Thursday, February 27, 2014

MY ASSESSMENT OF PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT IN THE DRIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA.

Listening to the recorded broadcast of world influencers in Davos, at the world economic summit, in which President Goodluck Jonathan, Aliko Dangote and the President of Ghana were part of the debaters. I decided to assess the result achieved by private sector in partnership with government in aspect of public need and management of resources.

The private sector has been positively influencing in areas of interest based on my assessment, ranging from telecommunication, Agriculture, healthcare and most recently, electricity. With positive statistics gotten, in areas of job creation, service availability and revenue generation.

It is a known fact that before the telecommunication sector was privatized, my country (Nigeria) could not boast of more than 450,000 telephone lines, with employee rate of way below 50,000. Today however, due to the private sector involvement, statistics as grown to pr more than 120 million phone lines, providing employment for over 2 million people, apart from people gainfully employed indirectly through ripple effects of the services rendered and needed.

So it is with the agricultural sector, with all aspects experiencing considerable growth, either through production, processing and also increase in job availability. Also is healthcare and power (electricity) experiencing quantum development in areas of service rendering and availability.

With all this being highlighted, I would like to point out the fact that in as much as we have recorded this growth, it is necessary that the government put in place cautionary steps in place , so that services rendered by them would be of excellent standard and the populace enjoys subsidized rate.

There should be a feedback system to get information back to the government from the general populace as regards the services rendered and also quick response should be gotten from appropriate agencies, without influence or bribe. Information from all quarters should be effectively disseminated to the public, so as to know how best to enjoy services provided.

Also, the interest of the general public should be of paramount importance to the government and not that of the lobbyist and sections of manipulative interests. As I say, at every given opportunity, no government can adequately provide for her citizens without private partnership, it is the fuel that drives development, competitiveness and sustainability of a nation.

With this, I implore more entrepreneurs and investors to come up with business ideas to drive development, as it is the only way to build and sustain our country.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH, GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
                                                                                                                    President
                                                                                                                    Neff Business Concept

                                                                                                                    Fakeye, Olaniyi olatunde

Saturday, February 1, 2014

MY STAND ON THE ANTI-GAY BILL SIGNED INTO LAW IN NIGERIA

HAPPY NEW YEAR to every one. I am sorry i have not posted in a while, it was due to issues beyond me. This year promises to be eventful and fruitful and I wish everyone success and good tidings. that being said, I move to the topic of today

There has been mixed reactions from the general public pertaining to the recent signing into law of the anti-gay bill, with celebrities, religious groups and activists of all kind, airing their opinion on what they feel is right through either praise or condemnation on the singular act of the president.

I am surprised that some Africans, in this case Nigerians would even consider homosexuality as a way of life. It is also alarming to know that we have such, being confused and derailed from our values to a point where we now believe in strange courses that erode our values and custom of conservativeness, decency and africanism.

No matter how you see it, you cannot call a spade a garden fork, the truth still remains that homosexuality is wrong on every ground, b e it from the religious, moral or general point of view.
Procreation is one of the major reasons of existence and it can only be achieved through the involvement of a man and a woman, either technologically now, which I have my reservations about, or through the normal process from inception of heterosexuality. Any which way, both gender is needed for a new one to be created.

For everyone fostering this course, the major question to them should be, would you have been born if your parents were of the same gender?, we should not allow liberalism confuse us to a point where we begin to talk and act stupidly. With westernization, came the decadence we experience now among the youths, irresponsibility and ill training that has made many people act with disregard and impunity for laws and customs of the African people.

It is high time we take a stand, before what is left of our essence as Africans is being flushed down the drain. I am happy at this singular act from the government, that at least this time, we did not allow external influence push us into taking wrong decisions. I am happy that the president of Nigeria acted in good fate and put to law what should be.

As I have evidently proven, I support the anti-gay bill, I support the federal republic of Nigeria, I also appreciate everyone in support of this.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH, GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Fakeye, Olaniyi Olatunde
President,                              

Neff Business Concept

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

EMERGING MARKET IN AFRICA, OPPORTUNITY FOR INVESTORS (NIGERIA AS MY CASE STUDY)

Today, my work is to inform the outer public about the opportunities that abound in the African content. As a continent, Africa has developed based on increased awareness about happenings in advanced countries and also the will to compete both as a country or on individual basis. The world today has become a small global market considering how services, information and investment has been moving at high rate from one extreme part to another. This makes it necessary for me to write about opportunities that abound here in my continent, with Nigeria as my focal point.

Africa to me presently is the cheapest place (apart from Asia, which I am not really sure about) presently to locate businesses. This among other reasons makes it a fertile ground for investors to start planting and operating landmark businesses. As we have the population to consume whatever is been produced, vibrant and intelligent individuals ready to work and also the government putting in place reforms to make it more business friendly day in day out.

I know my view point would be seen as being sentimental, in that I am African and a proud Nigerian, I am quick to respond to them by highlighting facts that are well known globally, using my country as a case study.

Nigeria as of today has a population of over 167 million, with more than 65 – 70% of them being able bodied youth, strong and ready to work. Labour is reasonably cheap, as way of living in Nigeria is considerably reasonable. Schools yearly churn out bright minds ready to explore and experience what the world has for them.

Also is the recent move by the federal government of Nigeria as regards privatization of the power sector. This shows a good sign, as the private investors would want to make money, thereby, making sure electric power is available at whatever capacity needed.

We have the recent news about the death of the leader of the terrorist group (Boko Haram). This goes a long way to show that the government is making sure the country is safe enough for any form of investment and expatriate brought in. it is a known fact all over the world that Nigerians are happy and accommodating people, as this would make settling down of investors easier and faster.

There are plans on-going to build the biggest seaport in the whole of Africa in Nigeria and also expansion of old ones to allow for easy and improved business operation. Recently, one of our own, Industrialist of repute (Aliko Dangote), announced his plans to build an oil refinery in the country that would give us over two-third of the fuel used in this country.

We have big companies changing ownership, such as the acquisition of  over 70% ofDangote flour by Tiger group of South Africa, a Chinese truck manufacturing firm announcing plans to site their manufacturing plant in Calabar free trade zone. This and a whole lot more are happening just to mention a few.

To me these are positive signs that good times have come for Nigeria as a country, and also, should also serve as encouragement for other investors to coming to benefit from all being put in place, bringing in world class business operational method and also competing for their share in the market.

Opportunities present now are limitless, with sectors in haulage, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, medical and health just to mention a few open for exploration. This to me is good news.
It would be a thing of joy to see more investors come in as soon as possible, as nothing lasts forever and opportunities when sometimes lost, cannot be regained.

I ask that Nigerians in Diaspora continually show themselves as good ambassadors of their country and also inform the outside world about the opportunities untapped here in Africa.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH                                                                      
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Fakeye, Olaniyi olatunde
President

Neff Business Concept

Saturday, June 29, 2013

EFFECT OF E – BUSINESS OPERATION IN NIGERIA (A BLESSING AND A CURSE)

As, we all know, Nigeria of today has a lot of challenges, ranging from bad leadership, inadequate power supply, unemployment, ethnic and religious chaos, among others. With all these issues stated above, having the root cause as CORRUPTION.

Being a country rich in human resources, having a population of over 167 million people, with over 60% of them being youths ready to explore what life has for them and with predictions of hitting over 200 million by the year 2020, one begins to wonder how we intend to cope and survive with the present rate of unemployment which would only worsen due to the recent embrace of electronic business operation by business owners.

The emergence of E-Business in a country like Nigeria to me is a two edged sword, by this I mean it can be seen as a blessing and also a curse, with my reasons explained below. We all know the advantage of E-Business, ranging from quicker, convenient service output to reduced manpower, listing only a few.

We should also note that it also means a lot of youths of our present day Nigeria would become jobless, as schools in our country prepare students only for the job market (which to me isn’t adequate enough even for that) and not ones to create jobs or become entrepreneurs.

I sincerely think we have to reconsider our approach to tackling issue and making policies in basic sectors, from education to electricity, transportation and other necessary aspects which have become a major challenge in this country, with my major focus for today’s write-up being EDUCATION.

A lot of young Nigerians today are not motivated to study anymore because of the known fact that education is not a sure ticket in this country that you would be able to cater for yourself. They just want to become musicians or footballers, which is not a bad idea, but for the ones not skilled enough for any of those options listed above considering internet fraud popularly known as “YAHOO YAHOO”

I sincerely think the educational curriculum needs to be redesigned to develop ingenuity, youths of today needs to be challenged and encouraged to dig deep into their area of strength , find out what makes them different from the next person and then fine-tune this into a sellable and profitable service. It does not have to be a stand-alone service, they need to be made to understand the importance of team work, delegation and confidence to give results that are superb.

There is no developed country in the world without entrepreneurs, they create jobs, services and boost the economy, the government cannot provide all. They just have to create the enabling environment and make policies that would make this work.

I know the people at the helm of affairs would not do this though, as the jobless youths are tools for them to cause mayhem to champion their selfish and greedy cause, but all the same, I have made my point.
The earlier we do this, the better, before the frustrated and angry youth revolt and become another cause of challenge to the little ounce of peace we have in this country and the world at large.

If this is done, E-Business would then thrive for the positive cause it was created to achieve and would even be embraced on a wider scale, so as to be able to compete effectively in today’s global market.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH, GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

Fakeye, Olaniyi Olatunde
President,
Neff Business concept
                                                                                                                        

Monday, June 3, 2013

NIGERIA AND HER RECENT ISSUES

As we all know, in recent times, terrorism has become a major issue in my country, with different sects claiming lives and properties of innocent people, blowing up churches, parks and other public places for courses that are irrelevant, trivial and annoying compared to the crimes committed.

It is very funny to see people threatening publicly to halt the daily running’s or divide the country either for political, religious or personal reasons, this makes me surprised at what a country so peaceful has become in a short period of time, this is why I am compelled to voice out my view.

Recently, the President declared state of emergency in three states, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, with military personnels dispersed to enforce law and order due to book haram’s operation in the region. We also have the case of a known militant (Asari Dokubo) threatening to bring the country to a halt if the present president is not elected for second term.

In as much as we have the freedom to speak, any word spoken that serves as potential threat to lives and properties should be taken seriously, with immediate action taken to caution it, I find it barbaric that a single man would call a press conference, threaten as much as he did, and nothing would be done about it.

I applaud the decision by the President as regards the issue of the north, though we know it would greatly inconvenience the general public and daily activities in the state, as soldiers are known to act irrationally in the discharge of their duties, I advice that people in the state expose people involved or connected to the sect, so that normalcy and peace can be restored as soon as possible, because  it is unwise to allow a small soil our reputation as a people and put at risk opportunities we might benefit through investment from the outside world. It would also bring about segregation, with one region being developed and commercially buoyant than the other, and people not wanting to relate with people from that region.

As regards the threat from the militant, I am not in support of the federal government not taking any step to bring him to order as he continues to speak regularly about causing problems for the country. In my opinion, it would be seen as the president being highly sentimental, because the said person fights for a cause that favours him.

I end this write-up stating my opinion by saying, Nigeria is bigger than one man and his ambitions, and we should not allow crack of any form.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH. 

GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
                                                                             
Fakeye, Olaniyi Olatunde
President,
Neff Business Concept.

Monday, April 29, 2013

HAVE YOUR IDENTITY


We live in a world where mentorship and role models have become the order of the day, we now see people wanting to pattern their lives after someone else, behave and respond to issues just like he or she does. In as much as this goes a long way in helping us build the type of life we envisage, we should not forget that we are who we are , and we must stamp our identity also into whatever we do.

Many of us who choose mentors should understand that this people are not presently experiencing the things we experience, their family background, circular environment and opportunities available to them are not the same with what we have or are presently going through.

We should be able to discern and know when their rules apply to us and when it doesn’t, we should not also limit our scope to just one person, rather examine a handful of people doing what and living the life we admire, examine what they went through and pick whatever it is that would make u become a better person.

We should not forget that we have different styles, qualities, thought pattern, character and other attributes which might not be the same with the life of the person you look up to. You might not be as adventurous as he or she is, or might be an introvert while the person is not. All this and much more define us, and the ability to blend our personality into whatever we do is what makes us unique.

For someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, and doesn’t have people to finance his vision or dream, either friends, associate or family, even if he has the burning desire to become one, should know that he has to tackle his first challenge, which is getting finance through other means, either in a paid employment, while he makes more research on his interest, so as to be sure investing his hard earned sweat would not be a waste. If he deceives himself into not doing any other thing before achieving his goals, he might be wasting his time, because he might not be as privileged or opportuned as his mentor was when starting out.

In as much as much as I am all into role models and building your life by following their rules, I also know this cannot be possible if you do not plan your strategies and imprint your style on everything you do. Donald Trump, Richard Branson and all others have certain qualities in common, but you would always see it in their brand that their person is always imprinted in whatever they do.

Think till your brain sweets, and work smart, putting together your style, person and reasoning from your thought coupled with all you learnt from your mentors and apply it to work. Only through this method would you become a mentor to yourself and somebody else in future.

I AM A POSITIVE NIGERIAN YOUTH, GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
                                                                                           
Fakeye, Olaniyi Olatunde
President,
Neff business concept

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Aliko Dangote Unscripted: The Gravest Danger Confronting Nigeria (words from a true Nigerian)

He could pass for just any other guest. But he is unmistakably familiar. Charming but humble! Stupendously wealthy, yet radiates simplicity. Strolling in, unassuming, was Africa’s richest man. It was his birthday. Dressed in a black suite with a black shinny cock shoe to match, Aliko Mohammed Dangote kept his appointment for 9am.


Unlike the rambunctious entry of Nigeria’s men of means and power, Dangote walked in with just a few of his executives. After the informal handshake and introduction, he grabbed the microphone to make some opening remarks which turned out not to be mere remarks. He made earth-shaking revelations about his person, the conglomerate he runs (Dangote Group), the Nigerian economy and how things can get better in a very competitive environment of clashing political and socio-economic interests.
At first, the tempo was cool – the usual compliments of not having time to rub minds, examine developments in the country with a view to proffering solutions – and the usual pleasantries, until Dangote explained that the real danger confronting the Nigerian state is the infrastructure deficit in a country where the population growth has choked existing facilities. He made it clear that the problems confronting Nigeria today did not just start – they are a cummulation of many years of misgovernance and lack of vision. Shall we blame President Goodluck Jonathan? No!
On the Economic Management Team of President Jonathan, Dangote explained that the team is working hard to ensure that good policy frameworks are put in place with a view to building a more prosperous nation.  The EMT is as bothered as President Jonathan to bequeath a better economy to Nigerians.
But, at the point when Dangote said the danger posed by infrastructure deficit is far graver than the Boko Haram threat, all heads turned in his direction.
Mind you, his audience was a group of select senior journalists in Nigeria.
“Why should we in Nigeria, blessed with many mineral resources, be where we are”, he asked? “The mineral resources we have can replace and be better than the crude oil. “Some ask where the minerals are but they are there.
“Even in the Economic Management Team, EMT, we ask and look for ways to make it possible to clear goods from the ports within 48 hours.
“But I say it would not be possible and the cost adds to everything. “To clear a container in Lagos it would take about $1000 but in Brazil where they are not even efficient, it costs less than $100 to clear the same container.
“The issue which people seem to forget is that the last port we built in Nigeria, the Tin Can Island Port, was built in 1978 – look at the population of Nigeria at that time, the size of the economy, crude oil was being sold for about $9 and compare with the expansion of the economy and the population and people think we should still manage with the same facility?
“God forbid, some people were expressing fears about Third Mainland Bridge; God forbid I say, should something happen to that bridge, how would people move around in Lagos?  Look at how difficult it is for people to move around now and it is being said that by 2020 Nigeria’s population would be about 200 million”.
Our Investments, Our Vision
“Before we were making money from our other businesses like sugar, salt, flour and putting the money in cement but by 2010 we were able to pay all the banks.
“I don’t have any issue with government raising money, that is, loan, so long as it is spent well.  Beyond the issue of Boko Haram and insecurity, the greatest threat that confronts us is the threat of decaying and decayed infrastructure.  And this is not just in Nigeria but in all of Africa, the greatest threat is infrastructure”.
Decayed Infrastructure, The Greatest Threat
“Somebody was asked how he would operate in government and the person said he would face only two things – infrastructure and education.  And he was asked what about the rest. He said with infrastructure, other things would follow. “This is what I think confronts us as the greatest danger even beyond Boko Haram”.
His audience laughs but he charges back with bluntness:  “No! It is true.
“The biggest problem of anybody is when you taste money; you were once rich and then you become poor.  It is very bad.  Nothing can be worse than that.
“It is when that money goes that you’ll see the true colour of everybody – your wife, your children (a round of raucous laughter)
Alternative To Crude Oil
“If today oil prices collapse, do we have alternatives?
“I tell people that we do. Some of us may be manufacturing in our own little way, but in a very big country like Nigeria with its population, that is simply not enough.
“We are heavily into cement – meanwhile limestone is the cheapest of all the mineral resources we have. There are other minerals that are even more lucrative and more profitable that government is looking to exploring.
“The problem is that even when you begin to explore, how do you move the goods around.
“We’ve also been talking about new ports but there are challenges”.
Scavengers On The Loose
“Look, let me tell you what we have in Nigeria: We have scavengers who hold licenses but wait and do nothing.  People just grab opportunities and wait to see what happens rather than operate with the licenses  “Government has issued 19 licenses for refineries and everybody is holding the licenses and claim that they are waiting for foreign investors.  Mind you, the foreign investors are not fools”.
The Role of Foreign Investors
“Foreign investors did not build South Korea – South Koreans developed their country; the Germans built their economy, an economy that was once in ruins.  The Germans suffered a lot but now they are the best.
What foreign investments are we getting?
“Meanwhile, Sanusi Lamido has done his best by holding inflation down, holding exchange and interest rates down; because in an economy that does not export much, the best you can do is to have a strong currency so that life would be a bit easy.  Though interest rates may be high but that should not stop a business from operating.
“When we were building Obajana Cement factory, we were paying as high as 42% interest rate at some point in 2004/2005 – some banks charged that much and we didn’t pay dividends for some eight or nine years; but after sorting out our loans we paid the accumulated dividends. “The foreign investor I would prefer is the one that goes to Ekiti for instance and sets up a factory because even if the investor wants to leave Nigeria, he would sell off his investment but the ones investing in our bonds can just wake up one day, re-discount it and just leave because our rates are fine”.
Concessioning
“If you concession, it is not a bad idea because government can not do everything. In Dubai and some other more developed economies, that is what is happening.  I was reading some paper in Dubai during the week and the leader of the country was thanking the transport authority for saving the government $60 billion over a period of five years – meanwhile, the savings was calculated in form of man hours.
“If you look at those who work with us for example, the drivers, they bear so much. Imagine someone who leaves his house by 4 or 4:30 am and does not return home until 10 or 11pm! How would he have time for himself and the children – and these things come round to create an environment that is not overall conducive for upbringing of a child.  “There is hope if we do the right things. “It does not matter who provides the service; the people would be willing to pay”.
The Future Is Brighter
“If you ask me whether the future is brighter than today, I would say yes; but the people must be ready to pay for services and pay their taxes. A simple example!  At Obajana where we are producing at a current capacity of 10 million tonnes per year, which is $1.7 billion, we can continue to produce cement for the next 100years with the same capacity but you do not rest – mind you, limestone is the cheapest mineral resource in Nigeria, so if people look inward they would see the opportunities for greatness”.
An Example From Lula of Brazil
“Look at the example of Lula Da Silva of Brazil, the country used to be heavily indebted.  “By the time he left he cleared the debt.  But the policies he put in place for education and housing engendered serious development.  He said people in government were bringing proposals which were lies to him but he was resolute and he stood his ground.  “By the time he left office, he had built 18 standard universities.  Before he left office, Brazil had $467 billion in reserves. “These things can only be possible when people pay their taxes.
“Nobody is perfect.  “We need to come out and pay our taxes. “Today I’m conscious about the concerns of other shareholders.
“If where there were no shareholders, the people in the office may allow me some leverage because I am the boss and owner but when there are shareholders, those who would have to process the papers that would grant me undue privilege but who are now shareholders would raise questions because that act would not be in line with best practices so the company is quarantined from such indulgences and fraud.  Once the people know that you’re cheating, they too will begin to cheat.  Listed companies are more open to transparency”.
The Negative Paradigm Shift
“There is a world of difference between our parents and this generation. “Our parents were more caring within the capacity they could muster because they cared for the children, the wife, their own parents, their farms and uncles and even neighbours; but this generation is more self-centred and cares only about themselves, the ‘me’.  If people really care about their children they would work to make the future better. “Without good infrastructure, the future is bleak”.
Between Vision And Planning
“You must have a vision and not just a vision but you must have a plan that would make you fulfill that vision.  For us at Dangote, for instance, just conception and planning alone sometimes takes two years.  You must also put in place processes of how to execute the plans. Our vision in the next fives years is to be a company that has about $75billion in market capitalization, be number one in Africa and one of the first 100 in the world”.
The Scourge of Subsidy
On the issue of subsidy and the education that Nigerians really need, Dangote became very passionate. He said as Nigerians, there is need for an understanding of the issues and a proper place for government policies and the commitment of Nigerians too.
At lunch with one African president, “he told me how his country dealt with the issue of subsidy and how people resisted.  When they had subsidy on diesel, some people changed their cars to cars that ran on diesel; that when they removed subsidy on diesel, the bills went down but kerosene which still enjoyed subsidy had its bills going up.  He said it was not easy but he prayed over it and went ahead to do it in a systematic way such that funds which would have gone into subsidy were dedicated for some specific projects.  Now that president even charges 10% on PMS and diesel”.
When President Jonathan tried removing the subsidy on petrol, Nigerians  went wild in anger.
Dangote continues: “Would you believe that in 2011 and 2012, Nigeria paid $30 billion in subsidy, money which would have been used to build at least 20 refineries – that was the finding of a report!  How can we say that people are stealing crude and we are running about, going to night clubs and we are happy as a people?
“The total tax collected in Nigeria is just about $10 billion.  How much is that in a country as big as Nigeria”.
In response to a question on the building of refineries even in a regulated environment like Nigeria, he said “may be we at Dangote now would be referred to as being insane because we are going ahead to build a refinery very soon in Nigeria.”
To this, a question was immediately thrown at him:  “What are you going to do with it”?
“We would sell”, Dangote immediately responded.
“If you build the refinery alone you might not make so much money but you’ll need to build a petro-chemical plant because of the by-products. “The investment is going to be about $8billion. “Meanwhile the fuel they import for us is the worst and we pay them for the best. “When we have our refinery, we would sell to them here and we can even cut the cost – no shipping, no demurrage.  “We cannot continue to behave the way we are behaving now.
“Look, by 2020, Nigeria’s population is expected to hit 200million.  So, how would you handle cargo or shipping of products for 200million people with the existing facilities that we have today?  How would you distribute?  The pipelines are not functioning; the roads are not good.  The ports are not there. We should make up our minds on what we want to do.  Something drastic needs to be done.
“What I think we should do is that we should attain self-sufficiency instead of this 20:2020 thing.
“Government should encourage Nigerians as it is doing to invest in Nigeria but some times we are the architect of our problems.  Part of the problems we had about Benue Cement was that the people said Obasanjo hated them that was why he sold the other cement companies to foreigners and sold BCC to a Nigerian.  When you go to deal with some officials the first thing they ask for is technical partner and we tell them we do not have because we have the technical know how – this is what we do.  “We’ve already commissioned a company to help us build a factory for the production of Urea and Ammonia and it would not only provide employment but in the area of fertilizer production it would serve some purpose.