ProfShymex:


I like the idea of diaspora Yorubas contributing to help develop education and health amenities in Yorubaland - however, can this give us the desired change we want? - absolutely not. The maintenance culture in Nigeria is worrisome and for what you're canvassing to work effectively, there have to be people on the ground working assiduously to keep the initiative going. But when you've got a people who're hungry and it's all man for himself cos the country is in a terrible state - a lot of folks will turn an initiative like that into a profiteering venture. And that's where I agree with "Aarekakanfo/cabbieAC". Also how would you be able to keep such initiative a Yoruba-centered one in a country as intertwined as Nigeria? For an initiative like this one to work, there has to be a structure created by government, for it to be able to permeate and get to the intended people...and a structure like that is non-existent in Nigeria.

The truth is that nothing works in Nigeria and the folks are hungry. So it will very difficult to remit whatever token you've to folks who're looking to survive without them channeling those funds for personal use. And you can't blame them cos it's for survival in the jungle. My friend went to Abuja a few months ago cos we're doing a few projects with some folks and can you believe he had to change his hotel about three times the first night alone...and even when he got to decent one, he had to a change rooms a few times cos of one problem or the other? Even internet was almost non-existent and he had to buy modem. My own experience was a bit different cos I stayed with my uncle in Lagos and he's super rich. So when helped a lot cos being inside the house - it's like I never left where I came from. However, once I stepped out...the reality of Nigeria is just so glaring. Nothing works. Then you have got a situation whereby folks old enough to be ya dad would bow down to you and call you "Sir" for no reason. Give them £50 equivalent of Nigerian money and they'll start telling you how that money would help fix a lot of things and literally start worshipping you like a demi-god. So how would you trust folks in need like that with money to run an initiative, when they need that money to survive? It's sad, really.

Personally, I think the best thing to do with remittance is to look inwards into ya immediate and extended families that are struggling in Nigeria (I believe we all have folks like that cos all fingers aren't equally) and help sponsor their brightest kids into the best schools in the country. With that, it'll be easy to monitor their progress and put the money into good use. I've got an aunt who's a barrister and she sponsors close to ten kids in Nigeria. Ditto uncles who help as well...and my parents also contribute their own quota. That's something I'm looking into. And with an initiative like that, it'll be easier to monitor progress and achieve results, if everyone can just remit to help the disadvantaged folks in their immediate/extended families.

Lastly, we as Yorubas in the new world just need to keep asking questions and discussing the best ways/methods/approaches to move Yorubas forward - without getting entangled in the show of shame and celebration of mediocrity/non-achievement a lot of charlatans love doing...and hope they'll listen to us one day cos it's a collective destiny. Folks can say go back "home" and contribute ya quota, but how's that feasible within a structure like that? How many people have gone to Nigeria to help, only to come back miserable with broken dreams like a Tarzan figure? I remember I used to be on going to Nigeria after Uni to help back in the day. However, you'll see folks tell you to shut up and sit ya arse where you are cos the environment isn't conducive enough for a dream like that. And I saw the reality when I went there.

I do understand both your and cabbieac points.The point is government can only do so much especially understanding Nigeria financial problems.As well as her myriad of other problems.As delpee said :

"We should all strive to do something to improve the current condition of our schools individually and collectively through alumni associations. It goes a long way towards improving academic performance and moral upbringing of the students."

I quite agree with helping immediate family etc.My point is that despite Naija issues...despite her hunger etc...there will be genuine persons on ground in naija that you should be able to work with.If we are pessimistic to say no such individuals exist in naija due to hunger...are we saying there are no NGOs,FBOs etc impacting a few ppl lives in Naija in no small measure? Look at what delpee and a few other folks are doing. on social media also started a charity and he gives account of every dime spent and they have helped in small measure by helping a widow in Kwara to start a business,donating medical supplies to newborn babies and school bags.Rampant transparency helps also in doing those type of stuff as done by both delpee example and fans charity.

The reality is Yorubas back home in naija will not make the proper choices once they are not properly educated and empowered.It is well known naija politicians exploit that hunger to their advantage...how then do we try to uplift and empower folks?Perhaps I am too optimistic but I doubt that lol.I do think there are decent naija folks who will run those programs just as how there are decent blacks in the ghettoes that try to help and uplift fellow blacks in those areas.All can't be bad.The headache is crossing paths with those kind of people.

IlekeHD:
Honestly what does it take to make Yoruba nollywood understand the vitality of sensible plots, children-friendly story lines and correct subtitles?

Nigerians don't listen until you abuse them sha.

The subtitle thingy is a headache lol

lmaoooo

Na wah!

Missy89:
Na wah!

Maybe they translated it exactly they way they spoke it.

E bi n pa mi - HUnger is killing me.

Aareonakakanfo:
When we tell them to go to school, they won't listen. This is the result

lmaoooo this is deeper than a case of skipping classes

Everything is rush rush gra gra, quick money.

Aareonakakanfo:



Na true sha.Thank God for the likes of Afolayan and tunde kelani,If not fro those two, we'll probably have nothing to brag about.The flat.ino directors are even worse than their Yoruba counterparts.Can anyone in the house please explain to me what's happening here?

Start at 0:17



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AE1PTAfRms?t=17s




Kunle and co still have a lot to do.....most of their movies are in English and I doubt they're into the Yoruba aspect. Not that tit's totally a bad thing since we need to expand our tentacles on both Yoruba/Englsih parts of nollywood.

Nollywood is the 2nd biggest movie industry, but in the international sphere, it's a joke.

Everyone knows Bollywood and Hollywood, who knows Nollywood?

Quantity does not equate to quality. TBH that's even the last of our problem.

IlekeHD:


Ore mi, e wa bami jeun

A gba ibi ire

on nollywood Yoruba palava, I think the problem is that it has been left in the hands of illirrates. for example I can tell you categorically that 90% of our so called actors and actresses no little about movies and its production not to talk of being educated enough to understand the great importance of movies. you will notice that the two frontiers or let me say the two best movie producers in Yoruba land I.e afolayan and kelani took time to really study it. they were not just introduced to it by one uncle or smtin. they knew what they wanted and they went after it. unlike now where most of them are just rag tag area boys and they just join a movie production. I want Yoruba land to be in such a way that people that go to the university to study anything about movies are allowed to take center stage in producing it. even if they don't study it in the university, they should have gone through some sort of training. our script writers, producers and directors should start looking inwards into Yoruba folklores and produce movies from them. Americans gave produced several folklores movies and they were hits. when will we start making movies from books such as " Ogboju Ode Ninu igbo irunmole......"

I hope the people of Ilupeju and Oye Ekiti settle their differences and stop fighting.

Funjosh:




Wrong.


Igala people culture and language more closely to Yoruba.

Come and eat in Igala = wa ba mi jeun

Vigilante = Olode

And some other stuff like that.

Bros, dats not Igala you are speaking o. Come and eat in Igala is (lia ka jewn or lewa ka jewn). Wa bami jewn means come and meet me lets eat and de igala no make sense. Vigilante is Alode no Olode. Igala and yoruba are very related sha. If you understand yoruba igala language will be much easier for you. Abeg, an Igala you be?

Aareonakakanfo:






Those are the ones that pronounce hospital as Hospiru. ki olorun ko ko wa yo

At least those who grew up in jand still have an excuse, ewo ni ta won ti locally-acquired foreign accent

Lol @ hospiru

E kaaro eyin omo kaaro ojire.

Wish we can have a strictly yoruba speaking time daily eg between 1800GMT to 1900GMT.

No English speaking. Strictly yoruba.

Or what do you think?

Junior66:
Bros, dats not Igala you are speaking o. Come and eat in Igala is (lia ka jewn or lewa ka jewn). Wa bami jewn means come and meet me lets eat and de igala no make sense. Vigilante is Alode no Olode. Igala and yoruba are very related sha. If you understand yoruba igala language will be much easier for you. Abeg, an Igala you be?

Nah. Am not Igala bro am from Egba in Ogun State, I only listened to them when they speak while I was in Ankpa and Otukpo in Benue state don't mind the way I spelt the word you should understand that I spelt it literary in Yoruba translation.

Enoch Adejare Adeboye is a Nigerian pastor and the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)

Pastor Adeboye had his B.Sc. in Mathematics at University of Nigeria Nsukka and subsequently got his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as a lecturer in mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin; After joining the RCCG in 1973 he began working to translate the sermons of its then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.

In 1981 Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of the church, taking over from Papa Akindayomi, who had died the previous year. For three years he filled the role part-time, still lecturing at Ilorin, until giving up his university position to preach full-time.[4]

The church, which was not well known before Adeboye took charge, now claims branches in over a hundred countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria. Adeboye has stated that his aim is to put a church within five minutes of every person on Earth. He is the national president of RCF (an interdenominational fellowship in all the campuses in Nigeria)which is under the umbrella of Christ the Redeemer's Ministry (CRM)where he serves as founder and president. In 2008, Newsweek magazine named Adeboye one of the fifty most powerful people in the world. He is married to Foluke Adeboye, also a pastor, with whom he has children. he also has National and International awards and was named among the centenary awardees of his country in 2014.

He recently endowed 4 Nigerian Universities: Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria with Professorial chairs in Mathematics to the tune of 50 Million Naira.

superstar1:
E kaaro eyin omo kaaro ojire.

Wish we can have a strictly yoruba speaking time daily eg between 1800GMT to 1900GMT.

No English speaking. Strictly yoruba.

Or what do you think?

To speak only Yoruba for an hour(without any english word? O le die ooooo) is not too hard sha.

But to write in Yoruba for an hour without any input of english word ko easy ooooo.

It's a good idea sha.

There's a dude that works with OrisunFM. His name is Faturoti something, the dude is too good. He does what we call aayan ogbufo(translation) on radio and he always get the words right.

Ede Yoruba gba'yi pupo. Ede Yoruba is swaggalicious.

I Love Yoruba Culture. I'm Proud To Be A Yoruba.

David O. Oyedepo (born September 27, 1954) is a Nigerian Christian author, preacher, the founder and presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church World Wide, also known as Winners' Chapel, and its affiliated international churches known as Winners Chapel International, with headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. Oyedepo is the senior pastor of Faith Tabernacle, a 50,000 seat church auditorium, reported to be the largest church auditorium in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.

The Winners' Chapel network of churches is located in over 300 cities, in all states of Nigeria, as well as, in several cities in 45 African nations, Dubai, the United Kingdom and the United States. Oyedepo has been seen as one of the pioneers of the Christian charismatic movement in Africa and has been referred to as one of the most powerful preachers in Nigeria. He is the Chancellor of Covenant University and Landmark University. He was named in 2011 by Forbes magazine as being the richest pastor in Nigeria.



Early life and history

On September 27, 1954 David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born in Osogbo, Nigeria, but is a native of Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria. He was raised in a mixed religious family His father, Ibrahim, was a Muslim healer. His mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Eternal Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement (C&S), a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria. He was raised by his grandmother in Osogbo, who introduced him to the virtues of Christian life via early morning prayers which she attended with him. She also taught him the importance of tithing.

Oyedepo was born again in 1969, through the influence of his teacher, Betty Lasher, who took special interest in him during his high school days. He studied Architecture at the former Kwara State Polytechnic, now Kwara State University and worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before resigning to concentrate on missionary work. Oyedepo received a Ph.D. in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, United States.

Oyedepo claimed to have received a mandate from God through an 18-hour vision in May 1981, to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith.[6] This is the inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), first called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, in 1981. Two years later, on September 17, 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained David and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo) to become pastors and officially commissioned the new church. Five years later, Oyedepo was ordained as Bishop.

Living Faith Church (AKA Winners Chapel) started in Kaduna but moved to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria in July 1989, to start a new branch of the church after Oyedepo claimed to have received instructions from God to reach out to the people of Lagos.

Oyedepo is the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a net worth of over USD $150 million. The church owns four private jets and several buildings around the world, including London and the United States. Oyedepo is an author and publisher who has written over 70 titles apart from periodicals. He is the Chairman/Publisher of Dominion Publishing House (DPH), a publishing arm of the ministry. DPH has over 4 million prints in circulation to date. Through Oyedepo Covenant University, Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Schools have been established to equip the youth for global impact. The construction of a third university named Crown University is already underway, located in Calabar, Cross Rivers, Nigeria.

Place of Worship

Bishop Oyedepo claims that in 1998 he was instructed by God to build a new base for the Commission to accommodate the increasing number of worshippers. This resulted in Bishop Oyedepo's church's acquisition of the initial 530-acre (2.1 km2) facility, known as Canaanland, which serves as the headquarters. It is the home of the 50,000-seat capacity auditorium, the 'Faith Tabernacle', which is reputed to be the largest church auditorium in the world. This was a feat also recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.





Faith Tabernacle was reported as the Worlds' Largest Church Auditorium in December 2005
Construction was completed within 12 months. Reports also claimed that this building was built debt free. This 50,000-seat edifice was dedicated on September 18, 1999 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Canaanland is in Ota, Ogun state and is the 5,000-acre (20 km2) estate and campus, that houses The 50,000 church building, the church secretariat, the church's youth chapel, a primary school called Kingdom heritage model school, a full boarding mission secondary school called Faith Academy, with over 1,500 students and the Covenant University facilities,[15] which accommodates over 7,000 students, fully resident in ultra-modern hostel facilities, with fully equipped faculty buildings and numerous staff housing facilities. Canaanland campus also has for profit establishments operated by the church such as a bakery, a bottled water processing plant, a petrol station, various restaurants and shopping stores, several residential houses that provide for the over 2,000 church employees, and guest houses. Four banks are also present on this Estate, three of which are branches of external commercial banks and one which is a community and micro-finance Bank and operated by the Church. The whole of Canaanland which includes a proposed 15,000 housing estate known as Canaan City had increased to 17,000 acres as at 2012.

Christian ministry

The teachings of Oyedepo has put him in the category of what is commonly called the Word of Faith Movement.[17] He has referred to principal exponents of the Faith Movement such as Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, the late Kenneth Hagin, E. W. Kenyon, T. L. Osborn, Smith Wigglesworth as well as renowned Nigerian preachers Enoch Adeboye and the late Benson Idahosa as mentors.

His Winners Chapel operates a Bible training programme known as Word of Faith Bible Institute for members and non-members alike to develop knowledge of Christian principles and to develop leaders and future pastors. This institute is run in major branches of the Church.

Oyedepo is the President of David Oyedepo Ministries International (DOMI).[22] DOMI is the umbrella organisation comprising Living Faith Church World Wide (a global network of churches), World Mission Agency (WMA); the global missionary arm of the church's operations, Dominion Publishing House; the publishing arm of the church, Covenant University, and the Social Development Missions projects (made up of hospitals, maternity homes, schools, etc.

Oyedepo has criticised corruption in Africa as a whole and poor leadership in government.

Matthew Ashimolowo (born 17 March 1952) is a Nigerian clergyman, the Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) in London.

His Winning Ways programme is aired daily on Premier Radio (London) and Spirit FM (Amsterdam) and on television in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, TV Africa, the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Europe on The God Channel and Inspirational Network.



Personal life
Ashimolowo converted to Christianity from Islam at the age of 22 after the death of his father before enrolling with a Bible school.[1]

Forbes estimated Ashimolowo's net worth is at between $6-10 million. KICC annual accounts confirmed that he earns an annual salary of £100,000[3] but the majority of his wealth comes from the sale of Christian literature and documentaries from his media company, Matthew Ashimolowo media. This is consistent with the fact that Ashimolowo subscribes to and teaches success in the vein of Prosperity theology, which in most respects is considered controversial.

Financial irregularities

The charity behind Kingsway International Christian Centre is The King's Ministries Trust. This was investigated by the Charity Commission of England and Wales between 2002 and 2005. A report of the inquiry was released in October 2005.[4] The report concluded that there had been serious misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of the charity. At an early stage in the investigation, it was considered that the charity's assets were at risk, and control was removed from the existing trustees and placed in the hands of an independent external company (the accountancy and management consultancy practice KPMG), who regularised the charity's affairs.

The report found that:
there was serious misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of the Charity (section 21)
he was responsible for approving payments and benefits to himself and his wife, Yemisi, totalling more than £384,000 (section 11)
he and his family received benefits from the Charity including: free accommodation for himself and family (section 4)
an £80,000 car (section 12)
he had made personal purchases using the Charity’s Visa card, including the purchase of a timeshare apartment in Florida for £13,000 (section 18)

over half a million pounds was paid out to Ashimolowo's private companies, which were operated from church property and had unclear business relationships with the charity
Ashimolowo acted as both a trustee and a paid employee of the charity

He was ordered to repay £200,000.

In a subsequent debate in the House of Lords, Lord Swinfen questioned the Charity Commission's running of this investigation. He acknowledged the technical breach, but highlighted its openness, "This unincorporated trust has for some years been remunerating its trustees for various services and doing so quite openly. It made the mistake of not realising that it should have altered its constitution explicitly to allow that to be done." He then questioned the cost of the investigation "With some advice from the commission and the use of the charity lawyer, the trustees of this charity could have affected these changes for some £12,000—one-hundredth of the sum the commission has already spent." He added "The commission believes, understandably, that the future success of this charity is assured by the charity having new trustees".

PASTOR WALE ADEFARASIN is the General Overseer of Guiding Light Assembly, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.



In the last twenty years he has devoted his life to the work of God within and outside Nigeria. He strongly believes in the corporate existence of our country, Nigeria.



He teaches the importance of being a light to the world by living exemplary lives worthy of emulation and is convinced that the lost are more likely to respond to Jesus through our lives than through our preaching and the doctrines we teach. He is a strong believer of Nigeria with a viable economy governed by transparent leaders.



He is a social entrepreneur, international speaker, TV presenter, and respected thought leader. He is the Senior Pastor of Guiding Light Assembly, a multi-ministry, non-denominational church with branches in Lagos, Abuja and London. He is also the General Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the Governing Apostle of the Nigeria Coalition of Apostles, an affiliate of the International coalition of Apostles and leads a number of pastors’ networks.



One of his greatest passions is to see the transformation of Nigeria to the country that God has blessed her to be. In this regard, Pastor Wale, as he is fondly called, has become one of the most active advocates of national renaissance. He believes that at the root of the poor leadership, corruption, etc that has beset Nigeria is a catastrophic loss of values. To this end, he has been a crusader for national reorientation and is actively engaged in working for restoration of the values of integrity, honesty and transparency, starting most importantly with the younger generation in their schools.



He is married to Olaolu Adefarasin, his wife of nearly 30years and they are blessed with their daughter, Ademide and two sons, Ademola and Adeolu. He is very passionate about the significance of family and the need for fathers to become more engaged and involved in their families beyond their bread-winning roles.



He has recently written a book entitled The Succession crisis in Nigeria in which he highlights the importance of generational succession planning in the establishment of sustainable institutions across the whole spectrum of social life, including the corporate, political and governmental sectors.

I really do not care much for this pastors.

They're adding little to no value to the Yoruba politically, socially, economically (except to themselves) and they're even helping to murder the Yoruba culture fast that Yoruba knows he is Yoruba by ancestry and maybe by surname or first name, other than that, Yoruba are trying to hard to either be Jew or European.

Before anyone hits me with spiritual, in the pragmatic world, spiritual is below the totem pole. In fact, the spiritualism of Christianity has brought with it or helped societal rot spread through the system of existence.

Screw the so called men of God (does God, after creating everyone equal, pick special people or persons?), they're of no use and nothing to be proud of.

CBN Takes Financial Literacy Campaign to Ibadan


CBN logo


Ademola Babalola in Ibadan‎

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) thursday took its on-going nationwide sensitisation campaign on consumer protection, bank verification number (BVN) and other developments in the banking system to Ibadan.

Hundreds of bank customers were tutored by officials of the central bank on the CBN's roles on development finance, consumers protection, BVN, cashless policy, wonder banks, among others.

Officials of the CBN stormed three major markets in Ibadan:Bodija International market, Agbeni and Gbagi markets, where market men and women were sensitised on the central bank'sprogrammes at growing the economy. It also involved road shows in strategic locations in the city, in its efforts to develop safe, reliable and efficient financial institution.

The‎ CBN fair had the theme: "Promoting Financial stability and economic development‎."

The talk show at the event had the Deputy Director in Charge of Consumer Protection, Mrs. Khadijah Kasim, and some top management staff of CBN in attendance. Kasim urged Nigerians to get their BVN before the deadline elapses.

“We have amongst us, people from Development Finance Department, who talked about how micro, small and medium enterprises are going to access credit and how they need to go about it. We are here with people from Shared Services and they talked about cashless policy. We are also here with Currency Operation Department, who lectured participants on how to handle the naira notes and different features that we need to identify on our currency notes that will make us differentiate a genuine currency note from a counterfeit note.
“We are also here with people from Banking and Payment Department, who have been telling us that before the timelapses, we must all register our biometrics. We should all get our BVN. They told the participants the benefits that we stand to derive if we engage in this very important exercise and many more," she explained



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/cbn-takes-financial-literacy-campaign-to-ibadan/223546/

[size=13pt]Could Ibadan be Nigeria’s next top city?[/size]









With its sprawling population, agricultural potential and commercial promise, Ibadan could rival Lagos as an economic hub. But there are many challenges to overcome.

Ibadan, the city of brown rusty roofs, was once the capital of Western Nigeria. It’s now the capital of Oyo State. It was the driving force of change in the entire region, churning out ideas, projects and people that transformed the region, the country and the continent. Yet today, the city plays second fiddle to Nigeria’s financial capital of Lagos just 120km down the road – though some say it could rival the economic hub. In the 1960s, Ibadan was the largest city in Nigeria, and the third largest in Africa. But since then it has dropped down the pecking order and is now only the third-largest metropolitan area in the whole of Nigeria. That is not to say, however, that it is not huge and sprawling. According to the UN, Ibadan’s population stood at an impressive 2.84m in 2010. Five years after, it will certainly be higher.

Indeed, Ibadan attracts people from across the country. In 2012, for example, Emeka travelled from Enugu in the east in search of a better life.

“It was to look for better something,” he says riding his okada (motorbike). He moved westwards and weighed up the possibilities before settling on Ibadan where he has lived since. “Ibadan is closer to Lagos and not as expensive as Lagos… Here, you can save more,” he explains. While Lagos retains its significance as the economic seat of Nigeria, Ibadan holds a special place culturally. Several buildings testify to this such as Mapo Hall, the first hall in Ibadan, commissioned in 1929, and Bower’s Tower, commissioned in 1936.

Several establishments also confirm the place of Ibadan in Nigeria and Africa’s history. The University of Ibadan, established in 1948, is known to be the first university set up in the whole country. The Ibadan-based Western Nigerian Television was the first television station on the continent. And the city was, and still is, home to a variety of prominent organisations such as the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER).

According to Dipo Famakinwa, Director-General of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Ibadan’s rich history informs its exciting present. “[The city’s history] affects the quality of thinking, the quality of the programmes, the quality of the projects and the quality of the people,” he says.

Untapped potential

However, while Ibadan’s prominent past may still reverberate through its streets and peoples today, it must also be recognised that Ibadan struggles to match the economic and business heights reached in the likes of Lagos.

“Business flows into Lagos more than Ibadan,” says Bashir Zungeru, a money changer whose great-grandparents moved to Ibadan from Zaria decades ago. “We don’t have an international airport, no seaport, no coastal border…You can be in Lagos and be making international business transactions.”

In contrast to Lagos, Zungeru points out, Ibadan’s infrastructure is somewhat lacking. The city has only two flyover bridges and many of the roads are narrow. The local airport meanwhile is hardly buzzing with activity and many residents go to Lagos in order to catch flights. Nevertheless, many agree that the potential for the city is enormous, and in 2012, Frontier Marketing Group listed Ibadan as one of Africa’s Top 10 Cities to Watch.

According to many businesspeople that have made it in Ibadan, understanding the city’s consumers and their preferences is crucial to doing well there. Ibadan residents, for instance, are said to seek out high quality at low prices.

“People say it’s tougher here because an ordinary Ibadan person pays less compared to places like Lagos where I came from,” says Olumide Bisiriyu, one of the many businesspeople that have tried to succeed in Ibadan.

Bisiriyu, an estate surveyor, moved his business from Lagos to Ibadan in 2013. He faced various obstacles in making it work, but he proved that doing well in Ibadan is possible despite the challenges – and he is far from the only one to bet on the city.

For instance, there are now two Shoprite outlets in the city, including the largest Shoprite mall in West Africa. In November 2014, Flour Mills made Ibadan the home of its biggest palm oil refinery. Domino’s Pizza has two outlets. And the South African internet provider Smile Communications started its Nigerian expansion from Ibadan, to name just a few.

This influx of Nigerian and international businesses is good for the economy, says Famakinwa, but he emphasises that it may be agriculture that holds the key to truly transforming the regional economy.

“Ibadan can actually become an agro-industrial zone for Nigeria. It can be one of the foremost agro-industrial zones for Africa if resources are well tapped,” he says. “[Oyo state] could be converted to that unique agricultural industrial zone that can feed many parts of the country.”

Famakinwa points to the fact that DAWN is headquartered in Cocoa House, which was built in the 1960s from proceeds of cocoa, rubber and timber. It was once the tallest building in tropical Africa and, according to Famakinwa, the grand edifice still stands tall as a testament to what is possible if agriculture is explored and developed to its full potential.

The way forwards

Few dispute the possibilities open to Ibadan, but the city still has a long way to go if it is to fulfil its promise, and large gaps in both its services and markets remain.

The state government is overburdened with waste management yet where is Ibadan’s Wecyclers to take on this challenge? The transportation sector is craving a rush of new energy to reinvigorate its old tired buses, yet where is Uber for young people who want to get around? The cultural sector also needs a fresh look, yet where are the entertainment companies to run regular shows in the city?

Some residents of Ibadan are waiting for innovative and courageous companies to take the plunge to fill these needs, but others point out that economic activity cannot be divorced from the political environment and the policies put in place to attract businesses. On that front, Zungeru believes the current leadership is showing some positive signs.

“Things have been better since Ajimobi came in,” he says, referring to Abiola Isiaka Ajimobi, the governor of the state who was re-elected in April 2015. He was the first governor of the state to be elected for two terms, and residents of the region hope that this continuity will allow the administration to implement longer-term policies.

“You need a government focused on bringing all those possibilities on the table,” says Famakinwa of the region’s promise. “You also need stability….But you need to bring all the resources together: the people, the institutions, the economic advantages…to achieve economic development.”

In May 2015, Governor Ajimobi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese company to build a light rail of about 30km within the city. Famakinwa believes that these kinds of infrastructural projects could be a real boost for the economy not just of the city but of the broader area.

“It will boost the economy of the region by between 120-150%,” he predicts. “That’s an area that we need to focus on. The latent capacity in the region will be further developed if we have rail connection.”

Ibadan’s present is far from being as glorious and impressive as its fondly remembered past. However, its future is yet to be written – and if the city’s vast and brimming potential is confronted, understood and harnessed, it could hold even greater riches for Ibadan’s generations to come.

http://africanbusinessmagazine.com/sectors/infrastructure/could-ibadan-be-nigerias-next-top-city