for an overhaul of facilities 

in our health institutions. This 

should not be left in the hands 

of the government alone. 

6 

Accomplish Magazine

The overhaul should include 

private and non-governmental 

organisations as well as 

captains of industries. They 

should join hands in doing this. 

Also, power generation 

and distribution should be 

improved on so as to reduce the 

cost of keeping hospitals and 

other health facilities afloat in 

Nigeria. Infrastructures should 

be improved in the country, 

including the rural areas in 

order to make those areas 

attractive to health workers. 

In the area of manpower, 

the government should declare 

a state of emergency in that 

regard. The remuneration of 

healthcare providers should be 

improved to encourage those 

who are still in the country to 

stay and render services to 

the teeming citizens. Secondly, 

there should be training and 

retraining of the staff. 

More importantly, the 

retirement age of consultants 

and other healthcare 

specialists, who are the trainers 

of doctors, should be increased 

to 70 years as this will help 

to attract more trainers and 

trainees to remain in the system. 

Otherwise, as the trainers are 

leaving the system either by the 

way of early retirement or “japa 

syndrome”, the younger ones 

would be leaving in search of 

greener pastures. 

For the third issue I raised, the 

political will is what will make 

all these suggested solutions 

to become a reality. Those who 

have the interest of the country 

at heart should be voted into 

office and the government 

should be thinking of setting a 

basic wage for health workers 

such that additional wage for 

any worker would be based 

on what he or she works out. 

By doing this, laxity, lack of 

productivity and bloated staff 

strength will be a thing of the 

past. 

The Education Sector 

Dr. 

Emmanuel 

O. Ezim 

Dr. Emmanuel O. Ezim is an astute academician, scientist 

and geologist with passion for teaching and research. 

He has interest in technology, the environment, resource 

exploration and management as well as sustainable 

development. He has several years of academic, industry 

and leadership experience. He is currently a senior lecturer 

and researcher in the Department of Geology, Gregory 

University, Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria. 

Accomplish Magazine: What are the most pressing 

challenges in the education sector of Nigeria today? 

Emmanuel Ezim: The value placed on the education 

sector of Nigeria today is grossly low. Nigerians, especially 

the leaders, do not place sufficient value on education. 

The problems include go from low budgetary allocation, 

inadequate infrastructure, poor learning environment, little or 

no motivation; unethical behaviour of some teachers at the 

different levels, non-implementation of policies, corruption 

and the widening education gap between urban and rural 

areas to brain drain. 

Accomplish Magazine: How can Nigeria address these 

challenges? 

Emmanuel Ezim: Nigeria can address these challenges 

by first placing appropriate value on our own educational 

system. Emphasis must be paid on local content. Also, there 

is need for adequate remuneration for teachers, based on 

international guidelines so that the brain drain syndrome can 

reduce. Then, we can take it up from there. 

A lot of policies had been formulated but with little or no 

implementation. This, too, must be addressed. 

Accomplish Magazine: At 63, are there things to rejoice about 

Nigeria’s education sector? 

Emmanuel Ezim: Not much to rejoice about! But like the 

saying goes: “We” (that is, Nigerians) can always improve if 

we brace up with the challenges. 


Agriculture 

Prof. Adaba Ibim 

P 

rof. Adaba Ibim is a Professor of Fisheries Biology and 

Management at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 

She holds a Master of Technology in Fisheries, and a Doctor 

of Philosophy in Hydrobiology and Fisheries from the Federal 

University of Technology, Minna and the University of Port Harcourt, 

respectively. In addition to these, she holds a Post-Graduate 

Diploma in Research Methodology from University of Pretoria, 

South Africa and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Participatory 

Fisheries-Governance from Wageningen International, Wageningen 

University, Wageningen, The Netherlands where she had a 

Certificate in Catfish Breeding and Certificate in Tilapia Breeding. 

She also received Scholarship/Fellowship Awards in 2006 to 2007 

from Winthorpe Rockefeller (WINROCK)/Ford Foundation/African 

Women Leaders in A`griculture and Environment (AWLAE) Partial 

Scholarship. 

She initiated a programme for breeding and commercializing 

ornamental fishes at the University of Port Harcourt and has been 

at the forefront of fishery species diversification and breeding as 

a passion. She also engages in collaboration with government, 

Fish Farmers Associations and other organisations established to 

develop the fisheries sub-sector. 

Accomplish Magazine: How would you describe the huge drop of 

agriculture as a major forex 

earner compared to how it was 

at independence? 

Adaba Ibim: Agriculture is 

one of the major sectors in 

Nigeria as it remains a strong 

foundation of the country’s 

economy. It also has its symbolic 

place in Nigeria’s history with 

the “green” in the country’s 

national flag depicting the 

prominence of agriculture - due 

to the progressive roles it has 

played years back. 

Many agricultural products 

were produced in different 

parts of the country and were 

exported as cash products. 

However, some years after 

Nigeria’s independence, 

agriculture began a steady and 

unending decline. That decline 

affected virtually every product 

in the agricultural sector. 

Livestock, crop production, 

fishing (aquaculture) and 

forestry development in general 

became under-exploited. 

Many factors have led to this 

avoidable situation. It has been 

largely influenced by increased 

insecurity in several parts of 

the country, continuous use 

of outdated land or farming 

systems instead of advanced 

technologies and lack of 

supportive financial options to 

finance both inputs and postproducts. 

Other challenges are 

land degradation and increased 

natural disasters impacted by 

climate change and illiteracy of 

farmers as most are not formally 

educated. 

Accomplish Magazine: 

As Nigeria marks its 63rd 

Independence Day, what do 

you think should be done to 

make recover lost grounds in 

agriculture? 

Adaba Ibim: To change the 

narrative, governments at all 

levels must do the following: 

i. Enabling environments 

should be created to ensure 

better agricultural and financing 

policies while providing 

thorough solutions that will end 

the insecurity problems. 

ii. Optimizing the agricultural 

value-chain across the country. 

iii. Introducing functional 

youth empowerment agricultural 

schemes. 

iv. Converting governmentowned 

lands into farm plots 

for intensive agricultural 

development for Nigerian 

youths. 

v. Engaging communities 

to donate lands for intensive 

agricultural development. 

vi. Providing inputs (not cash) 

and soft loans to cushion labour 

costs. 

vii. Engaging off-takers of 

agricultural products in order 

to provide ready markets that 

will enhance productivity and 

reduce post-harvest wastages. 

viii. Governments should 

attract agro-processing plants 

in order to promote commercial 

agriculture and export of 

agricultural products that 

guarantee youth employment. 

ix. More youths should be 

encouraged to engage in 

agriculture through regular 

trainings and sensitization 

programmes; etc. 

The Federal Government 

should partner with financial 

institutions to support 

agriculture in the states in order 

to provide soft loans to real 

farmers - not ‘portfolio farmers’. 

Government should create 

and regularly update data base 

of farmers in respective states 

(and local government councils) 

so the farmers can be reached 

easily whenever the need arises. 

8 

Accomplish Magazine

The Entertainment 

Industry 

The Entertainment 

Industry 

Femi Sowoolu 

Femi Sowoolu is a broadcaster par-excellence 

and author. He has held top management 

positions in numerous broadcast organisations. 

He graduated from the prestigious Nigerian 

Institute of Journalism and joined the Ogun State 

Broadcasting Corporation, in 1977, where he rose to 

the position of Principal Presenter. He later became 

Media and Radio/Television Production Manager 

at Grant Advertising, Nigeria, before he was invited 

to join Rhythm 93.7 FM upon inception, guiding the 

station to an enviable number one position on the 

ratings. He left Rhythm, after six years, as Station 

Manager, to give his time to broadcast management 

consultancy for radio and television. His expertise 

has since been employed in productions like the 

Gulder Ultimate Search, StarQuest music reality 

show, and Maltina Dance-All family reality shows 

and many sponsored radio programmes. 

He is also an author and the voice behind 

Globacom Nigeria and Ghana’s current 

advertising. He was Chairman of the Media 

Committee for the Senator Ibikunle Amosun 

Campaign Organisation, (SIACO) for the 2015 

Ogun State gubernatorial election and was 

appointed to the Board of Directors of Voice of 

Nigeria in 2018. 

Accomplish Magazine: The 

entertainment industry has 

grown in leaps and bounds in 

recent years. As Nigeria marks 

its 63rd Independence Day, how 

can we enhance the progress 

locally and internationally? 

Femi Sowoolu: The industry 

has largely grown by itself in all 

spheres of the entertainment 

sector with little investment 

nor encouragement from 

government. At first instance, 

this is what needs to be 

improved upon. Entertainment, 

like sports, provides one of 

the surest ways to improve a 

country’s international image 

and reputation. 

All successful nations have 

achieved this by going through 

this route - the United States 

of America, Germany, Russia, 

China, Brazil, Korea (through 

K-Pop), etc., but it is only 

done successfully by the full 

involvement and direction of 

government. Perhaps a more 

recent example is Saudi Arabia 

in what has been described 

globalised “sports washing” 

programmes in golf and 

football. 

This is the time for us to also 

carve a national entertainment 

policy that is enshrined in our 

constitution, with clear-cut 

ambitions and goals, such 

that positive programmes 

are created to enhance and 

improve the functions, abilities 

and performances of all our 

entertainers because they 

can and should be our cultural 

ambassadors. They should be 

leading the charge to improve 

the global image of Nigeria, 

thereby contributing their 

efforts towards improving our 

economy; increasing our gross 

domestic product through 

inflows from the increasing 

global popularity of our 

entertainment works - in arts, 

music, culture, theatre and 

the globally acknowledged 

successes of afrobeats and 

Nollywood. 

Our governments - local, 

state and national - need to 

step up. Governments need 

to support and get involved in 

world tours and international 

screening of our movies. We 

need more realistic involvement 

of government in global 

festivals and concerts while the 

same is created locally; using 

such events to increasingly 

invite international audiences 

and media. 

Again, social media should 

also be extensively involved 

in the different stages of 

achieving this. Really, these 

steps should be just a first stage 

and a necessary beginning. 

Conclusion: 

While pervasive gloom is 

plastered all over Nigeria as we 

mark our National Day, Team 

Accomplish is confident that 

Nigeria would someday - not 

too distant from now - reclaim 

its once-upon-a-time “Giant of 

Africa” status. 

We are also hopeful that 

millions of young Nigerians who 

did not experience Nigeria’s 

years of abundance (through 

agriculture) and the latter 

super-abundance (through 

crude oil) would not wait for 

too long to experience a new 

and lasting era of nostalgia 

when Nigeria would, again, be 

adored and revered globally! 

We are encouraging those newgeneration 

Nigerians who would 

really bear the brunt of future 

leadership and followership 

successes or failures to 

intentionally increase activities 

of respective movements that 

will bring about the muchawaited 

relaunch of Nigeria to 

real greatness; a country that 

will rightly belong to “the first 

world”, not one that pleads 

to be among the permanent 

members of the United Nations 

Security Council! 


INTERVIEW 

Leaders Of 

Which Tomorr 

By Diiyi William-West and Tolu Akinruli 

Leadership has always played 

a pivotal role in shaping the 

course of history. From political 

figures who have steered nations 

through turbulent times to innovative 

entrepreneurs who have transformed 

industries, leaders have left an indelible 

mark on the world. As we look to the future, 

it’s necessary to identify and celebrate 

the emerging leaders of tomorrow who 

will continue to drive progress and make a 

positive impact on society. 

Here, in Nigeria, it is ironical that, 

decade after decade, people in public 

office continue to tell the youth that 

they are “leaders of tomorrow”. In fact, 

there is hardly any administration at the 

federal, state or local government level 

that has not chanted the sing-song of 

preparing the youth to take over the reins 

of leadership soon - in fact, very soon! In 

every sense, that promise ought to have 

become the reality seeing how vibrant, 

brilliant, hardworking and innovative 

Nigerian youth are! 

Alas, the same people who have been 

in public office, enunciating that mirage 

of giving way for much younger people to 

ascend to top leadership positions and 

the hordes of sycophants they gather 

to respective corridors of power, have 

done everything - from the ordinary to 

the mundane - to keep the youth from 

ascending to high office. Many would 

attest to the fact that even when they 

make way for youth to rise to public office 

- particularly as “special assistants” 

or local government officials, it’s only 

a hollow mirage! The same people of 

influence do all they could to ensure that 

such appointees or “selectees” are kept 

rudderless and incapable of running 

the portfolios they hold without total 

obeisance to the people of influence who 

appointed them or selected (instead of 

elected) into office! 

This sore situation meant that majority 

of people in their 30s in 1979 (when the 

Second Republic came alive in Nigeria 

and rightly fitting to be described as 

youths) saw themselves kept out of public 

for another 30 years! Instead, in 2009, they 

realised the same ‘political ancestors’ that 

held public office in 1979 and even earlier 

kept on recycling themselves there and 

ensuring that the only people who got a 

10 

Accomplish Magazine

ow? 

chance to look in were either 

their close family members or 

stooges who had sold out their 

conscience to the ‘political 

ancestors’! 

This is why the 63rd 

Independence Day anniversary 

of Nigeria is a good time to 

ask: Why do we have the aged 

continually recycled in the 

political system instead of 

ensuring a systematic method 

that brings up more and more 

vibrant youth into various levels 

of public office based on their 

dynamism, innovative drive and 

diligence? 

To shed more light on this, 

“Accomplish Magazine” sought 

the opinion of young Nigerians 

on the issue. We asked them 

what they think about the 

political system that seems 

determined to lock them out of 

high office perpetually. Their 

views make an interesting read; 

one to remember long after the 

63rd Independence Day events. 


INTERVIEW 

Daniel Efeelo 

Daniel Efeelo is a young entrepreneur and CEO of Pleasant 

Restaurant, food-service firm in the city of Port Harcourt, 

Nigeria. He is also a journalist and content writer with several 

years of experience in copy writing. Many of his articles have been 

published in “The Tide” newspaper. He has passion for leadership 

and holds a number of leadership portfolios. 

Accomplish 

Magazine: What 

do you think 

about being told 

that you are leaders of tomorrow? 

Daniel Efeelo: While growing up, as a teenager, I 

worked hard just to fit in to the promises of the quote 

“youth are leaders of tomorrow” and I’m sure that 

was the motivation most of us (youths) had. Not until 

we became the youth that yesterday was talking 

about but nothing seems so close to becoming the 

leaders of today! 

There was this euphoria, while putting all the hard 

work back then in school, because we were hoping 

that, one day, all our efforts will guarantee us a 

better future of leaders. However, those that made 

the promises that youths are the leaders of tomorrow 

are still the leaders today that yesterday talked 

about - and till tomorrow if not in the future - they 

are still going to be in power. One begins to wonder 

what the fate and future of the youths will be. 

Therefore, the statement and the promise that 

youth are the leaders of tomorrow is just a myth! 

Accomplish Magazine: Why haven’t youth, who are 

in larger number, not holding high political offices? 

Daniel Efeelo: Our leaders have succeeded in 

creating hardship and scarcity and that has led to 

a great divide among the youth. Our leaders have 

become so powerful that they have all the resources 

to keep the youth grounded. Therefore, there is 

nothing like common and public interest. Everyone 

has become so selfish that only what people are 

thinking about is personal interests because our 

leaders have made it so. 

Right from the commencement of the Fourth 

Republic of Nigeria, youths have become tools in the 

hands of politicians. And, it will continue if nothing is 

done about it. 

Accomplish Magazine: Is there anything youth can 

do to redress the situation? 

Daniel Efeelo: Until the youth have 

singleness of purpose, the situation can’t 

change. The youth must rise above ethnicity, 

religious difference and different cultural 

beliefs. Until the youth stand against selfinterest, 

nothing will change. 

Thankfully, there was huge political 

participation by the youths in the last general 

elections. Gradually, there’s an awakening 

among the youth and it’s only unity that can 

make us win. 

Dorcas Lohdip 

D 

orcas Lohdip is a pharmacist at the 

Plateau State Specialist Hospital, 

Jos. She is currently the President of 

Christian Pharmacists Fellowship of 

Nigeria, Plateau State Chapter. She 

runs “Enlightened Women Ministry” 

which provides enlightenment and 

empowerment for women. She is a 

student of COCIN Theological Education 

by Extension, pursuing her Bachelors of 

Divinity degree. She is happily married. 

Accomplish Magazine: What do you think 

about being told that you are leaders of 

tomorrow? 

Dorcas Lohdip: Being leaders of 

tomorrow means the baton will be 

handed over to the youths as the next 

generation. People die and retire as a 

result of old age. The youths of today will 

grow to become great men and women 

tomorrow. 

Accomplish Magazine: Why haven’t 

youth, who are in larger number, not 

holding high political offices? 

12 

Accomplish Magazine

Miracle Leeleebari 

Youngman 

M 

iracle Leeleebari Youngman is an undergraduate student 

of the prestigious University of Port Harcourt where she 

is studying History and Diplomatic Studies. She is a versatile 

writer and poet. She wants to see people lead successful lives by 

knowing and understanding their individual uniqueness which will 

enable them contribute towards societal advancement. 

Accomplish Magazine: You must have been hearing 

about the future belonging to youths. What do you 

make of it? 

Miracle Youngman: When I am told that youths 

are leaders of tomorrow, I pause to think and ponder. 

Why? Tomorrow seems like a destination that is 

unrealistic to arrive at. This has become a tool 

used to hinder the youths from rising to the task of 

accepting the responsibility of leadership. 

Also, it insinuates the perception the 

society has about the youths of today; 

that as youths, we are not competent 

and qualified to navigate the canals 

of leadership. For the ‘tomorrow’ we 

seek to come to light, there’s work to be 

done today, and this work requires the 

collective and active contribution of 

everyone in the society. 

Accomplish Magazine: Youths are in 

larger number, when the country’s 

population is considered. Why are youths 

not holding high political offices? 

Miracle Youngman: In response to this, 

as this thought wanders through my mind, 

all I can do is heave a great sigh. The 

politics at play in our environment is one 

that words fail me to put into expression. 

Politics is now a game of personal 

gratification, which for one to benefit, you 

ought to dance to the tunes of those who 

will allow you the luxury. 

With this, those in political positions 

desire to give room to only those who will 

be beneficial in ensuring the continuity of 

what they do without raising dust. 

Dorcas Lohdip: They have not been given 

the opportunity to serve. Politicking involves a 

lot of spendings. Youths do not have enough 

financial strength. Also, youths haven’t been 

mentored early enough to take up that 

responsibility. 

Accomplish Magazine: Is there anything youth 

can do to redress the situation? 

Dorcas Lohdip: Yes. Youths need to speak 

out and be more proactive. They should also 

work in unity and speak with one voice. 

Accomplish Magazine: Is there anything 

youths can do to redress the situation? 

Miracle Youngman: In theory there are 

inexhaustible propositions that should be 

used to redress this situation but in reality, 

we have been unable to achieve desired 

results. 

Fear is a major factor that makes this 

hurdle look insurmountable; along with 

factors of personal interest, ethnicity, and 

religion amongst others 


INTERVIEW 

Tpl. Edward Olujoba 

Adetoro 

Tpl. Edward Olujoba Adetoro attended the Osun State College of 

Technology (OSCOTECH), Esa-Oke, Osun State, Nigeria where he 

obtained a degree in Urban and Regional Planning. He currently works 

at the Ife-East Area Office, Modakeke, Osun State as a Town Planning 

Officer II. 

Accomplish 

Magazine: What do 

you think are the 

primary challenges 

Nigerian youth face 

in the country’s political system? 

Edward Adetoro: The challenges are numerous. 

They include limited access to resources, lack of 

representation, and political apathy. The need for 

real change in the political, cultural and economic 

spheres is also a reality. 

Accomplish Magazine: How has the low 

representation in political offices affected the 

aspirations and concerns of Nigerian youth? 

Edward Adetoro: The truth is that political officers 

have diminished the voices of most Nigerian youth, 

leading to unaddressed concerns and stifled 

aspirations. 

Accomplish Magazine: Can you talk about 

any specific instances or policies that have 

disproportionately disadvantaged Nigerian youth in 

the political arena? 

Edward Adetoro: There is the party structure that 

excludes youth aspiring for top political offices, high 

costs of running for office, and limited youth-focused 

policies which have led to lots of limitations for us as 

youth. Just getting a form can cost up to a hundred 

million naira and even more. So, this is a major issue 

that has made many youths voiceless. So many 

have lost interest because they are restrained from 

running for political offices. 

Accomplish Magazine: What strategies do you 

think could be implemented to increase the active 

participation of young people in Nigerian politics? 

Edward Adetoro: The accenting of the “Not Too 

Young to Rule” law is yet to gain popular recognition 

and implementation in the political governance 

of the nation. Our participation and collaboration 

should be the goal. In essence, the youth should be 

involved in education, mentorship programmes, and 

reforms to lower barriers that are against our entry 

into politics. 

Accomplish Magazine: How can the Nigerian 

government create a more inclusive political 

environment that empowers and engages 

youth in decision-making processes? 

Edward Adetoro: Well, this can only be 

achieved by creating youth quotas, open 

dialogue, and involving youth in policymaking. 

Another way is to establish legal firms 

and age limit for all politicians, empower the 

youth, introduce payment for all unemployed 

Nigerian youth. There should be youth 

political sensitisation, civil engagement and 

many other activities. 

Ezra Chukwuebuka 

Onyeamah 

E 

zra Chukwuebuka Onyeamah works as 

a physiotherapist at the University of 

Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. He also 

a Leadership student at the Kebetkache 

Leadership School, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 

Accomplish Magazine: What do you think 

about being told that you are leaders of 

tomorrow? 

Chukwuebuka Onyeamah: Being Told 

I am “the Leader of Tomorrow”, to me, is 

not a denial of fact but the truth in all its 

sense of judgement. However, I always 

feel that the Nigerian ‘conglomerate 

system’ has actually not made that a 

reality because it has not given the youth 

the necessary platforms to thrive and 

lead. So, to me, with the current state of 

things in the country, I can categorically 

say that that phrase looks yet like a reality 

in oblivion! 

Accomplish Magazine: In your opinion, 

why haven’t youths, who are in larger 

14 

Accomplish Magazine

Folajimi Akinruli 

F 

olajimi Akinruli is a skilled engineer who obtained his degree in 

Mechanical Engineering from the Ladoke Akintola University of 

Technology (LAUTECH). He currently works at Kabak, applying his 

engineering knowledge and expertise to contribute to the success 

of the organisation. His educational and professional background 

equips him with the skills and experience necessary to excel in the 

field of Mechanical Engineering. 

Accomplish Magazine: Are there any barriers, such 

as age restrictions or limited resources, that hinder 

youth from running for political office in Nigeria? 

Folajimi Akinruli: Yes. In fact, this is a major 

problem. The country’s political offices have to be 

revolutionised because we are no longer in the 

stone-age. Nigeria’s youth are too poor to run for 

political offices, despite growing evidence of various 

youth activities and mobilisation programmes. 

Nigerian youth are yet to achieve the level of 

inclusion required to gain representation in politics 

unless we want to deceive ourselves. 

number, not 

holding high 

political offices? 

Chukwuebuka 

Onyeamah: 

The reason why 

the youth are 

not holding 

high political 

offices is the 

sheer ingenuity, 

corruption and 

high-handedness 

of the old political 

oligarchy who 

are not willing to 

relinquish power to the younger generation to 

grow and develop the country. 

Accomplish Magazine: Is there any way to 

redress the situation? 

Chukwuebuka Onyeamah: What the youth 

can do is to cut and sever ties with the old 

political oligarchy that have bedevilled the 

aspiration of youths to rise into leadership. 

The youths should rally themselves together 

with one voice and begin to engage actively in 

politics. They should focus on electing younger 

professionals into political offices in order to 

change the narrative in the country. 

Accomplish 

Magazine: 

What role can 

education and awareness play in bridging 

the gap for Nigerian youth in the political 

system? 

Folajimi Akinruli: The exposure empowers 

the youth with knowledge about the political 

system and their rights. Just like you know; 

most youth specifically have become quite 

politically aware. They are inspired, already, 

to go into the world of politics. 

Accomplish Magazine: Have there been any 

successful initiatives or youth-led movements 

that have advocated for change in the 

Nigerian political landscape? If so, what can 

we learn from them? 

Folajimi Akinruli: Definitely. There have 

been successful youth-led movements such 

as the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign, which 

highlights the potential for change and youth 

engagement. 

Accomplish Magazine: How can technology 

and social media be leveraged to mobilise 

and empower Nigerian youth in the political 

sphere? 

Folajimi Akinruli: These tools can be used 

to mobilise youth through campaigns, 

awareness, and communication, making 

them a powerful political force. 

Accomplish Magazine: In your opinion, what 

would be the potential long-term benefits 

for Nigeria if the youth were more actively 

involved in shaping the political landscape? 

Folajimi Akinruli: The reality is that 

the country would benefit from fresh 

perspectives, innovative solutions, and 

a more representative government that 

addresses their needs. Again, the global, 

national and local levels of youth related 

issues would be prioritised. 


INTERVIEW 

Alex Ntino 

Alex Ntino is the Director of ‘The Platform Foundation’, a nonprofit 

organisation committed to efforts to raise a responsible 

generation with projects centred around education, empowerment 

and relief programmes. 

Accomplish 

Magazine: What 

do you think about 

being told that 

you are leaders of 

tomorrow? 

Alex Ntino: The 

saying “youth are 

the leaders of tomorrow” has been widely used but, 

unfortunately, it has not been fully realised in Nigeria 

and Africa. Although the sentiment is positive, it has 

mostly been just words without action. To be called 

a leader of tomorrow is a tremendous privilege, 

but it also carries significant obligations. It implies 

that I have a role to play in shaping the world and 

contributing to a brighter future for my country. 

It is, sometimes, disheartening to consistently 

hear that I will be the future leader, yet never be 

provided with the chance to lead in the present. This 

is particularly the case in Nigeria, where those in 

power often cling onto their positions for extended 

periods. I firmly believe that the youth hold the key to 

Nigeria’s future, as well as that of Africa. 

Despite the various challenges, we will eventually 

inherit the country and have to confront the 

repercussions of present-day decisions. Hence, it 

is imperative for us to actively participate in the 

political process and demand that our voices be 

heard. The frustration among young Nigerians 

arises from the fact that, despite being told they 

are the future, they often find themselves excluded 

from meaningful participation in decision-making 

processes. This has led to a sense of disillusionment 

and scepticism regarding the sincerity of political 

leaders. 

The youth’s scepticism is understandable in 

the present political climate characterised by 

corruption, religious divides, and a reluctance 

or outright refusal, among the political elite, to 

relinquish power. However, it’s crucial that this 

sentiment doesn’t lead to apathy but rather fuel a 

drive for change. 

Accomplish Magazine: Why haven’t youth, who are 

in larger number, not holding high political offices? 

Alex Ntino: There are multiple reasons why young 

people are not well-represented in high political 

positions; such as systemic barriers and 

the firmly established political culture in 

Nigeria. The political atmosphere is toxic, 

with corruption and power concentration 

being prevalent, leading to incumbents using 

their influence to stay in power, which makes 

it difficult for newer and younger voices to 

come forward. 

Additionally, political parties tend to be 

dominated by older individuals who may be 

reluctant to pass the torch to the younger 

generation. This power dynamic further 

hinders youth participation in politics. 

Furthermore, the religious divides in Nigeria 

have been weaponised by politicians to 

maintain their grip on power, perpetuating 

divisions that make it difficult for youth to 

mobilize collectively. In a nutshell, older 

generation politicians have employed 

corruption; ageism; lack of mentorship; 

political, economic, social intimidation; and 

nepotism to fasten their grip on the political 

system! 

Accomplish Magazine: Is there anything 

youth can do to redress the situation? 

Alex Ntino: Taking into account the 

present toxic political climate of Nigeria, 

the corruption, the religious divides and the 

tendency of the political elite to hold onto 

power and the fact that our past leaders 

were very young when they had power but 

do not trust the youth to continue where 

they might have left off, it is important for 

young people to be aware of the challenges 

that they face in Nigerian politics. It is also 

important for them to remember that they are 

the future of the country and that they have 

the power to make a difference. 

I do not advocate for insulting the 

government or people in leadership. Doing so 

only perpetuates the unending cycle of strife 

in our society. 

According to my spiritual beliefs, it is 

16 

Accomplish Magazine

important to pray for those in authority and 

to show respect to our elders. The spiritual 

realm precedes the physical, and we should 

approach all situations with a mindset of 

positivity and respect. 

There’s a story in the Bible about Noah 

that I find relevant to our situation in Nigeria. 

Noah drank and got drunk, and his son saw 

him naked. When Noah found out, he cursed 

his son. In my opinion, Noah should have 

been grateful to God for saving him from the 

flood and providing abundance, instead of 

taking out his frustration on his son. Similarly, 

Nigeria had a period of prosperity, but the 

younger generation, sometimes, incites 

anger in the older generation, causing the 

leaders to limit our potential because of their 

negative reactions. The older generation 

should guide and bless the youth, regardless of 

their weaknesses. So, since we are leaders of 

tomorrow, we must take responsibility to break 

this cycle. 

Young people need to be strategic in 

their approach to politics. They need to build 

coalitions, challenge the status quo, and use 

their creativity and energy to find new ways to 

engage in the political process. 

It is also important for young people to 

remember that they are not alone. There are 

many other young people who are passionate 

about making a difference in Nigeria. By 

working together, they can overcome the 

challenges that they face and build a better 

future for their country. 

Also, nepotism is a major obstacle to young 

people’s participation in Nigerian politics. 

When positions are given to relatives or friends, 

it is often at the expense of more qualified 

candidates. This can create a system where 

only the children of the wealthy and powerful 

have a chance to succeed in politics. 

Young people can challenge nepotism in the 

political system by doing the following: 

• Young people need to speak out 

against nepotism and make it clear that they 

will not tolerate it. 

• Young people need to demand that the 

government take steps to address nepotism in 

the political system. 

• Young people can show that they 

are qualified to lead by running for office 

themselves. 

By working together, young people can 

create a more just and equitable political 

system that is open to everyone 

Youths should focus on education and 

political awareness to acquire skills for effective 

leadership. Grassroots movements, community 

organizing, and peaceful advocacy are powerful 

tools for change. Working together across 

religious and ethnic barriers is essential, the 

younger generation can show their unity and 

power by forming alliances and coalitions. It’s 

important to be involved in the electoral process, 

including registering to vote and even running for 

office. 

Moreover, the youth must hold politicians 

responsible for their commitments and deeds. 

Given the complexities of Nigerian politics, 

change may be gradual. However, perseverance, 

resilience, transparency, and good governance 

are crucial to overcoming existing challenges. 

Conclusion: 

As Nigeria marks its 63rd National 

Day, “Accomplish Magazine” aligns with 

the thoughts of the young people have 

expressed here. Our stand is based on the 

conviction that Nigerian youth possess 

a unique blend of qualities that set them 

apart from their predecessors. Those 

qualities will enable the youths to navigate 

the complexities of an ever-changing 

world in order to address the inundating 

challenges of our country. Those identified 

qualities include: adaptability, sustainability, 

emotional intelligence, technologysavviness, 

sustainability-consciousness, 

inclusivity, vision, and collaboration among 

many others. 

As we look into the future, it’s essential 

to nurture and support the mentoring and 

presentation of Nigeria’s emerging leaders, 

providing them with tools and opportunities, 

including high moral values, they need to 

make a lasting leadership impact within 

and outside Nigeria. By doing so, we can 

ensure that the leaders of tomorrow are 

well-equipped to shape a more prosperous, 

sustainable, and inclusive Nigeria for all. 

For emphasis, the long-delayed promise 

of top-level-leadership for our youths 

should no longer be texts used to decorate 

long-winding, slogan-filled but vacuous 

speeches of our elites! 


Aliko Da 

REPORTAGE 

Africa’s 

Leading Strategist 

18 

Accomplish Magazine

ngote 


REPORTAGE 

By Adebayo Afolabi 

Alhaji Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian businessman who 

has been ranked as the richest person in Africa for 

several years. His influence in the business world is so 

profound that it is simply not feasible to discuss the richest 

men in Africa without prominently featuring him. 

As the founder, chairman, and CEO of the Dangote 

Group, the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa, 

Dangote’s business acumen has not only earned him 

wealth but also immense respect across the continent. 

Early 

Life and 

Education 

Aliko Dangote’s intriguing 

early life and educational 

journey laid the foundation 

for his remarkable career. 

Born on April 10, 1957, in Kano, 

Nigeria, he was born into a 

privileged Hausa, Muslim family. 

His mother, Mariya Sanusi 

Dantata, was the daughter of 

the esteemed businessman, 

Sanusi Dantata, while his father, 

Mohammed Dangote, shared 

business ties with Dantata. In 

a fascinating part of his family 

history, Dangote’s mother’s 

side links to Alhassan Dantata, 

a notable figure who was the 

richest person in West Africa 

until his passing in 1955. 

Dangote’s educational 

path began at the Sheikh Ali 

Kumasi Madrasa. He then 

continued his studies at 

Capital High School in Kano. In 

1978, he marked a significant 

milestone by graduating from 

the Government College, Birnin 

Kudu, Jigawa. Afterwards, he 

earned a bachelor’s degree in 

Business Administration at Al- 

Azhar University in Cairo. 

Dangote 

Group 

Dangote Group started its 

journey in 1977 as a small trading 

firm. At that time, Dangote had 

relocated to Lagos to expand 

his business horizons. To kickstart 

his trading enterprise, he 

got a NGN500,000 loan from 

his uncle, which he invested 

in commodities like bagged 

cement, rice, and sugar. 

A pivotal moment for the 

company came in the 1990s 

when Dangote proposed to 

the Central Bank of Nigeria to 

manage their staff buses, a 

proposal that was accepted. 

Fast forward to today, 

the Dangote Group has 

evolved into one of Africa’s 

largest conglomerates, with 

a presence spanning Benin, 

Ghana, Zambia, and Togo. 

It has transitioned from a 

trading company to become 

Nigeria’s biggest industrial 

group, housing divisions such 

as Dangote Sugar Refinery, 

20 

Accomplish Magazine

Dangote Cement, and Dangote 

Flour. 

Dangote Group is a 

dominant force in Nigeria’s 

sugar market, supplying 70 

per cent of the market’s needs 

to soft drink companies, 

breweries, and confectioners. 

With over 18 subsidiaries 

operating in ten African 

countries, the Dangote Group 

is a major player in the region’s 

business landscape. One of its 

notable subsidiaries, Dangote 

Cement, is listed on the Nigerian 

Stock Exchange and accounts 

for nearly 20 percent of the 

exchange’s total capitalisation. 

The headquarters of the 

Dangote Group is located in 

Lagos, Nigeria. 

Philanthropy 

Aliko Dangote is not only 

known for his business acumen 

but also for his significant 

philanthropic efforts through 

the Aliko Dangote Foundation 

(ADF). Established in 1994 as 

Dangote Foundation, its core 

mission has been to create 

positive social change through 

strategic investments that 

improve health, promote 

quality education, and expand 

economic empowerment 

opportunities. 

Over two decades, the 

foundation has grown to 

become the largest private 

charitable foundation in sub- 

Saharan Africa, supported by 

a significant contribution from 


REPORTAGE 

Aliko Dangote himself, making 

it the largest endowment by a 

single African donor. A primary 

area of focus for the Aliko 

Dangote Foundation is child 

nutrition, with an approach that 

extends to health, education, 

empowerment, and disaster 

relief. 

The foundation collaborates 

with both state and national 

governments, as well 

as numerous reputable 

international and domestic 

charities, non-governmental 

organizations, and international 

agencies to further its 

humanitarian initiatives. 

One of the most significant 

collaborations undertaken by 

the Aliko Dangote Foundation 

is its partnership with the 

Bill and Melinda Gates 

Foundation, along with key 

northern state governments 

in Nigeria. This partnership, 

which began in 2013, has been 

dedicated to eradicating polio 

and strengthening routine 

immunisation efforts in Nigeria. 

Awards and 

Recognition 

Aliko Dangote has garnered 

numerous prestigious awards 

and honours throughout 

his illustrious career. These 

accolades reflect his significant 

contributions to various fields 

and his impact on both the 

Nigerian and global stages. In 

recognition of his exceptional 

achievements, he was awarded 

Nigeria’s second-highest 

honour, the Grand Commander 

of the Order of the Niger (GCON), 

by former President Goodluck 

Jonathan. Also, he received 

the Afreximbank Founder of the 

Year Award in June 2023. 

His accolades extend 

beyond Nigeria, as he was 

conferred with the Commander 

of the Order of Merit of Niger 

award by His Excellency 

Mohamed Bazoum, President of 

the Republic of Niger, in 2022. 

In the same year, he was 

honoured with a Lifetime 

Achievement Award from the 

Nigeria Employers Consultative 

Association (NECA), the apex 

body representing employers in 

the organised private sector. 

Aliko Dangote’s impact has 

reached international shores as 

well. In June 2021, he received 

Cameroon’s highest civilian 

honour, the Commander of the 

National Order of Valour, from 

President Paul Biya. He was also 

recognized globally when TIME 

magazine featured him in its list 

of the ‘Most Influential People in 

the World’ in April 2014. 

For six consecutive years 

from 2013 to 2018, Forbes 

recognized him as the ‘Most 

Powerful Man in Africa,’ 

underscoring his influence and 

leadership in the continent. 

Furthermore, Bloomberg 

Markets acknowledged 

Dangote’s global influence by 

listing him among the ‘50 Most 

Influential Individuals in the 

World.’ 

22 

Accomplish Magazine

New Strides of the Dangote 

Group 

The Dangote Group, a 

conglomerate with a rich 

history dating back to the late 

1970s, has made remarkable 

strides and left an indelible 

mark across various industries. 

Founded by Aliko Dangote, this 

venture initially began with 

a modest trading operation 

dealing in sugar and other 

consumer goods, thanks to a 

$3,000 loan from his uncle. 

As the years rolled on, the 

group embarked on a journey of 

expansion and diversification. 

A pivotal moment came in 1981 

when Dangote established 

Dangote Nigeria Limited and 

Blue Star Services. During this 

era, acquiring import licences 

for commodities like steel, 

baby food, and aluminium 

products became a focal point 

for the group. Cement soon 

became a significant addition 

to the group’s portfolio, even 

competing with global giant, 

Lafarge, in the African cement 

market. The group adapted 

to changing times, focusing 

on bulk imports of salt, sugar, 

and rice when import licensing 

ceased in 1986, while gradually 

reducing its cement business. 

One of the jewels in the 

Dangote Group’s crown is 

Dangote Cement Plc, a major 

player in the cement industry 

in Africa. It has an impressive 

production capacity across 

multiple African countries, 

including Nigeria. The Obajana 

plant in Kogi State, Nigeria, 

stands as the largest in Africa, 

further reinforcing the group’s 

dominance in the industry. 

Dangote Sugar, another 

subsidiary, has also made 

significant contributions to 

the Nigerian sugar sector. The 

company’s sugar refining facility 

at Apapa, Lagos State, is the 

largest in Africa, emphasising 

its commitment to local value 

addition and sustainability. 

Throughout its journey, the 

Dangote Group has continually 

evolved and diversified, now 

encompassing various sectors 

and regions. Its corporate 

strategy revolves around 

building local manufacturing 

capacity, generating 

employment opportunities, and 

contributing to the growth and 

development of Nigeria and 

beyond. With its commitment to 

innovation, the Dangote Group 

remains a beacon of success in 

the business world. 


REPORTAGE 

Selected 

Opinions of 

Aliko Dangote 

Power Sector and Gas-to-Power Value 

Chain: 

Dangote believes that the power sector’s role in consuming natural 

gas is significant and will remain essential in the future. 

He emphasizes the need for comprehensive changes, including 

regulatory reforms, pricing adjustments, infrastructure development, 

and increased gas production to support the growth of the gas-topower 

value chain. 

Reducing Dependence on Commodities: 

Dangote acknowledges the heavy dependence of African 

economies on commodities and the associated vulnerability to price 

fluctuations. 

He highlights a transition toward manufacturing and services, 

indicating his opinion that economic diversification and development 

are achievable through improved governance, education, and 

economic stability. Dangote underscores the importance of investing 

in training and apprenticeship programmes. 

Reforms as Models for African 

Economies: 

Dangote commends Rwanda as an exemplary model for public 

sector reform. His opinion is that Rwanda’s approach, which 

encourages continuous improvement and adaptability, serves as a 

valuable lesson for other African nations. 

Source: Oxford Business Group 

https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/articles-interviews/aliko-dangote-president-andchief-executive-dangote-industries-interview-interview 

24 

Accomplish Magazine

Capital as a Key Factor: 

Dangote believes that having access to a substantial amount of capital is important for 

entrepreneurial success, especially in Africa. He attributes his achievements, in part, to having a 

significant amount of capital at his disposal. 

Power Independence: 

Dangote stresses the significance of power supply for businesses in Africa. He noted that many 

businesses struggle due to power issues. His approach was to invest in building an independent 

power grid to ensure uninterrupted operations. 

Lessons from Financial Crisis: 

Dangote opined that the financial crisis taught him the importance of having capital on hand. 

He expresses regret that in 2008, despite having significant debt from rapid expansion, having 

more capital readily available would have allowed seize opportunities such as purchasing assets 

like homes, airplanes, and land at lower prices. 

Source: Time Magazine 

https://time.com/91816/aliko-dangote/ 


Picture 

Halima Dangote, Mo Ibrahim, 

Aliko Dangote, and a friend 

With Jim Ovia 

With Former President of Nigeria, 

Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigeria’s 

business leaders 

With Sam Amuka At the Vanguard’s 

personality of the year awards 

With Young Global Leaders 

Wealthy Nigerians Urged To Support Fight 

Against Insecurity As Jim Ovia Foundation 

Boosts Police Facilities In Agbor 

26 

Accomplish Magazine

with a business partner 

With Tony Elumelu and Abdul Samad Rabiu at 

Choose France International Business Summit 

With Mo Abudu and Femi Otedola 

Adebayo afolabi 

With Former President of Nigeria, 

Muhammadu Buhari and other Nigeria’s 

business leaders 

AUTHOR BIO 

I am a passionate business writer with a 

knack for translating complex concepts 

into accessible content. With a keen eye 

for detail, I deliver compelling content 

that educates, inspires, and drives positive 

change in the realm of finance and business. 


HAS AFRICA 

AWAKENED? 


hile 

W 

meditating 

on many 

issues 

concerning 

Nigeria 

and the 

approaching 63rd 


anniversary of October 1, 

recent political events in 

the richly-blessed African 

continent with shocking 

prevalence of poverty 

continued to weigh on 

one’s psyche. The heavy, 

worrisome thoughts 

eventually led to a decision 

to do some reading about 

leadership in Africa. It was 

while reading up what one 

found that those enthralling 

words of the charismatic 

Thomas Sankara, who 

was assassinated in cold 

blood, by a dear comrade 

he treated as a brother, 

were found. It crossed one’s 

mind that the experience of 

the late Captain Sankara 

in the hands of the then 

Captain and later President 

Campaore is being 

experienced by the masses 

in African countries! 

The masses trust smoothtalking, 

almost-swearing 

politicians with their votes, 

lives, livelihood and national 

wealth but get frequently 

betrayed and assassinated 

- literally or policy-wise. 

In fact, our leaders 

have almost completely 

assassinated the future of 

our respective countries! 

The more one considered 

what has been done to our 

political, economic and 

social heritage, country after 

country, questions, so many 

of them, want to jump out of 

one’s head! 

Are you wondering what 

those questions are? Take 

another look at those 

meaning-loaded words 

of Thomas Sankara. Do 

you agree that IF EVERY 

administration, across 

Africa, aligns with and 

sustains the principles of 

Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao 

Sankara’s words, they will, 

surely, lift African countries 

to match the much-soughtafter 

first-world country 

status? Do you also agree 

that it won’t matter if the 

country is practising the 

preferred democratic 

governance or military rule? 

Indeed, Sankara’s style 

of leadership, focus on 

infrastructural development 

and transparent selfabnegation, 

before his 

gruesome assassination, 

have led to questions 

about which is truly better: 

democratic governance 

for-the-sake-of-it or truly 

corruption-free, peopleconnecting, 

up-to-date 

infrastructure-advancing 

28 

Accomplish Magazine

FEATURE & 

ANALYSIS 

Julius Malewa 

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua 

PLI Lumumba 

administrations that place 

a premium on equitable, 

country-wide infrastructural 

development - democratic 

or otherwise? While 

Sankara stands aloft as an 

exemplary administration 

in khaki uniform, the likes 

of Nelson Mandela (South 

Africa), Julius Nyerere and 

John Magufuli (both of 

Zambia) ably represent 

similar governance 

dispositions in democratic 

settings. 

The point has to be 

made here that part of 

the reasons revolutionary 

Kwame Nkrumah 

Muammar Gaddafi 

John Magufuli 

speeches, as seen in those 

words of Sankara, hardly 

move Africans today is 

because, they had on 

many occasions, trusted 

persons who dished out 

revolutionary oratory but 

went on to stain their 

records of governance with 

sickening corruption and/ 

or vindictive, dictatorial 

practices. It would hurt 

some readers but one needs 

to clarify this point with 

obvious examples. There 

were the pan-Africanist 

duo of Francis Kwame 

Nkrumah and Muammar 

Muhammad Abu Minyar 

al-Gaddafi (Muammar 

Gaddafi) of Ghana and 

Libya respectively. They 

scored high in rhetoric and 

sloganeering and inspired 

so many Africans with hopes 

of a soon-to-be better 

Africa! 

In fact, Gaddafi, for 

example, is praised for 

so many developmental 

projects in Libya and 

bold, open calls for 

a United States of 

Africa. But, should such 

developmental strides be 

excuse for the outright selfaggrandisement, 

nepotism 

and disappearance of his 

political opponents? 

In all truth, European 

countries have subtly 

dictated how things go 

in the African continent 

through vested imperialist 

self-interest but would 

they succeed without 

equally surreptitious handin-glove 

moves of our 

compatriots? Unfortunately, 

the imperialists don’t care 

about what our brothers 

in leadership dish us. The 

imperialists seek to destroy 

the legacies of African 

leaders only when their 

own vested interests in 

our respective countries 

seem threatened. So, they 

go for blood irrespective 

of whether the leaders 

are doing well for us or 

otherwise! In the estimation 

of the imperialists, an 

African leader should not 

live or enjoy good reputation 

if he dares to curb their anti- 


“ 

Our revolution is not a public-speaking tournament. 

Our revolution is not a battle of fine phrases. Our 

revolution is not simply for spouting slogans that are 

no more than signals used by manipulators trying 

to use them as catch-words, as code-words, as a foil 

for their own display. Our revolution is, and should 

continue to be, the collective effort of revolutionaries 

to transform reality, to improve the concrete situation 

of the masses of our country.” 

- Thomas Sankara 

African grip on our economy 

- irrespective of what he’s 

doing for his people! 

That’s why, today, we 

remember Mandela, Kwame 

Nkrumah, ... Gaddafi, 

Thomas Sankara and John 

Magufuli for standing 

against imperialism and 

neo-colonialisation. But, 

when we look deeper, 

we shake our heads in 

sadness because some of 

them mixed selfish interest 

with public interest; most 

times, more of the former! 

Thankfully, Mandela, 

Sankara and Magufuli 

showed, in practical terms, 

that one could lead a 

country without amassing 

ill-gotten wealth. Of course, 

in Nigeria, there have been 

a few like them. In this 

wise, today, we celebrate 

Johnson Thomas Aguiyi- 

Ironsi, Yakubu Gowon, 

Murtala Mohammed and 

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, 

men who did not use their 

leadership of the country to 

rob our commonwealth. 

These are the 

considerations on one’s 

mind when one looks across 

the African politiconomsphere 

these days. Concerns 

continue to rise in respect 

of what leadership in Africa 

will be like in the coming 

decades. Indeed, these 

concerns have buzzed 

across Africa and beyond 

as military coup followed 

military coup; country after 

country occurred - affecting 

7 countries between August 

2020 and July 2023. Now, 

while people all over the 

world are wondering if 

another coup is in the 

offing on the continent, 

many Africans just want to 

get leaders who shun illicit 

wealth to focus on extensive 

enriching of the masses 

with the natural and other 

resources of their respective 

countries. 

That’s why our nationals 

remind each other of 

the mega-scale, self- 

aggrandisement of African 

leaders and their coterie of 

sycophants and are asking: 

where’s all these military 

take overs taking Africa 

to? Yet, others are asking: 

Who’s really behind the 

spate of recent overthrow 

of “democratically elected” 

civilian governments 

in Africa? Again, would 

the new leaders, whose 

march through respective 

presidential palaces, has 

been massively hailed 

by compatriots not turn 

around, as often the case, 

to turn against those 

celebrating them now and 

even knocking some of the 

celebrants cold? 

In all, the main issue is 

whether African countries 

30 

Accomplish Magazine

FEATURE & 

ANALYSIS 

Looking at Nigeria, can 

we have people like John 

Magufuli as president, 

governors, local government 

council chairmen and 

legislators? When, again, 

would our judiciary be 

filled with such men and 

women? People who would 

look away from filthy 

lucre, apply and support 

reduction of the cost of 

governance across board. 

People who would put 

imperialists in their place by 

putting Nigeria first - like the 

Americans and Europeans 

have been doing? 

have awakened to 

break free from internal 

exploitation by compatriots 

and the veiled, external 

shenanigans of imperialists 

and neo-colonialists? It 

seems countries like Niger 

and Burkina Faso are 

heading in that direction. 

But, is it only through military 

governments that African 

countries can enjoy such 

phenomenon? 

This is the reason some 

people are keeping an eye 

on the likes of Prof. Patrick 

Loch Otieno Lumumba 

(PLO Lumumba), Dr. Mrs. 

Arikana Chihombori-Quad 

and activist Julius Malewa, 

among others like them. 

Would the corridors of 

power cordon-off their 

present puritanical and 

anti-imperialist rhetoric if 

they get into political office? 

By the way, have Africans 

gotten so tired of the old, 

sick system of governance 

on the continent and 

want to invest their votes 

in the likes of Lumumba, 

Chihombori-Quad and 

Malewa? Still wondering 

- what will Africans do to 

end the open-secret of 

conspiracies to eliminate 

any African leader who 

opposes imperialism? 

Importantly, would the 

judiciary in our respective 

countries and other local 

interests allow such people 

to be elected into office? 

Our recent experience in 

Nigeria on one’s mind... 

Diiyi 

William-West 

AUTHOR BIO 

More fondly known as 

DDWEST, he has several 

years of media practice 

experience spanning 

magazines, newspapers, 

television and radio; laying 

emphasis on maintaining 

standards in media practice. 

He practised and lectured 

Public Relations for nearly 

a decade before going into 

leadership consulting and 

real estate consultancy. 


RealPolitik: 

What’s This Pan-A 

Call Against Domin 

By Harry Choms 

Pan-Africanism is a 

profound political and 

social philosophy that 

emerged in the late 

19th and early 20th centuries. 

It embodies belief in unity and 

solidarity among people of 

African descent, transcending 

geographical boundaries. This 

movement celebrates African 

culture, heritage, and identity 

while striving to tackle the multifaceted 

challenges faced by 

African and Afro-descendant 

communities worldwide. 

In recent history, there 

have been moments when the 

collective spirit of a people 

surges with an unyielding 

determination to break free 

from the shackles of oppression. 

One such moment that has 

resonated across the African 

continent and beyond is 

the Pan-Africa Call Against 

Domination. This formidable 

movement signifies a profound 

resistance against various forms 

of domination, exploitation, and 

oppression that have historically 

afflicted Africans and people 

of African descent. It is a call 

reverberating with the echoes of 

colonialism, racial discrimination, 

economic exploitation, political 

marginalisation, and cultural 

subjugation. This article delves 

deep into the heart of this 

monumental call, unravelling 

its origins, objectives, and the 

unyielding spirit that fuels its 

pursuit of justice, equality, and 

freedom. 

The Genesis of 

the Call 

The roots of the Pan-Africa 

Call Against Domination trace 

back to a dark chapter in 

history - the era of colonialism. 

Colonial powers, driven by the 

insatiable thirst for resources 

and domination, carved up 

the African continent like 

a vast chess board. This 

domination manifested in the 

brutal exploitation of African 

lands and peoples, with 

resources pillaged and cultures 

suppressed. The scars of this 

dark period still linger as the 

echoes of colonialism continue 

reverberating in modern Africa. 

The Birth of a 

Collective Voice 

The call for justice and 

liberation began to stir in the 

hearts of Africans and people 

of African descent across 

the globe. It was a call borne 

of the shared experience 

of racial discrimination, 

economic exploitation, political 

marginalisation, and cultural 

subjugation. This collective 

consciousness gave birth to 


Domination, a rallying cry 

transcending borders and 

languages. It is a call that unites 

voices from the bustling streets 

to the vibrant neighbourhoods. 

Unbundling 

the Recent 

Calls Against 

Domination: 

Confronting Colonial 

Legacies 

At its core, the Pan-Africa 

Call Against Domination 

confronts the enduring legacies 

of colonialism. It demands a 

reckoning with the past and 

recognising the historical 

injustices perpetrated against 

African nations. This recognition 

is not merely symbolic; it calls 

for tangible reparations, wealth 

redistribution, and dismantling 

of systems that bring about 

inequality. 

Battling Racial 

Discrimination 

Racial discrimination, in all 

its insidious forms, remains a 

formidable adversary. The call 

against domination refuses 

to turn a blind eye to racial 

injustices. It insists on equal 

rights, opportunities, and 

the obliteration of systems 

perpetuating racial hierarchies. 

32 

Accomplish Magazine

frica 

ation? 

Resisting Economic 

Exploitation 

Economic exploitation, often 

considered as neo-colonialism, 

continues to drain the wealth 

of African nations. The call 

demands economic selfdetermination, 

fair trade, and 

policies prioritising the wellbeing 

of African economies and 

their people. 

Uprooting Political 

Marginalization 

Political marginalisation has 

silenced the voices of many 

Africans for too long. The call 

seeks to create spaces for 

meaningful participation in 

governance, advocating for 

accountable leadership and 

inclusive political systems. 

Preserving Cultural 

Identity 

Cultural subjugation is a silent 

erosion of a people’s identity. 

The call against domination 

fiercely guards African cultures, 

languages, and traditions, 

emphasising the importance 

of cultural preservation in a 

globalised world. 

Recent 

Happenings 

Across the 

Continent of 

Africa 

Africa has witnessed 486 

military coups attempted or 

successfully executed globally 

since 1950. Astonishingly, this 

vast continent has contributed 

the lion’s share, accounting 

for a staggering 214 of these 

coup attempts, with at least 106 

achieving their objectives. 

Africa’s Troubled 

History with 

Military Coups 

According to meticulously 

compiled data by American 

researchers, Jonathan M. Powell 

and Clayton L. Thyne, nearly 

every one of the 54 nations that 

make up the African continent 

has had a brush with a coup 

d’état since the mid-20th 

century. 

Recent 

Successful 

Coups Across the 

Continent 

In the recent past, 

several African nations have 

experienced successful military 

coups, further highlighting the 

complex dynamics at play 

in the region. The reasons 

these coups happened and 

why they were successful are 

not far-fetched. It is not clear, 

though, if political leaders in the 

continent are paying attention 

to those reasons to avert future 

occurrences. Let’s consider 

the most recent coups on the 

continent. 

Burkina Faso: A January 

2022 Upheaval 

In January 2022, Burkina 

Faso was in turmoil as the 

army ousted President Roch 

Kabore. The military’s action 

was attributed to Kabore’s 

perceived failure to contain 

the surge of violence instigated 

by Islamist militants. Adding to 

the instability, a second coup 

unfolded later that year when 

Army Captain Ibrahim Traoré 

forcibly removed Paul Henri- 

Damiba from power. 

Guinea’s Constitutional 

Crisis 

In September 2021, Colonel 

Mamady Doumbouya, special 

forces commander, successfully 

toppled President Alpha Conde. 

This coup followed Conde’s 

controversial constitution 


alteration to side-step term 

limits, sparking wide-spread 

unrest and protests. 

Chad’s Tragic Turn of 

Events 

In April 2021, Chad was thrust 

into political chaos when its 

army assumed control, following 

the death of President Idriss 

Déby on the battle-field during 

a conflict with rebels in the 

northern region. 

Mali’s Tumultuous 

Journey 

August 2020 witnessed 

a group of Malian colonels 

removing President Ibrahim 

Boubacar Keita amidst antigovernment 

protests, security 

concerns, disputed legislative 

elections, and allegations of 

corruption. In a twist of fate, a 

counter-coup happened nine 

months later, with Assimi Goita 

initially serving as vice president, 

taking the reins as head of state. 

Sudan’s Fragile 

Transition 

In October 2021, General 

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a 

military take over in Khartoum, 

disrupting Sudan’s democratic 

transition. This move dissolved a 

ruling council that had shared 

power between the military and 

civilians, plunging Sudan into a 

state of uncertainty. 

Niger’s Recent Coup 

On July 26, 2023, Niger 

witnessed yet another coup 

as the military announced 

the ousting of President 

Mohamed Bazoum. General 

Abdourahamane Tiani emerged 

as the new leader, wielding 

significant influence in the 

nation. 

The Economic Community of 

West African States (ECOWAS) 

intended to deploy a regional 

force on August 10 to “ restore 

constitutional order” while 

advocating for diplomatic 

resolutions. The military has 

proposed a transition period 

34 

Accomplish Magazine 

of up to “three years” before 

returning power to civilian 

authorities. 

Gabon’s Political 

Turmoil 

On Wednesday, August 

30, a group of Gabonese 

military officers took over and 

invalidated the results of a 

contested election held just 

days earlier. These officers 

claimed that the election lacked 

credibility shortly after the 

state election body declared 

President Ali Bongo Ondimba the 

winner - for a third term in office. 

Ali Bongo, the son of former 

president Omar Bongo, had held 

power in Gabon since 2009. 

The prevalence of military 

coups in Africa remains complex, 

with each event shaped by 

unique circumstances and 

dynamics. These coups have 

far-reaching consequences, 

affecting the individual nations 

and the broader African region. 

Understanding this phenomenon 

is crucial for regional stability 

and international diplomacy. 

Our Collective 

Action 

The Pan-Africa Call Against 

Domination is a powerful 

movement that aims to unite 

Africans and people of African 

descent in a collective fight 

against oppression, racism, 

and the lingering vestiges of 

colonialism. At its core, this 

movement champions the 

ideals of pan-Africanism. This 

philosophy underscores the 

shared interests of individuals of 

African heritage and the urgent 

need for unity and solidarity 

among them. 

Raising 

Awareness and 

Taking Action 

Raising awareness about 


Domination and its fundamental 

Recent Successful Coups 

Across the Continent 

objectives is imperative to effect 

real change and address the 

pressing issues. This can be 

achieved through various means 

such as dynamic social media 

campaigns, impactful public 

demonstrations, and a wide 

range of activism initiatives. 

Spreading the message far and 

wide is the first step toward 

building a strong and engaged 

community. 

Advocacy and 

Engagement 

Equally significant is the 

engagement with policy 

makers and other stakeholders. 

It’s essential to advocate for 

policies championing equality, 

justice, and human rights for 

every African, regardless of 

background or circumstances. 

By actively participating in 

the policy making process, the 

movement can push for lasting 

change on a systemic level. 

Supporting 

Grassroots 

Efforts 

Sustaining support 

organisations already 

dedicated to this cause is 

crucial to this struggle. Across 

the African continent, numerous 

organisations are already 

working tirelessly to advance 

human rights, social justice, 

and equality. Offering financial 

support through donations or 

contributing time and efforts, 

as volunteers, can significantly 

contribute to realising the Pan-

Africa Call Against Domination’s 

objectives. 

A Long-Term 

Commitment 

Finally, it’s essential to 

recognise that this endeavour 

is a long-term commitment. 

Achieving the goals of 

this movement will require 

unwavering dedication and 

perseverance. While progress 

may be gradual, we can steadily 

move closer to creating a more 

just, equitable, and inclusive 

world for all Africans by standing 

together and supporting one 

another. 

The Global 

Perspective 

on Recent 

Pan-Africa 

Call Against 

Domination 

The recent Pan-Africa 

Call Against Domination has 

reverberated across continents, 

sparking discussions, raising 

questions, and demanding 

attention in a world interconnected 

by global networks 

and shared challenges. This 

significant movement has 

brought issues of African 

sovereignty, self-determination, 

and the unwavering pursuit of 

equality to the forefront. 

Economic 

Consequences 

On a global scale, the 

Pan-African Call Against 

Domination has significant 

economic implications. Africa 

has long been a focal point 

for international trade and 

investment due to its vast 

resources and growth potential. 

The call brings into question 

existing economic structures, 

which frequently favour 

foreign interests over African 

development. It raises concerns 

about fair trade practices, debt 

relief, and the need for African 

countries to have greater control 

over their economic destiny. 

Call for Change 

Politically, the call has 

resulted in shifts in alliances 

and partnerships. Rather than 

relying solely on traditional 

Western powers, African nations 

are increasingly looking to one 

another for support and cooperation. 

This shift in power 

dynamics calls into question the 

future of international diplomacy 

and the role of African nations in 

shaping global politics. 

Cultural Renewal 

Culturally, the Pan-African 

Call Against Domination is 

rekindling African identity 

and pride. It promotes 

preserving and celebrating 

African languages, traditions, 

and cultural heritage. This 

cultural reawakening instils a 

stronger sense of belonging in 

African diaspora communities 

worldwide. 

The Strength of 

Solidarity 

The Pan-African Call Against 

Domination exemplifies the 

power of unity and collective 

action. It raises serious concerns 

about the role of international 

organisations like the African 

Union in advocating for 

member states’ interests. It also 

emphasises the importance of 

African nations working together 

to solve pressing global issues 

such as climate change and 

health-care access. 

Conclusion: A 

Call for Change 

and Unity 

In conclusion, the Pan-Africa 

Call Against Domination is more 

than just a movement; it calls for 

change, unity, and a redefinition 

of Africa’s role in the world. It 

raises essential questions about 

the legacy of colonialism, the 

dynamics of global power, and 

the aspirations of a continent 

striving for its rightful place on 

the world stage. 

As we reflect on this global 

perspective, it becomes evident 

that the call against domination 

is a call for a brighter, more 

equitable future for Africa and 

the entire world. It’s a call that 

demands answers, and it’s 

a call that reminds us of the 

importance of solidarity in the 

face of adversity. 

Ultimately, the pan-Africa 

call is a beacon of hope, lighting 

the way for a more just and 

equitable world for all! 

Harry Choms 

AUTHOR BIO 

Harry Choms is a freelance 

writer with a passion for 

words and a keen eye for 

details, an editor, and 

an avid tech believer. 

His works can be seen 

on EntrepreneurNG. 

com, Imautomator, 

Secureblitz, Withinnigeria, 

Feelgospel, Kemifilani, and 

Glamsquad Magazine. He 

is the Webmaster and sole 

owner of Matrismart.com 

and biowiki.com.ng. 


50 Nelson 

Mandela 

Quotes on 

Leadership 

One recurring subject 

on the lips of public 

affairs analysts in 

respect of Nigeria is 

the quality of 

leadership the 

country has had so 

far. On discussing the issue, the 

leadership principles and style of 

one man is frequently cited. That 

man is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

Mandela, even in death, is, 

clearly, one of Africa’s leading 

greatest statesmen. Only a few 

heads of state and heads of 

government in Africa (whether 

pre-independence and postindependent 

eras/apartheid and 

post-apartheid eras). He was one 

of South Africa’s anti-apartheid 

activist and politician who 

became that country’s first postapartheid 

president, from 1994 to 

1999, after a fully representative 

democratic election. He became 

president after spending a 

gruelling, dehumanising 27 years 

in solitary imprisonment because 

of his opposition to apartheid 

practices against Blacks in South 

Africa. 

His administration focused 

on dismantling the legacy of 

apartheid by fostering racial 

reconciliation. Ideologically an 

African nationalist and socialist, 

he also served as the president 

of the African National Congress 

(ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. 

Mandela was a renowned 

orator. He consistently roused his 

audience with unique leadership 

concepts, most of which taught 

people to stick to unusual paths 

of forgiveness and mutual cooperation 

to solve societal ills. We 

believe that a selection of some 

of his memorable quotes would 

stir some patriotic, leadership and 

humane strings in our hearts at a 

time like this. 

Nelson Mandela 

Quotes: 

1. “If you want to make 

peace with your enemy, you have 

to work with your enemy. Then he 

becomes your partner.” 

2. “Lead from the back — 

and let others believe they are in 

front.” 

3. “The color of my skin is 

beautiful, like the soil of Mother 

Africa.” 

4. “If you talk to a man in a 

language he understands, that 

goes to his head. If you talk to him 

in his language, that goes to his 

heart.” 

5. “We must strive to be 

moved by a generosity of spirit 

that will enable us to outgrow the 

hatred and conflicts of the past.” 

6. 

“I 

have 

a special 

attachment 

to the people 

who befriended me 

during times of distress.” 

7. “In my country, we go 

to prison first and then become 

President.” 

8. “It is in your hands, to 

make a better world for all who 

live in it.” 

9. “It is not the kings and 

generals that make history but the 

masses of people.” 

10. “One of the things I 

learned when I was negotiating 

was that until I changed myself, I 

could not change others.” 

11. “Resentment is like 

drinking poison and then hoping it 

will kill your enemies.” 

12. “When the water starts 

boiling it is foolish to turn off the 

heat.” 

13. “There is no such thing as 

part freedom.” 

14. “When a deep injury is 

done to us, we never heal until we 

36 

Accomplish Magazine

QUOTES 

forgive.” 

15. 

“Difficulties 

break some men 

but make others. No axe is 

sharp enough to cut the soul of a 

sinner who keeps on trying.” 

16. “After climbing a great hill, 

one only finds that there are many 

more hills to climb.” 

17. “Education is the most 

powerful weapon which you can 

use to change the world.” 

18. “Money won’t create 

success. The freedom to make it 

will.” 

19. “It is an achievement for 

a man to do his duty on Earth 

irrespective of the consequences.” 

20. “There can be no keener 

revelation of a society’s soul 

than the way in which it treats its 

children.” 

21. “Overcoming poverty is 

not a task of charity, it is an act of 

justice.” 

22. “One cannot be prepared 

for something while secretly 

believing it will not happen.” 

23. “It was during those long 

and lonely years that my hunger 

for the freedom of my people 

became a hunger for the freedom 

of all people.” 

24. “There were many dark 

moments when my faith in 

humanity was sorely tested, but 

I would not and could not give 

myself up to despair.” 

25. “The habit of attending 

to small things and of 

appreciating small courtesies 

is one of the important marks 

of a good person.” 

26. “We must all strive to be 

inspired by a deep-seated 

love of our country, without 

regard to race, colour, gender 

or station in life.” 

27. “Only free men can 

negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter 

into contracts.” 

28. “We must use time wisely 

and forever realize that the time is 

always ripe to do right.” 

29. “People must learn to 

hate, and if they can learn to hate, 

they can be taught to love, for 

love comes more naturally to the 

human heart than its opposite.” 

30. “There is no passion to be 

found playing small — in settling 

for a life that is less than the one 

you are capable of living.” 

31. “I am the product of Africa 

and her long-cherished view of 

rebirth that can now be realized 

so that all of her children may play 

in the sun.” 

32. “It always seems 

impossible until it’s done.” 

33. “The greatest glory in 

living lies not in falling, but in rising 

every time we fall.” 

34. “Together we must set out 

to correct the defects of the past.” 

35. “The children who sleep in 

the streets, reduced to begging to 

make a living, are a testimony to 

an unfinished job.” 

36. “A man is never 

more truthful than when he 

acknowledges himself a liar.” 

37. “A winner is a dreamer 

who never gives up.” 

38. “I have never cared very 

much for personal prizes. A person 

does not become a freedom 

fighter in the hope of winning 

awards.” 

39. “Courage is not the 

absence of fear, but the triumph 

over it. The brave man is not he 

who does not feel afraid, but he 

who conquers that fear.” 

40. “Significant progress is 

always possible if we ourselves 

try to plan every detail of our lives 

and actions.” 

41. “You will achieve more in 

this world through acts of mercy 

than you will through acts of 

retribution.” 

42. “No one is born hating 

another person because of 

the colour of his skin, or his 

background, or his religion.” 

43. “Western civilization has 

not entirely rubbed off my African 

background.” 

44. “When I walked out of 

prison, that was my mission — to 

liberate the oppressed and the 

oppressor, both.” 

45. “A good head and a good 

heart are always a formidable 

combination.” 

46. “As a leader of a mass 

organization, one must listen to 

the people.” 

47. “It is what we make out of 

what we have, not what we are 

given, that separates one person 

from another.” 

48. “As we are liberated 

from our own fear, our presence 

automatically liberates others.” 

49. “The authorities liked to 

say that we received a balanced 

diet; it was indeed balanced — 

between the unpalatable and the 

inedible.” 

50. “It is an achievement for 

a man to do his duty on Earth 

irrespective of the consequences.” 

Editor’s Note: These quotes 

were compiled by Asad 

Meah, CEO & Founder of 

AwakenTheGreatnessWithin. 

It was first published by www. 

awakenthegreatnesswithin.com. 


Understanding the 

Perspectives of Rec 

Budgeting 

by Harry Choms 

Recurrent budgeting plays 

a fundamental role in a 

country’s financial planning, 

ensuring the efficient allocation 

of resources and sustainable 

economic growth. Recurrent 

budgeting refers to allocating 

funds for a government’s dayto-day 

operations, such as 

salaries, maintenance, and 

routine expenses. Governments 

can carefully plan and manage 

their expenditures by adopting 

a recurrent budgeting system, 

allowing them to prioritise 

essential services and investments 

effectively. 

This process involves estimating 

and allocating funds for recurring 

expenses, typically annually. 

Through recurrent budgeting, 

decision-makers can assess the 

financial feasibility of various 

programmes and initiatives, 

ensuring that available resources 

are utilised optimally. 

Moreover, recurrent budgeting 

empowers governments to 

maintain fiscal discipline and 

stability. By closely monitoring 

and controlling recurring 

expenses, authorities can avoid 

accumulating excessive debt 

and prevent financial crises. 

This approach also enhances 

transparency and accountability, 

as recurrent budgeting provides a 

clear framework for tracking and 

evaluating the use of public funds. 

Recurrent budgeting is a 

cornerstone for a country’s 

financial planning, facilitating 

effective resource management 

and ensuring long-term economic 

sustainability. Governments can 

address immediate needs by 

systematically allocating funds 

for day-to-day operations while 

balancing future growth and 

development. 

An Overview of 

Nigeria’s Budgeting 

Approach 

Nigeria’s budgeting approach 

pre-dominantly focuses on 

recurrent expenditures, which are 

vital to the country’s economic 

stability and social programmes. 

Recurrent budgeting refers to 

allocating funds for the day-today 

operational expenses of the 

government, including salaries, 

pensions, and maintenance costs. 

This approach is crucial 

as it ensures the continued 

functioning of essential services 

and the fulfilment of financial 

obligations. By prioritising 

recurrent expenditure, Nigeria aims 

to sustain the country’s economic 

stability. Proper allocation of 

funds in this area ensures that 

government employees are paid 

regularly, stimulating domestic 

consumption and promoting 

economic growth. 

Furthermore, by allocating 

funds to recurrent expenses, 

Nigeria can meet its debt 

obligations, enhancing its 

credibility and attracting foreign 

investment. The commitment 

to recurrent budgeting is 

essential for implementing social 

programmes in Nigeria. It enables 

the government to allocate 

resources to critical sectors such 

as education, health-care, and 

social welfare. By consistently 

funding these programmes, 

Nigeria can improve access to 

quality education, provide better 

health-care services, and alleviate 

poverty. Moreover, the stability of 

recurrent budgeting encourages 

long-term investments in social 

infrastructure, ensuring sustainable 

development nationwide. 

Nigeria’s focus on recurrent 

budgeting is instrumental in 

maintaining economic stability and 

nurturing social programmes. This 

approach allows for uninterrupted 

essential services while promoting 

sustainable economic growth 

and inclusive development. 

Nigeria’s commitment to recurrent 

budgeting showcases its 

38 

Accomplish Magazine

urrent 

dedication 

to improving 

the lives 

of its citizens 

and fostering a 

prosperous nation. 

Nigeria Allocates 

Funds to Recurrent 

Expenses 

Nigeria’s 2023 budget has been 

proposed to be NGN 16,391 billion, 

with a 12.50% increase compared 

to the previous year. The budget 

is divided into several categories: 

Statutory Transfers, Recurrent Non- 

Debt, Debt Service and sinking 

Fund, and Capital Expenditure 

(capex). 

The largest expense item in 

the budget is non-debt recurrent 

expenditure, which is allocated 

NGN 6,829 billion. This category 

accounts for 41.6% of the total 

budget and includes personnel 

costs, overheads, and other 

recurrent expenses. 

The second-largest expense 

item is Capital Expenditure, which 

is allocated NGN 4,891 billion. This 

category accounts for about 29.8% 

of the total budget and includes 

spending on infrastructure, 

education, health, and other 

capital projects. 

The remaining categories are 

Statutory Transfers (including 

capex), which is allocated NGN 

768 billion and accounts for about 

4.7% of the total budget, and Debt 

Service and sinking Fund, which 

is allocated NGN 3,901 billion and 

accounts for about 23.8% of the 

total budget. 

In Nigeria, allocating funds to 

recurrent expenses constitutes a 

significant portion of the national 

budget. Recurrent expenses 

primarily encompass routine, dayto-day 

government expenditures 

such as salaries, pensions, 

maintenance, and administrative 

costs. Understanding how funds 

are allocated in this regard is 

essential to grasp the country’s 

budgeting priorities. Below, 

we delve into Nigeria’s budget 

allocation for recurrent expenses, 

backed by statistics and figures. 

Proportion of 

Recurrent Budget 

Allocation: 

Nigeria typically allocates a 

substantial proportion of its annual 

budget to recurrent expenses. 

According to information from the 

Budget Office of the Federation, 

the recurrent expenditure in the 

2023 budget is N8.27 trillion. This 

indicates a clear emphasis on 

maintaining the regular operations 

of the government. 

Comparison with 

Capital Expenditure: 

In contrast to recurrent 

expenditure, capital expenditure, 

which includes investments in 

infrastructure, healthcare facilities, 

education, and other long-term 

projects, receives a smaller 

allocation in the budget (N5.35 

trillion). In the 2023 budget, capital 

expenditure accounted for a lesser 

percentage of the total budget, 

highlighting the priority given to 

sustaining government functions 

over capital development. 

Salaries and Wages: 

A significant portion of Nigeria’s 

recurrent expenditure is allocated 

to salaries and wages of civil 

servants, including government 

employees, teachers, health-care 

workers, and security personnel. In 

the 2023 budget, personnel costs 

represented a substantial portion 

of the recurrent budget, totalling 

N4.99 trillion. 

Debt Servicing: 

Another notable component of 

recurrent expenditure in Nigeria 

is debt servicing. The country 

allocates a significant portion of 

its budget to servicing domestic 

and foreign debt obligations. In the 

2023 budget, debt servicing is N6.31 

trillion from the recurrent budget. 

Operational Costs: 

Operational costs cover a 

range of day-to-day expenses, 

including maintenance of 

government facilities, utility 

bills, travel expenses, and office 

supplies. These costs are critical 

for the smooth functioning 

of government agencies and 

services. In the 2023 budget, 

operational costs constituted a 

substantial portion of the recurrent 

budget, which amounted to N2.42 

trillion. 

Pensions and 

Gratuity: 

Pensions and gratuity 

payments to retired civil servants 

are also included in recurrent 

expenditure. In the 2023 budget, 

pensions and gratuity are N854.8 

billion from the budget. 

Implications of 

Recurrent Budget 

Allocation: 

Nigeria’s significant allocation 

of funds to recurrent expenses 

reflects its commitment to 

maintaining essential government 

functions, sustaining public 

services, and compensating 

its work force. However, this 

budgetary emphasis also poses 

challenges, such as limited 

resources for capital development, 

infrastructure improvement, and 

poverty alleviation programs. 

Striking a balance between 

recurrent and capital expenditure 

remains a critical challenge for 

Nigeria’s fiscal policy makers. 

Nigeria’s budget allocation 

for recurrent expenses is 

substantial, focusing on salaries, 

debt servicing, operational 

costs, and pensions. While this 

approach ensures the continuity 


of government operations, it also 

necessitates careful management 

to address the country’s pressing 

developmental needs. It is 

essential for Nigeria to continually 

evaluate and adapt its budgeting 

priorities to achieve sustainable 

economic growth and address 

social challenges effectively. 

Benefits of 

Recurrent Budgeting 

Allocating a significant portion 

of a budget to recurrent expenses 

has several advantages. Recurrent 

expenses are incurred regularly 

and are necessary for the day-today 

running of the government. 

These expenses include salaries, 

wages, and other overhead costs. 

One of the main advantages of 

allocating a significant portion of 

the budget to recurrent expenses 

is that it helps ensure the smooth 

functioning of government 

operations. By providing adequate 

funding for personnel costs and 

other over-heads, the government 

can ensure that its employees are 

paid on time and that essential 

services are delivered efficiently. 

Another advantage of 



is that it helps to sustain essential 

services. For example, in Nigeria, 

recurrent expenditure usually 

accounts for over 40% of the total 

budget and includes spending 

on education, health, and other 

social services. By allocating 

sufficient funds to these areas, the 

government can ensure that these 

services are delivered effectively 

and that citizens can access basic 

amenities such as health-care and 

education. 

Allocating a significant 

portion of the budget to recurrent 

expenses also supports public 

employees. The government can 

attract and retain skilled workers 

essential for delivering quality 

services by providing adequate 

funding for personnel costs. This 

can help to improve productivity 

and efficiency in the public sector. 

Challenges 

or Criticisms 

Associated with 

40 



Approach 

Nigeria’s budgeting process 

has been criticised for several 

reasons. One of the main criticisms 

is the poor implementation of the 

budget provisions and lack of 

accountability by the executive. 

This has led to calls for increased 

involvement of the legislature 

in the budget implementation 

process. 

Another criticism is that the 

budgeting process is often 

characterised by the late 

submission of budgets by the 

executive to the National Assembly, 

which results in weak budget 

performance. 

There are also concerns about 

potential inefficiencies in the 

budgeting process. For example, 

some analysts have argued that 

Nigeria’s budgeting process is not 

transparent enough, which makes 

it difficult to track how funds are 

allocated and spent. 

In addition, there are concerns 

about the neglect of long-term 

investments. While recurrent 

expenses such as personnel costs 

and overheads are important for 

the day-to-day running of the 

government, there is a need to 

invest in long-term projects such 

as infrastructure development, 

education, and healthcare. 

Summarily, Nigeria’s budgeting 

approach has been criticised 

for poor implementation, lack of 

transparency, neglect of long-term 

investments, and late submission 

of budgets. These criticisms 

highlight the need for reforms in 

the budgeting process to ensure 

that funds are allocated and spent 

efficiently and effectively. 


Approach in 

Comparison with 

Other Countries 

The recurrent budgeting 

approach adopted by Nigeria 

is common to the country. Many 

other countries also allocate a 

significant portion of their budget 

to recurrent expenses. For example, 

in India, the recurrent expenditure 

accounts for about 60% of the total 

budget. Similarly, in South Africa, 

Muhammadu Buhari 

Oluseun Onigbinde 

recurrent expenditure accounts for 

about 50% of the total budget. 

However, it is worth noting 

that the proportion of the budget 

allocated to recurrent expenses 

varies widely across countries. 

For example, in the United States, 

recurrent expenses account for 

about 35% of the total budget. 

Whether Nigeria’s approach 

to recurrent budgeting is a model 

to be emulated depends on 

several factors. While allocating 

a significant portion of the 

budget to recurrent expenses 

has advantages, such as 

ensuring the smooth functioning 

of government operations and 

sustaining essential services, there 

are concerns about potential 

inefficiencies and neglect of longterm 

investments. 

Therefore, countries need to 

strike a balance between recurrent 

and capital expenditures. While 

recurrent expenses are necessary 

for the day-to-day running of the 

government, investing in long-term 

projects such as infrastructure 

development, education, and 

health-care is also crucial for 

sustainable economic growth. 

How Nigeria’s 

Recurrent Budgeting 

Strategy Impacts

Bola Ahmed Tinubu 

Steve Oronsanye 

Its Economy and 

Society 

Nigeria’s recurrent budgeting 

strategy significantly impacts 

its economy and society. The 

country’s recurrent expenditure 

accounts for over 40% of the total 

budget and includes spending on 

education, health, and other social 

services. 

One of the main advantages of 



is that it helps ensure the smooth 

functioning of government 

operations. By providing adequate 

funding for personnel costs and 

other over-heads, the government 

can ensure that its employees are 

paid on time and that essential 

services are delivered efficiently. 

However, there are also 

concerns about potential 

inefficiencies in the budgeting 

process. For example, some 

analysts have argued that 

Nigeria’s budgeting process is not 

transparent enough, which makes 

it difficult to track how funds are 

allocated and spent. 

In addition, there are concerns 

about the need for long-term 

investments. While recurrent 

expenses such as personnel costs 

and over-heads are important 

for the day-to-day running of the 

government, there is a need to 

invest in long-term projects such 

as infrastructure development, 

education, and health-care. 

Moreover, Nigeria’s budgeting 

process has been criticised for 

poor implementation, lack of 

transparency, and late submission 

of budgets by the executive to the 

National Assembly, which results in 

weak budget performance. 

The Future - Insights 

into Nigeria’s Future 

Budgeting Plans 

According to the 2023 Federal 

Government Budget Proposals 

presented by former President 

Muhammadu Buhari, the proposed 

revenue and expenditure budgets 

for 2023 are NGN9.73 trillion and 

NGN 20.51 trillion, respectively. 

The budget has been 

named the “Budget of Fiscal 

Sustainability and Transition” 

and is designed to achieve 

several strategic objectives of 

the National Development Plan 

2021 - 2025, including macroeconomic 

stability, human capital 

development, food security, 

manufacturing performance, 

defence and internal security, 

business environment and 

transport infrastructure, energy 

sufficiency, and industrialisation 

focusing on small and medium 

scale enterprises. 

While the budget proposal does 

not provide detailed information 

on allocating funds to recurrent 

expenses, a significant portion 

is expected to be allocated 

to recurrent expenses such as 

personnel costs and over-heads. 

Nigeria’s future budgeting 

plans aim to achieve several 

strategic objectives of the National 

Development Plan 2021 - 2025. While 

there is no detailed information 

on allocating funds to recurrent 

expenses, a significant portion 

of the budget is expected to be 

allocated to these expenses. 

Conclusion 

After examining Nigeria’s 

budgeting approach and how 

it allocates funds to recurrent 

expenses, the advantages of 


the budget, including ensuring the 

smooth functioning of government 

operations, sustaining essential 

services, and supporting public 

employees, we can conclude that 

mandating a significant portion of 


is a positive approach as it helps 

to ensure the smooth functioning 

of government operations, sustains 

essential services and supports 

public employees. 

However, there is a need 

for reforms in the budgeting 

process to ensure that funds are 

allocated and spent efficiently 

and effectively. Striking a balance 

between recurrent and capital 

expenditures is also crucial for 

sustainable economic growth. 

Reference: 

Budget Office of The Federation; 

BudgIT; 

Ministry of Finance, Budget & 

National Planning; 

International Monetary Fund; 

Investopedia; and, 

Nairametrics. 

Harry Choms 

AUTHOR BIO 

Harry Choms is a freelance 

writer with a passion for 

words and a keen eye for 

details, an editor, and 

an avid tech believer. 

His works can be seen 

on EntrepreneurNG. 

com, Imautomator, 

Secureblitz, Withinnigeria, 

Feelgospel, Kemifilani, and 

Glamsquad Magazine. He 

is the Webmaster and sole 

owner of Matrismart.com 

and biowiki.com.ng. 


THE PARADOX OF N 

Struggling Interna 

Externally 

- An objective view by 

Dr. Brai Malik 

As we prepared to give 

our readers a bumper 


edition to mark Nigeria’s 

National Day celebrations, 

the Editor came across this 

interesting question on Quora. 

com. It’s a question many have 

asked. Dr. Brai Malik’s response 

could best be described as 

‘loaded’. 

Here goes: Why 

is Nigeria doing 

so poorly as 

a nation even 

though Nigerian 

immigrants excel 

when they live in 

other countries? 

I shall be expositing on just 

three of the many reasons why 

I think my dear country, Nigeria, 

is not doing well as a nation. 

These are: 

I. Poor Leadership; 

II. Poor Followership; and 

III. Faithlessness in the 

Nigeria Project. 

Poor leadership: There is no 

doubt about the fact that as 

a nation, we have not had the 

best of leaders; the quality of 

leadership has been bad. This 

has also translated to bad 

quality of followership. 

Unpaid salaries, bad welfare 

system and poor working 

conditions for the Nigerian 

worker are evidences of failed 

leadership in my dear country. 

Public utilities are not working 

in our land. The Power Holding 

Company of Nigeria (mostly 

remembered as N.E.P.A. (never 

expect power always), water 

supply, roads, hospitals, 

transportation, are all in a sorry 

state. 

Our leaders have been to 

developed climes and seen 

how things works there but 

the will to make it work here 

is not in them. Where it exists, 

the Nigerian system (also 

consisting of the followership) 

will fail it. How do you explain 

a situation where leadership is 

unable to generate electricity 

for the nation but the citizen 

can generate electricity for 

himself 24/7 by purchasing a 

power generating set. Power 

generating sets are all over 

the country. They are imported 

into the country with reckless 

abandon. Government issues 

licenses to corporate entities 

and individuals for that 

(purpose). Those in government 

are making money through 

such activities as well as those 

who import them. Then, how will 

government be able to do the 

needful? 

Same goes for 

transportation and what 

have you. We produce oil but 

are unable to refine it in the 

country because our refineries 

are not working. How will 

they work when there are oil 

marketers who have been 

issued licences by government 

to do the refining? Mhennnn! 

The entire system rots! I can go 

on and on. 

A satirical music video done 

by Falz, a Nigerian musician 

and social reformer, aptly 

capturedls what I have written 

here. 

Poor followership: When 

you get to most government 

offices to transact any official 

business, you will see the rot in 

followership; thank your stars 

if you meet the officer who will 

42 

Accomplish Magazine

IGERIA: 

lly, Winning 

attend to you at his table. Even 

if you do, will he attend to you 

with dispatch? 

Diligence is lost to the 

winds. Some have turned 

their offices to sale stores; to 

eke out alternative means of 

livelihood since salaries are no 

more regular. The attitude and 

behaviour of the followership 

is aptly captured in the true 

life stories I came across in a 

WhatsApp group I belong to - 

which I hereby share: 

Story 1 

A wealthy man was 

approached for help by a man 

in desperate need. After a 

deep thought, the wealthy man 

called his driver and said: “Here, 

take this N50,000 and a bag of 

rice. Take this man to his house. 

If he shows you a woman with 

a newborn baby, give him the 

money and the rice. If, for any 

reason you do not see them, 

return the gifts to me.” 

The driver took the man in 

his car and they drove into the 

city. They got to a house and 

the man entered, then came 

out and said that the nursing 

mother was not in. The driver 

said the husband should phone 

her to come back to enable 

him deliver the errand. The man 

said she had no phone. The 

driver said he would then wait 

till she returned. 

When the man noticed the 

driver was bent on doing as his 

boss ordered, he looked at him 

straight in the eye and said: “I 

have a proposal for you. Forget 

about woman or no woman. 

Take the rice and give me the 

money.” But the driver refused. 

The man then said: “Ok, let’s do 

it this way. Take the rice and let 

us share the money”. Still the 

driver refused. The man finally 

asked him: “How much do you 

really want?” The driver said: “I 

want nothing other than either 

to see the woman and hand 

over the items to you, or I return 

all to my master”. The man 

looked at him angrily, hissed 

and simply walked away. 

When the man walked away, 


the driver also left but stopped 

at a roadside shop and told 

the owner he needed cash 

urgently, so he would sell his 

N20,000 bag of rice for N15,000. 

The shopowner quickly paid 

and offloaded the rice. 

The driver went home 

and informed his master 

that he had carried out the 

assignment. His master asked 

him if the poor man’s story was 

true and he said he actually 

saw the nursing mother. The 

master then said: “Now take 

me to the family to enable me 

assist them more properly”. 

The driver took the rich man 

towards the city, but while the 

car air conditioner was on, the 

master noticed the driver was 

sweating profusely, his hands 

were shaking on the steering 

wheel, and his speech was 

incoherent. 

The master ordered him 

to park and asked what the 

problem was. Seeing there 

was no point lying, the driver 

confessed to the other man’s of 

his own guilt. He handed over 

the N50,000 and the N15,000 for 

the rice and pleaded for mercy. 

He then drove his master back 

home. 

The wealthy man told 

his friends what happened 

and opined that: “This is the 

problem with our society. 

Someone will seek your 

help. Unknown to you, he is 

a fraudster. If you help him, 

he has cheated you and will 

continue. If you don’t, you 

feel guilty because you are 

not sure. Society will also say 

you are merciless. Similarly, 

someone will ask for a job, like 

this driver. If you reject him, 

you feel you are fueling social 

problems. If you employ him, 

he cheats you. What kind of 

society is this? How can this 

problem be solved? Who can 

correct this anomaly?” 

Neither the wealthy man nor 

Lagosians shun pedestrian bridges 

his friends could answer the 

questions because, honesty 

has become a rare commodity 

in our society. 

Story 2 

An old man carried out a 

social experiment. He was 

walking along the pedestrian 

sidewalk at Utako, Abuja, 

Nigeria’s capital city, when 

some cars (in a bid to avoid 

traffic) turned on the side walk, 

driving towards him. 

Everybody gave way to the 

vehicles, but the old man did 

not. The driver almost hit him 

but he stood his ground. The 

driver honked. The following 

ensued: 

Driver: Oga, commot for 

road! (meaning “Man, leave the 

way”). 

Old Man: No, Sir; this is the 

pedestrian walk way. You 

should go back to the road. 

Driver: Are you blind? You no 

see traffic?” 

Old Man: I see it sir, but 

that doesn’t give you the right 

to drive on the pedestrian 

sidewalk, Sir. 

A man and a woman came 

down from the vehicle. 

The Woman: Respect 

yourself ooo! If not for the white 

hair I see, I for deal with you! 

Old Man: But ma’am, your 

driver is in the wrong lane. Your 

anger should be directed at 

him, ma’am. 

After a while, about thirty 

people gathered. 

They all saw the old man 

as an irritant person, causing 

trouble. People in the vehicles 

in the stand-still traffic, also 

joined in the verbal assault. 

Baba! Why are you 

embarrassing yourself in 

public? Don’t you have shame? 

Old Man: It’s not about 

me, guys. It’s about this driver 

driving on the pedestrian 

sidewalk! 

The mob came for the old 

44 

Accomplish Magazine

man and pushed him around; 

someone slapped him, he saw 

anger and bile in the eyes of 

the mob. He tried to explain to 

them why he actually was not 

wrong in the incident, and how 

the driver on the pedestrian 

sidewalk was the offender. 

They wouldn’t have any of 

that! They pushed the old man 

out of the way and the driver 

drove off. The people stood 

there, jeering at the old man. 

The old man stood there, taking 

it all in: he allowed them have 

their fill. 

To them, they had just 

carried out justice! 

Silly, frustrated old man! 

They chorused. 

Folks, these are the average 

Nigerian people. They are angry 

at the government. They are 

angry at the Police. They are 

angry at everything. These are 

the naira is useless folks. 

But they don’t see the irony 

in their action against the old 

man, a very sincere and upright 

Nigerian. They are usually 

united against oppression. But 

this time, they identified with 

the driver breaking the law, 

and were against the old man, 

trying to uphold it. 

Truth be told, the problem 

with Nigeria is not completely 

the government nor the police. 

The problem with Nigeria is 

Nigerians. It’s interesting to 

note how the average Nigerian 

talks about how those in the 

corridors of power oppress 

the people. He talks about 

how those in government are 

‘fantastically corrupt’. 

But if he ever gets the 

opportunity to be in power, 

he’ll do the exact things he 

condemns! All through the 

twenty or so minutes on 

that road at Utako, not one 

person saw things the old 

man’s way. Not one person 

was enlightened enough to 

understand the pedestrian 

sidewalk is strictly for 

pedestrians. 

Until we understand these 

simple lessons in Civics, we 

won’t go far as a nation . 

The summation of the 

problem of Nigeria, as a 

nation, is not necessarily only 

the government but it’s the 

people as well. They are the 

same people that complain 

everyday about the leaders. 

They are the followership. They 

keep complaining as if they are 

saints and do not have a part 

in the poor performance of the 

country. We pray for change 

but do not work out the change 

we so much desire. Prayer 

without works will lead us to 

nowhere. 

Faithlessness in the Nigeria 

Project: Anything we do not 

believe in, we do not attach 

any value to it. So, we would 

not strive to make it work. The 

Americans have so much faith 

in their country. Same can be 

said of most developed climes. 

Therefore, they value their 

countries and do all things in 

the interest of their countries. 

Former American President, 

Donald Trump said ‘America 

First’ and everyone keyed into 

it. John F. Kennedy, also a past 

American President, is credited 

with this popular quote: ‘ask 

not what your country can 

do for you, ask what you 

can do for your country’; 

and the citizenry embraced 

this because they have so 

much faith in their country. 

Faithlessness by the people in 

their country can not achieve 

this. Because many Nigerians 

do not believe in Nigeria, they 

migrate to other climes where 

things are working out. But 

past and present leadership 

and followership in these 

other climes worked out their 

countries and are still working 

them out, for generations. 

They did and are still doing 

because they have faith in their 

countries. They stayed and 

held the bull by the horns. And 

indeed, they are now better for 

it. And migrants, world over, are 

now enjoying the fruits of their 

labour. We can replicate same 

in our country. The bottom line 

is faith in the Nigeria project; 

then a re-birth in our thought 

patterns and processes and 

a general re-orientation of 

our psyche will follow. It is not 

impossible for Nigeria to be 

great, once again. It can. It all 

depends on you and I; as major 

stakeholders in the Nigeria 

project. 

Editor’s Note: This piece 

by Dr. Brai Malik was culled 

from Quora.com. The title 

“THE PARADOX OF NIGERIA: 

Struggling Internally, Winning 

Externally” was given by 

“Accomplish Magazine” as 

the author only provided to 

the question in the second 

paragraph of this article. 


48 Thomas 

Sankara 

Quotes on 

Leadership 

T 

he late Captain 

Thomas Isidore 

Noël Sankara was 

a young military 

who came to 

power through 

a coup in 1983. 

However, today, most people 

do not remember Sankara 

as a coupist. Instead, he 

is remembered for his 

revolutionary speeches that 

was uncharacteristically 

matched with exemplary 

self-abnegation; something 

rarely heard of in Africa and 

most other countries. In a way, 

majority or people say that he 

came to leadership well ahead 

of the leadership development 

of the continent. Indeed, 

decades after his callous 

betrayal and assassination by 

his fellow coupist and secondin-command, 

Blaise Campaore, 

many public affairs analysts 

say that he laid the foundation 

for the recent ‘revolutionary 

movements’ across the African 

continent. 

As Nigeria marks her 63rd 

National Day activities, 

the subject of leadership 

deficiencies in the country 

will be on top of public and 

private discussions or debates. 

It will be a surprise if his name 

is not mentioned during such 

interactions. So, what kind of 

leader was he , really? What 

did he believe in? Why has he 

remained a reference point 

nearly four decades after 

his demise. The 48 quotes 

presented here should give 

our readers some insight. 

Bear in mind too, that Thomas 

Sankara did not only openly 

oppose imperialism and neocolonisation. 

His revolutionary 

stance was focused on 

enhancing how women are 

treated in Africa. Indeed, 

Sankara was both iconic and 

charismatic as his selected 

quotes show. 

Thomas 

Sankara 

Quotes: 

1. He who feeds you, 

controls you. 

2. Imperialism is a system 

of exploitation that occurs 

not only in the brutal form 

of those who come with 

guns to conquer territory. 

Imperialism often occurs in 

more subtle forms, a loan, 

food aid, blackmail. We are 

fighting this system that 

allows a handful of men on 

Earth to rule all of humanity. 

3. It took the madmen of 

yesterday for us to be able 

to act with extreme clarity 

today. I want to be one of 

those madmen. We must 

dare to invent the future. 

4. Our revolution is 

not a public-speaking 

tournament. Our revolution is 

46 

Accomplish Magazine

QUOTES 

not a battle of fine phrases. 

Our revolution is not simply 

for spouting slogans that 

are no more than signals 

used by manipulators trying 

to use them as catch-words, 

as code-words, as a foil 

for their own display. Our 

revolution is, and should 

continue to be, the collective 

effort of revolutionaries to 

transform reality, to improve 

the concrete situation of the 

masses of our country. 

5. We must dare to invent the 

future. 

6. Without patriotic political 

education, a soldier is only a 

potential criminal. 

7. Debt is a cleverly 

managed reconquest of 

Africa. 

8. Never be ashamed of 

being Afrikan. 

9. You cannot carry out 

fundamental change 

without a certain amount of 

madness. 

10. The enemies of a people 

are those who keep them in 

ignorance. 

11. We must learn to live the 

African way. It’s the only way to 

live in freedom and with dignity. 

12. When the people stand up, 

imperialism trembles. 

13. I can hear the roar of 

women’s silence. 

14. Women hold up the other 

half of the sky... 

15. Comrades, there is no true 

social revolution without the 

liberation of women. 

16. May my eyes never see and 

my feet never take me to a 

society where half the people 

are held in silence. (referring to 

women welfare) 

17. The revolution and women’s 

liberation go together. We 

do not talk of women’s 

emancipation as an act 

of charity or out of a surge 

of human compassion. It 

is a basic necessity for the 

revolution to triumph. Women 

hold up the other half of the 

sky. 

18. Comrades, there is no true 

social revolution without the 

liberation of women. May my 

eyes never see and my feet 

never take me to a society 

where half the people are held 

in silence. I hear the roar of 

women’s silence. I sense the 

rumble of their storm and feel 

the fury of their revolt. 

19. The revolution cannot 

triumph without the 

emancipation of women. 

20. While revolutionaries as 

individuals can be murdered, 

you cannot kill ideas. 

21. I want people to remember 

me as someone whose life has 

been helpful to humanity. 

22. The spirit is smothered, as 

it were, by ignorance, but so 

soon as ignorance is destroyed, 

spirit shine forth, like the sun 

when released from clouds. 

23. Inequality can be done 

away with only by establishing 

a new society, where men and 

women will enjoy equal rights, 

resulting from an upheaval in 

the means of production and 

in all social relations. Thus, the 

status of women will improve 

only with the elimination of the 

system that exploits them. 

24. We have to work at 

decolonizing our mentality and 

achieving happiness within the 

limits of sacrifice we should 

be willing to make. We have 

to recondition our people to 


accept themselves as they are, 

to not be ashamed of their real 

situation, to be satisfied with it, 

to glory in it, even. 

25. Our revolution in Burkina 

Faso draws on the totality of 

man’s experiences since the 

first breath of humanity. We 

wish to be the heirs of all the 

revolutions of the world, of all 

the liberation struggles of the 

peoples of the Third World. 

We draw the lessons of the 

American revolution. 

26. We make every effort to 

see that our actions live up to 

our words and be vigilant with 

regards to our behaviour. 

27. The French revolution taught 

us the rights of man. 

28. The greatest difficulty we 

have faced is the neo-colonial 

way of thinking that exists in 

this country. We were colonized 

by a country, France, that left 

us with certain habits. For us, 

being successful in life, being 

happy, meant trying to live 

as they do in France, like the 

richest of the French. 

29. Let there be an end to the 

arrogance of the big powers 

who miss no opportunity to 

put the rights of the people in 

question. Africa’s absence from 

the club of those who have 

the right to veto is unjust and 

should be ended. 

30. The woman leads a twofold 

existence indeed; the 

depth of her social ostracism 

being equally only by her stoic 

endurance. To live in harmony 

with the society of man, to 

conform with men’s demands, 

she resigns herself to a selfeffacement 

that is demeaning, 

she sacrifices herself. 

31. You cannot carry out 

fundamental change without 

a certain amount of madness. 

In this case, it comes from 

non-conformity; the courage 

to turn your back on the old 

formulas, the courage to invent 

the future. Besides, it took the 

48 

Accomplish Magazine

madmen of yesterday for us 

to be able to act with extreme 

clarity today. I want to be one 

of those madmen. 

32. The condition of women is 

therefore at the heart of the 

question of humanity itself, 

here, there, and everywhere. 

33. Was it understood that 

the position of women in 

society means the condition 

of 52 percent of the Burkinabe 

population? Was it understood 

that this condition was the 

product of social, political, 

and economic structures, 

and of prevailing backward 

conceptions? And that 

the transformation of this 

position therefore could not 

be accomplished by a single 

ministry, even one led by a 

woman? 

34. By changing the social 

order that oppresses women, 

the revolution creates the 

conditions for their genuine 

emancipation. 

35. We have no need of a 

feminized apparatus to 

bureaucratically manage 

women’s lives or to issue 

sporadic statements about 

women’s lives by smoothtalking 

functionaries. What 

we need are women who will 

fight because they know that 

without a fight the old order 

will not be destroyed and no 

new order will be built. We are 

not looking to organize what 

exists but to definitively destroy 

and replace it. 

36. Another problem 

doubtlessly lies in the feudal, 

reactionary, and passive 

attitude of many men who by 

their behaviour continue to 

hold things back. They have no 

intention of jeopardizing the 

total control they have over 

women, either at home or in 

society in general. In the battle 

to build a new society, which 

is a revolutionary battle, the 

conduct of these men places 

them on the side of reaction 

and counter-revolution. 

For the revolution cannot 

triumph without the genuine 

emancipation of women. 

37. As revolutionaries, we don’t 

have the right to say we are 

tired of explaining. We must 

never stop explaining. We 

know that when the people 

understand, they cannot help 

but follow us. 

38. I can hear the roar of 

women’s silence. 

39. Conceiving a development 

project without women’s 

participation is like using only 

four fingers when we have ten. 

40. This struggle to defend the 

trees and forests is above all a 

struggle against imperialism. 

Imperialism is the arsonist 

setting fire to our forests and 

our savannas. 

41. The importance of 

dialectical materialism lies 

in going beyond the inherent 

limits of biology, rejecting 

simplistic theories about our 

being slaves to the nature 

of our species, and, instead, 

placing facts in their social and 

economic context. 

42. By changing the social 

order that oppresses women, 

the revolution creates the 

conditions for their genuine 

emancipation. 

43. The condition of women is 

therefore at the heart of the 

question of humanity itself, 

here, there, and everywhere. 

44. We must dare to invent the 

future. 

45. As revolutionaries, we don’t 

have the right to say we are 

tired of explaining. We must 

never stop explaining. We 

know that when the people 

understand, they cannot help 

but follow us. 

46. Those who led us to 

indebtedness gambled as if in 

a casino. As long as they had 

gains, there was no debate. 

But now that they suffer losses, 

they demand repayment. And 

we talk about crisis. No, Mister 

President, they played, they 

lost, that’s the rule of the game, 

and life goes on. 

47. We cannot repay because 

we don’t have any means to do 

so… We cannot pay because 

we are not responsible for this 

debt. 

48. We cannot repay but 

the others owe us what the 

greatest wealth could never 

repay, that is blood debt. Our 

blood had flowed. We hear 

about the Marshall Plan that 

rebuilt Europe’s economy. 

But we never hear about the 

African plan which allowed 

Europe to face Hitlerian hordes 

when their economies and their 

stability were at stake. Who 

saved Europe? Africa. It is rarely 

mentioned, to such a point that 

we cannot be the accomplices 

of that thankless silence. If 

others cannot sing our praises, 

at least we must say that our 

fathers had been courageous 

and that our troops had saved 

Europe and set the world free 

from Nazism. 

Editor’s Note: This piece was 

compiled from separate 

publications of www.goodreads. 

com and www.quotefancy.com. 


Mr. Lasekan: 

Unraveling the 

Achievements and 

Progression in 

the World of Art 

By Damian Ikenna Ngere 

LASEKAN 

Art has always been a powerful medium for 

self-expression, reflection, and change. In art, 

some follow established norms, and then some 

visionaries break boundaries, redefine artistic 

styles, and use their craft for positive social change. 

Mr. Olalekan Lasekan, a celebrated artist and industrial 

designer from Lagos, Nigeria, belongs to the latter 

category. In this article, we delve into the life and work 

of Lasekan, winner of the 3rd National MSME Award for 

Excellence in Creative Arts, to explore his artistic journey, 

style, and vision for a greener, more sustainable future. 

A Glimpse into 

Mr. Lasekan’s 

Background 

Lasekan, hailing from 

Lagos, Nigeria, is the proud 

founder of Lordebukks 

Trading Ventures and a 

dedicated recycle artist. His 

remarkable journey in the 

world of art began when he 

graduated with a degree 

in Industrial Design from 

Ahmadu Bello University in 

Zaria. That foundation in 

design, combined with his 

deep affinity for nature, 

laid the groundwork for a 

unique artistic career that 

would eventually lead to 

international recognition. 

The Genesis of an 

Artistic Soul 

For Lasekan, art is not 

just a profession; it’s a way 

of life deeply rooted in his 

family’s history. He comes 

from a lineage of creative 

individuals, including his late 

father, Okunola Lasekan, 

a renowned organist and 

composer, and his granduncle, 

Akinola Lasekan, the 

first Nigerian cartoonist and 

Head of the Department of 

Fine Arts at the University 

of Nigeria, Nsukka. This rich 

family heritage instilled in 

him a profound appreciation 

for artistic expression and 

innovation. 

50 

Accomplish Magazine

ARTS & 

THE MASTERS 

The “Lashisim” 

Style and 

Environmental 

Consciousness 

While Lasekan 

acknowledges the great 

artistic styles from Europe 

and America, he firmly 

believes that art is a 

personal expression and 

perspective. His artistic style, 

which he calls “Lashisim,” 

reflects his unique vision 

and journey in art. Over the 

years, his style has evolved 

and found its purpose in 

addressing pressing social 

and environmental issues. 

Lasekan’s current artistic 

mission is to utilise his craft 

as a catalyst for social 

change and environmental 

re-engineering, aligning 

with the United Nations 

Sustainable Development 

Goals. His medium of 

choice? Sawdust! He 

transforms this waste 

material into sculptural 

pieces, creating captivating 

art and educating people 

about the importance 

of recycling, waste-towealth 

conversion, and the 

empowerment of young 

individuals who wish to 

learn this craft. 

The Creative 

Process 

Creating art from 

sawdust is a challenging 

feat. Lasekan’s creative 

process involves several 

stages: 

1. Gathering Sawdust: 

The journey begins at a 

sawmill, where sawdust is 

collected. 

2. Mixing with Glue: 

Next, the the sawdust is 

mixed with a some quantity 

of white glue (approximately 

4kg) until it reaches the 

desired consistency. 


3. Molding: Once the 

mixture has hardened 

sufficiently, the sculpting 

process begins, creating 

various forms and shapes. 

receiving positive feedback 

from admirers serves as 

a powerful motivator. 

Additionally, the financial 

rewards that come with 

his art keep him inspired to 

4. Drying: The finished 

pieces are left in the sun to 

dry for about a week. 

5. Finishing Touches: 

Finally, sandpaper is used 

to refine the sculpture’s 

surface, and a coating of 

sandy ceiling and lacquer is 

applied for a glossy finish. 

Influences and 

Inspirations 

Throughout his career, 

Lasekan has drawn 

inspiration from various 

sources, including the works 

of cartoonists like Jossy 

Ajiboye and Dele Jegede, 

who were prominent figures 

in Nigerian newspapers 

during the 1970s and 1980s. 

Additionally, comics like 

“Roy of the Rovers” and 

“Richie Rich” played a 

role in shaping his artistic 

development. He also 

acknowledges the influence 

of art movements like the 

Oshogbo Art Movement and 

the art school at Ahmadu 

Bello University, Zaria, 

Nigeria. 

Motivation and 

Overcoming 

Challenges 

Staying motivated 

and overcoming creative 

blocks are vital aspects 

of an artist’s journey. For 

Lasekan, the joy of seeing 

his work come to life and 

continue his creative 

endeavours. 

Challenges in 

his artistic career, 

including societal 

perspectives on art and 

economic constraints, 

have not deterred Lasekan. 

He has leveraged digital 

platforms like websites, 

Instagram, and Facebook 

to reach a global audience, 

recognizing that the world 

has become a global village 

where artistic talent can 

thrive. 

The Social and 

Environmental 

Responsibility of 

Art 

Olalekan Lasekan 

firmly believes that 

art holds a social and 

political responsibility. He 

sees art as a medium to 

advocate for environmental 

preservation, specifically 

52 

Accomplish Magazine

ARTS & 

THE MASTERS 

targeting deforestation and 

animal rights. By creating 

awareness of these critical 

issues through his artwork, 

he hopes to inspire change 

and action in alignment 

with the United Nations 

Sustainable Development 

Goals. 

Future 

Endeavours and 

Exhibitions 

Looking ahead, Lasekan 

is excited about his 

participation in the Lagos 

Circular Economy Hotspot 

(LCEH) 2023, organized 

by the African Circular 

Economy Network (ACEN) 

and the Circular Economy 

Innovation Partnership 

(CEIP). This event provides 

a platform to showcase 

his eco-friendly products 

and services globally and 

foster new partnerships for 

Nigerian circular economy 

businesses. 

Balancing 

Business and 

Creativity 

Balancing the business 

side of art with the creative 

process ccould be a 

challenge for many artists. 

Lasekan acknowledges 

this and relies on a team 

of experts to manage the 

business aspects of his 

artistic career, allowing 

him to focus on his creative 

work. 

Advice for 

Aspiring Artists 

In closing, Lasekan 

offers valuable advice 

to aspiring artists: 

patience, persistence, and 

unwavering dedication. He 

emphasises the importance 

of continuous creation 

and the understanding 

that not everyone will 

appreciate one’s style, but 

one’s audience is waiting 

out there for one’s unique 

works. 

Olalekan Lasekan’s 

artistic journey is 

a testament to the 

transformative power of 

art, demonstrating how 

one artist’s vision can drive 

social and environmental 

change while captivating 

the hearts and minds of 

people worldwide. His 

innovative use of sawdust as 

a medium and commitment 

to sustainable art practices 

pave the way for a greener, 

more conscious future in the 

art world. 

Damian 

Ikenna Ngere 

AUTHOR BIO 

Ikenna is a graduate of 

Physics and Education, 

who works as a freelance 

writer. He has interest in 

technology, humanity and 

sports. 


NIGERIA: 

BITS & BOBS 

BUSINESS AND FINANCE 

Nigeria Emerges Least Refining 

OPEC Member with Average of 

10,600 bpd in 5 years. 

Nigeria, a major oil producer in Africa, has 

been named the least refined products producing 

member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting 

Country (OPEC), with an average equivalent of 

10,600 barrels per day (bpd) for the past five years. 

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, became the 

top refining OPEC member over the period with an 

average equivalent of 2.6 million barrels per day, or 

mb/d. 

Manufacturing Contribution to 

Economy Drops to 2.2% 

According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ 

Gross Domestic Product Report for the second 

quarter of 2023, the real sector’s contribution to 

the Nigerian economy decreased to 2.20% (yearon-year). 

The sector’s growth rate was -14.98%, 

according to the report, when compared quarter 

to quarter. 

In comparison to the 10.13 per cent recorded 

in the first quarter of 2023 and the 8.65 per cent 

recorded in the second quarter of 2022, the real 

contribution to GDP in the second quarter of 2023 

was 8.62 per cent. 

NNPCL’s Aggressive Measures to 

Combat Theft Amid Dwindling Oil 

Production 

As the country’s oil production continues to decline, 

the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is 

intensifying its efforts to combat oil theft in the Niger 

Delta. The company reported in July 2023 that it had 

discovered 162 unauthorised pipeline connections and 

illicit refineries in the Niger Delta, principally in Bayelsa 

State, as part of its war against crude oil theft. 

The state-owned oil company claimed in a twominute 

documentary that between July 15 and July 

21, 2023, 93 illegal pipeline connections and 69 illicit 

refineries were discovered in Aboa and Gbokoda and 

had been destroyed. 

54 

Accomplish Magazine

POLITICS 

PDP to Take Action Against Wike in Due 

Course – Bwala 

On September 7, 2023, Daniel Bwala, a former 

spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential 

Campaign Council, suggested that Nyesom Wike, the 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, will soon face 

expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

On August 30, Wike challenged the PDP to use any 

means available to them to punish him, including 

suspension or other disciplinary action. He claimed 

that he had not yet come across a party official with 

the power to suspend or expel him from the PDP. 

Tinubu Reiterates Promise Not to Fail 

Nigerians 

Nigerians have been reassured by President Bola 

Tinubu of his intention to succeed in transforming the 

country’s economy into one of enduring prosperity. 

Tinubu made this statement when the Tinubu Support 

Organisation (TSO) paid a solidarity visit to the 

Presidential Villa in Abuja. 

The president declared that Nigeria was on the 

road to recovery and praised the group for upholding 

his mission. He voiced confidence in his cabinet’s 

ability to get the country out of its current economic 

quagmire. 

ENTREPRENEUR 

Dangote, Subsidiaries Pay N474bn 

Tax in Three Years 

Dangote Industries Limited increased the 

Federal Government’s tax base by remitting 

over N474 billion in taxes over the course of 

three years. They are all listed on the Nigerian 

Exchange Limited’s floor: Dangote Cement Plc, 

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, and NASCON Allied 

Industries Plc. 

An analysis of the remittances revealed 

that the largest cement manufacturer in Africa, 

Dangote Cement Plc, was responsible for 87.2 

percent of the funds, contributing N412.9 billion in 

taxes over the course of the three years. 

Juliet Ehimuan Joins Zenith 

Bank Board of Directors as Non- 

Executive Director 

Dr. Juliet Ehimuan has been appointed as 

a Non-Executive Director of Zenith Bank Plc by 

the bank’s board of directors on August 29, 2023. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria has also approved 

the appointment, which was made public on 

August 30th, 2023, in a statement to the Nigerian 

Exchange Limited (NGX). 

Dr. Juliet Ehimuan founded Beyond Limits and 

serves as its CEO. She also serves as the most 

recent Director of Google West Africa. 


THE INCUBATOR 

SERIES 

...continued from previous edition 

10 

WAYS OF 

WINNING IN A 

CAPTURED 

ECONOMY (2) 

seek your solutions out. All 3 of 

them “will give you capacity to 

flourish and soar!” 

4. Take them to appraise 

what you read, watch or listen 

to; particularly with respect 

to whether they are adding 

to grow your capacity to 

accomplish great things or 

not. It is true that we are all 

products of what we have 

read, watched or listened to for 


In our first interaction on this 

subject, we touched on how 

some of our compatriots 

employed the privileges of 

their political and economic 

positions to ‘capture’ our 

country’s economy. We also 

looked at the need for every 

citizen of Nigeria to pay 

some attention to economic 

discourse. Perhaps, one should 

add that it is necessary for 

majority of us to break through 

the poverty ceiling that is 

evident across the nooks and 

crannies of the country. Poverty 

is not a path anyone should be 

encouraged to enjoy! 

in the opening part of this 

piece, 4 of the ten ways to win 

this captured economy were 

presented. Those 4 ways were: 

1. Grasping the mystery 

connection between thoughts, 

words and action. This is 

about getting ideas that 

solve problems, talk about the 

ideas to yourself and trusted 

associates until the ideas 

become unstoppable in your 

mind and taking appropriate 

steps to unveil them. 

2. Put your ideas and the 

various new angles that ‘show 

up’ in your mind in writing. 

Remember, it was stated: “You 

may forget what you think 

about because the mind must 

keep working on everything you 

feed it with.” 

3. Weigh-in on at least two of 

the T.S.E. combination with T.S.E. 

standing for Talents, Skills and 

Education. Recall why this was 

advised. With only one of them, 

the path that leads to what 

you can offer the world is quite 

narrow. With any 2 of them, 

that path is wider; meaning 

more clients or customers will 

decades. This is because, those 

things eventually influence our 

minds and whatever influences 

our minds, influences our being! 

By the way, in the same way your 

circle of friends points to who you 

are, your library of books, videos 

and audio materials point to what 

makes you choose the friends in 

that circle of friends! 

As one awaits more reactions 

to this piece from readers, let 

56 

Accomplish Magazine

us proceed to look at the other 

6 “ways of winning in a captured 

economy”. 

STEP FIVE 

5 

5. Do a purposeful mental 

scan of opportunities presentday 

challenges in your area of 

residence, work, business, religious 

gathering or place of learning. 

Then, look again to see which 

of the challenges your talents, 

skills and/or education can solve. 

Truth is, the sure for us to “have 

dominion over the earth”, which 

is a mandate given to mankind 

soon after Creation, we must be 

solution providers. Indeed, the 

amount of human or societal 

problems we have functional 

solutions for will determine how 

much value people will give us. In 

contemporary times, ‘people’ here 

will include those in distant cities, 

countries or continents whom 

we are connected to through 

communication technology. 

This reminds me of the words 

of Prof. Sofiri Joab-Peterside 

during a recent lecture at 

the Kebetkache Leadership 

School, Port Harcourt. He said: 

“There are people in our society 

who are “at risk individuals” in 

view of the ills of society.” He 

explained that the challenge is 

that many people just condemn 

the behaviour of such “at risk 

individuals” without trying 

to appreciate how certain 

circumstances in our society 

made them turn out the way 

they did. Worst still, he noted 

that society just condemns, 

ostracise or stigmatise such 

persons without seeking true 

ways of dealing with the factors 

that gave birth to the way “at 

risk individuals” turned out. 

Imagine the joy of contributing 

to societal balancing if you 

provide grounds to minimise 

situations that breed social ills 

like drug addiction, prostitution 

and so on. 

6 

STEP SIX 

6. Please, take another look 

at your close friends and their 

influence on you. Let us make it 

clear that in this regard, there 

are 3 categories of people all 

over the world: 

i. People who like to watch 

and talk about how others live; 

ii. People who live marking 

time; and, 

iii. People who appropriate 

time to maximise their 

contributions to the word 

How can you identify which 

of these 3 categories you 

belong to? Introspection is 

the answer. Specifically, what 

and what do you discuss 

the most with your close 

friends? The opposite gender? 

Fashion trends? Soccer? Cars? 

The latest gossip? People 

who have recently made 

big money? Talking about 

religious leaders? Or, do you 

mark time by sleeping a lot, 

watching television for hours 

on end or do you remain 

sparingly active while you 

guzzle down food and drinks? 

While majority of people fall 

into categories (a) and (b), 

the minority focus on selfdevelopment 

through acquiring 

new skills or upgrading the 

ones they already have; place 

a high value on academic 

advancement; continually 

look for opportunities to solve 

problems etc. some of them 

work on new inventions or 

improving old inventions or 

mastering and redirecting 

contemporary technologies. 

To identity where you 

belong, do take a candid look 


THE INCUBATOR 

SERIES 

at what you do most of each 

day and who you spend most of 

each day with. Be intentionally 

honest to yourself and decide if 

you need to make adjustments. 

The best time to begin is NOW! 

7 

STEP SEVEN 

7. Open your mind to 

opportunities in other countries. 

That statement that we live in a 

small world has literally become 

a tangible reality than it was in 

the years before the 1980s and 

early 1990s when information 

and communication technology 

had mere remote influence on 

how people lived. Today, we live 

in a world where like Bill Gates 

said: “Business is done at the 

speed of thought!” look around 

and you will attest to the fact 

that many actions, reactions 

and influences on life and 

livelihood happen at the click 

of some button in a manner 

that broke through community, 

country and continental 

barriers. In fact, many activities 

of contemporary life have 

become ‘borderless’ 

Appreciating this 

phenomenon leaves us with 

one question: If geographical 

borders do not count in 

modern-day business, career, 

political, academic, social and 

other aspects of life, shouldn’t 

we pay more attention to 

what is happening beyond 

our borders; particularly with 

regards to how we should take 

advantage of opportunities 

‘out there’? Long before now, 

when people discussed 

‘opportunities abroad’, the 

only available way seemed to 

be actually travelling to the 

said country or exchanging 

series of correspondence with 

the concerned party in that 

country. Things have changed 

drastically! 

These days, conversations, 

meetings and conferences 

could hold with other people 

in far-flung continents. 

E-commerce has given buying 

and selling new colours. 

Academic activities, job 

interviews and even actual 

job operations now happen 

‘remotely’. 

Clearly, then, no discerning 

person should ignore goingson 

and opportunities (including 

challenge-driven opportunities)! 

You may not ‘japa’ physically 

but your talents, skills and 

education can go on ‘japa’ 

expeditions so you can earn 

additional legitimate money! 

8 

STEP EIGHT 

8. Embrace new technologies 

in your field of endeavour(s). 

Closely related to the point that 

was made in the preceding 

paragraph is the need for 

people who want to excel and 

prosper in the challenging 

economy Nigeria presents 

to pay attention to and 

seek ways to applying new 

technologies in realistic and 

reasonable ways. We are at 

a point in time where several 

degrees without basic and 

upgraded technical knowhow 

amounts to diving 

into deep waters without 

a diver’s kit. Of course, 

you don’t have to be the 

most knowledgeable in ICT 

matters but you, certainly, 

should not be the ICT blockhead 

among your peers and 

associates. 

The realisation that 

almost all the technological 

tools of the last decade 

have been serially upgraded 

while new ones have 

evolved or even retired some 

technological ‘commanders’, 

do you need to be told 

that if you don’t follow and 

employ new technological 

tools, you could become 

a living relic in your field 

of endeavour? Worse still, 

you could become a relic 

58 

Accomplish Magazine

without a field of practice! 

9 

STEP NINE 

9. How much do you care for 

S & I? Let me explain. S & I refer 

to savings and investment. 

This is one area I had a lot 

of struggles with. First, was 

the challenge of sustaining 

savings. Next, was the issue of 

upping savings to investment. 

How certain trainers of years 

gone by tended to separate 

both baffles me now as I know 

better. It was bad enough 

that most of my peers had 

little or no financial education 

growing up. But to be served 

with trainers who insisted on 

savings but did not connect 

savings with investments was 

quite unfortunate! 

The right way to go is to 

instil the conviction to save 

in people’s mind and add the 

important step of upgrading 

such savings into investments 

based on appropriately 

informed decisions. What 

can you invest in? That choice 

should be yours but a few 

could be mentioned here: real 

estate; company shares; foreign 

exchange; crypto currency; 

e-commerce facilitation; 

investing in start-ups with 

promise. So, would you still 

leave your savings lie fallow for 

banks to continue to trade with 

it and report billions as profit 

after tax? If you have not even 

began to save, shouldn’t you 

rebuke yourself and get started 

now? 

10 

said that salaries are baits 

STEP TEN 

10. Think Business – even if 

you have a job now. Someone 

an employer uses to trap 

employees and their destinies 

until all the good that such 

employees could do in life are 

completely transferred for the 

good of the employer. Many 

people consider this view to be 

extreme but there is a certain 

amount of indisputable truth 

in it. Let’s put it differently, if 

one researches intelligently, 

make ample plans and execute 

the plan with purpose, going 

into sustained business, any 

entrepreneurial activity or 

enlightened investment, you will 

eventually make more money 

and get more self-worth than 

any employment can give 

you. Does that mean being in 

employment is wrong? Not at 

all! Read the beginning of this 

point again… “Think Business 

– even if you have a job now.” 

This means that while being in 

employment and necessary to 

keep family and society going, 

it is better for majority of people 

to go into business intelligently. 

Again, environmental scanning, 

evaluation and quality planning 

must be adequately done. 

It is necessary to state, 

here, that these 10 steps 

listed here are, by no means, 

a comprehensive list of how 

to address the challenges of 

individual or personal economic 

poverty which eventually 

widens to society’s economic 

poverty. Even then, they are 

guidelines that will help people 

who take steps to apply them 

to be attractive for assistance 

or connection. Have you 

seen people who, though are 

minding their business, you 

want to reach out to and make 

friends with while some people 

who are bending backwards to 

reach out to you simply offend 

you? There must be something 

that makes some people 

attractive to you while you just 

wish you could stay away from 

some people. So, it is with you 

with other people! 

And, of course, never forget 

the God-factor! Oh, yes! No 

matter what we do, the Godfactor 

gives umph to all of the 

ten ways identified in this piece 

and more! 

Diiyi 

William-West 

AUTHOR BIO 

More fondly known as DDWEST, 

he has several years of media 

practice experience spanning 

magazines, newspapers, 

television and radio; laying 

emphasis on maintaining 

standards in media practice. He 

practised and lectured Public 

Relations for nearly a decade 

before going into leadership 

consulting and real estate 

consultancy. 


GRAND 

DESIGN 

Exploring the 

Astonishing Depths: 

The Suzhou DuShu Lake Tunnel 

in China’s Jiangsu Province 

opened to the public in June 

2020. The tunnel connects the 

city’s busiest metropolitan sections 

to the DuShu Lake Science and 

Education Innovation District. It is 

not simply any subaqueous route 

as an engineering marvel, but a 

tunnel that allows the traveller to 

admire the wonders of sea life while 

in transit. 

Several high-definition projectors 

located in the tunnel tapestry’s 

underwater section portray 

experiences packed with colourful 

fish, majestic sharks, playful 

dolphins, and other underwater 

species. These animated displays 

are so life-like that commuters 

frequently believe they are 

traversing a large aquarium rather 

than a tunnel. 

The use of such displays is 

more than just an act of artistic 

grandeur. It also serves to draw the 

attention of passengers, causing 

them to slow down as they drive 

through, boosting road safety. The 

soothing aquatic sounds replace 

the steady hum of traffic, creating a 

soothing and immersive undersea 

experience. 

The tunnel design also 

reflects China’s dedication to 

environmentally-friendly and 

sustainable development. The 

Suzhou DuShu Lake Tunnel makes 

extensive use of natural light, which 

considerably saves energy use. The 

tunnel’s smart lighting technology 

automatically adjusts the intensity 

of the light based on the outside 

lighting conditions, further 

contributing to energy economy. 

DESCRIPTION 

Dushu Lake is a fresh water 

lake in the Suzhou Industrial 

Park’s southern region. It is near 

the crossroads of four towns: 

Guoxiang, Chefang, Xietang, and 

Loufeng. Dushu Lake covers 9.19 

square kilometres and has an 

average depth of 6.5 metres. The 

lake connects Jinji Lake to the 

north, Fengmen Pond to the west, 

and is fed by the Wusong River 

to the south. According to a 2001 

archaeology assessment, the 

earliest evidence of suspected 

human activity near Dushu 

Lake dates back 5,500 years. 

The findings were significant in 

analysing Suzhou’s ancient climate, 

topography, and ecosystem. 

Suzhou Dushu Lake higher 

education town is located on the 

lake’s east bank, and two tunnels 

connect the east and west banks. 

The Enchanted 

Passage: Dushu 

Lake Tunnel 

In the heart of Suzhou, where 

ancient history and modern 

marvels converge, lies a feat of 

engineering that transcends time 

itself. Behold the Dushu Lake Tunnel, 

an underground masterpiece that 

weaves an enchanting tale beneath 

the shimmering waters of Dushu 

Lake. It’s a symphony of architecture 

that blends functionality with 

artistry, leaving visitors spell-bound 

and breathless. 

The Prelude: A 

Journey Through 

Time 

Approaching the tunnel’s 

entrance, you leave the bustling 

world above and descend into a 

tranquil abyss. The air is charged 

with anticipation, and as you 

venture deeper, the outside world 

dissolves into a watery dreamscape. 

You’re now part of a voyage beyond 

the ordinary, a passage through the 

60 

Accomplish Magazine

An 

Inside 

Look 

into 

China’s 

Suzhou 

DuShu 

Lake 

Tunnel 

ages. 

The Underwater 

Overture: 

Nature’s Ballet 

Within the tunnel, a mesmerizing 

light show begins. Bioluminescent 

creatures painted in vibrant hues 

glide elegantly beside your path. 

These aquatic denizens appear 

like whispers from an ancient sea, 

casting an aura of timelessness 

upon your journey. Above, soft 

azure lights filter through the water, 

creating ethereal patterns on the 

tunnel’s ceiling, as if mirroring the sky 

itself. 

The Symphony of 

Shapes: Artistry 

Unveiled 

The tunnel transforms into a 

gallery of abstract sculptures, where 

light and water collaborate to craft 

intricate designs on translucent 

walls. Fluid, arching forms mimic 

the waves above, while intricate 

patterns pay homage to Suzhou’s 

rich cultural heritage. Shadows 

playfully dance on the walls, 

conjuring ephemeral tales of times 

gone by. 

The Aquatic 

Ballet: Nature’s 

Choreography 

At a certain point, the tunnel 

widens, revealing an immense 

cavern. Here, the aquatic ballet 

truly comes to life. Schools of 

fish execute graceful pirouettes, 

forming mesmerizing patterns of 

unity. Gigantic turbines adorned 

with kinetic art propel water 

gently upward, orchestrating a 

breathtaking aquatic ballet. The 

waters seem to sing, and you 

find yourself enveloped in their 

symphony. 

The Mirrored 

Resonance: 

Infinity Beckons 

As you approach the journey’s 

end, the tunnel unveils one final 

surprise. Walls adorned with a 

mirrored mosaic create an illusion of 

endlessness, as if you stand on the 

precipice of eternity. In this chamber, 

the tunnel is not just a conduit; it 

becomes a gateway to the sublime. 

The Awakening: 

Return to Reality 

Emerging from the tunnel’s 

embrace, you reenter the world 

above. The sun bathes you in warm, 

golden light, and Suzhou unfolds 

before you like a narrative yet to be 

written. The Dushu Lake Tunnel, with 

its subaquatic dreamscape, is more 

than a mere passage; it’s a plunge 

into the depths of imagination. 

In Suzhou’s heart, where tradition 

and innovation unite, the Dushu 

Lake Tunnel stands as a testament 

to the limitless human spirit. It’s a 

work of wonder and a portal to a 

world beneath the surface, where 

reality and fantasy entwine in an 

eternal waltz. This, dear friends, is 

the “Enchanted Passage: Dushu 

Lake Tunnel,” a journey like no other, 

where time itself holds its breath. 

HISTORY 

Archaeologists from the Suzhou 

Cultural Relics Committee and 

the Suzhou Museum discovered 

1379 ancient wells beneath Dushu 

Lake in 2001, confirming historical 

records that indicate human activity 

in the area from the Neolithic Era 

to the Northern Song Dynasty. 

Workers digging beneath the lake 

discovered evidence of wells by 

mistake. The discoveries established 

human activity in the Fanxietang 

Area 5,500 years ago. The twomonth 

archaeology investigation 

also discovered and repaired 155 

cultural treasures gathered and 

stored by the Suzhou Cultural 

treasures Committee and the 

Suzhou Museum on behalf of the 

Suzhou government. 

CONCLUSION 


stands as a testament to the 

power of innovation and progress. 

Its construction and operation 

have showcased the successful 

integration of transportation 

infrastructure with environmental 

considerations, tourism promotion, 

and future-oriented planning. 

With its blend of functionality 

and aesthetic appeal, the tunnel 

has become an iconic symbol of 

Suzhou’s commitment to sustainable 

development and a bright future. 

So, whether you are an adventurer 

seeking outdoor thrills or a traveller 

craving cultural experiences, the 

DuShu Lake Tunnel invites you to 

embark on an extraordinary journey. 


serves as a shining example of 

human ingenuity and progress, 

showcasing the immense potential 

of infrastructure projects to enhance 

connectivity, promote sustainable 

transportation, and preserve natural 

ecosystems. 

With its unique underwater 

landscape, the tunnel has become a 

popular tourist attraction, offering a 

range of recreational activities and 

fostering local economic growth. 

As plans for future expansion 

and development take shape, it 

is crucial to maintain a delicate 

balance between progress and 

environmental sustainability. The 

Suzhou DuShu Lake Tunnel stands 

as a testament to the power of 

innovation and serves as a symbol 

of the region’s commitment to 

shaping a vibrant and sustainable 

future. 


Bridging the Di 

Exploring the Guangzhou 

Interchange Bridge and the 

Struggle of Architectural 

Infrastructure in Nigeria 


62 

Accomplish Magazine

GRAND 

DESIGN 

vide: 

Architectural 

infrastructure 

is essential to 

the growth and 

advancement of 

contemporary 

society. It includes 

diverse constructions, such 

as bridges, that link people 

and places, facilitating travel 

and promoting economic 

development. A well-thoughtout 

and useful bridge improves 

connectivity while also being 

an architectural wonder that 

draws tourists and fosters 

community pride. The majestic 

Guangzhou Interchange Bridge 

in China is the subject of this 

article, which also discusses the 

challenges involved in creating 

equivalent architectural 

infrastructure in Nigeria. 

The Guangzhou 

Interchange 

Bridge: An 

architectural 

marvel 

The Guangzhou Interchange 

Bridge, which is situated 

in Guangzhou, China, is 

proof of the outstanding 

accomplishments of 

contemporary architecture. 

This bridge, which spans a wide 

area, is a masterful combination 

of aesthetics and engineering. 

It is a sight to behold due to its 

complex design and flawless 

blending with the surroundings. 


Bridge is a representation of 

innovation and advancement 

rather than merely a means of 

transportation. 

History and 

design of the 

Guangzhou 

Interchange 

Bridge 

The construction of the 

Guangzhou Interchange 

Bridge began in 2002 and 

was completed in 2008. The 

bridge, designed by renowned 

architect Zhang Heng, reflects 

a combination of traditional 

Chinese architectural 

elements and contemporary 

engineering techniques. Its 

unique design features a series 

of inter-connected loops and 

spirals, representing unity and 

harmony. The bridge’s slender 

and graceful form adds an 

artistic touch to the city’s 

skyline, making it an iconic 

landmark. 


Bridge was constructed 

using advanced materials 

such as reinforced concrete 

and steel, ensuring durability 

and structural stability. The 

design incorporates various 

engineering principles to 

withstand the forces exerted 

by heavy traffic and natural 

elements. The bridge’s 

foundation is anchored deep 

into the ground, providing a 

solid base for the towering 

structure. Every aspect of the 

design, from the curvature of 

the arches to the placement 

of support pillars, has been 

meticulously calculated to 

ensure functional efficiency and 

aesthetic appeal. 

The impact of 

the Guangzhou 

Interchange 

Bridge on 

Guangzhou’s 

transportation 

system 


Bridge has had a transformative 

impact on the transportation 

system in Guangzhou. It has 

significantly reduced travel time 

and congestion, allowing for 

smoother traffic flow. The bridge 

connects major highways 

and serves as a crucial link 

between different parts of the 

city. Its strategic location has 

facilitated economic growth 

by enhancing accessibility 

to commercial and industrial 

areas. Moreover, the Guangzhou 

Interchange Bridge has become 


GRAND 

DESIGN 

LAGOS THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE 

an attraction in itself, drawing 

tourists from around the world 

to marvel at its architectural 

grandeur. 

Challenges 

faced in 

developing 

architectural 

infrastructure in 

Nigeria 

While the Guangzhou 

Interchange Bridge stands 

as a shining example of 

architectural excellence, 

Nigeria faces numerous 

challenges in developing 

similar infrastructure. The 

country’s rapidly growing 

population and urbanisation 

put immense pressure on 

existing transportation 

networks, leading to congestion 

and inefficiency. Insufficient 

funding, bureaucratic hurdles, 

and lack of technical expertise 

pose significant barriers to the 

construction of well-designed 

and functional bridges. 

The struggle for 

well-designed 

and functional 

bridges in 

Nigeria 

Nigeria’s struggle for welldesigned 

and functional 

bridges is evident in the 

case of the Third Mainland 

Bridge in Lagos. This iconic 

bridge, connecting the Lagos 

island to the mainland, has 

been plagued by structural 

issues and maintenance 

challenges. Despite being 

a vital transportation link, 

the Third Mainland Bridge 

has experienced frequent 

closures and repairs, causing 

inconvenience to commuters 

and hampering economic 

activities. The lack of proper 

planning and maintenance 

has resulted in the bridge’s 

deterioration, highlighting 

the urgent need for improved 

architectural infrastructure in 

64 

Accomplish Magazine

Nigeria. 

Potential 

solutions for 

improving 

architectural 

infrastructure in 

Nigeria 

Addressing the challenges 

faced in developing 

architectural infrastructure 

in Nigeria requires a multifaceted 

approach. First and 

foremost, there is a need for 

increased investment in the 

sector. Adequate funding would 

ensure the construction of welldesigned 

and structurally sound 

bridges that can withstand 

the test of time. Additionally, 

streamlining bureaucratic 

processes and reducing 

corruption would expedite 

project implementation 

and ensure transparency in 

the construction process. 

Collaborating with international 

architectural firms and 

leveraging their expertise 

can also contribute to the 

development of high-quality 

infrastructure in Nigeria. 

Learning from 

successful 

examples: 

Lessons from 

the Guangzhou 

Interchange 

Bridge 

Nigeria can learn valuable 

lessons from the success of 

the Guangzhou Interchange 

Bridge, which emphasises 

the importance of meticulous 

planning and design is crucial. 

Prioritising functionality 

and aesthetics in bridge 

construction would result 

in structures that not only 

serve their purpose but also 

become iconic landmarks. 

Furthermore, investing in 

research and development to 

explore innovative materials 

and construction techniques 

can lead to the development of 

sustainable and cost-effective 

infrastructure solutions. 

Conclusion: 

The importance 

of investing in 

architectural 

infrastructure 

for sustainable 

development 

Architectural infrastructure, 

particularly bridges, play a 

pivotal role in the progress 

and development of societies. 


Bridge stands as a testament 

to the possibilities that can be 

achieved through visionary 

design and meticulous 

engineering. Nigeria, despite 

its challenges, can overcome 

its struggle for well-designed 

and functional bridges by 

addressing funding issues, 

streamlining bureaucratic 

processes, and learning from 

successful examples. Investing 

in architectural infrastructure is 

not only a means of connecting 

people and places but also 

a catalyst for sustainable 

development and economic 

growth. 

Damian 

Ikenna Ngere 

AUTHOR BIO 

Ikenna is a graduate of 

Physics and Education, 

who works as a freelance 

writer. He has interest in 

technology, humanity and 

sports. 


The Rising 

Transparency & 

Maturity of Nigeria’s 

Real Estate 

By Tayo Odunsi 

o 

T 

a mother, her oneyear-old 

baby and 

her ten-year-old 

son are equally 

children. But that 

mother celebrates 

each birthday 

and acknowledges the age 

difference, growth and maturity 

of each child as each day and 

year passes. It is accurate to 

concede that the Nigerian 

real estate market is still in 

its infancy; perhaps it is no 

longer a baby but more akin 

to a toddler or to some, maybe 

even a teenager. However 

you see fit, it is iniquitous not 

to acknowledge the strides 

achieved and the maturity 

attained over the years. 

To start with, there wasn’t 

a budding commercial real 

estate market just 10 years 

ago. When the Nigerian real 

estate market was “birthed”, 

residential property was the 

prime focus. Today, occupiers 

are spoilt for choice on not just 

residential offerings but also 

office locations of different 

grades and types. Lagos, for 

instance, was just seen as the 

Island and Mainland back 

then. Mainland being Ikeja, 

Ilupeju and perhaps, Yaba 

while offices on the Island 

were primarily located at 

Lagos Island, Victoria Island 

and Ikoyi. Since then, Oniru, 

Lekki, Banana Island and Eko 

Atlantic have joined the list 

of enviable office addresses. 

What’s even more glaring is the 

rise in the quantity and quality 

of office space. A-grade office 

developments now dot the Ikoyi 

and Victoria Island landscape 

even as a similar pattern is 

revving up at Banana Island 

and Eko Atlantic. 

The retail real estate 

sub-market has not been 

a bystander. Both formal 

shopping malls and high-street 

shopping have grown into 

maturity in no small measure 

over the past ten years. There 

is currently over 400,000 sqm 

of retail mall space in Nigeria 

which was less than 20% back 

in 2008, just ten years ago. Most 

cities like Lagos, Abuja and 

Port Harcourt have also seen a 

tremendous rise in high-street 

shopping in city centres and 

densely populated nodes. But 

all these speak to the maturing 

of the real estate market. 

The market has also grown in 

transparency. 

“Nigeria has moved about 30 

spots from being the 2nd most 

opaque country measured and 

is now the 67th most transparent 

out of 195 countries in the world.” 

The Global Real Estate 

Transparency Index is a biennial 

report published by JLL since 

2010 which ranks countries by the 

level of transparency of its real 

estate markets. Countries such 

as Australia, Canada, UK and US 

have led the charts as the most 

transparent markets, while African 

and Asian countries (except South 

Africa, currently 21st) have lagged. 

Nigeria debuted at the 96th 

position out of 97 countries in 2012, 

growing to 86th in 2014, moving 

only mildly to 84th in 2016 and then 

jumping to the 67th position in 

2018. To put this in perspective, in 

only 6 years, Nigeria has moved 

about 30 spots from being the 2nd 

most opaque country measured 

and is now the 67th most 

transparent out of 195 countries in 

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Accomplish Magazine

REALTORS’ 

AVENUE 

the world. 

The Global Transparency Index 

does not only rank countries, 

it also categorizes them into 

one of five groups according 

to its level of transparency. The 

most transparent real estate 

markets are categorized as 

‘Highly Transparent’ followed by 

‘Transparent’ and then the less 

transparent are tagged ‘Semi- 

Transparent’ which is followed by 

‘Low Transparency’ and finally, 

‘Opaque’. As you can imagine, 

Nigeria started in 2012 as decidedly 

opaque and is now 7th out of 20 

countries in the low transparency 

category. 

The rankings are based on 

a weighted score achieved by 

each country in six parameters; 

performance measurement, 

market fundamentals, governance 

of listed vehicles, regulatory and 

legal, transaction process and 

sustainability. Most of these are 

currently improving in Nigeria, 

hence the improved rankings. 

Just ten years ago, it would be 

difficult and very expensive to 

access a repository that shows 

prices of properties talk more 

of a detailed report on the 

property market. Today such 

details are freely available 

via multi-listing sites and real 

estate services companies. 

The progress recorded 

attests to the great work being 

done by real estate investors, 

developers, service providers 

and multi-listing sites. It also 

confirms that much more 

work needs to be done, more 

collaboration is required and 

more standardization, as well 

as capacity development. 

Ultimately, more information 

and data on the real estate 

market must be shared freely 

to put the Nigerian real estate 

market on a faster growth 

trajectory for the next ten years. 

Tayo Odunsi is a 

chartered surveyor and 

real estate economist. He 

holds an M.Sc in Real Estate 

Finance and Investment from 

the University of Reading 

and an MBA from the 

Imperial College, London. 

He is the CEO of Northcourt 

Real Estate; a real estate 

research, brokerage and 

management company with 

offices in Lagos and Abuja. 

Editor’s Note: This 

article was written by Tayo 

Odunsi and first published 

by Prestige Magazine - 

propertypro.ng. 


Tolulope Akinruli 

AUTHOR BIO 

My love to impact knowledge 

to the young and old led me to 

research and writing. Also, l 

have been business-oriented, 

right from childhood, which 

made me focus more on driving 

the business world and also to 

help people grow their business. 

As a writer, I aim to create an 

insightful image in the minds 

of every reader for maximum 

wealth and health. 

Bedtime Ha 

of High Ach 

1. Elon Musk, the visionary CEO of 

Tesla and SpaceX, manages to clock 

in around 6 hours of sleep per night, 

typically from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. 

Have you ever found yourself 

pondering just how much 

sleep ultra-successful 

people manage to get? Is it 

possible that they possess some 

super-human ability to function 

on minimal sleep, unlike the rest 

of us who often yearn for those 

precious hours of slumber? It’s a 

fascinating question. And, while 

there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, 

understanding the sleeping habits 

of some high achievers can offer 

great insights. 

First and foremost, there’s the 

widely known claim made by 

former President Donald Trump 

- that he sleeps a mere 3 hours 

each night. Similarly, PepsiCo CEO, 

Indra Nooyi, reportedly gets only 

4 hours of nightly shut-eye. These 

claims, while attention-grabbing, 

might leave you wondering if such 

minimal sleep is the secret to their 

success. 

However, as we go further, 

let me unveil the majority of 

highly successful individuals who 

prioritize their sleep more than you 

might think. Consider the sleep 

habits of some notable figures: 

2. Tim Cook, CEO of tech-giant 

Apple, is known to get 7 hours of sleep, 

with a bedtime of 9.30 p.m. to 4.30 a.m. 

3. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft 

and philanthropist, also adheres to 

a 7-hour sleep routine, retiring to bed 

around midnight and waking up at 7 a.m. 

4. Richard Branson, the maverick 

founder of Virgin Group, falls within the 

5 to 6 hours range, with a bedtime of 12 

midnight to 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. 

5. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, 

follows a 7-hour sleep schedule, going to 

bed at 10.30 p.m. and rising at 5.30 a.m. 

68 

Accomplish Magazine

its 

ievers 

HEALTH 

6. Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of 

AOL, gets 6 hours of sleep; with lights-out at 

11 p.m. and waking up at 5 a.m. 

7. Barack Obama, former President 

of the United States, maintains a 

6-hour sleep pattern, sleeping from 1 

a.m. to 7 a.m. 

8. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of 

Amazon.com, enjoys a 7-hour rest, with 

bedtime at 10 p.m. and an early rise at 

5 a.m. 

So, what can we gather from 

these diverse sleep patterns? 

One common thread the sleep 

patterns of these accomplished 

individuals shows is their 

tendency to rise early, usually 

9. Ellen DeGeneres, the beloved TV 

host, indulges in a full 8 hours of sleep, 

snoozing from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. 

between 5a.m. and 7 a.m. The 

variability lies in their bedtime 

choices, with some opting for 

a relatively early night (before 

10 p.m) and others turning in 

around midnight. It appears 

that those who manage to 

secure more overall sleep often 

do so by embracing an earlier 

bedtime. 

Conclusion 

If you’re now contemplating 

how to establish a better 

bedtime routine for yourself, 

consider this valuable advice. 

The first step is to create and 

adhere to a consistent sleep 

schedule, striving to go to bed 

and wake up at the same time 

every day, even on weekends. 

Such regularity can significantly 

improve the quality of sleep 

you get. Additionally, keep in 

mind various tips and practices 

that can aid a healthier sleep 

routine in order to reap the 

benefits of well-rested mind 

and body. 

Intriguingly, while there 

might not be a one-size-fits-all 

approach to sleep patterns 

among successful people, 

their sleep habits reflect a 

mix of personal choices and 

individual needs. Therefore, 

whether you go to bed after 

midnight like Elon Musk or 

prefer retiring earlier like Tim 

Cook, what truly matters is 

finding a sleep routine that 

allows you to be your most 

productive and fulfilled self. See 

you at the top! 


FOOD & WINE 

Breakfast Inspiration: 

Poached Eggs 

with Smoked 

Salmon and 

Bubble & 

Squeak 

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Accomplish Magazine

Nutrition: Per 

Serving 

Kcal 310 I Fat 13g I Saturates 

2g I carbs 29g I Sugars 5g I Fibre 

4g I Protein 19g I Salt 2g 

Ingredients 

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

140g white cabbage , finely 

chopped 

2 spring onions , finely sliced 

Words by Chef Amaka Obiena 

300g whole new potato 

1 tbsp snipped chives 

2 medium eggs , at room 

temperature 

75g smoked salmon 

Step by Step 

Method 

STEP 1 

Cook the potatoes in a pan 

of boiling water until tender, then 

drain. 

STEP 2 

Heat the oil in a non-stick 

frying pan or wok. Sweat the 

cabbage and the spring onions 

in the pan for a couple of mins. 

Meanwhile, chop and squash 

the potatoes roughly, then add 

to the pan along with the chives. 

Cook for 4-5 mins, flip it over 

(don’t worry if it breaks) and 

cook for a further 4-5 mins. 

STEP 3 

Meanwhile, bring a small 

pan of water to a rolling boil, 

then reduce the heat so it is just 

simmering. Crack the eggs into 

the pan and simmer for about 3 

mins until the whites are cooked 

and the yolk is just beginning to 

set. Remove with a slotted spoon 

and drain on kitchen paper. 

STEP 4 

To serve, divide the bubble 

& squeak between 2 plates, 

place the smoked salmon and 

poached eggs on top and grind 

over a little black pepper, to 

taste. 


Tourist 

Attractions in 

Africa for the 

Best Holiday 

Experience 

Contributed by Philip Briggs and Dr. Nkechi Juliet 

Philip is an acclaimed travel 

writer and author of many 

guidebooks, including the Bradt 

guides to Uganda, Tanzania, 

Kenya and South Africa. 

Africa is home to dozens – 

make that hundreds – of national 

parks, game reserves and other 

safari destinations. Every last 

one of them has something to 

offer, whether it be a cast of 

charismatic large mammals 

dominated by the Big Five, the 

opportunity to track gorillas or 

chimpanzees, or more subtle 

pleasures such as looking for rare 

birds or colourful butterflies. 

But for first-time visitors 

wondering exactly where to go, 

the highlights below stand out as 

perhaps the ten best places to 

visit in Africa 

Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) 

Topping many safarigoers’ list of best places to visit in Africa, the Serengeti is Tanzania’s 

oldest and largest national park. It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site largely on 

account of hosting the world’s most spectacular annual wildlife migration, comprising up to 

two million wildebeest, as well as tens of thousands of zebra. 

The expansive plains host Africa’s largest lion population, estimated at 3,000 individuals. It 

is probably the most reliable place in East Africa for cheetah, while leopards are regularly 

observed in the central Seronera Valley. Other common wildlife includes elephant, buffalo, 

giraffe, spotted hyena, bat-eared fox and a wide variety of antelope. 

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Accomplish Magazine

TRAVEL & 

LEISURE 

Bwindi Impenetrable 

National Park (Uganda) 

In two words: mountain gorillas. 

This lushly forested Ugandan 

national park is one of the best 

places to visit in Africa if you 

want to see these gentle giants 

– the world’s largest primate, 

weighing in at up to 200kg – in 

their misty mountain homes. 

Staring into the liquid brown 

eyes of a giant silverback is 

undoubtedly the highlight of 

almost all visits to Bwindi. But it is 

also an excellent place to see 

forest dwellers such as yellowbacked 

duiker, L’Hoest’s monkey 

and a full 23 bird species 

endemic to the Albertine Rift, 

among them the gorgeous 

African green broadbill 

Masai Mara National 

Reserve (Kenya) 

Essentially the Kenyan counterpart to 

the Serengeti, the smaller Masai 

Mara is equally rewarding 

when it comes to game 

viewing. Big cats are the 

star residents. Prides of 

up to 20 lions hog the 

spotlight, but it is also 

a very good place 

to see cheetah and 

leopard, along with 

elephant, buffalo, 

giraffe and – with 

a bit more luck – 

black rhino. 

The Masai Mara 

comes into its own 

over late July to 

early October, when 

hundreds of thousands of 

wildebeest arrive from the 

Serengeti to cross the Mara 

River, the most spectacular part 

of the annual migration. 


TRAVEL & 

LEISURE 

Amboseli National Park (Kenya) 

The world’s tallest freestanding 

mountain and heftiest terrestrial 

mammal are the key attractions 

of Amboseli National Park. It is from 

here that one obtains the most 

inspiring views of snow-capped 

Kilimanjaro as it towers above the 

animal-rich plains of East Africa. 

Amboseli hosts the world’s longestrunning 

elephant study, established 

in 1975, and it is the one of the 

best places to visit in Africa to see 

interaction between elephants, 

which are unusually well habituated 

and impressively tusked here. It is 

also a great birding destination 

thanks to its combination of 

seasonal marshes and semi-arid 

acacia savannah. 

Kruger National Park 

(South Africa) 

One of the best places to visit in Africa for a self-drive safari, the 

incomprehensibly vast Kruger National Park would require at least two 

weeks to explore in its entirely. Most people focus on the south, due to its 

proximity to Johannesburg, but the more remote north is where to go if 

you want to get off the beaten track. 

Kruger supports 147 mammal species, the most of any African national 

park, including prodigious populations of all the Big Five, together with 

cheetah, hippo, zebra, giraffe, warthog, baboon and 20-plus antelope 

species. It is also home to 517 bird species. 

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Accomplish Magazine

Okavango Delta (Botswana) 

The vast inland delta created by the Kavango River as is sinks into the sands 

of the Kalahari Desert ranks among the best places to visit in Africa for close 

encounters with hippos, crocodiles and other aquatic wildlife. 

Most alluringly explored in a professionally-poled mokoro dugout canoe, it is 

also home to plenty of elephant and smaller numbers of lion and leopard, 

but the real attraction is the delta’s primal sense of place. 

Etosha National 

Park (Namibia) 

Namibia’s flagship reserve, 

Etosha is dominated by the 

vast, saline and normally dry 

pan for which it is named. 

The pan is lined by a series of 

perennial waterholes – some 

floodlit at night – that attract 

large herds of antelope, 

giraffe and other grazers 

during the dry season. 

It is also one of the more 

reliable parks in Africa for 

black rhino, which occur here 

alongside lion, leopard and 

elephant but not buffalo. 

Etosha is unusually well 

geared towards self-drive 

safaris. 


TRAVEL & 

LEISURE 

Mahale Mountains National Park 

(Tanzania) 

One of the most remote parks 

in East Africa, Mahale protects 

a stretch of jungle-draped Rift 

Valley escarpment verging 

on the staggeringly beautiful 

Lake Tanganyika. Home to 800 

chimpanzees, it is one of the best 

places to visit in Africa if you want 

to get close to man’s closest living 

relative in the wild. 

The chimpanzees of Mahale 

were habituated by Japanese 

researchers in the 1960s, and 

are so relaxed that is isn’t unusual 

to have a full-grown adult brush 

casually past, only a few inches 

away from you. Other primate and 

birds are also well represented, 

and the setting is absolutely 

sublime. 

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Accomplish Magazine

Mana Pools National 

Park (Zimbabwe) 

Mana Pools is one of the best places 

to travel in Africa for the adventurous. It is 

definitely where to go if you are looking for a 

safari destination that places no restriction on 

unguided and guided walking. 

Better still, it offers the thrilling opportunity 

to canoe through one of Africa’s most 

pristine wilderness wetlands in the form of the 

forest-fringed Zambezi River and a network 

of associated pools. Whether you paddle 

or walk, expect to see an abundance of 

elephants, hippos, buffalos, crocodiles and 

water-associated birds, It also harbours 

healthy populations of lion and leopard. 

South Luangwa National 

Paark (Zambia) 

One of the best places 

to travel in Africa for a 

gritty walking safari, South 

Luangwa National Park 

is also renowned for its 

excellent night drives. Most 

lodges here offer expertly 

guided game walks, but the 

real deal is a multi-day trek 

between semi-permanent 

fly camps, soaking up the 

sights and scents of the 

bush without the distraction 

of a running engine. 

Although rhinos are absent, 

this is otherwise an excellent 

Big Five Reserve, and it 

comes with an especially 

high chance of intimate 

leopard sightings. 


AFRICA RISING: 

NEWS ABOUT 

AFRICA 

In Business, Finance, 

Entrepreneur, 

Technology And 

Politics In Africa 



Ethiopia, AfDB Agree 

$84.3m Grant to 

Advance Wheat 

Production 

w 

Ethiopia has received grant 

assistance from the African 

Development Bank Group 

worth $84.3 million to boost 

wheat production and raise 

farmers’ incomes. The grant 

agreement for Ethiopia’s 

Climate Resilient Wheat Value 

Chain Development Project 

(CREW) was signed on August 

2, 2023, by Finance Minister, 

Ahmed Shide, and Abdul 

Kamara, Deputy Director 

General for East Africa of the 

African Development Bank 

Group. 

The grant is made up of 

$54 million from the African 

Development Fund, which is 

the bank group’s low-income 

country lending window, 

$20 million from the Dutch 

government, $10 million from the 

agri-business company, OCP 

Africa, and $300,000 from the 

Global Centre on Adaptation. 

The initiative will get $10 

million in complementary 

funding from the government 

of Ethiopia. 

wSouth Africa’s Outsourcing Giant, SoluGrowth Expands to Egypt 

The opening of a new office for SoluGrowth, 

in Egypt, has been announced by the 

Information Technology Industry Development 

Agency (ITIDA). The first South African 

outsourcing firm, SoluGrowth, has made an 

investment in Egypt, joining a lengthy list of 

major outsourcing businesses who have placed 

significant bets on Egypt’s potential as a hub 

for international delivery centres. With its 

vast and multi-lingual talent pool, distinctive 

location, cutting-edge infrastructure, and 

exceptional government support, Egypt has 

several competitive advantages that make it 

the preferred outsourcing choice. 

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Accomplish Magazine

POLITICS 

U.S. Ambassador Claims of Arms Deal with Russia Debunked 

Despite charges from 

the United States, an 

independent investigation 

found no proof that South 

Africa had sent Russia 

weaponry for the war in 

Ukraine, according to South 

African President Cyril 

Ramaphosa on Sunday, 

September 3rd. 

Reuben Brigety, the US 

ambassador, said on May 11 

- during a news conference 

in Pretoria, that South 

Africa had supplied Russia 

with weapons through 

the Russian ship Lady R, 

which had berthed at the 

Simon’s Town naval port in 

Cape Town (southwest) in 

December of last year. 

Gabon’s Coup: Gen. Oligui Nguema Takes Over as Head of State 

w 

Less than a week after 

ousting President Ali Bongo 

Ondimba, whose family 

had dominated the Central 

African country for more 

than five decades, Gabon’s 

new military leader was 

sworn in as the country’s 

head of state on Monday, 

September 4th. 

General Brice Clotaire 

Oligui Nguema took 

the oath in front of a 

loud, crowded room of 

government officials, 

military personnel, and 

local leaders in Libreville, 

the capital of Gabon. 

Nguema is the commander 

of the Republican Guard, 

an elite military force, and 

is a cousin of the deposed 

president. He also served as 

a bodyguard to Ali Bongo’s 

deceased father. 

TECHNOLOGY 

Uber Unveils Electric Boda Ride Option in Kenya 

On August 31st, 2023, Uber 

announced the introduction of 

Electric Boda in Kenya, a first for 

the company in the continent 

and a significant step towards 

more sustainable mobility. With 

the introduction of electric 

motorcycles, the country’s 

transition to a greener economy 

now has a dependable, 

comfortable, and economical 

means of transportation within 

cities. Since everyone should 

be able to go green, using 

Electric Boda will initially cost 

15% to 20% less than using Uber 

Boda. 

With the introduction of 

the Electric Boda by Uber, 

drivers, for whom fuel is one 

of the biggest expenses, 

will experience a 30% to 35% 

reduction in operating costs. 

The World Bank estimates that 

Kenya’s boda boda industry 

employs over 1.5 million young 

people and generates Kshs. 

202 billion in economic output 

yearly. 


GLOBAL NEW 

Apple to Unveil 

Latest iPhone, 

Feature New USB-C 

Charge Point 

When Apple’s newest 

iPhone was announced 

on September 12, it came 

with a new USB-C charging 

port. Unlike competitors 

like Samsung, the company 

now uses its own lightning 

adaptor on its phones. 

To save consumers 

money and reduce waste, a 

European Union legislation 

mandates that phone 

makers adopt a standard 

charging connection by 

December 2024. 

80 

TECHNOLOGY 

Starlink Satellites 

Spotted Above 

Pittsburgh Area 

Starlink satellites 

from SpaceX were seen 

gliding above western 

Pennsylvania. Ray Petelin, a 

meteorologist with KDKA-TV 

First Alert, posted images of 

the satellites crossing the 

night sky consecutively. 

Elon Musk created 

Starlink, an internet 

service provider owned by 

SpaceX, intending to bring 

fast internet to isolated 

locations. 



Surge in Hong Kong Property Stocks Following 

Chinese Intervention 

On Monday, September 4th, 

Hong Kong-listed real estate 

equities surged, driving the Hang 

On September 4, oil 

prices remained constant on 

anticipation that the United 

States Federal Reserve will end 

its aggressive interest rateraise 

campaign and predictions 

that OPEC+ will maintain tight 

supplies. As part of a production 

agreement reached by the 

OPEC+ producer group, which 

consists of OPEC and allies like 

Russia, Saudi Arabia has taken 

the lead in attempts to stabilise 

prices by undertaking significant 

voluntary output cuts. 

The kingdom is anticipated 

to continue its voluntary 1 million 

barrels per day (bpd) decrease 

into October for a fourth straight 

month. Previous Saudi Arabian 

statements have been made 

before the country’s official 

selling prices, which usually 

The UAE Carbon Alliance has 

agreed to purchase $450 million 

in African carbon credits by 2030 

by signing a non-binding Letter 

of Intent with the Africa Carbon 

Markets Initiative’s Advance 

Market Signal. 

The Global Energy Alliance for 

People and Planet, The Rockefeller 

Foundation, and Sustainable 

Energy for All have joined forces to 

create the Africa Carbon Markets 

Initiative. 

Seng Index to record the biggest 

daily increase in Asia. Also, shares 

of real estate firms including 

Evergrande, Logan Group, and 

Longfor Group rose more than 9%, 

with Country Garden Holdings 

leading advances at 16.85% up. A 

gain of 8.16% was seen in the Hang 

Seng Mainland Property Index. 

On two US dollar bonds that were 

due in early August, Country Garden 

is still required to make the $22 

million in coupon payments. Grace 

period expired on September 6, 2023. 

OPEC+ Expects Oil Stability as Extended Supply 

Cuts Loom 

become public during the first week 

of each month. 

Russian Deputy Prime Minister 

Alexander Novak, meanwhile, has 

said that Moscow had agreed with 

OPEC+ partners on the parameters 

for continued export cuts in October 

2023. 

Brent crude futures for November 

2023 crept 45 cents higher to settle 

at $89.00 a barrel. U.S. West Texas 

Intermediate crude (WTI) October 

futures rose 40 cents to $85.95. 

UAE Carbon Alliance Sets Sights on Africa, Invests 

$450m in Carbon Credit

S ROUND UP 

POLITICS 

China’s President, Xi Jinping, Snubs 

G20 Summit in India 

China’s Premier, Li Qiang, attended the event in 

New Delhi in lieu of Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. China 

announced on Monday, September 4, that it will, for 

the first time, miss a major gathering of the world’s 20 

top economies. 

As tensions between China and the host nation, 

India, continue to rise over their disputed border and 

New Delhi’s expanding connections with the United 

States, Xi opted out of attending the G20 summit. 

US Vice President, Kamala Harris, to Erase Doubts 

at the South- East Asian Nations Summit 

On September 7, at an 

international meeting in 

Jakarta, Indonesia, United 

States Vice President, Kamala 

Harris, expanded her outreach 

to South-East Asia in an effort to 

allay concerns about American 

commitment to the region that 

has been raised by President 

Joe Biden’s absence. 

Harris is currently on her third 

trip to South- East Asia and 

fourth overall to the continent 

of Asia, where she has landed 

in more nations than anywhere 

else. In addition to hosting 

meetings in Washington, Harris 

has established herself as a 

The 

White House 

reported that 

Jill Biden, the 

United States 

First Lady, 

tested positive 

for Covid-19 on 

September 14, 

2023. 

The 72-yearold’s 

diagnosis 

comes after a 

busy week for 

Joe Biden, who earlier in the day 

spoke in Philadelphia on Labour 

Day issues. Before leaving for 

the G20 Summit in India on 

vital contact for the Democrats 

as they unite to strengthen a 

network of alliances to oppose 

Chinese influence. 

First Lady Jill Biden Tests Positive for Covid-19 

September 7, the president 

awarded the Medal of Honour 

to an Army captain at the White 

House on September 5. 

ENTREPRENEUR 

Elon Musk Threatens 

Defamation Lawsuit 

Against ADL 

On September 5, Elon Musk 

threatened to file a lawsuit 

against the Anti-Defamation 

League after the organisation 

was held accountable for 

a decline in X’s advertising 

revenue since he oversaw 

the takeover of the website 

formerly known as Twitter. 

In response to the ADL 

reporting an increase in hate 

speech on the platform after 

the reinstatement of previously 

banned accounts, Musk 

accused the organisation of 

“trying to kill this platform by 

falsely accusing it and me of 

being anti-Semitic” in a post 

on X. 


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ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE OCT 2023

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