The Things That Are Most Important to Me

Last week I was in a strategy session at work over a number of days. Then, I left town to facilitate another session for a client. Now, the thing about me and sessions is that afterward I’m physically & emotionally drained; kinda like “virtue has come out of me”. And, I enter into this very lonely state, where I crave comfort sex and quiet conversation. I think that after flying high on deep intellectual activity for hours, it’s almost an anticlimax when it’s over and I return to the “real world”.

A while ago, I determined that out of the loneliness must come something productive – a blog perhaps, hence I write. In the past, my quick fixes were a soppy romantic novel or comedy – something where dreams came true. Sadly, intelligent romantic novels or movies have become increasingly harder to find and I’ve exhausted everything Nicholas Sparks has penned. So, writing this blog will have to suffice for now. For this write-up, I decided to speak about the things that matter most to me – a kind of Top 5 List of the most crucial things in my life. So here they are...

1. Words: Whether it’s the Word of God, philosophy or physics – words affect me like nothing else. Everything I am today is a result of the words I've heard or read. Over the years, I've turned into a serial collector of authors. I find an author that moves me and then proceed to buy everything they’ve ever written. (I do that with music too). Nowadays, when I look at my bookshelf and imagine the library I’m going to build someday, I have a sense of true joy. In my bookshelf are some of the words that transformed my life.

Anyone who knows me understands that I communicate best with the written word – I’m a serial texter, chatter and writer. And the closeness of my friendships is directly proportional to the number of words exchanged. It is not uncommon for my phone bill to spike when I make a new friend.

2. Relationships & friendships: Friendship is one of life’s most precious gifts to me. Equally precious are the relationships I’ve had with mentors, family and even random people who have impacted me. I have been shaped by the thoughts and actions of the people I’ve met. And I’ve met a wide variety of people.

From my Pakistani friend to my friends who are members of the Armed Forces and SSS, I've learnt that people will befriend you when they know you're not judgmental or have loose lips. Discretion, trustworthiness and character will win you many friends. I’ve also discovered that I seem to have an uncanny ability to turn online friends into long term friends. Perhaps because I’m a words person, I can have entire weeks of conversation via chat or sms and develop enduring friendships from them. When I eventually meet my close online friends, it’s not to establish the friendships; it’s simply to continue them. And I will do incredible things for friends. I once travelled to Singapore to see a friend I’d never met, and thought nothing of it. I’ve also had dinners in new countries with online friends I was meeting for the first time. I’ve often joked that none of my online friends ever turned out to be serial murderers or rapists. Indeed, it would give me great joy to have a friend in every major city of the world.

Historically my friends have been mostly guys. I really do not know why, it just is. So, I approach the whole male-female friendship thing a bit differently. I've never thought it odd to invite a male friend out to dinner. It’s always been a straightforward proposition to pick up the phone to say:”Hi, I miss you or I need conversation, can we meet up for drinks?” [Thank you Tolu Ogunlesi, Seun Odukoya, Deji Alabi, Femi Omoluabi and Obieze Ekejiuba for never making a big deal out of it. You have saved me many times from the inner workings of my overactive mind].

And yes, it’s no biggie for me to travel halfway around the world with a male friend for a holiday or to go see a male friend and stay with him. I’ve often wondered why doing so would put my reputation at risk [Anyway, it’s too late now. Quite a few holidays have been spent already]. And when I call a friend up at 1 am to share an idea that has gripped me, it never occurs to me that it may be considered as a booty call.

Lately, I’ve met some really cool gals who are the closest thing I’ve had to female friendship in recent memory. [Big ups to Nwabundo Onyeabo for eliciting multiple LOLs & ROTFLMAOs in our BB exchanges; Hauwa Magoro for listening and Adaku for your inspirational work ethic and words of encouragement. And of course, my biological and adopted sisters – Bukky Plumptre, Yemisi Plumptre and Taiwo Omole who have time and again saved me from the mental trauma of shopping, amongst other things].

3. Purpose: Number 3 on my list would be purpose. I find that it consumes me and is centred on Nigeria and human potential. Three things command so much of my attention and dedication because they inadvertently help me to advance my purpose – Alder Consulting, Nigeria Leadership Initiative and Money - the latter because there can be no sustainable political change without money. At every point in time, except when am sleeping and sometimes even then, I’m thinking about one of these things. And because I tend to multitask, chances are I'm thinking about them simultaneously.

4. Human potential: I’m obsessed with creating systems and structures that enable people to fulfil their potential. That’s why Education is a subject that grips me. I’ve seen lives change because of words that were uttered or exposure to a different environment. I want to bring that to as many people as I can. I understand the limitations. I know that unless people make a conscious decision to be different and overcome their fears, you can’t do much for them. This preceding fact has been a source of great sadness for me in the past – to witness a life that could be so much more remain the way it is because of fear or laziness or both.

You’ll notice I didn’t create a distinct category for family. As much as I love my family and consistently worry about how they’re doing, I can comfortably go entire weeks without seeing them. Perhaps I’m not very family oriented. Perhaps that explains why I’ve never felt a compelling desire to have kids. When I think of marriage, I think of it in terms of friendship. In truth, it’s the highest form of friendship I can think of. It’s also a strategic alliance towards the achievement of purpose. [Someone somewhere is rolling their eyes. LOL]

I strongly believe that one of the reasons I was created was to help some guy out there fulfill his purpose. Taken together, the gifts, talents, experiences & exposure that I have been blessed with could not have been given for my use alone. On a normal day [and I’ve done the math], I can do most of the things I do at 50% capacity. I feel I should give my nation, my husband and the people God brings my way the rest of me. I have no overarching ambition to change the world. Quite frankly I couldn’t care less what the Tamil Tigers are going through or what’s happening in Haiti or Darfur. My focus is firmly fixed on Nigeria. This is where I plan to spend the rest of my life. This is the geographic space I hope to impact – God willing.

As much as I live on music, it doesn’t quite make my short list. A long time ago, when i was 17, I was offered a music deal. I knew then as I know now that I wasn’t meant to be a recording artiste. It’s simply not my path. Yes, I can write songs and sing (i have 2 recorded singles and have even picked up an award or two) but I’d rather be the one buying music than supplying it. As much as music refreshes me, it is the words set to music that moves me. I can’t listen to music whose words do not uplift me. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been a huge collector of instrumental music – I need the words. But, I have one great album in me – there are words I need to communicate through song before I die.

MAJOR GOALS

There are two major goals I desire to accomplish before I die:

1. Build the “friendship of a lifetime”: I would like to create an oasis of peace around the part of my life that craves a man, so I can focus on other things of import. Quite frankly, people who think a lot are “cursed” with a sex drive to match. As I don’t subscribe to sleeping around, sex within the confines of marriage would be the healthier and more moral option for me. I also feel marriage will be a great platform to impact many lives.

2. Found an obscenely wealthy charitable foundation: The foundation will be focused on nation building and the fulfilment of human potential. I find that people who are self-starters, driven and exposed fail to realise that information and the tools for success aren’t readily available in Nigeria. I would like to create systems and an enabling environment to help people be the best they can be – from providing grants for intelligent music videos & movies to providing fast internet access for entrepreneurs and helping entrepreneurs make money from international markets. These are the kinds of things I wake up thinking about. That’s why I’m going to make a living will. Like Warren Buffet, I would like the money in my foundation to be spent within 10 years of my death to help people. Let somebody else pick up the baton after that.

So folks, these are the things that are important to me. If you see me lost in thought, working like a crazy person or complaining like a bitch, it usually has to do with one of these things. They are things I would go to bat for, empty out my heart & soul for and give my life for.

Time Does Not Heal Pain

It's been a while that I felt this way.
It's been a while the wind whispered his name.
It's been a while I remembered soft sighs and aching need.
It's been a while the pleasure just began.

It's been a while since he left me.
It's been a while I gave a damn about it.
It's been a while I heard his heart.
It's been a while I allowed the music cry.

It's been a while the melody spoke my pain.
It's been a while we spoke of the future in vain.
It's been a while I recalled the laughter and joy.
It's been a while I had that kind of conversation.

It's been a while that I thought of him in distant lands.
It's been a while he was my waking thought and first text.
It's been a while we discovered new books and places and things.
It's been a while I was happy at all without him.

It's been a while I spoke of him or recalled callous deeds and thoughtless acts.
It's been a while since he spoke of her and not me.
It's been a while that his life began and mine abruptly ended.

It's been a while since we were young and carefree.
It's been a while we broke the rules and truly lived.
It's been a while since I thought of the future and possibilities.
It's been a while my heart died when he went away.

It's been a while I was this tired.
It's been a while i vividly remembered.
Its been a while I really missed him.
It's been a while that I spoke his name.

Rape, Indecent Dressing and Anger

I’ve keenly followed the stories of Royal Fathers publicly beating their wives, State Governors using the instruments of state to oppress theirs, Senators indulging in under-age marriages and Fathers impregnating their 12yr old daughters. Sigh!

I listened to the ongoing chatter on Facebook and yesterday I read a particular comment that generated one of the greatest internal expressions of rage in my 30-odd years. I was so incensed that for the first time ever, I felt like physically slapping someone - the offender. I felt like forming a line of slappers – I would give the first slap, then push him on to the next slapper on the line and the next and the next...you catch my drift. What did this unfortunate individual say? He had the audacity, the gall, the effrontery, the sheer temerity to say that the 12 year old girl was probably dressed provocatively and that ladies should stop dressing in a manner that seduces men. HOW DARE YOU!!! Exactly in what manner can a 12 year old dress that would cause her father to continually rape her till she eventually gets pregnant? What basis does a father have to even entertain amorous thoughts towards his daughter, even if she were to run around stark naked in the house? God...please give me that man to slap!

But wait; let me backtrack a little, because my anger didn’t just begin. I was in Lagos a few years back when the notion of controlling “indecent dressing” began flying around. This move was championed by the First Lady of Lagos State (with all due respect). For a brief spell, young women were afraid to wear what they liked. I’ve also listened to the rumbles in the Senate about an Indecent Dressing Bill. I’ve heard about the stickers that read: Only Prostitutes Dress Like Prostitutes. None of these actions are about protecting the rights of women; they are about CONTROL and legislating behaviour. If they were about women’s rights and ennobling women, there would be stronger Child Marriage Laws, more stringent rape laws and fathers wouldn’t rape their kids! During that season in Lagos, women were bundled into Police trucks and raped because they dressed “indecently”. Young girls enroute nightclubs were stripped of their clothing in public. In my humble opinion, legislating behaviour is akin to stitching a woman’s labia or enforcing a Chastity Belt so she can be chaste.

The abuse of women in Nigeria has been going on for a LONG time – the instances have just not been well documented or publicised till now. The Walk Against Rape (WAR) had a following because women were getting raped. The V-Monologues hit a nerve because we know the stories presented actually happen in real life. When I attended the Vagina Monologues a few years ago; during the introduction by the organisers (Kudirat Abiola Initiative for Democracy – KIND), it was stated that all the stories presented were REAL stories submitted by women. While they are dramatised, the stories themselves are real. These things have been going on for decades and we must speak up and take action to put an end to them. No more sweeping things under the rug.

The so-called issue of “indecent dressing” must be contextualised. In Rio, Brazil where everyone dresses like their enroute the beach, we don’t see the Police randomly grabbing and raping women. In Dubai, an Arab State, the authorities recognise that it is a melting pot of different cultures. While I wore my shorts and spaghetti straps boldly and without fear, I was respectful of the culture and made sure my shorts were of modest length. It wasn’t legislated; it was a choice I made out of respect for the culture. In my Alma Mata – Unilorin, there’s a big sign at the bus stop, with pictures of what NOT to wear. In a tertiary institution? What arrant prejudicial nonsense. In Nigerian villages where the women go about topless, I don’t see the men losing control and raping them left, right and centre.

The truth is if you have a problem with the way people dress, you shouldn’t seek to forcefully change things by legislating behaviour; you should understand the “why”; respect people’s free will and if you so desire, give them other options to consider. Today’s dressing is deeply rooted in the concept of “cool”. It is a cultural thing. Trust me, if Beyonce were to decide today to start wearing turtlenecks and baggy trousers, women would follow suit even in our hot weather! After all, Kid Cudi made big goggles cool!

You can provide young people with an alternative cultural reality and ALLOW THEM TO CHOOSE! Stop seeking to force them to bend to your antiquated viewpoint or will. Stop fermenting bile and advancing your agenda (Hear me oh Senate).

Just think, what would kid’s television programming be without The Disney Channel. The organisation decided to promote family values. It was a choice they made and paid an economic price for it even selling off Miramax Studios (Remember the Kill Bill movies), because it didn’t fit their ethos. Today, parents have a choice of Disney or the more aggressive, violent cartoons on the Cartoon Channel. Disney didn’t just talk or condemn, they provided alternatives. Kanye West decided that instead of the “tits and ass” music video genre, he would do conceptual, creative videos. The West Wing is perhaps one of the most intelligent TV series I have ever watched- combining conscientious leadership with practical everyday executive decisions. It provided an alternative for those who’d rather not watch Nip/Tuck!

What we need in this world are people who will not seek to force others to their point of view, but who are willing to WORK, yes WORK to provide other alternatives for people to choose from. If you’re not satisfied with the quality of radio programming today, start your own radio station. If you’re not satisfied with the manner of dressing, start your own clothing trend and get celebrities to wear the clothes to make them popular. Use the tools of pop culture to advance alternatives.
It will take immense creativity, hard work and sacrifice. But you must stop towing the line of “if you can’t beat them, destroy them”. Rather get in the ring and show us how it can be done. I was at an interview the other day and MI recounted how some of his fans openly scorned him for participating in the “Maga No Need Pay” video. Some people will taunt you for not towing the populist line. You may be laughed at, but in the end you’ll impact people.

I therefore salute Gbenga Sesan and the entire Maga No Need Pay collective.

I celebrate the numerous artistes on the Notes2Note video, who are reminding the Youth that they can have values and still be cool.

I salute Chude Jideonwo and the Future Project Crew who celebrate young achievers and are breeding positive activism through Enough is Enough Nigeria.

I salute Brave and Creative people everywhere who DO SOMETHING, providing credible alternatives to what is popularly accepted.

I salute you all and comprehensively despise and denounce the Hypocritical who talk but do nothing. May this generation never remember your names.

On Business Structure

I have spent the last decade in an organisation I watched grow from an entrepreneur’s idea into a structured company. (The company began with start-up capital of N17.50K). This was done in one of the most hostile business environments on earth – Nigeria. I have also spent considerable time thinking about how the many fledgling & brilliant entrepreneurs in Nigeria can evolve into structured corporations (and perhaps even fast track their way there). But first, it would be helpful to describe what an unstructured business looks like.

As an entrepreneur, you can tell your business isn’t structured if:

- Potential clients have a brief but can’t find you because you never pick up your phone or promptly return calls.

- You don’t have a backup or secondary phone line.

- You don’t have staff that are equally as competent as you. Therefore your business can’t grow beyond the number of briefs you can individually handle.

- Your official email address ends with gmail.com or yahoo.com.

- You’ve not empowered leaders in your company (where leadership is defined as the ability to take executive, binding decisions such as signing cheques and contracts).

- Your office is your dining room table and a multinational won’t give you a job because you won’t pass their typical office inspection.

- You’re not a registered company and have no idea what VAT and Withholding Tax are.

- You fall ill for 3 months and your company falls apart because there’s no one to hold the fort while you’re recuperating.

- You can’t do international business transactions because you don’t have a credit or debit card.

- You won’t be granted a visa because your company doesn’t have consistent income statements over 6 months or corporate registration documents.

- None of your staff has a proper job contract with defined job descriptions, expectations, obligations and benefits.

- You don’t have a business card.

- You don’t have a website.

- You don’t know how to knot a tie or dress appropriately for a business dinner.

- You can’t stand toe-to-toe with your international counterparts.

There are many more examples but you get the point.

From discussions with young entrepreneurs, I have tried to collate a progression sketch for how to move from the first stage of entrepreneurship to a more structured stage. (I will not speak particularly about Finance, because an entrepreneur who has not figured out how to raise finance for his business is NOT an entrepreneur and should get a job).

These are my suggestions:

1. DECIDE ON YOUR REASON FOR DOING BUSINESS

Your concept of life and raison d’être will invariably affect your concept of business. If your ultimate desire is to just make money for instance, you won’t invest in structure and you’ll lack critical business focus. If tomorrow, fish becomes a hot selling product, you’ll jettison whatever it is you’re doing to jump into the fish market.

Once you decide why you’re going into business and the kind of company you want to build, then you can design a structure to get you there.

2. PUT IN PLACE ADMINISTRATIVE AND REGULATORY STRUCTURES

OPERATIONS: You may have very creative ideas or products. However, if you do not create an enabling environment to develop, manage & protect them; then package and present them to the world as marketable propositions, you are deploying valuable effort to create inventory.

Administration is the business of the business. It ensures products get to market. It protects you and ensures you remain a going concern. You’d be amazed for instance what a properly filed letter or invoice can do for you when a dispute arises with a client. Also, what a prompt response to a brief or a returned telephone call can do to your bottom line.

Hire an efficient operations person to handle the everyday business issues so as the business driver, you can focus on the bigger picture. And please, do not get a boy to do a man’s job. Never get an immature, cheap minion to run your operations. You will destroy your company. Find someone who can comfortably represent the company in a meeting with a Lawyer, for example – someone very intelligent and responsible. Someone you trust.

REGULATORY ISSUES: Stop trying to handle regulatory issues on your own. There are competent individuals and firms who consult for small and growing businesses. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to register your business at CAC, pay someone to do it. On the issue of business names, sometimes, all you need is a little wisdom. It’s easier to register an abstract non-English word that you coin or your own God-given name, than an existing everyday name. For example, Visix Enterprises is easier to register than Crusader Trustees Company.

Growing businesses need basic templates to work with (and I’m not talking about letter or invoice templates). You need an HR Contract template for staff you’ll be hiring. For your accounts, you need to do your first Trial Balance and Management Accounts, if you’ve existed for a number of years and are tax liable. You also need a basic Financial Policy and Accounts Tracking template, which makes your accounts audit so much easier when you begin to pay taxes. It also helps you see at a glance how much comes in and goes out of your company; what your profit margins are; your daily expenses and whether on the whole, you’re a going business concern or approaching death.

You also need a Service Contract template for clients and contractors. There are LAWYERS & ACCOUNTANTS that specialise in helping growing businesses in these areas and it may be cheaper for you to retain them on an annual basis or to get them to develop the basic structures over a project period of say 3 months.

SUPPORT SERVICES: There are a number of service providers every entrepreneur needs to have on speed dial. They include:

- Designer

- Printer

- Website Developer

- Marketer

- Travel Agent

- Electrician

- Generator Technician

- Plumber

- Carpenter

- Realtor

- Insurance agent

For example, a small enterprise can’t “afford” to have a car stolen or bashed by a danfo. Comprehensive insurance helps you cushion the cost.

2. DEVELOP A BRAIN TRUST

A growing business may not be able to afford a management consultant or to commission market research. Sometimes the perspective of a single mentor is also too narrow and limiting for a long term vision. Therefore, you may need to put together a group of people you respect within and without your industry who will serve as a Strategy Board, Advisory Board or just Sounding Board. They should be experienced, seasoned and wise. They should be approachable and willing to tell you the unvarnished truth. Their job is to meet every year (or half-year), hear you out and provide market insight from an outsider’s point of view. They do not make executive decisions but provide counsel. They are your ad hoc focus group and help you shape ideas into marketing propositions. In some cases, they also provide links and networks. You may decide to pay an honorarium for this service or simply buy lunch – it’s up to you.

3. HONE YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Besides having a good brand, website, brochure and other marketing tools; you need a hands-on person to physically sell your product to the market when it’s ready. (This may or may not be the company founder). It must be someone who has the personality and drive for it. If it’s too expensive to hire someone, get an agent you trust and pay them a commission. But nothing beats having an in-house point person. Without a marketing driver, your business will die a slow death. Sometimes your strategy may be to not publicly market but to rely on referrals. Notwithstanding, you need someone to physically write proposals, attend meetings, do presentations, seal the deal and most importantly follow up on payments . Remember, when the idea or product is developed, someone has to look for potential clients, sponsors and business partners.

4. GET AN OFFICE

Instead of trying to bear the cost of an office, identify 2 or 3 other people like you and share office space for at least the first 1 year of the rent period. Split the cost of diesel and other bills, have a common reception and meeting room but keep separate work spaces (because of confidentiality issues). After a year, some people will be able to afford their own office space and move out, while others will join. Having a shared office provides economies of scale on office supplies.

5. TRAVEL, READ, MEET PEOPLE

Move beyond being a local champion or competing with local champions. Broaden your perspectives and learn about the best in your industry, internationally. Travelling does wonders to your world view. You can do it physically or through the pages of a book or the web.

Spend time with potential clients or seek to understand their world. Read what they read. It will help you to see things from the customer’s perspective and to develop products that meet their needs. Also, you’ll come to realize that customers prefer to do business with people who understand them not people who speak technical industry verbiage.

I hope the few prescriptions in this write-up have been useful. I wish you the very best in your business endeavour. You can reach me on twitter @subomiplumptre and join the conversation at #NigeriaSME.

98% FAILURE IS UNACCEPTABLE - A ROADMAP FOR EDUCATION BY THE YOUTH OF NIGERIA

BACKGROUND

There is almost no way of exaggerating the statistics or the conclusion: Nigeria’s education system has all but collapsed. The fact that schools no longer have faith in the results of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) examinations and need to organise post-UME examinations is one pointer. Another is the fact that employers have had to extend training periods after employment before new staff can be deployed.

But, nothing underscores the issue more than the secondary school examinations result released by the two exam bodies in Nigeria. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) 2009 results, according to Waecdirect.com, show an overall poor performance with only 26% percent obtaining a credit pass in Mathematics and English. In the same vein, the National Examinations Council (NECO) November/December 2009 results show 98% failing to clinch five credits, including English and Mathematics. Only 1.8% got five credits, including English and Mathematics. It was the poorest result in the history of the examination body.

At primary school level, things are not much better. In an international study reported by the World Bank in which learning achievements in 22 countries in sub‐Saharan and North Africa are compared, the learning achievements of students in Nigeria’s primary schools were the lowest with national mean scores of 30% compared with 70% in Tunisia and 51% in Mali.

THE PROBLEM

There are a series of factors that have led to this point. This is an example of a near-perfect storm of negative factors combining in a synchronous yet disastrous harmony. To this extent, most of the angst expressed recently about the latest results may be misplaced. Emotions do not solve problems. We failed to invest in Education and so we reaped the results.

For a long time now, the standards of education in Nigeria have been in free fall due to the following well known reasons:

Financial mismanagement, corruption and bureaucratic complexity. The problems here include corruption amongst education and government officials, such that allocated monies are not received or utilised effectively. While some may argue that the budget allocation is too little, however, virtually no country in sub- Saharan Africa has the volume of funds that Nigeria can afford to allocate to education. Yet other countries do much better in terms of education quality (as can be seen from the primary school results in the World Bank study).

There is also the issue of how education is treated in the constitution. Education is on the concurrent list and the funding structure is opaque and very complex. There are too many agencies and too much replication. This fuels corruption and huge bureaucracy that prevents funds from reaching where it matters most - the classroom. Therefore, there is a need to address governance and legislation.

Many parents do not see the relevance of education as it is taught in Nigeria today. The curriculum is deemed outdated and out-of-touch with 21st century skills and realities. There is also the issue of enrolment. In many Nigerian states, enrolments have fallen. According to the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria has 7 million school aged children that are not in school. This is the highest in the world! Cultural norms & traditions contribute to the low enrolment figures.

The quality of teachers and teaching is abysmal. Unmotivated teachers, poor quality of teaching and low learning outcomes are rife across all levels of education According to the Kwara State Commissioner for Education, an aptitude and capacity test was organised for a total of 19,125 teachers in the State's public school system in 2008. Out of these, 2,628 were university graduates. The teachers were given tests that were designed originally for primary four pupils in English and Mathematics. At the end of the exercise, only seven teachers out of the 19,125 crossed the minimum aptitude and capacity threshold. Only one out of the 2,628 graduate teachers passed the test, 10 graduates scored outright zero. The teachers fared worse in literacy assessments which recorded only 1.2% pass rate.

Infrastructure and low capacity are also issues. Pictures of primary school pupils taking their lessons under trees while sitting on the floor, or huddled under leaking classroom roofs, have become all too common. But infrastructure is not the primary issue facing the education sector (as our forefathers who studied under worse conditions can attest to). In truth, the quality of instruction is even more of an issue.

Warped values have introduced corruption to the classroom. Learning is no longer of prime importance to students. Inordinate focus on riches and short-cuts seems to be. There is an increase in exam malpractice and lecturer abuse.

Policy flip flops are the order of the day. The influence of politics and policy instability has been damaging to education. The head of a parastatal recently expressed deep frustration in “working with eleven Ministers and 14 Permanent Secretaries in the past eleven years”!

THE OUTCOME

According to a previous Central Bank Governor, “71 per cent of Nigerian graduates like bad cherries won’t be picked by any employer of labour because they are not fit for anything even if they were the only ones that put themselves forward for an employment test”. The next generation is largely illiterate. Where are the leaders, managers, engineers, doctors, craftsmen and artisans of the future? Who is going to be working when this generation is old?

Concrete efforts and solutions are required. It is not simply a matter of giving multi-million Naira contracts for providing furniture, a perfunctory increase in budget, education summits without new ideas and formats, or superficial competitions. There has to be a comprehensive strategy that engages the problem from its many different angles and the strategy has to be sustained. Above all else, it has to be outcome-oriented. Below are some solutions to address this state of emergency in education.

THE SOLUTION

The Role of Teachers and Teaching

Teachers are at the heart of education. The most important interaction in any educational system is what goes on in the classroom between the teacher and the child. Therefore, any solution must support this interaction. The Mckinsey & Co. 2007 Report on The World’s Best Performing School Systems highlights only 3 key solutions that can drastically improve a country’s educational system. 2 of those solutions focus on Teachers:


a. We must get the right people to become Teachers; recruiting from the highest percentile. (An educational system cannot rise above the level of its teachers). Teachers must also possess motivational and communication skills.

b. We must continuously develop Teachers to become effective instructors through rigorous professional development.

c. We must put in place mechanisms to ensure that schools deliver high quality instruction to every child/student. (The system must be held accountable and rigorously tested and measured).

Therefore, our solutions must focus primarily on Teaching and Accountability.

A credible living wage must be instituted for teachers. Teachers should earn enough to live on and should be paid on time. The States must be held accountable for this.

Ongoing teacher training must be institutionalised. For instance, The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria may be restructured into an institute capable of re-training and administering accreditation examinations [much like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN)]. All teachers in Nigeria must go through thorough training and examinations every year to be re-accredited as teachers.

An emergency plan must be put into place to attract volunteer teachers and retain existing ones. A Teachers Volunteer Programme must be set up to attract individuals who wish to give up a few months to go into schools to teach. A fund should be set up to defray the administrative expenses. The NYSC should be repurposed for 3-5 years to focus on education. Corpers should sign up to teach and the 3-week orientation should no longer be used for frog jumps and endurance treks; instead, corpers should be taken through a teacher training module on volunteer teaching. A competition should be held to identify teachers who are well regarded and voted effective by students in public secondary schools. These teachers should become national role models, be co-opted to train other teachers (in a restructured Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria) and should be rewarded. A national award should be given to volunteer teachers who sign up for an appreciable amount of time as well as existing role model teachers. The award should be endorsed by and should include dinner with the President.

Financial mismanagement in education must be stopped. The States are responsible for funding basic and secondary education as well as their state owned tertiary institutions. They receive funding from the Federal Government as well as internally generated funds. A system must be put in place to ensure that the monies generated go towards school infrastructure and teachers’ pay. Therefore, there should be an independent poll on teachers’ pay and the production of photographic evidence of school infrastructure in each state on an annual basis. The Federal Ministry’s Operation Reach All Secondary Schools (ORASS) was a good initiative in this area. It should be continued and extended to primary and tertiary institutions. Funding policy must also be streamlined.

A League Table of exam success rates in WAEC & NECO should be published annually. The Table should show the results for each State AND each school (public & private). In doing so, the public will be informed of how each school is faring and whether public taxes are simply going down the drain or being effective. This serves the twin purpose of transparency and keeping these schools and their authorities on their toes. The League Table should show how much each State receives from the Federal Government vis-a-vis the number of students they cater to and the students’ success rate. That way, Nigerians will know the spend-per-child and how effective the spend-per-child is. The table may be published in conjunction with WAEC, NECO and an independent Actuarial Firm.

Schools must be held accountable for students’ results. In the 1950s, Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman argued for the introduction of a “school voucher system”, stating that competition would improve schools and cost efficiency. While we are not sure Nigeria is ready for a voucher system, we do advocate for schools to be subjected to competitive pressure. The government may release a base sum to schools (to take care of basic administrative expenses), however, the rest of the money should be released on a “per-child” basis. Parents should be free to choose a desired school based on the school’s performance on the published “League Table”. Schools will then receive the bulk of their funding from the government based on the number of students that willingly enroll in the schools. Parents may also be given a tax credit if they choose to send their kids to public primary or secondary schools. In 5 years, non-performing/non-competitive schools on the League Table should be penalised.
Schools must also be properly licensed and monitored to ensure high standards. Monitoring must be above-board, independent, thorough and devoid of corrupt practices.

Education should be made an election issue & priority for the next administration. The electorate should reject any candidate (or political party) who does not make education a critical part of his/her manifesto. Education must be brought to the forefront of any electoral debate.

Complementary institutions to Universities must be promoted to meet the excess demand for tertiary education. In 2004, it was reported that Nigerian Universities could only cater to 15% of those who applied. Today, it is reported that Nigeria’s public Universities can cater to 65% of applicants, notwithstanding that in some cases a class designed for 40 students accommodates 400. In view of this low carrying capacity, we advocate that the Vocational Enterprise Institutes (VEIs) & Innovative Enterprise Institutes (IEIs) initiatives as set up by the Federal Ministry of Education should be promoted as credible alternatives to Universities. VEIs and IEIs provide certificates in specialised vocational and technical fields. Champions must be identified and promoted to raise the interest in and brand profile of these certificates, thereby driving up enrolment. Examples of potential champions include Downtown Beauty Academy (an existing VEI) and the accreditation of the Lady Mechanic Workshop as an IEI.

We do acknowledge that many credible solutions have already been prescribed for the educational sector. We respect the efforts of those who have gone before us. However, we must question why the solutions are not being implemented or proving effective. Questions raise solutions.

IMPLEMENTATION STEPS

In order to deliver on the solutions presented, there is a need to inform and then engage the citizenry. We must move beyond just talking about the solutions to becoming a part of it. Below are some preliminary implementation steps for citizen engagement, which we hope to champion in the weeks to come.

Step 1: Concise information on the State of Education in Nigeria must be made available. A concept paper on the state of primary and secondary school education in Nigeria must be produced, accompanied by statistics from WAEC and NECO, where available. This information should be published in the form of a League Table of the exam failure rates in each state of the federation. This is because, while there is an assumption that, nationally, everyone is aware of this problem, the depth of the decay needs to be highlighted and brought to the attention of the Nigerian public at large. Also, it is important for Nigerians to be well informed about the issues, with the correct data and perspective. The paper (and accompanying statistics) should be published as editorials in the newspapers and downloadable from the web. It should also be circulated as emails/letters to anyone who expresses concern about the state of education in Nigeria. The articles and letters will serve as an invitation to concerned Nigerians who wish to support an education intervention with their intellect and resources.

Step 2: Town Hall Meetings should be held to harvest contributions and feedback. Two weeks after the paper has been circulated, meetings should be held with persons who respond, to harness initial input and contributions and to also chart the way forward in concrete terms. We also recommend telephone conferences for Nigerians in Diaspora. Key outputs from the deliberations should be:

• Organisations or individuals who will volunteer credible implementation platforms to intervene in education.

• Organisations or individuals who will champion a proposed Technical Volunteer Corps (TVC). The Technical Volunteer Corps (TVC) is made up of individuals with deep experience in and passion for education. They include (past and present) government officials, private sector practitioners and international consultants who have experience in transforming education in countries.

• Media partners who will dedicate their voice and media spaces to bring education issues to the fore.

Step 3: A series of Youth Fora should be held in each state of Nigeria. The reason a forum is to be held in each state is that, although the Federal Government formulates and regulates education policy, the States and Local Governments control and are directly responsible for Public Primary and Secondary Schools. Hence they are accountable for the deplorable nature of education in Nigeria. This fact must be brought to the fore in all communication materials. The fora should begin in the state with the highest failure rate to underscore the critical importance of the initiative. The meetings should be supported by ongoing calls for ideas from youth across the nation which may be sent in by email and SMS. Members of the Technical Volunteer Corps will be asked to moderate the fora and streamline ideas into a coherent document. The fora should be aired live on TV, radio and the internet by media partners.

Step 4: A solutions document on Education must be produced with input and wide support from the Youth. From the solutions garnered during the fora, a symbolic solutions document should be produced and presented to all State Ministries of Education and the Federal Ministry of Education (The Minister). The document will contain no more than 5-10 major solutions. It should not be a dense soporific document that will be shelved. Rather, it should have both long term solutions as well as quick wins that can be implemented within a year. It must also be accessible by all stakeholders in education. Any plan to fix education that does not take into account the views of the youth should be rejected, as education directly concerns them. The document must be on the agenda of the next National Council on Education and each State Ministry should be pressured to execute at least one or two of the solutions in the next 6 months.

Step 5: Hands-on support by the Technical Volunteer Corps must be provided to the Federal and State Ministries of Education. The Technical Volunteer Corps should offer their services to implement the education solutions proffered. A fund should be set up to take care of the administrative expenses. The idea is to not just proffer solutions, but to help implement them.

Step 6: Results must be well documented and the Ministry held accountable. In 6 months, a report should be produced of what has been accomplished by the Federal and State Ministries of Education.

These are ideas and solutions for education in Nigeria. We call on Nigerians to lend their voice and support to implement them.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

This document is the combined effort of Nigerian youths and senior professionals working in various sectors of the Nigerian economy. We care about education, and believe that, beyond consternation and display of outrage, it is important for those who have the means, skill and resources, to work with the authorities to revive and/or improve our education system.

Contributors: Nigeria Leadership Initiative, Do More for Nigeria, The Future Project, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria

If you wish to participate in the ongoing discussion on education or contribute to the solution in any way, kindly email, SMS or call: info@thefuturenigeria.com, 07034904820, 07028101959, 08022226712

Data Sources: Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria; National Universities Commission; McKinsey & Co. Report on Best Performing School Systems, THISDAY, Nigerian Muse

Thoughts in June (1)

Do not come too close to the people you admire; you will find that they are all too human and less than admirable - especially young entertainment personalities. (Don't mind me, just reacting to the people i've met lately)

It isn't that God is not in the business of the extraordinary - he can only only make dreams come true through people. Unfortunately there aren't that many people who are interested in making other people's dreams come true. Hence, God is left with "managing" those he can find, as best as he can.

No matter how logical you are, without grace and wisdom, someday you will be confronted with a situation where you willingly throw logic outta window & start on a path of destruction. The sad thing is you won't even be aware of it, you'll think you're doing the right thing and only those observing you can tell. Listen to them or you'll be destroyed. Constantly take stock of your life and allow people to regularly be your mirror. Ask them what they think of you and what you can do better.

Things/people/relationships require attention or else they'll show signs of neglect and eventually break down. Excellence requires constant supervision and attention to detail. You must be ever vigilant, constantly improving, ever perfecting.

Brazil Trip (2)

The Rio Carnaval is truly amazing! It’s worth every expensive Real and is an experience of a lifetime. The Carnaval takes place over a period of a week with street parades and grand performances at the Sambadrome (like the Tafewa Balewa Square in Lagos). 12 groups (called schools, though they are not academic schools) compete over 2 days (6 schools on Saturday and 6 schools on Sunday), and then the champions from each day do a Champions Parade the weekend after that. The best time to go is the 2nd day of the first round (on Sunday), where the best schools perform. You can buy tickets online or through your hotel or licensed tour company. There are tickets for numbered seats or you can decide to sit in the bleachers and arrive early to get a good seat. Being a cheapskate, I chose to buy the bleachers ticket but my hosts chose a great area – Sector 5 with a great view.

The show begins at 8.30pm. I arrived about 7pm, got a good seat and settled in. The entrance is quite organised and the officials are efficient. There’s little rush. You simply look for the entrance to your sector and hand over your ticket to be swiped. There are also corporate box seats (with accompanying bars) for sponsors and their guests. As you can imagine, they are in prime positions where you can see and be seen (and envied).


Each school has 80minutes to perform, and the performances include accompanying live music, grand costumed parades, drummers and very ELABORATE floats. One thing I noted was that perhaps instead of singing one song from the beginning of each performance to the end, the schools could have varied it a bit. But I guess they rehearse and time their performance to such exactitude that it may help to use just one song. Each school has about 8 groups in its routine and sometimes a school may have as many as 6,000 participants! They try to tell stories so the performances are a blend of march past, dance and dance drama. Different cultures are expressed during performances. I could readily identify the following: African, Amazonian, Asian, Spanish, Japanese, Indian, Dutch, German, Islamic, Jewish, Oriental...you name it.

I must say that the story about topless women at the Carnaval is overrated. I did spy a boob or two but they were largely costumed and were in no way sensual or garish. They were more cultural and part of the overall costume or tribal dress being portrayed. Brazil is not a very sexual culture. From what I’ve seen, the daily skimpy dressing is matter-of-fact because of the heat and beach culture and it has lost whatever sexual appeal it may have once held. Bum shorts and tank tops aren’t immodest, they’re essential if you don’t want to die of heat stroke. It’s amazing that Brazilians walk their dogs (mostly cute little things) in the heat of the late morning or early afternoon.

I was able to visit two of the main beaches in Rio – Copacabana and Ipanema. Ipanema is smaller, more popular and hence crowded. I preferred Copacobana. You can get to either beach by tube or bus. If you can, avoid the tube...it’s filled with half naked bodies pressed together in a not-so-nice way. And anyway on the bus, you can take in the sights along the way. When going to the beach simply wear a bikini, if you’re a girl, with a wrap or light dress. You really don’t need to take anything along as you can rent a folding chair and umbrella when you get there. But on a truly hot day when there are bound to be many tourists, you may bring your own. Avoid carrying a camera or bag unless you’re in a group and someone will be watching your stuff at all times. All you really need is a bit of money stuck in a waterproof arm band/wallet.

Everyone wears a bikini (could be a thong or shorts); you’ll rarely see a one-piece. No one goes topless – that’s for the French:) Anyway, Rio is more of a ladies’ market. The women are not very well endowed, but the men look gorgeous. Sisquo would be right at home here as there are some nice ebony skinned brothers with hair dyed blond and incredible tattoos. Apparently, if you wish to see Giselle types, you have to go to another city in Brazil entirely. And the sand is scorching hot! You can’t walk on it barefoot, but the water is quite cold, almost freezing in contrast to the sand. The bus stops/metro are a block away from the beach. Simply follow the crowd till you see the water. If you choose a hotel by the beach, ask for a room on the upper floors facing the beach. The views are incredible. That’s one thing about Rio, the spectacular views. You can see The Christ or Sugarloaf Mountain from just about anywhere. Just look up and about.

When I got to the beach I was struck by the wonder of a black Nigerian executive standing in the middle of a crowded beach in a foreign land. And I was grateful for the privilege.

For shopping, the RioSul is good or try the Praie De Botafogo. Both have cinemas and as a bonus there’s an additional cinema just down the road from the Praie De Botafogo called the Arteplex. At the Arteplex, you’re guaranteed to find movies in English. Brazilian food is quite aromatic. I didn’t try many dishes because I couldn’t understand what was written in Portuguese, but just like Nigerian food has a distinctive smell of Maggi, and Indian, curry, Brazilian food has its own distinctive smell. Unfortunately I didn’t ask what the primary spice was.

More on the language challenges: Brazil is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. I imagine that they will need an English language intervention, much like China required one just before the Beijing Olympics. The language barrier is really significant unless you speak Portuguese or Spanish. This was confusing to me, as you cannot be a truly world class tourist location without making an accommodation for English speaking tourists. Malaysia and the UAE (Dubai) understand this and in Malaysia for instance, the street signs are in 3 languages: Malay, Hindi and ENGLISH. In Brazil, I wouldn’t eat in some street-side cafes because I couldn’t decipher the menus. In the more upscale cafes or restaurants, you can ask for an English menu. Many of them have one. If you happen to make friends with other tourists for whom English is not a first language, remember to speak proper textbook English. Idiomatic expressions and slang go over their heads.

Tourism is a significant business proposition and there is money to be made in providing advice to English speaking tourists who wish to travel to exotic locales. This space isn’t being properly filled and right now the major resource for this category of travellers is guide books. Lonely Planet makes some of the best, but a book is simply not as interactive or as helpful as a human being.

If you’re visiting a country for the first time and you can afford to spend a bit of time, I advise that you visit 2 or more cities within the country, so you get a full sense of the country and what it has to offer. For example, were a tourist to visit Nigeria, I would advise that they visit during a major festival say the Argungu Fishing Festival or the Kano Durbar. Their itinerary should begin in Lagos where they should take in both the Mainland & Island, proceed to Cross Rivers (Calabar) to visit Tinapa and Obudu Cattle Ranch, then take a side trip to Abuja before proceeding on to Sokoto or Kano for the festival of their choice. To really experience the culture and joy of a city, a festival is a great (though very expensive) time to visit. All you really need to turn a city into a tourist location is a very distinctive festival that takes place at a definite time every year. But the city must have 3 structures: a good, trustworthy English speaking tourist agency (like Arabian Adventures in Dubai), good transportation and good hotels.

I have one more Brazil Note to post, but I’ll leave you with this for now.

My strongest impression of Brazil thus far is that no matter the colour of your skin, your body shape or size, you can enjoy being who you are. In Brazil, the people speak freely about what they call "the mix". The country is a melting pot of so many nationalities, religions and cultures. A typical Brazilian is actually a mix of 2 or more nationalities. They are the most accommodating, unselfconscious people i know.

At this insanely hot time of the year, the fashion for ladies is to wear a bikini top and a loose fitting blouse fastened by a single button at the back of the neck, leaving the back bare. This is paired with bum shorts and flip flops. For guys, beach shorts and no shirt. A t-shirt may be tucked in the back of your shorts for when you need to walk into an establishment that requires a shirt. And a gorgeous tatoo on one bicep is quite common, or for ladies on an ankle. Everyone looks like they're just returning from the beach (which they probably are) and i mean everyone: young, old, fat, slim, foreign or local.

But before i describe my time in the city of Rio, how exactly did i get here?

Well, a couple of years ago i decided to visit one or two new countries every year, starting with a country on each continent. I had visited Europe, N.America and Asia, so this year it was either Australia or S.America. I chose S.America and eventually Brazil, primarily because Carnaval was coming up and they had an embassy in Nigeria. Applying for the visa was pretty straightforward - they require the same documents as every other embassy in Nigeria. Getting the visa was another matter entirely. Apparently it has to be approved in Brazil first before it's issued in Nigeria. This took 6 weeks! I finally got my passport back with the visa and the next step was to decide how to get there.

My travel agent suggested Iberia Airlines (via Madrid) and so began another application, this time for a transit visa. I applied and 4 days later my application was denied with an accompanying letter in Spanish! Needless to say, i was quite pissed as i had applied for a visa to pass through the airport not go into the country. I promptly attributed it to the Mutallab Syndrome and proceeded to apply for a renewal for my US Visa, with a view to transiting through the US. After standing in line at an ungodly hour in the morning and producing much stomach acid due to nervousness, i heard the magic words: "Your visa will be issued. Pick up your passport in 2 days", at which point i muttered: "Up yours, Spanish Embassy"!

2 days later i ate humble pie after realising it would cost me twice as much to go through the US. I reapplied to the Spanish Embassy with a ton of documentation (The letter in Spanish mentioned "incomplete documentation"). My transit visa was issued 4 days later, just 1 working day before my trip (I had already bought the ticket as it was required for my visa application). Phew!

Meanwhile, booking a hotel was another drama entirely! During Carnaval, all hotels must be pre-booked, the amount is deducted immediately from your credit card and there are no refunds. Making inquiries is a nightmare if you don't speak Portuguese! I finally found a quaint B & B through Trip Advisor where the owner spoke English and was a licensed tour guide so he would assist me during my stay and buy me tickets in advance to see the grand parade at the Sambadrome. But, the B&B didn't accept credit cards and insisted on payment through Paypal. Now as we all know, Paypal doesn't allow payments from Nigeria, so i had to call a friend in the US to make the payment for me. By this time, as you can imagine i had a persistent headache.

Finally, my hotel was booked, my visas were in place and i left for the airport. Now, i don't know how to say this delicately so i'll just say it. Unless it's an emergency or as in my case you're a cheapskate, please DO NOT fly Iberia! I don't know if it was a coincidence but that night it seemed like a good chunk of my fellow passengers looked like pimps, hos and drug pushers. Nigerian home videos were being repacked cause someone's hand luggage was overweight. Someone kept swearing at the ground crew, F...ing this and F...ing that. Someone else unwrapped Suya during the flight...and the onboard service can't really be described as service.

Anyway, we finally got to Madrid where i had a 7 hr layover. I now understand how Mutallab got past security. You see when you get into a country at an ungodly hour of the morning, there are only 2 or 3 passport control guys and they are so sleepy, they barely glance at your passport. Also none of your hand luggage (or your person) is scanned before you board your connecting flight, so you can pick a "package" up from duty free and no one would know.

The flight to Rio was 10 hrs long. I met up with Richard at the airport, one of the hosts at the B&B where i would be staying and we were off to Botafogo, a charming beach side town in Rio that's supposed to be one of the safest. The house is way up a hill and we kept going up a winding road made of cobblestones.

The next morning i ventured off to explore the city with directions from Rob (another host). To get to the bus-stop, i had to climb down the hill via 2 flights of dangerous looking stairs. Once or twice i got lost and that's when i discovered the language barrier. Very few people speak a smattering of English so communication is primarily via sign language and key words. But the people are friendly and someone actually went out of her way to walk me to the bus-stop to get the right bus to my destination. The best way to get around is by bus. The buses have screens below the windshield that tell you their destinations and when you get in you hand the money over and tell the conductor exactly where you're going. You sit in front and gesture that he should tell you when the bus gets to your stop as there are no announcements or screens inside the bus. A word though - the drivers are worse than Molue drivers so hang on very tight!

A security warning: Many places are safe in Rio, but if your traveling alone you're advised not to carry a bag or sling a camera over your shoulder, especially at night, as muggings do sometimes happen. However, the major tourist spots are safe as they require an admission fee and are populated by mainly foreigners. I've wondered why tourist attractions always look better in pictures and on TV than in real life. Maybe it's because one's expectations are so high. The Christ Statue, The Botanical Gardens and Sugarloaf Mountain are must-sees and can be taken in, in a day in that order. At the major attractions, i noticed that the Asians always have the most sophisticated cameras:)

The botanical gardens have an overarching aura of peacefulness and contemplation. It reminded me that sometimes it's fun to travel with someone. It's the kind of place that lovers go to, to have quiet conversations and plan their future.

In all my trips, i've found that the best way to get a feel of a city (particularly if you're traveling alone) is to book a half or full day city tour for the day after you arrive (if you arrive late, that is, as most tours begin in the morning). Search for a reputable tour company online (although sometimes your hotel may be able to suggest one). Select one where you go with other people as that way you also meet new people who are tourists. After you've done the city tour, you'll get a sense of the city and the tour guide can either recommend other activities or you can strike off on your own. You'd be amazed the tour packages you can find online including outdoor activities like rock climbing and snorkeling or parties and club jaunts.

For shopping, the Law of Shopping Malls prevails: Things get cheaper the higher up the floors you go:) On an interesting note i found that when you're served beer at the street-side cafes, the bottle is placed in an ice cooler, like champagne:)

I'll be attending the main Carnaval Parade tonight at the Sambadrome. Will post pictures when i return. Bye for now.