1.
Kindly tell us a little about
yourself? A brief profile
My name is Tope Fasua. I’m an economist and
ex-banker. Also I’m chairman ANRP – Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party. I’m happily
married and God has blessed us with 3 children
2.
Tell us about your Company and your
career?
I run a few organisations; Global Analytics
Consulting, Diversity Media and I am president Institute for Service Excellence
and Good Governance. The institute started in 2015 and has been gaining
grounds. Global Analytics started out in 2006 after I left banking. I was in
the banking sector between 1992 and 2005. When I left, I was Regional Director
of a bank in Abuja. Diversity Media opened this year. ANRP the party, which is
probably my biggest project so far, commenced in December 2016.
3.
What does Peace mean to you?
Peace is everything. Without peace, nothing else
can work. We often take peace for granted.Just surviving through a day without
turmoil or upheaval is something to be thankful about. But if a society does
not notice what guarantees peace and ensure that it protects those things, then
what you have is pandemonium. Justice and equity are the things that ensure
peace… as well as administrative competence. I believe we are missing on some
of these in Africa and Nigeria in particular
4.
Is Peace possible in Africa?
Why not? But it takes very keen minds to achieve
peace. For now, Africa seems to have farmed out the ability to achieve peace,
to other countries. It’s as if we are helpless. Taking the Nigerian experience
for example, I believe we need a new set of leaders. It’s as if we have to do
away with the old entirely. This is because many of the constraints that
today’s leaders have stems from many of the compromises of yesterday. They say
passion is the sin of youth, pride the sin of middle age and prejudice, the sin
of old age. When there is too much prejudice in the system, you cannot find equity
and justice because people are prejudged based on some old story. We need
leaders to come who can view things objectively, like a child would.
5.
What is the impact of corruption on
the African economy
It saps all the energy from African economies
actually. We are talking of majorly primary product economies – crude oil,
minerals and farm products. These are products that are worth little until
processed. Then the proceeds of such
products are embezzled and misallocated usually to what is called ‘dead capital’.
What can corrupt people do but to build and buy mansions which they never live
in? We have used corruption to tap into another disadvantage of ours; our
egotism. The average Nigerian and perhaps African sees a need to show off what
they have. So it’s a deadly combo. I don’t even believe we are corrupt, because
I like to give a window of escape from that sigma to those coming behind.
Corruption does not describe some of what we hear. More like insanity. Imagine
a person stashing $10million cash money in a village without electricity in
Kaduna. And that is the one we found. It just cannot be right. I believe the
system is left open and skewed deliberately. There are ways of closing the gap
if leaders are sincere.
6.
Tell us about what makes you happy
I’m happy when others are happy. I’m happy when
society works, when there is peace and tranquility and progress. I’m happy when
I see innovative ideas. I’m always writing about innovations and how young
people around the world are creatively disrupting every space. I’m happy when I
see evolution in the right direction.
7.
Can we achieve peace through
legislation or law
People say that the more the laws the more the
offences. This means that having laws is not enough but enforcing the law is
key. Yet there are noticeable spaces within the law that may beed to be covered
via legislation. But I side with the need for implementation. In Nigeria what
I’ve seen so often is how people deliberately bend the law to suit themselves
and loved ones. I’ve seen the highest levels of primitiveness on display here.
8.
What are your key experiences
I’m still going through my key experiences. I
believe the momentous occasions are still in front of me. I try not to think
about myself. I don’t think I’ve achieved much as yet.
9.
What you think is the futures
democracy in Africa
Democracy has been adjudged the best system of
government. But that may be untrue. Well, there are all sorts of democracy.
China lays claim to a variant which operates through a one-party system, and
where state owned enterprises still function and are some of the biggest in the
world. State-led capitalism it is called. The problem with democracy here is
that it is awfully expensive. Getting people to vote every 4 years is a lot of
expenses. And there is also the fact that most people are illiterate and hungry
and so vote for all the wrong things, like tribe and religion. Some say our
leaders have left it like that deliberately. I’m not sure how long we can keep
tagging along this way. In the future I will like to see innovations that
reduce the expenses we bear in running our democracy. I will like to see
African inputs in that system of government. I will like to see our ownership
of the process; something like what China is practicing. We are not the USA,
why must we but everything from them hook, line and sinker?
10. Tell
us about the African Tourism industry
There are industries in places like Uganda,
Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa. There is no tourism industry in Nigeria I
can assure you that. When I wanted to travel to Uganda – twice – I was required
to first register with a tourist company and bring receipt of payment. The
second time I went, they required that receipt even though I got visa upon
entry. That means that these guys are serious about tourism. They have
activated thousands of small companies and we tourists pay them dollars. I
wasn’t staying more than 2 days but I paid for the Tour of Kampala – and a
visit to the wildlife park at Entebbe. Have you seen anyone going on tour of
our national assembly here; even if it’s just to pass in front? They also took
us to one of the oldest catholic churches in Kampala, where we were shown the
martyrs among whom was St Mulumba. Imagine! What legacies do we have here? Do
we take ourselves serious? Is tourism all about Atilogu dancers and masquerades
or waterfalls? A country can make money for its businesses and hotels just by
being organized. The statistics on tourism is jarring. Let me not talk about South
Africa. Countries in West Africa aren’t doing as well. Senegal and Gambia may
be exceptions. North Africa also has a niche it must be said.
11. Can
tourism be the key to eradicating poverty in Africa.
Well, it can make a dent. As explained above, we
can use it to activate thousands of companies and to bring in much foreign
capital. But we need to first be very organized. Livability is central to
tourism excellence. If people cannot just come to your country and take a walk
down the road, safely and in pleasure, without dodging crazy cars driven by
untrained people who have no regard for human life, if horns are being blared
on the streets and no one thinks its’s wrong, if religious houses mount loud
speakers outside and compete for who makes the most noise, and the streets are
awfully littered, forget tourism.
12. What
is the way forward for Africans with the pending possibility of world war.
I am diametrically opposed to war of any kind,
much less world wars. World wars are period when the entire peoples of the
world lose their minds and decide to drastically reduce population. The second
world war was much more costly in terms of human lives than the first. Africans
fought especially in the second one. But they did not know they were being used
as cannon fodder by the wiser white people. The French and British used our
forefathers as ‘frontier’ forces and we got nothing in return. Not even a thank
you. The world has simply developed a higher capability and capacity for
destruction of late and we here are still at the forefront, we are still the
most vulnerable. African countries will do well to oppose war in all its
ramifications so that we can develop a bit.
13. Please
tell us about corruption and the future of the youths in Africa
Corruption is the word that encompasses the
mindless greed and myopia that afflicts many of our people, especially those
who rush forward for leadership positions in our clime. It is only recently
that many right-thinking people started seeing their errors and offering
themselves for service through the political process. Corruption – otherwise
called greed, myopia and a totally mindless way of killing one’s own people –
has gutted the African youth and set them back eons. It has put African youths
in disadvantage with the rest of the world. Perhaps the worst thing about our
own corruption is that we loot our own money and send to other countries. So
perhaps every nation has corrupt elements but most are wise to know better than
spiriting huge funds to develop other countries.
14. What
is your plan for towards achieving peace in your Country?
Peace
will only be achieved through the entrenchment of justice and equity, at the
end of the day. The plan is to ensure the justice system is straight and
unalloyed, and that the dispensing of equity is brisk. Then we have to crash
poverty in this country. We should be looking at taking 70million people out of
poverty in the next 4 years in order to achieve peace here. Further, we will
have to use a lot of intelligence. It is our intelligence that fails when we
have all these terrorism problems here. Only intelligence, dependable
intelligence, can help us curb some of those problem at source.
15. Do
you believe Africans can feed Africa and the world?
Well,
sorry to tell you that the world is working hard to feed the world, and no one
is waiting for Africa. Also, we should never make the mistake again to think
that agriculture depends on land mass. Netherlands has just over 40,000 sq km
and is the world’s largest food exporter. That is just like one state in
Nigeria. So Nigeria has to get serious and ‘scientifize’ its agriculture and
feed itself. Food prices must crash so that our Naira becomes stronger. Then we
can feed Africa if other Africans are not moving fast enough. But they are as
well
16. What
advice do you have for the youth?
The
youth should know that they own the land. Nothing should stop them. But they
should not sit and whine but get involved. It is only through sacrifice that we
can achieve true greatness. They should create their own luck because we live
in a selfish world where no one gets anyone’s back.
17. What are the odds against Africa’s educational
progress?
The real problem with
our education is that it is not calibrated to solve our problems. Who do we
blame but ourselves and our leaders? The colonialists could not have created an
educational system that suits us today. They gave us what they had when they were
leaving. Even they have issues with their education then and now. So if we
complain that they gave us what does not work we are wrong. We are the ones
that remain fixated on certificates and grammar. Then came the issue of
embezzlement. When people are callous enough to take what should be used to
educate our small children you know there is little hope. That is why we have
15million children walking around the country, no education. Our focus should
be on those ones. I still see people being sent on expensive scholarships
abroad, which adds no value to theh country. These must stop.
18. What
do you think of the role of the youth in Peace building in Africa?
Again
the youths own the continent so whatever they do to achieve peace they stand to
benefit first. So the must be valiant. They must speak up. They must see what
is going on in progressive countries and insist that their countries deserve
the same. However they needn’t be entitle. They should be ready to work to
create a better, peaceful continent.
19. African
leaders are renowned for holding onto power at all cost, what is your view?
It
is true and it is pathetic. It is the result of a culture clash. Many of these
leaders came from primitive settings and have not lost the primitiveness. Their
values are funny therefore. They see themselves as lords of the manor and other
people as serfs. Simple. Most of them have never created or run anything in
their lives before getting into political power so they cannot imagine the
other side, hence they sit tight and perpetuate themselves and their children. But
things are changing. In Nigeria for example a lot of younger people are
stepping up for the role of presidency this time. They are sounding a warming
to the status quo.
20. What
do you think of the African Peace Magazine initiative?
I
think it’s a fantastic initiative and quite timely too. Kudos
21. Investment is key to national development and
poverty eradication, what’s your take?
I
think this is quite cliched. We can walk and chew gum at the same time so the
idea that wants to uphold a singular approach as way forward is a tad lame. I
believe personally that before we start talking of investment we have to talk
to ourselves and get our priorities right. So ahead of investment, we would
have intelligence, an overarching philosophy of life, which will form the
foundation upon which the investments will rest. We seem for now to be chasing
the investments, getting some, begging the whole world to come and invest here,
and poverty is still deepening. There is a need to change our
get-rich-or-die-trying national culture first.
22. How can we achieve a balanced trade system
between Africa and the world?
First
Africa must trade with itself and within itself. This is being put in place
presently though for some reason, Nigeria, which should be at the forefront, is
backing out. Sad. Then we should embrace some economic complexity – meaning to
learn how to add value to things, the gap between most African countries and
the rest of the world is something else. How can we balance such a trade? How
many tubers of yam will exchange for the next iPhone? How many barrels of crude
oil? If we look at things this way, we shall be alarmed enough to do the right
thing. Our wiggle room is so little, we must think properly and be time
conscious
23. How can we best tackle the problem of early
marriages in Africa
Education
holds the key. Administrative capability on the part of African governments is
central. If a government is afraid of religious and ethnic warlords who believe
their children (or better still the children of their minions should not attend
school), that government is not serious. If people have to be confronted so be
it. Africa must move on from these little problems of early marriage, VVF and
so on. It is just not for this age of Artificial Intelligence and the 4th
Industrial Revolution.
24. Do
you run any NGO and what are your passion
I
run the Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance. The name spells
out my passion. We commenced about 4 years ago. I also run Abundant Nigeria
Renewal Party as National Chairman. In that wise my passion is leadership, good
governance, service, and everything in between
25. Can Africa survive in the absence of oil and
gas
Absolutely.
Only lazy countries will flounder and they know themselves. Algeria has
basically sterilized its crude oil proceeds.
Ghana had started using LPG to alternatively power cars for a decade.
North African countries are taking advantage of the sun to build solar
fields. We have so many other resources
but the trick is to add value to those resources not keep selling them raw. We
will never achieve anything if we sell components of mobile phones, cars, laptops,
security and defence systems raw, and then look for money to buy the finished,
technology products. It’s as simple as that. When looked at in that manner we
will realise that our biggest resource is our brains, our human resources. So
any African country that can start on time, and focus on developing its human
resources, will excel.
26. What
is your plan for the future?
I’m
running for the position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in
2019. I have started working on that. I’m modest enough to say I don’t have to
win but some of my ideas must win. I am here to open the eyes of our people to
possibilities and let them know we have been living in unacceptable
circumstances borne out of our own lack of imagination and leadership failures.
The possibilities are endless for those who dare to think.
27. Any
other thing you may wish to add
I’ll
add that life is what we make of it and our people must never be cowed by
present circumstances. Our competition is not among ourselves but with the rest
of the world and in terms of positive achievements. Africa must stop being the
victim, the guinea pig, the cry baby, and the destitute that everyone gives
alms to. Africa should rise up, and fly.
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