Coming to terms with new developments in Nigeria is such an arduous task. The dynamics in politics and the economy have never been this dynamic. Particularly with the change in government and the falling price of crude oil in the international market, the need for new leaders to champion the course of redirecting Nigeria’s economy is more pressing.

If you are a regular reader of our magazine, you'll note that a few names have dropped from the list because of the change of guard in Aso Rock, while new names have sprung into the list. We tried to make the equation more dynamic, but our team of mathematicians couldn't come up with a better formula than we used in 2015. While we promise not to relent in the research for a new formula, we still had to work something out.

With an equation as unique as Einstein’s law of relativity, this equation should get you thinking. We arrived at this list of those who were most prominent in the Powerplay for the year 2015 and should be closely watched this new year 2016.

Powerplay Equation = C + B + I + H, where:

• C: Control over issues and people
• B: Bankability (the money factor)
• I: Influence in various fields of the economic and social sectors of the nation
• H: Heat and Controversiality, it just gets everyone talking about you.

Everyone in this list possesses at least traces of the above factors. Some have modest levels of C but less of H, others have limited B but oodles of I. Nobody has all four elements in equal measure; if they did, the whole country would blow up. But enough of any one of them is all it takes to rise to the top.

1. President Muhammadu Buhari: On the fourth time of asking, PMB rode on the back of the desire of Nigerians for change to become the first civilian opposition candidate to win the presidential elections. Since taking over, he has re-energized the war on corruption and repositioned the armed forces to battle the Boko Haram menace.

2. Olusegun Obasanjo: Like the cat with nine lives, OBJ seems to have found the formula to steer clear of the negative publicity that trailed the former ruling party and has gradually started building a statesman reputation that allows him to comment on various national issues without being partisan.

3. Aliko Dangote: Little needs to be written about the Kano-born billionaire. He is the richest African and the biggest private sector employer of labor in Nigeria.

4. Bola Ahmed Tinubu: BAT was the pointsman in opposition? Fast forward to 2016, he is the leader of Nigeria’s ruling party and a godfather to many political and business heavyweights.

5. Pastor Enoch Adeboye: The General Overseer of the Redeemed Church of God has proven that there’s a lot a country can benefit from the pulpit.

6. Mike Adenuga: The Ijebu chief remains the gold miner in Nigeria.

7. Babatunde Raji Fashola: BRF, the darling of Lagosians, has been saddled with the responsibility of three powerful ministries that would determine the scorecard of the PMB administration.

8. Bukola Saraki: Rich, young, versatile, and controversial. Against all odds, Saraki emerged as the President of the Senate.

9. Kemi Adeosun: Described by critics as a greenhorn in the finance industry, Kemi’s disposition is one that is ready to transform the economy of Nigeria.

10. Ibrahim Magu: The new helmsman at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission can aptly be described as the face of the president’s fight against corruption.

For more juicy stories, get your copy of GENESIS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE, (Issue 9). Available with the vendors, and online on jumia.com.ng, konga.com. Available also internationally in the USA in all Barnes & Nobles Stores, Chapters booksellers in Canada and isubscribe.com in UK.

By tunji egberongbe

Dr Nasra Alli is a kenyan by birth and a Nigerian by Marriage. She is a Medical doctor by training but has a passion for Coffee. She grew up in Coffee business in Kenya and decided to follow up on passion which led to the birth of Kaldi Africa..

The sweet aroma of coffee filled the air as we entered into her cosy office and we were treated to the nice taste of Nigeria coffee which evoked some nostalgic feelings. ‘Coffee used to contribute about 4percent of Nigeria’s GDP prior to the oil boom’, you could see the pain in her eyes as she took us through the history of coffee in Africa and in Nigeria. ‘Like every other non-oil sector, the coffee industry has been allowed to rot away gradually whilst the whole populace concentrated on the oil windfall, something drastic need be done to arrest the fall and make the coffee trees glow once again, that is my passion and I am driven to achieve this aim’, such strong words from Dr Nasra. Would you call her ‘mama coffee’, yes! Because not only is she in the business, she also knows coffee like the tip of her fingertips, from history to farming, processing, retailing, exporting, to medical and lifestyle advantages, Nasra Ali is an encyclopedia when you talk coffee. She traced the heritage to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau where legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. It is said that Kaldi discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. Kaldi reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery who made a drink with the berries and discovered that it kept him alert for the long hours of evening prayer. The abbot shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and slowly knowledge of the energizing berries began to spread. As word moved east and coffee reached the Arabian peninsula, it began a journey which would spread its reputation across the globe.

She posited that if well managed, coffee could become one of the most important exports from Nigeria as researches and records have shown that Nigeria is in the coffee belt region encouraged that efforts be put in place by government to encourage the growing of coffee on a much larger scale that will increase its foreign exchange capacity to the nation. According to her, 11 of the 36 states of Nigeria are in the coffee belt and that the nation is able to grow, process and export coffee on a very large scale. So much is her passion for coffee that in spite of her MBBS Degree and Practice of Medicine she fell back to her passion (Coffee). This time she has taken Coffee to another level by not only visiting the states in the coffee belt, Kaldi Africa, spearheaded by Nasra have entered into working arrangements with farmers in these areas to see how they can partner to revive the coffee plantations. Most of the states fall in the northern part of Nigeria and quizzed on the environment and the reception of the local farmers, she pointed out that ‘the response has been very good! The farmers understand that we are not coming to usurp their lands, rather we are bringing in good seeds, mechanization, funds and all the expertise to help in growing the business of the area. We also would help with the harvesting and on the long run still purchase the seeds from them at premium price, its a win-win situation for everybody and so they’ve all been very co-operative’.

Trained as Medical doctor, Nasra can be known as called Madam Coffee. All her life she has known coffee having come from a family at coffee growers, processors, brewing and drinking family. According to her, “the aim of Kaldi Africa Limited is to bring coffee to where it should be in Nigeria. Nigerians take a lot of coffee both at home and abroad, with this huge population of coffee lovers, it could be turned into a goldmine and also help shore up our export earning potentials.

Along with cultivation of Coffee, the company also plant and package tea which brand have they have labeled Highland tea. ‘We are also passionate and focus on cocoa. Our Cocoa Process Plant is in Ekiti state and its doing pretty well! We do not intend to plant cocoa in Nigeria, she explained, because the country has enough to sell.

Kaldi Africa has three departments which altogether enhance the production of coffee, tea and cocoa. The foremost, is the training department. Because planting, harvesting and processing requires a degree of expertise this department trains farmers on how to plant and nurture cocoa seeds to maturity. Having mastered this, they are trained on how to process the seed into powder how to prepare, serve, market and make profit from the products. Our customers include high networth individuals, big supermarkets, and first class hotels. ‘Our technical department handled the maintenance of coffee processing machines’. We are supporting some established coffee shops to purchase their own machines; I must say however that the machines are very expensive even though some shops who buy machines still come to us for maintenance”. The machines are of German and Italian origin and we have engineers from these countries in the management of Kaldi Africa Limited. “All in all, we are available to support and encourage upcoming coffee shops and intending investors in the business to help increase the economic value of Coffee in the country.

Ali is counting on the country’s rising consumer class to shun imports in favor of her homegrown brew. “We are trying to see how to be able to be part of that growth, with our value addition and ensuring that we really are able to appreciate good coffee in Nigeria,” said Ali.

Is drinking coffee good for the health and she replies, ‘coffee is a lifestyle thing with lots of benefits’. Coffee can improve energy levels and make you smarter, its good for the liver and also helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. She also added that, coffee can fight depression and make you happier, coffee drinkers also have a lower risk of some types of cancer and can help you live a longer and healthier life. Above all, she recounts jokingly, ‘I remember granting an interview where I said coffee also boost men’s sexual performance, and before the end of that day, I got calls from different parts of Nigeria asking how they can purchase our coffee’. We all bursted out laughing, ‘seriously she said, ‘it is true, coffee is good for the act and makes you stronger particularly when taken fresh.’

Now a full fledged Nigerian, Nasra is quick to add that being a Nigerian is such a sweet experience and that her sojourn in the country has erased all the false notion that Nigerians are bad people, she recalls her experience to various markets in Lagos when she came to Nigeria, the friendliness, hospitality and honesty of the average Nigerian and was surprised at how warmly she was received by all and sundry’, honestly I have no regrets settling in Nigeria, she concluded.

The coffee dream is one that she encourages everybody to pursue, from the planting to processing and retailing. She advised that her company, Kaldi Africa is well posited to help train, equip, maintain and even set up your company as a consultant all in her effort to see coffee attain her potentials in Nigeria.

For More Juicy Stories, Get your copy of GENESIS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE, (Issue 9). Available with the vendors, and online on jumia.com.ng, and konga.com. Available also internationally in the USA in all Barnes & Nobles Stores, Chapters booksellers in Canada and isubscribe.com in UK.

Youthful Toyin Sanni is an interviewer’s delight, very delightful to speak with and without mincing words, her story is one that inspires you as she also launched a new book titled ‘Yes! You too Can!’. A trained lawyer, chartered secretary and stockbroker, her foray into the male-dominated and competitive world of financial services is a lesson in tenacity, commitment and hard work. Toyin clocked 50 recently and she attributes her glowing success to God, she says, ‘It’s all about God’.

Toyin was admitted into the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study Law at age 15 and was called to the Nigerian Bar at 19years old against all odds and she attributes all to God! Never one to sing her own praise, Toyin has a Masters degree in Financial law from the University of Lagos and you may wish to call her a role model to millions of not only Nigerian girls but every aspiring young person, male or female.

A chip off the old block, Toyin got her dexterity and wisdom from her late father. “My father was very outstanding with number. In his school days, he was nicknamed ‘another method’ because he always had an alternative method to solving mathematical question in class. Even after the class teacher has solved the problem, my father would raise his hand and say I have “another method” to solve the equation’. Little wonder, her father grew up to become the treasurer of the then Western Region of Nigeria.

On her transition from Law to Financial services, she said, ‘I have always been a person with affinity for numbers, there’s no way you’ll be my father’s child and not be good with figures, mathematics was the yardstick for measuring whether you passed in your exams because when you come home with your result, my father would check your scores in math first before other subjects’. And like a family tradition, we all gave our best in mathematics, my mother was also a trader, so you can understand. I also majored in the financial side of law thus the transition was actually not a herculean task because I had it in me and God has been my main stay. She reiterates.

Toyin Sanni is the Group CEO, United Capitals Group (subsidiary of United Bank for Africa UBA). Prior to this appointment, Toyin had made her mark in the private sector running successfully Trustee Asset and Management business and has served as a part-time lecturer of Business Law and Pension Trusteeship at the University of Lagos/APFN Post-graduate programe. She is a frequent speaker at various seminars, and workshops in various countries including International Investor Services events and conferences; Harvard University Africa Business Conference Washington DC, the Global Custody Conference and the Network Managers Conference.

Toyin has played leading roles in landmark deals. She held the position of Chairman of the Nigerian Capital Market Annual Retreat Committee from 2012 to 2014. Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) UK and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers (Nigeria), she was Vice President of the Association of Pension Funds of Nigeria (AFAN), an Associate of the Institute of Directors, the President of the Association of Corporate Trustees Nigeria as well as National Board Steering Committee, the West African Capital Capital Market Integration Technical Committee and Chairperson of the Custody Subcommittee of the Capital Market.

She spoke extensively on Pensions Management Fund and wished Private Sector Employers who deduct Pensions from their Workers Salaries will remit same to the appropriate quarters so that on retirement such workers are able to access their money without any stress. “As we speak, I am aware that funds deducted from public servant salaries are being invested in other areas to attract interest so that on retirement, workers not only get value for their monthly savings they also earn interest on them over the years. We do hope that such is the situation in the private sector.

As a woman leading a pack of men as the CEO, her experience has shown that a woman often times is easier to work with than men executives “I perform my duties, assign duties and co-ordinate every staff working with me everywhere I find myself”. Asked how she has been able to cope in such a male dominated industry, she smiled, saying ‘when you deal strictly officially, and show understanding and respect, gender will have no role to play in the delivery of service and achieving results’. An advocate of women empowerment, Toyin was quick to point out that, ‘women were born disadvantaged, its not just an African thing but a deeply entrenched societal ill. For example, parents raise their sons to play with the computers but train their daughters to play with dolls’, you raise your daughter not to speak too loudly but raise your son to bully, infact parents are proud seeing their sons talking. When a woman is talking you say she’s shouting, but when a man is, you say he’s speaking! There’s a lot of conditioning in the society that has repressed the girl child for a long time, she loses her name on getting married et cetera’, She however advises women not to get caught up in the gender discrimination struggle in their offices, ‘women should go to their respective offices with the sole aim of working and not getting trapped in the gender debate’.

Beauty and brain you’ll say, but the brawn part became more apparent as we continued our discussion on women advocacy and freedom, infact if there was any part of the interview that brought Toyin out in her element, it was on this issue, ‘can you imagine a man having a business appointment at 7.00pm and a woman having the same appointment, how would the husband feel? How does a woman tell her husband that she wants to go and close a deal in a restaurant at 7.00pm but the same appointment, a man would go without even taking permission from the wife, its such an unbalanced playing field! She enthused that there must be a conscious effort by the public and government to address this anomaly, women should be considered on the same grounds as men! Speaking further, ‘a review of fortune 500 CEOs reveals that the companies run by women were outperforming others and the answer is simple, the women CEOs would have gone through so many challenges to reach the top such that they become rockstars once they get there’. Asked if she feels even the Bible is not gender biased, the Pastor in her rose to the fore, she took us through so many women in the Bible who performed valiantly and believes that God is not gender biased but requires that everyone should stand up to be counted for her rights. By and large, research has shown that for any country to move forward, its high time governments invested in their women population because women constitute about 60 percent of any country’s population and when 60 percent of a country’s population is already disenfranchised based on gender, how do you expect that country to progress, its simple logic she exclaims! As the gist continued, I ran into trouble when I asked her how she felt on the women appointees in the former administration in Nigeria and how their performance has done little good to the women cause, ‘you are in trouble, she shouted, how many are you in your family? I answered, seven? And she said how many are women? I said 4, so are you saying the women in your family are not trustworthy? Who conducted the trust test on the men or does wearing trousers confer on men the toga of trustworthiness and by the way women are also wearing trousers now and we all bursted out laughing. Men have been mismanaging, pillaging, killing, maiming, embezzling money for decades yet they kept getting recycled, this is just a case of calling the dog a bad name, so why is it the women folks that get criticized for small misdemeanors that have not even been proven? We have great women who have contributed immensely to the growth of this country and we still need more women in positions of authority who can champion this cause for the good of our generation.

How does it feel to be fifty, she smiled, ‘to everyone asking me how it feels to be fifty, I can only say, it feels the way you want it to feel, for me, fifty is the new thirties! It feels good, empowering, you are at an age where there is a degree of acceptance of yourself and who you are, you are not so anxious to prove anything to anybody and it earns you a bit of respect, I love the feeling!’.

Toyin is married to a banker and pastor and she has three children; a 24-year old boy who already had a Masters Degree in Law and two daughters studying Accounting & Finance and Biological Sciences

Quizzed on how she’s been able to manage the homefront and still climbed this height in her career, she smiled, ‘it begins with your partner realizing that God has also deposited in you some talents which needs to be expressed yet creating quality time for your family’. My husband and children knows they come first and having this at the back of their minds makes them relaxed. For example, we have a family code that when they need to get my attention, no matter where I am, they just need to say the word and I’ll drop anything I’m doing and attend to their needs first and this has really helped us as a family’. Furthermore, she explained, ‘I am a believer in God’s word that says I can do all things through God that strengthens me, I believe God has created us to multitask and nobody is better at that than the woman. Before I set out everyday, I try to draw strength from my maker and this prepares me for the task ahead for the day’. And this is the message of Toyin’s new book, ‘Yes you too can!’ Every woman can maximize her life, you can balance things, balance your work with your life, you can have your ministry, impact your community, you can be everything God wants you to be. The major issue is that we underestimate what God has deposited in us, women are created to multitask with ease.

The secret of her young look, ‘I drink a lot of water and eat light and do lots of exercise’. Because of her heavy work schedule, she says, ‘walking is my best form of exercise’, atimes I just walk for the gate of my estate to my house, just to keep fit!

An accomplished author and speaker, Toyin Sanni marked her fiftieth birthday in Lagos recently and it was a roll call of eminent personalities in the finance industry that included the likes of Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Mrs Arunma Oteh, VP of the World bank, Oba Otudeko, the Chairman Honeywell Group, Mr Bola Adeboye, the MD/CEO of the Nigeria Police Mortgage Bank Plc and other dignitaries. She also used the occasion to launch her new book, Yes! You too Can!  Oluwatoyin Sanni’s book- Yes You Too Can– provides a blue print to understanding how to maximise life’s opportunities. She also shared her experience not just as a woman, but an African woman, which in itself can be a complex labyrinth and how with the grace of God has been able to weather the storm and excelled, The most powerful tip being maintaining a strong personal relationship with God“.

For More Juicy Stories, Get your copy of GENESIS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE, Issue 9  Available with the vendors, and online on jumia.com.ng, konga.com. Available also internationally in the USA in all Barnes & Nobles Stores, Chapters booksellers in Canada and isubscribe.com in UK.

The GENESIS INTERNATIONAL Magazine CEO of the Year Award program was founded to identify and recognize outstanding leadership and achievement by a Nigerian Chief Executive Officer. This highly respected award honors an executive in Nigerian business who exemplifies integrity, insists upon excellence, earns the trust of others, and has built a globally competitive organization. The honoree is selected by a distinguished advisory board comprised of eminent business leaders based on the following criteria: Corporate Performance, Vision and Leadership, Global Competitiveness, Innovation, and Social Responsibility.

2015 has sure been a very trying year particularly with the transition in government and the dwindling oil prices and its effects resonating on all other spheres of business in Nigeria. Despite these challenges, however, some businesses still posted huge successes as a result of their dynamic leadership. Our team came up with a list of three most outstanding CEOs in Nigeria for 2015 from a list of over 30 contenders, and we presented them to our reading audience to vote for their preferred choice to become the first winner of our annual CEO OF THE YEAR Award. After One month of voting exercise on our website, www.genesismagz.com, the overwhelming favorite is Mr. Bisi Onasanya, Group Managing Director of First Bank Plc.

Mr. Bisi Onasanya is so credited because he has been able to make a difference in highly competitive markets. He has demonstrated effective management capabilities through hard work, resilience, research, an understanding of the Nigeria business climate, thus moving First Bank as a group to the next level and positioning it favorably for the future. He has been able to stabilize and modernize the expanding FirstBank brand since his appointment in 2009, thus reinforcing the confidence of the bank’s diverse stakeholders.

Reputed as a seasoned banker and chartered accountant, Onasanya is a highly respected and personable executive who has established a reputation at FirstBank for solid performance and sound judgment. He succeeded Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (now the Emir of Kano) as Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer upon the appointment of the latter as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria in 2009. He is widely reputed as the architect of the modern FirstBank, associated with various innovative and creative achievements. He was the Project Coordinator of Century 2 the new frontier, FirstBank’s far-reaching enterprise transformation project at the turn of the century, as well as the Coordinator of the FirstBank Corporate Transformation project which has seen the bank accentuating its foothold on modernization. Mr. Onasanya also superintended the latest composite Corporate Identity/Brand Refresh of the FirstBank Group, a bold step heralding the international expansion of the FirstBank brand which under his leadership now boasts of subsidiaries with operations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Relentlessly, he not only pursued the corporate rebranding of the First Bank Group, Mr. Onasanya also invested heavily in the human capital of the company culminating in the transformation of the bank’s training center into First Academy, a best in class corporate university that recently clinched the 2015 Global Council of Corporate Universities Award for best impact by a corporate university on the implementation of business strategies. The bank has also received the highly coveted Best Place to Work award under his management.

His penchant for innovation, excellence, and creativity knows no bound. At an award ceremony recently, he stressed the plans of the bank stating “As a group we plan to grow in priority segments, especially the retail and emerging corporates. We also intend to continue strengthening our service proposition, including optimizing our distribution mix.” A man of his words, First Bank under his watch recently opened its 700th branch nationwide creating employment opportunities for the youth.

One of the cornerstones of his repositioning drive was to be the driving force and partner of first choice in facilitating the growth and building of the future of the nation. And in keeping with the ‘You First’ promise to Nigerians, FirstBank supports the entirety of the agriculture value chain, from food production to transportation, retailing, and consumption. This also culminated in their partnership with Eventful on Fiesta on Flavors recently bringing together hundreds of food and beverage enterprises.

First Bank, under his watch also inaugurated the mobile payment service which he aptly captured at the inauguration thus, “with the inauguration of this service, the stage is now set for the banks customers and anyone in Nigeria with a mobile phone to enjoy financial services, using their mobile phones to send money, pay bills, top up their phone airtime, do shopping, deposit and withdraw cash, without the need to visit a bank branch.” The idea of firstmonie was conceptualized and unveiled in 2012 by FirstBank of Nigeria.

This award comes on the heel of the announcement of his retirement as the Group CEO of First Bank and it could only be described as a fitting cap to a sterling career after over three decades of diverse management and operational experience, 21 years of which he has spent with FirstBank, serving meritoriously in the last six years as Group Managing Director/CEO. He was before this appointment the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Pension Custodian, and began his career with Arthur Young, an American audit firm. A chartered accountant, Bisi is credited with pioneering initiatives in Nigeria’s nascent pension custody industry that helped define best industry practices.

Born in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Mr. Onasanya hails from the Onasanya Family in Ijebu Land, Ogun State. Bisi grew up in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, where he attended St Paul’s Anglican Primary School (Mushin), Eko Boys High School (Mushin), and the then Lagos State College of Science and Technology. Bisi is the eldest of four children from his mother, and the third of his father’s children.

2015 has sure been a very trying year particularly with the transition in government and the dwindling oil prices and its effects resonating on all other spheres of business in Nigeria. Despite these challenges however, many businesses still posted huge successes as a result of their dynamic leadership. GENESIS INTERNATIONAL Magazine chronicles the giant strides of these CEOs with one emerging top of the bunch… our team has come up with three most outstanding CEOs in Nigeria for 2015 from a list of over 30 contenders and we present them to the reading audience to vote for their preferred choice to become the first winner of our annual CEO OF THE YEAR Award.

Bisi Onasanya – First Bank Plc

Tunji Oyebanji – Mobil oil Nigeria

Michael Arumemi-Ikhide – Arik Air

These CEOs have been credited because they have been able to make a difference in highly competitive markets. They have demonstrated effective management capabilities through hardwork, resilience, research, an understanding of the Nigeria business climate, as they moved their companies forward.

Cast your votes on  www.genesismagz.com

Make it Count!

President Muhammadu Buhari, a former Miltary Head of State of Nigeria emerged the winner of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. His antecedents and the mirage of challenges in the country’s polity notwithstanding, PMB won and we take a view of how and why he won and his preparedness for the task ahead and most importantly his ability to function in a democratic government as against his military foundation… By Yomi Agbabiaka

Nigeria transited for the the first time in history from one political party to another without any fuss in the 2015 general elections. Whilst many analysts predicted doom prior to the elctions, everything went well and President Muhammadu Buhari of the opposition All Progressives Congress won the elections. The challenges facing the country are vast ranging from embedded corruption to terrorism, unemployment and infrastructural decay but much more unclear is the transition of President Muhammadu Buhari to a civilian administrator. He is known to be a no-nonsense soldier who has a clear idea of what he wants, when and how he wants it done. This, analysts believe will probably cause a rift between the president and other arms of government particularly the legislators. One thing pro-buharists have continued to hold on to is the president’s track record of having contested thrice before winning at the fourth time of asking, his sincerity and focus is another plus as Nigeria embarks on the journey of rebuilding a great nation.

When that military administration came under my leadership, we suspended – as a military then – part of that constitution that we felt would be difficult for us to operate and as also a consensus,” he said. “I think I’m being judged harshly as an individual that what happened during a military administration can be extended under a multiparty democratic system!’. This was President Muhammadu Buhari’s response to an accusation of the alleged high handedness that characterised his previous reign as the Military Head of state between 1983 and 1985. Nigerians forgave him and voted for him en masse to make history as the first person in modern day Nigeria to defeat an incumbent president at the polls. Four times lucky, one is wont to say, President Muhammadu Buhari had been defeated in the last three elections, he achieved a historic victory in the 28 March election. This time, he had the advantage of being the candidate of a united opposition grouping, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It is clear that the verdict of Nigerians on Mr Buhari’s 20 months as military ruler is mixed with about 500 politicians, officials and businessmen jailed as part of a campaign against waste and corruption, clampdown on the press and many other human right abuses. As part of his “War Against Indiscipline”, he ordered Nigerians to form neat queues at bus stops, under the sharp eyes of whip-wielding soldiers. Civil servants who were late for work were publicly humiliated by being forced to do frog jumps, it was a relief to see the general and his team ousted in a counter coup led by the then chief of Army staff, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Another school of thought however saw his rule then as a praiseworthy attempt to fight the endemic graft that prevented Nigeria’s development.

Irrespective of the divide however is the fact that President Buhari retains a rare reputation for honesty among Nigeria’s politicians, both military and civilian, and this largely was responsible for his victory at the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. One striking thing during the campaigns and in the first few days of his administration is that Nigerians are in for a change spearheaded by a man whose outlook on life and governance has changed drastically from the Military Head of state of the early eighties.

Buhari’s foray into the murky waters of Nigerian politics started in 2003 when he emerged as the presidential candidate of the now defunct All Nigeria People’s Party, he lost the general elections and went on to lose the 2007 (ANPP) and the 2011 (CPC) elections. Having lost the previous three general elections prior to 2015, the need for a new strategy arose and gave birth to the formation of a new mega party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the merger of major opposition parties namely, the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria People’s Party, Congress for Progressive Change, a splinter group of the All Progressive Grand Alliance and an aggrieved faction of the then ruling party, aptly tagged the New PDP. There were lots of skepticism to the workability of the merger considering the number of interests groups represented in the merger, the tussle for power and control of the emerging party but all these were laid to rest with the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential flagbearer of the new party.

Come 2015 elections, Buhari garnered the most votes—some 2.5 million votes more than Jonathan, his closest rival—and was declared the winner of the March 28 General Elections in Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in on May 29, 2015 but how did President Buhari win over even his most ardent of critics? Close associates testify to the transformation of the general to a very amiable civilian and even his most ardent critics doffed their hats to his ability to evolve into the gentleman that he has become though without losing his pragmatism. Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation International, once wrote of his encounter with President Buhari, ‘without doubt. Buhari is a modern-day wonder. The story of his life is a stuff of thriller novels. In a country where money fixes most things and people, how did he manage to control the bodies and souls of his fanatical supporters? .. I was impressed that there were no intruders during our heart-to-heart talk. Perhaps, because he had no money to share,….He spoke calmly but firmly. He had this childlike innocence around him. It was difficult to imagine this man sitting across me could hurt a fly even as a soldier. There were no airs around him or chips on his shoulders, what you saw was what you got, take it or leave it’!

President Buhari is a man loved by Nigerians particularly because of his uprightness, whilst many politicians would not pass the first scrutiny, President Buhari has been under the spotlight severally with the religious attacks, certificate imbroglio and several other accusations but like the cat with nine lives, he has come out unscathed by the criticisms rather his popularity ratings has continued to soar. Buhari’s approval ratings reportedly skyrocketed amongst the Nigerian people (largely due to the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan’s apparent inability to fight Boko Haram’s brutal insurgency). Buhari made internal security and wiping out the militant group one of the key pillars of his campaigns and Nigerians believed him because of his antecedent in quelling the insurgency threat of the then Maitasine terrorists during his reign as the military head of state. The kidnap of over 200 school girls from a Chibok Secondary school and the high handedness of the Jonathan Administration with its resultant outcry both from within Nigeria and internally were also sore points in the Jonathan Administration’s record. Nigerians witnessed the gradual decline of their beloved country into poverty and indebtedness, the country’s foreign reserve was gradually depleted whilst Jonathan’s ministers were buying luxurious cars and houses in all parts of the world, living like gods whilst the average Nigerian wallows in abject poverty, emotions gradually began to rise, Nigerians crave change, they wanted a deviation from the normal politician that we have ruled for the previous sixteen years, they got their man in Buhari’s zero tolerance to corruption stance.

Buhari’s record in public service shows a track record of uprightness which was what Nigerians wanted. It was during his tenure that the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources were reorganised to form the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and he became its first Chairman, a job he performed without blemish. He masterminded and spearheaded the construction of 20 oil depots throughout the country, a project involving over 3200 kilometres of pipelines. Under his leadership both Warri and Kaduna Refineries were built. He drew up the blueprint for the country’s petro-chemical and liquefied natural gas programmes all without even a hint of scandal. Today, Nigerians recall with nostalgia the probity, accountability and honesty and above all thorough and efficient management of public funds demonstrated by the leadership of General Muhammadu Buhari in all public institutions he worked.

With this vast goodwill in place one wonders how long would this romance between the government and the governed last? It is a known fact that the political reality is that a president really has only two full years to make his biggest and most dramatic changes in a democracy like Nigeria – the first year of his election where he can still trade on his popularity and the second year when he is expected to have consolidated his hold on governance. Nigeria is a country faced with multiple challenges at the moment ranging from the Boko Haram menace and its attendance senseless killings of innocent Nigerians to the dwindling revenue from crude oil (which is the major revenue base of the Nigerian state). Power, Unemployment, Endemic Poverty, Infrastructural decay are all issues that must be resolved in the shortest possible time before electioneering for 2019 commences in earnest.

I read a letter from a concerned Nigerian to the President, and no better way could the aspirations of Nigerians be expressed, ‘Our hopes are very high in the government Nigerians have chosen you to lead. A country that is too big to fail, the most populous nation of the black race, the richest country in the continent of Africa, home of intellectuals and potentials. We need a courageous leader to unveil the potentialities buried in our people, this is why every individual of our nation voted for you. We need you to reshape both the political and economic history of this dynamic era of our time. We want to tell you that we all love you and you are not corrupt, but please be reminded that the entire lives of Nigerians are in your hands and you are the hope of the masses.

A transformed democrat, an inspired leader and most importantly a change agent! Nigerians voted enmasse for change and chose him to lead the charge. Nigerians look forward to security of lives and properties, constant power supply, a corruption-free country, gainful employment, and egalitarian society where no man is oppressed and where fundamental human rights and justice is guaranteed, whether he will be able to deliver all this in the four year of his tenure is left to be seen but one thing for certain is that for the first time in this democratic dispensation, Nigerians voted for Belief!

Bola Adeboye: Nigeria’s New Business Emperor
Speaks on His Passion, Business and Family Life
interview With Tunji Egberongbe

I have heard it said that success is made! Made through hardwork, diligence, patience, ideas and an unrelenting spirit to follow up on your instincts even when the going seems tough and no one best typifies this trait than Bola Adeboye. Like the title of one of his Books, Be the Emperor, Bola can be aptly described as the new business Emperor of Nigeria with vast conquest in various sectors of the Nigerian economy. Coming from a humble background of an accountant father and a trader mother, his philosophy can aptly be described as one who is hungry for success and goes for it even at the risk of being labelled unwise by his colleagues. Only men who are goal driven can take the risk of bowing out as a Group Head, Public Sector of a thriving banking institution, Peak Merchant Bank and not look back. Years down the line, Bola says ‘the risk was one that launched him into every area of human endeavours’, as testified to by his versatility in diverse business fields, life and living. ‘You can be whatever you want to be if you know that facing challenges and solving problems are ingredients you need to be a success and ‘if only you are determined and believe in the cause you are fighting’. He has successfully though quietly bestrode the banking, property, oil and gas and several other sectors of the nation’s economy like the giant that he is.

Born over fifty years ago in the rock city of Abeokuta. Bola attended African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta where he had imbibed the daring and daunting attitude while remaining focused on his set goals and aspirations for the future. He obtained his Bachelors, Business Administration from University of Lagos (1981); a period he recollects with nostalgia as he was the speaker of the Students’s body at age 19. An Advocate of fairness and justice, Bola recounts his experience as the speaker vis-à-vis the crisis of confidence with the then university authorities and how he as speaker led the students in a protest that culminated in the removal of the then Vice Chancellor of the University. Bola has an MBA from the Lagos State University.

Bola is a world bank trained financial and management analyst, entrepreneur of no mean repute, an erudite scholar, a consummate banker of local and international repute with over thirty three years of cognate finance and banking experience across major banking divisions which include retail banking, business banking, corporate, asset finance, mortgage banking, institutional and investment banking and risk management. He rose to top management position in various banks in Nigeria among which are UBA Plc, Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank Plc), Bank of Industry and Peak Merchant bank from where he quit paid employment at the topmost position to build his own business empire.

According to Bola, ‘I have always wanted to be on my own, helping to contribute to the economy of the nation by being an employer of labour and bridging the employment gap existing between the private and public sectors’. To date, Bola sits on top of Seven Companies as Chief Executive with interests in consultancy, property management, mortgage banking, oil and gas, entrepreneurial training and lots more. Bola is an accomplished author with titles in various fields.

full interview in GENESIS INTERNATIONAL Magazine Issue 8

for more juicy, inspiring stories, get your copy of
GENESIS INTERNATIONAL Magazine, Issue 8
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Aliko Dangote Champions African Philanthropic Gestures
Home-Grown Solutions to Local Needs
By Cynthia Okere

Before now, giving back to the society is one thing that is, on the formal scale, not very common in Africa. Philantrophic gestures have more or less been limited to the family and immediate vicinity scope but if Africa is really to progress, then lots have to be done in this area.

It is argued that the emphasis on formal philanthropic institutions “is far from what philanthropy in Africa actually is—where giving emerges across socioeconomic classes; through individual and communal channels (formal and informal), often not involving money”. In explaining Africa’s peculiar climate of philanthropy at a UN discussion round table, Ms. Moloi-Motsepe gave the example of ubuntu, a South African concept meaning “I am because you are: my success is intricately linked to yours.” The ubuntu concept is a family value that encourages giving back to society, she said. Africans have a culture of giving and mutual support even if only a few formal charitable organizations exist, declared Toyin Saraki, founder and president of Wellbeing Foundation Africa, a charity devoted mainly to children’s and women’s affairs.

Many have argued that, Nigeria, for example have more than 100 registered private jet owners, and that if these private jet owners can contribute a little to the less priviledged in the society, a lot could be done to alleviate the poverty in the land. Other opinions say that large corporations operating on the African continent should be made to genuinely contribute to the betterment of the society, giving back to the society without looking for returns. Philanthropy should be giving without expecting anything in return, giving to those who have nothing to give back and that is what Africa needs at this moment. With wars, internal strives, diseases and lots of environmental challenges staring the continent and her people, its high time the wealthy arose to take the mantle of selfless giving and take Africa to the next level.

Against this background then, it is heartwarming to note that of late, Africa’s success is being built by a diverse spectrum of (mostly African) entrepreneurs, philanthropists, artists, students, leaders, civil servants, doctors, nurses, and teachers.  Lots of African billionaires are now seeing reason to invest back into the society that actually made them, thus making motherland Africa a beautiful place for all to live. Recent reports claim that an estimated US$7 billion is given away every year by Africa’s philanthropists – at least the ones we know about. These are the men (sadly no women yet on this list) providing home-grown solutions to local needs.

In recognition of their various efforts, GENESIS INTERNATIONAL highlights and celebrates these African icons encouraging them to do more and inviting others to join in this humanitarian crusade!

 AlikoDangote, Nigeria
Ashish J. Thakkar, Uganda
Manu Chandaria, Kenya
Naushad Merali, Kenya
Mike Adenuga, Nigeria
Prince Arthur Eze, Nigeria
Tony Elumelu, Nigeria
Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe
Jim Ovia, Nigeria
Francois van Niekerk, South Africa
Allan Gray, South Africa
Donald Gordon, South Africa
Mark Shuttleworth, South Africa
Mo Ibrahim
Theophilus Danjuma, Nigeria
For Details Get your copy of GENESIS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE Issue 8
Available of Jumia.com.ng and Konga.com

Otunba Subomi Balogun : Giving is Living

AT 80, Otunba Subomi Balogun is a man who has achieved a lot but uncommonly given a lot back to his society. Life on the glossy footing is always laced with slippery pitfalls but unlike most children from a rich background, Otunba Subomi went ahead to carve a niche for himself, his generation and his nation through hardwork, diligence and supernatural assistance from the Almighty God, unto whom he attributes all he has achieved in his glorious 80years on earth. Otunba Subomi’s biography, titled: The Cross, The Triumph and The Crown is one that inspires you. He has dedicated his life since retirement to the upliftment of the downtrodden in Nigeria and Africa in general.

Born into to a polygamous home from fairly well-known background in Ijebu-Ode, both of his parents were educated. Otunba’s father was one of the pioneer native authority workers in the colonial days, during the reign of late Oba Tunwase, the Awujale of Ijebu at the onset of colonial rule. The mother was the only educated wife of his father, so he had an edge. Otunba fondly recounts, ‘my mother was rather very helpful in giving me a head-start’.

The Olori Omoba of Ijebuland had a fairly brilliant educational career. Went to Igbobi College and was one of the first Nigerians that did GCE advanced level in Nigeria and passed first Grade. Otunba recollects people like Prof. Ayo Banjo, and other contemporaries. I then decided to go and study law. Because my father was a court registrar at that time and my father, at over 50 at the time, was being bossed by a young boy who was trained as a lawyer. So I said I’m going to study law too, so that I can also become a boss, otunba says of his decision to study law at the time. But by the time I was finishing law, the government of the then Western Region gave me a scholarship to be trained as a Parliamentary Counsel, and I was the first Nigerian to be so trained in that field, by the government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. I think the Eastern Region followed by sending one fellow, he said.

On coming back to Nigeria, Otunba subomi worked with the Western Regional Government, and in 1962 he was posted to Lagos and became an Assistant Parliamentary Counselor of the Federation. He later moved to the then newly founded Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) being set up by the World Bank as a Secretary and became the Company Secretary. ‘That was what opened the vista’, Otunba posits.

 The Setback

That he founded a merchant bank is a story he loves to relive over and again. According to him, an incident prepared his path to success.  “I was cheated as an employee for another institution created by Nigerians and Americans,” he recalls. And as a result, he went on a course abroad and returned brimming with ideas to set up a merchant bank. “That was what we called it in those days and everyone knew that I birthed it but when it was time to elect the chief executive, I was told in spite of all entreaties that because I had a basic training in law, I could not be the chief executive! I was 42 years old and they brought a 32-year-old man with little or no experience from America to be my boss.’’ Embittered, he resorted to prayers and did not lose focus.  He reminisces: “Some of the gifts God gave me are courage, tenacity of purpose and discipline. I knew where I was going but the vista was misty. It was unbelievable that one Nigerian would say that if he did not get a position in a bank, he would set up a bank. I was not interested just in money, I was trying to prove that given the opportunity and with the support of the Almighty God, I had the mettle to attain the commanding heights in the management of a financial institution,” Balogun says. In fact, the inspiration to start my own company came through my then eight-year-old son. I always sought the face of God in whatever I do. My family and I were in the chapel in my house praying to God for the way forward after I was cheated out of the investment bank I helped start for NIDB, when my son said ‘why are you worrying yourself on being a boss of another person’s business, why not start your own?

Resigned from the job but not to fate, he embarked on a voyage of faith when he single-handedly set up a stock broking firm. Some people thought I was crazy, some thought I was over-ambitious. But they forgot God. And it happened. That marked the beginning of City Security Limited (CSL) in 1973. The later culminated in the establishment of the first wholly Nigerian owned merchant bank, First City Merchant Bank.

First City Merchant Bank has since transmuted into a conglomerate and has also shelved the toga of a family bank to become one of the strongest post recapitalization banks in Nigeria. The Olori Omo Oba of Ijebuland (Head of the Princes) says, FCMB was started by one young man named Subomi Balogun. But after sometime, we invited everybody to be part of it and we became quoted. So it is no longer a family bank. The average Nigerian doesn’t see anything good in something that benefits one or two people. But somebody has to do the thinking. FCMB was not started by a family; it was started by a young man, who just happened to belong to a family. But then, this is the story of all big companies all over the world. If you talk of the Morgans, Guinness, Cadbury, just like Michael Ibru, etc, they all started as family businesses.

Politics in Nigeria

Let us pray that God will give us men or leaders, those that can lead us to the promised land. Men who have the interest of the common man and the country at heart. Men who will subsume their personal interests to national interest. Otunba believes that all Nigeria needs to realise a self sustaining economy is selfless, public-spirited leadership, people who will look closely at the problems of the country and face them squarely, with the fear of God. Men who will regard the survival of the nation as an entity in which poverty, ethnicity and hatred are things of the past.

The FCMB Dream

“I had a template with which I started with— a Jewish German, Sigmund George Warburg. He started the oldest merchant bank in Britain. He was my template, I read his book and visited him before he died. People thought it was sacrilegious for an individual to set up a bank, whereas I was setting example.  I got into banking because I had a vision and I put in my own personal culture of always looking for the best, culture of integrity, business ethics which has permeated through,” he states. Soon, his name and exploits in financial services began to resonate and it was time to up his game. “I was only very well known in investment banking which is the easiest way to start banking,” he explains citing blue chip companies he had worked for. “Everyone was wondering who we were but I gave the impression that the place was owned by another person who only asked me to manage it.  Later, I found that investment banking was not enough for us to make profit that can make us compete with the other banks. When the idea of universal banking came, I was in the vanguard,” he adds.

Retirement and FCMB’s Succession Moves

Like they say there is no success without a successor, “I had set the stage that at a particular time; I must allow the old order to change, yielding a place to a new order. Success without a successor is not success. I had begun to think at what point I will retire. I set the age of 70 but between the ages of 60, 65 and 70, hell was let loose! People wanted to fight me even though I knew quite well I had not done anything. It was on the eve of my 70th birthday that I retired. I had always had it in mind that the time will come when I can no longer cope with the energy required for growth and I made arrangements for a successor,” he says. However, I did not just pick a successor by myself. It was God who guided me in naming my successor. In any case, who wouldn’t pray that his child succeeds him? Today, he has a worthy successor in his son, Ladi Balogun, of whom He says, “he is my third son, God chose him and his brothers don’t envy him. Rather, they are very supportive and the sky is the limit.’’

 Philanthropy

Otunba Subomi Balogun is well reputed to be one of the biggest philanthropist in Nigeria today giving and contributing to several humanitarian causes since his retirement, he reiterates by saying, ‘if beyond banking I haven’t done to improve the welfare of my people; my life would not have been worth it’. Before his 60^th birthday, Otunba adopted and endowed the children’s wing of the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, (named after him) and also built a 40-bed children’s hospital named after his mother in Ijebu and donated it to the government. Typical Otunba style, he funded a purpose-built children’s hospital – Otunba Tunwase Specialist National Paediatric Centre, Ijebu-Remo, probably the biggest of its kind in West Africa, if not in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Otunba says, the late Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti encouraged me to build a referral institution patterned after the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, whereby cases involving children can be treated, whereby they can do research, and difficult cases concerning children can be referred. That informed my decision to build the Paediatric Centre and, by the grace of God, I have spent over N2 billion of my own personal resources on the project, and secured the services of one of the best paediatricians. The facility is not only for taking care of children but I’m ensuring that no child in Nigeria shall die of any curable disease, and also ensuring that no nursing mother dies of any communicable disease. We are also embarking on neo-natal treatment for children born pre-maturely. The Centre has over 10 incubators, and with one of the best laboratory services around, he added. All these are giving me some satisfaction that the good Lord has blessed me in my chosen career. It is my way of giving back to the society.

Married to Olori Abimbola, who refers to as his Siamese twin, he said, If you see my wife and I, you will marvel at our closeness. We behave like two young lovers. She is in her late 60’s. I don’t go anywhere without my wife. We have come a long way, having being married for almost 50 years. She is my inseparable companion. There is hardly anything I want to embark on in life that I don’t discuss with my wife and asking her what to do. When your wife is the closest person to you, you can never go wrong. Even in times of the crises in my life, my wife stood by me. I always say that, anybody who will succeed in life must have a price to pay. This life is like going through what I call a crucible. And the most brilliant metal goes through the fire. Life is not always a bed of roses. I thank God that my wife was by my side during my periods of crises. We pray together and we do all things together. They are blessed with four sons who are all accomplished professionals in banking, finance, stock broking and legal practice.

Otunba has kept himself real busy since retiring from the bank, he says proudly, I am active in church and spend a lot of time talking to my God. I also spend time in my swimming pool or going in my boat. Also, I travel a lot; I read and watch international news. I have a large expanse of land in my Ijebu-Ode home – 50 acres – and I just walk around, or sometimes I go round my farm, in the orchards picking fruits.

If there is any man who exemplifies the core value of GENESIS INTERNATIONAL, live your dreams, then Otunba Subomi stands out, he summarises his life thus, ‘I will like to be remembered for putting smiles on people’s faces. I will want to be remembered for my conception of noble and lofty thoughts, for my wisdom noble character and rise in position of influence and blessedness. I will love to be remembered for my vision for excellence and care for the survival of children.

In fact, the inspiration to start my own company came through my then eight-year-old son. I always sought the face of God in whatever I do. My family and I were in the chapel in my house praying to God for the way forward after I was cheated out of the investment bank I helped start for NIDB, when my son said ‘why are you worrying yourself on being a boss of another person’s business, why not start your own?

I have learnt considerable lessons in life, and I have gone through the crucible of the chastising experience with the support of providence I have renewed my strength like an eagle and I am now in a position to soar to whatever level my God will take me.

If you read through my autobiography, and the other book, the financial monument billed by God, there was a time in this country that some one said, that man is finished. When I showed up at a party in my flowing white agbada, they say this man? laughs who knows? But let me tell you I am a human being even if I was worried that people were fighting with me, I dint show it. I have courage I put my chest forward, I have faith, I have confidence in what God has done for me.