On Conflict Resolution…
I have learnt more about conflict resolution in the last six months than in all my years on earth. One of the first things you learn is that human beings evolve and can change and you have to quickly readjust to that change without referring to the old incident. I have gone from having someone threaten to call the police to apologize and being all so nice, to a complete 180 turnaround in just three minutes. Three minutes ago, I was happy to see them locked away for being a nuisance and here we are three minutes later rejecting the offer of a conciliatory dinner. This is not the first time this will happen. So many times, in interactions with friends, acquaintances and colleagues, I have had to observe a sinusoidal wave that takes place during conversations. What usually leads to conflict is when the other person refuses to acknowledge that dynamism and change are normal and not an anomaly. If I’d known what I know now a couple more months ago, I’d have preserved some of the relationships that are no more even better.
On Taking Notes…
Don’t trust yourself to remember everything. A lot of the failure points in your life are because you believed you’d remember. Writing it down helps you a lot, these days you don’t even need to carry a pen and paper. You can write on your mobile phone. Always write down, helps your brain become even more active. I also find that taking notes helps you learn how to organize and sequence information. If you don’t take it from me, at least listen to a Billionaire. Note-taking has gone up a notch for me since I switched from actual papers to a digital paper tablet; it means I can organize and access notes from way back without carrying bulky notepads. Invest in a paper tablet if you can.
On a Lavish Indian Wedding…
I randomly thought about India’s richest man organizing a lavish wedding for his son and how Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg made the long trip to India for the wedding and immersed themselves in the culture. I read Jim Ovia’s book the other day and he was gushing at the opportunities he had to share the room with really important personalities and I know he had a very lavish wedding in London for his daughter. The two things I quickly thought about was; why London and not Agbor, his hometown? Second, which global Billionaire attended the wedding?
On Nigerian Billionaires…
The reason why Mark flew many miles to that wedding was not because he was jobless. One thing you will learn about Billionaires is that they don’t do anything for the sake of it, there’s always a strategic reason for it. Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Reliance is a significant partner for Facebook in India and I am very sure Mark had that in mind when making the trip to India. Our Billionaires in Nigeria do not know how to build truly global alliances and use the traction they have to good effect. I think this is because we have very few $$$ billionaires (if any) who got there without subsidy, government patronage or a wicked monopoly. Mukesh Ambani’s Asian empire has been so good at partnering with Western behemoths like Facebook, Disney, etc. In Nigeria, our billionaires do not seem to know how to crack this. While part of this is their fault, the other reason is found in the next point.
On Nigeria’s 200 million population…
Nigeria has a very small consumer market and this is why our numbers don’t make a dent on the real world. India is an attractive global market because it has sheer volume, it has a high population of people who can afford to pay $10 monthly for a service whereas in Nigeria, we barely have enough people living on $1 per day. We need to start seeing Nigeria for what it is, a nation of 200 million (very debatable) people with less than 10% of that population being marketable. MTN Nigeria has 77 million users while Jio Reliance in India has nearly 500 million. There are several ways to expand the buying power of a population and I have actually done a lot of work in this sector advising governments and creating policy but if you have ever worked with Governments in Nigeria, you will know the frustration with implementation. three things - we need to build expansive services that are reflective of our population, globalization and then credit.
On Credit…
It’s very difficult to see a path to becoming a trillion-dollar economy in Nigeria without becoming a credit-driven economy. Access to credit increases the buying power of the populace and spurs growth. This is why I was pleased to see the news that President Tinubu has appointed someone I know very well, 36-year-old Uzoma Nwagba as the MD/CEO of the newly formed Nigeria Credit Corporation. I am toiling between making my private notes to Uzoma public but I have ideas and they seem to be on the right track. Our credit system must find a way to reflect ability to repay and willingness to repay. We need a standardized credit scoring system followed by a National Orientation program that will lead to a paradigm shift in the psyche of Nigerian consumers towards embracing credit and responsibly servicing their obligations.
Recommendations
Podcast - The New York Times’ The Daily is a good podcast if you’re trying to know more details and be informed about tending global events. Every day, they dive deep into one trending topic and give you well-researched information about all you need to know. This particular episode about Biden’s famed tax cuts was really good.
Song - Emperor of the Universe by Dunsin Oyekan and Theophilus Sunday has been on repeat since I discovered it a few weeks ago. Really good song, you should listen.
Video - The young lady in this video, Ebele Light cannot be more than 30 yet she spoke so eloquently and with the conviction of the Holy Spirit as she admonished a congregation to turn away from sin and embrace God’s love or face his wrath.
Stay True!
Miracle.