Opinion

The Oracle: Nigeria’s Dire Need for Restructuring (Pt. 2)

Published

4 years ago

December 3, 2021

Eric

By Chief Mike Ozekhome

“ENCORE”

This week, we continue our discourse on the urgent need for Nigeria to restructure now before it is too late.

In what appeared to be a conversation between two of Nigeria’s founding titans, Ahmadu Bello and Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa), obviously the most colourful, grandiloquent politician Nigeria ever had – near him was K. O. Mbadiwe, the man of the timber, caterpillar, iroko and obeche – Zik was said to have implored: “Let us forget our differences and move on”. To this, the Sardauna of Sakwatto was said to have replied: “Azikiwe, we cannot forget our differences. Let us understand our differences to be able to move on. I am Moslem and Northerner. You are a Christian, an Easterner. By understanding our differences, we can build unity in our country”.

These young nationalists, then in their forties understood clearly what the issues were – that there were obvious differences, but that bridges of understanding needed to be built in the geographical contraction called Nigeria, for peaceful co-existence. In Gowon’s maiden speech as Head of State in 1966, the then 32 year old Bachelor General Head of State, poignantly noted that: “the basis of (Nigerian) unity is not there”. That was why the slogan for the 30 months bloody civil war was “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”. Gowon’s name was even acronymised to “Go – on – with – one – Nigeria”.

Ayo Opadokun, a fiery activist, lawyer and former National Secretary of NADECO, once declared that “for Nigeria to move forward, we must sit down and decide how we want to relate with ourselves.” To this writer, there are two germane and fundamental questions to be answered here: First, do we want to continue to live together as one Nigeria? If the answer is in the affirmative yes, the corollary question is “on what terms and basis do we continue to live together?

It is all too clear that the current agitations for self-determination are mere symptoms for more fundamental under currents of a weak foundational structure foisted on us. My soul mate in the Human Rights and Pro – democracy Movement, a strong northern voice, Shettima Yerima, President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, once put it succinctly in an interview granted to SUN Newspaper: “Violent crisis cannot stop until there is a clean environment that allows its stoppage. The issue of disunity must be addressed or else we would wake up one day to discover to our chagrin that Nigeria is no more there”. I agree.

One easily forgotten Nationalist, indeed the foremost of them all, Herbert Macaulay, once sarcastically responded to claims by the British Colonialists, that they had “the true interests of the natives at heart”, thus: “the dimensions of ‘true interests of the natives at heart’ are algebraically equal to the length, breadth and depth of the White’s man’s pocket”.

This numero uno Nationalist ( I am a proud recipient of Herbert Macaulay Foundation Award), born in 1864 in Lagos, was the grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, who had been rescued from a Portuguese slave ship and later became Bishop of the Anglican Church. Son of Revd Thomas Babington Macaulay, who founded CMS Grammar School, Lagos (the oldest secondary school in Nigeria), Macualay, who attended the same CMS and Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone, later founded the Nigerian National Democratic Party, Daily News (Nigeria’s first indigenous newspaper in 1926) and later NCNC, whose leadership later fell on Zik, when Macaulay died at 82 in Lagos, after taking ill in Kano during a campaign.

Today, these paths – finding legends are no more. But, their incisive, controversial and provocative words continue to live on. The questions now in dire need of answers are: were they right in their assertions and has anything changed between then and now to contradict them? Have we today proven them wrong by our actions, inactions and utterances? Perhaps, no. The state of the nation does not appear to put a lie to their thoughts and deep – seated assessment of the Nigerian project.

IN THE BEGINNING

The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was originally formed in 1879 as the United African Company and renamed to National African Company in 1881 and later, the Royal Niger Company in 1886.

The company existed for a comparatively short time (1879–1900), but was instrumental to the formation of Colonial Nigeria, as it enabled the British Empire to establish control over the lower Niger against the German competition led by Otto Von Bismarck, during the 1890s. In 1900, the company-controlled territories became the Southern Nigeria Protectorate, which was in turn united with the Northern Nigeria Protectorate to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914. It eventually gained independence within the same borders as the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1960. Indeed, it was Flora Shaw, a young British lady, the daughter of a Field Marshall, who, in an article in the London Financial Times in 1879, gave Nigeria her name, “Niger – area”, after the River Niger. She later married Captain Lord Lugard, the mid-wife of the amalgamation. “Niger – area” was later corrupted to “Nigeria”, our present nomenclature. Ever since, the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates of the northern parts of Nigeria, we have known no genuine peace in this nation.

Throughout the early 20th century, Nigerians found various ways to oppose foreign rule. Local armed revolts, mainly concentrated in the middle belt, broke out sporadically. They intensified during World War I (1914-1918). Workers in mines, railways, and public service often went on strike over poor wages and inhuman working conditions, including a popular general revolt in 1945, when 30,000 workers stopped commerce for 37 good days. Ire over excessive taxation prompted other conflicts, including a battle in 1929 fought mainly by Igbo women in the Aba area, known famously as the “Aba Women Riots”. More common was passive resistance: avoiding being counted in the census, working at a slow pace, telling stories that ridiculed colonialists and colonialism. A few political groups also formed to campaign for independence, including the National Congress and the National Democratic Party, but their success was slight. In 1937, the growing movement was given a voice by Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo nationalist, who founded the newspaper, West African Pilot.

FAILED CONSTITUTION

By 1922, the Clifford Constitution had come on board, but could not address the burning issues on ground.

In 1947, the British responded by introducing a new Constitution that divided Nigeria into three regions, the Northern Region, the Eastern Region, and the Western Region. The Northern Region consisted mainly Hausa-Fulani and were Muslims; the Eastern Region, Igbo and Christians; and the Western Region, Yoruba and mixed Muslims and Christians. The regions each had their own legislative Assemblies, with mainly appointed, rather than elected members, and were overseen by a weak central federal government. Although short-lived, the Constitution had serious long-term impact on Nigeria through its encouragement of regional, ethnic-based politics.

The 1947 Constitution failed on several fronts and counts, and was abrogated in 1949, and followed by other Constitutions in 1951 (Macpherson)and Littleton (1954), each of which had to contend with powerful ethnic forces. The Northern People’s Congress (NPC) argued that northerners, who made up nearly half of Nigeria’s population, should have a large degree of autonomy from other regions and a large representation in any federal legislature. The NPC was especially concerned about respect for Islam and the economic dominance of the South by the North. The Western Region-based Action Group also wanted autonomy; the Yorubas feared that their profitable western region cocoa industries would be tapped to subsidize less wealthy areas. In the poorer East, the National Council for Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), wanted a powerful central government and a redistribution of wealth—the very things greatly feared by the Action Group.

The eventual compromise was located in the 1954 Constitution, which made Nigeria a federation of three regions, corresponding to the three major ethnic nations. It remarkedly differed from the 1947 Constitution, in that powers were more evenly split between the regional governments and the central government. The Constitution accorded the regions the right to seek self-government, which the Western and Eastern regions achieved in 1956. The Northern Region, however, fearing that self-government (and thus British withdrawal), would leave it at the mercy of southerners, delayed the imposition until 1959. (To be continued next week).

FUN TIMES

There are two sides to every coin. Life itself contains not only the good, but also the bad and the ugly. Let us now explore these.

“How can you conduct election in Anambra State few days to Christmas and expect us to choose broom or umbrella instead of chicken? We are wiser now… those who choose umbrella over chicken will not eat our Chris tmas fowl”.-Anonymous.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“Where there is a will, there is a way. If there is a chance in a million that you can do something, anything, to keep what you want from ending, do it. Pry the door open or, if need be, wedge your foot in that door and keep it open”. (Pauline Kael).

Opinion

How Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza (PT, mNSP) Became Kano’s Healthcare Star and a Model for African Women in Leadership

Published

4 days ago

December 6, 2025

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

My dear country men and women, over the years, I have been opportune to watch numerous speeches delivered by outstanding women shaping the global health sector especially those within Africa. Back home, I have also listened to towering figures like Dr. Hadiza Galadanci, the renowned O&G consultant whose passion for healthcare reform continues to inspire many. Even more closer home, there is Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza, my classmate and colleague. Anyone who knew her from the beginning would remember a hardworking young woman who left no stone unturned in her pursuit of excellence. Today, she stands tall as one of the most powerful illustrations of what African women in leadership can achieve when brilliance, discipline, and integrity are brought together.

Before I dwell into the main business for this week, let me make this serious confession. If you are a regular traveler within Nigeria like myself, especially in the last two years, you will agree that no state currently matches Kano in healthcare delivery and institutional sophistication. This transformation is not accidental. It is the result of a coordinated, disciplined, and visionary ecosystem of leadership enabled by Kano State Governor, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf. From the strategic drive of the Hospitals Management Board under the meticulous leadership of Dr. Mansur Nagoda, to the policy direction and oversight provided by the Ministry of Health led by the ever committed Dr. Abubakar Labaran, and the groundbreaking reforms championed by the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board under the highly cerebral Professor Salisu Ahmed Ibrahim, the former Private Health Institution Management Agency (PHIMA) boss, a man who embodies competence, hard work, honesty, and principle, the progress of Kano’s health sector becomes easy to understand. With such a strong leadership backbone, it is no surprise that individuals like Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza is thriving and redefining what effective healthcare leadership looks like in Nigeria.

Across the world, from top medical institutions to global leadership arenas, one truth echoes unmistakably: when women lead with vision, systems transform. Their leadership is rarely about theatrics or force; it is about empathy, innovation, discipline, and a capacity to drive change from the inside out. Kano State has, in recent years, witnessed this truth firsthand through the extraordinary work of Dr. Fatima at Sheikh Muhammad Jidda General Hospital.

In less than 2 years, Dr. Fatima has emerged as a phenomenon within Kano’s healthcare landscape. As the youngest hospital director in the state, she has demonstrated a style of leadership that mirrors the excellence seen in celebrated female leaders worldwide, women who inspire not by occupying space, but by redefining it. Her performance has earned her two high level commendations. First, a recognition by the Head of Service following a rigorous independent assessment of her achievements, and more recently, a formal commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board acknowledging her professionalism, discipline, and transformative impact.

These acknowledgements are far more than administrative gestures, they place her in the company of women leaders whose influence reshaped nations: New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern with her empathy driven governance, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with her courageous reforms, and Germany’s Angela Merkel with her disciplined, steady leadership. Dr. Fatima belongs to this esteemed lineage of women who do not wait for change, they create it.

What sets her apart is her ability to merge vision with structure, compassion with competence, and humility with bold ambition. Staff members describe her as firm yet accessible, warm yet uncompromising on standards, traits that embody the modern leadership model the world is steadily embracing. Under her stewardship, Sheikh Jidda General Hospital has transformed from a routine public facility into an institution of possibility, demonstrating what happens when a capable woman is given the opportunity to lead without constraint.

The recent commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board captures this evolution clearly: “Dr. Fatima has strengthened administrative coordination, improved patient care, elevated professional standards, and fostered a hospital environment where excellence has become the norm rather than the exception”. These outcomes are remarkable in a system that often battles bureaucratic bottlenecks and infrastructural limitations. Her work is proof that effective leadership especially in health must be visionary, intentional, and rooted in integrity.

In a period when global discourse places increasing emphasis on the importance of women in leadership particularly in healthcare, Dr. Fatima stands as a living testament to what is possible. She has demonstrated that leadership is never about gender, but capacity, clarity of purpose, and the willingness to serve with unwavering commitment.

Her rise sends a powerful message to young girls across Nigeria and Africa: that excellence has no gender boundaries. It is a call to institutions to trust and empower competent women. And it is a reminder to society that progress accelerates when leadership is guided by competence rather than stereotypes.

As Kano continues its journey toward comprehensive healthcare reform, Dr. Fatima represents a new chapter, one where leadership is defined not by age or gender, but by impact, innovation, and measurable progress. She is, without question, one of the most compelling examples of modern African women in leadership today.

May her story continue to enlighten, inspire, and redefine what African women can, and will achieve when given the opportunity to lead.

Dr. Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Opinion

Book Review: Against the Odds by Dozy Mmobuosi

Published

6 days ago

December 4, 2025

Eric

By Sola Ojewusi

Against the Odds is an ambitious, deeply personal, and unflinchingly honest memoir that traces the remarkable rise of Dozy Mmobuosi, one of Nigeria’s most dynamic and controversial entrepreneurs. In this sweeping narrative, Mmobuosi reveals not just the public milestones of his career, but the intimate struggles, internal battles, and defining moments that shaped his identity and worldview.

The book is both a personal testimony and a broader commentary on leadership, innovation, and Africa’s future—and it succeeds in balancing these worlds with surprising emotional clarity.

A Candid Portrait of Beginnings

Mmobuosi’s story begins in the bustling, unpredictable ecosystem of Lagos, where early challenges served as the furnace that forged his ambitions. The memoir details the circumstances of his upbringing, the value systems passed down from family, and the early encounters that sparked his desire to build solutions at scale.

These foundational chapters do important work: they humanize the protagonist. Readers meet a young Dozy not as a business figurehead, but as a Nigerian navigating complex social, financial, and personal realities—realities that millions of Africans will find familiar.

The Making of an Entrepreneur

As the narrative progresses, the memoir transitions into the defining phase of Mmobuosi’s business evolution. Here, he walks readers through the origins of his earliest ventures and the relentless curiosity that led him to operate across multiple industries—fintech, agri-tech, telecoms, AI, healthcare, consumer goods, and beyond.

What is striking is the pattern of calculated risk-taking. Mmobuosi positions himself as someone unafraid to venture into uncharted territory, even when the cost of failure is steep. His explanations offer readers valuable insights into:
• market intuition
• the psychology of entrepreneurship
• the sacrifices required to build at scale
• the emotional and operational toll of high-growth ventures

These passages make the book not only readable but instructive—especially for emerging

African entrepreneurs.

Triumphs, Crises, and Public Scrutiny
One of the book’s most compelling strengths is its willingness to confront controversy head-on.

Mmobuosi addresses periods of intense scrutiny, institutional pressure, and personal trials.

Instead of glossing over these chapters, he uses them to illustrate the complexities of building businesses in emerging markets and navigating public perception.

The tone is reflective rather than defensive, inviting readers to consider the thin line between innovation and misunderstanding in environments where the rules are still being written.

This vulnerability is where the memoir finds its emotional resonance.

A Vision for Africa

Beyond personal history, Against the Odds expands into a passionate manifesto for African transformation. Mmobuosi articulates a vision of a continent whose young population, natural resources, and intellectual capital position it not as a follower, but a potential leader in global innovation.

He challenges outdated narratives about Africa’s dependency, instead advocating for
homegrown technology, supply chain sovereignty, inclusive economic systems, and investment in human capital.

For development strategists, policymakers, and visionaries, these sections elevate the work from memoir to thought leadership.

The Writing: Accessible, Engaging, and Purposeful

Stylistically, the memoir is direct and approachable. Mmobuosi writes with clarity and intention, blending storytelling with reflection in a way that keeps the momentum steady. The pacing is effective: the book moves seamlessly from personal anecdotes to business lessons, from introspection to bold declarations.

Despite its business-heavy subject matter, the prose remains accessible to everyday readers.

The emotional honesty, in particular, will appeal to those who appreciate memoirs that feel lived rather than curated.

Why This Book Matters

Against the Odds arrives at a critical moment for Africa’s socioeconomic trajectory. As global attention shifts toward African innovation, the need for authentic narratives from those building within the system becomes essential.

Mmobuosi’s memoir offers:
• a case study in resilience
• an insider’s perspective on entrepreneurship in frontier markets
• a meditation on reputation, legacy, and leadership
• a rallying cry for African ambition

For readers like Sola Ojewusi, whose work intersects with media, policy, leadership, and social development, this book offers profound insight into the human stories driving Africa’s new generation of builders.

Final Verdict

Against the Odds is more than a success story—it is a layered, introspective, and timely work that captures the pressures and possibilities of modern African enterprise. It challenges stereotypes, raises important questions about leadership and impact, and ultimately delivers a narrative of persistence that audiences across the world will find relatable.

It is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of African innovation, the personal realities behind public leadership, and the enduring power of vision and resilience

Opinion

Redefining Self-leadership: Henry Ukazu As a Model

Published

1 week ago

December 3, 2025

Eric

By Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN

In a world filled with talents and unique gifts, nurturing oneself for an impact-filled living becomes one of the potent metrics for assuming how one’s life would unfold – either in the nearest or far future. I am sure the question you may be curious to ask is ‘what is the important quality that has shaped the life of every individual who has unleashed their ingenuity?’ Apparently, our society is filled with numerous people, who missed the track of their life. Their iniquity is boiled down to one thing – failure to lead oneself.

Realising how important it is to be your own leader has been the springboard for every transformative life. Notably, this also becomes the premise for appreciating and celebrating Henry Ukazu for setting the pace and modeling self-leadership in this era, where self-leadership is under-appreciated by our people. Self-leadership itself engineers purposeful and impactful living, turning individuals to sources of hope to others.

This is exactly what Henry Ukazu symbolises. The name Henry Ukazu is akin to many great things such as ‘Unleashing One’s Destiny,’ ‘Finding One’s Purpose’ and ‘Triumphant Living.’ Regardless of the impression one have formed about Henry Ukazu, one thing you cannot deny is his ability to be pure to nature and committed to his cause. Henry Ukazu is one of the rare people who still believed in the values of the human worth and has committed every penny of his to ensure that every human deserves to live the best life.

The trajectory of Henry Ukazu’s life is convincing enough to be choosing as an icon by anyone who chooses to climb the ladder of self-leadership. Oftentimes, Henry Ukazu always narrate how he faced the storms of life when birthing his purpose. He takes honour in his struggles, knowing full well that every stumbling blocks life throws at him helped in building himself. If not for self-leadership, he will not found honours in his struggles, let alone challenging himself to be an example of purposeful living to others.

Without mincing words, Henry Ukazu’s life has been blessed with the presence of many people, with some filling his life with disappointments, while some blessing him with immeasurable transformations. Surprisingly, Henry Ukazu has never chosen to be treating people negatively; rather he would only choose the path of honour by avoiding drama and let common sense prevail. That’s one of the height of simplicity!

Dear readers, do you know why today is important for celebrating Henry Ukazu? Today, 3rd December, is his birthday and with all sincerity, Henry Ukazu deserves to be celebrated because he has chosen the noble path, one filled with honours and recognitions for being an icon of inspiration and transformation to the mankind. As Henry Ukazu marks another year today, may the good Lord continue shielding him from all evils and guiding him in right directions, where posterity will feel his role and impacts!

Many happy returns, Sir!