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| Atiku Abubakar. |
Before
I begin my speech, let me ask the audience to please rise and join me in
observing a minute’s silence in honour of the memory of the 60 Nigerian
citizens killed by Boko Haram in Rann, Borno State, this past Friday.
(Wait for 60
seconds)
May
their souls rest in peace.
(Pause 3 seconds
to acknowledge the amen/amin from the audience.
I
also wish to thank God for sparing the life of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,
who survived a helicopter crash yesterday. May Almighty Allah grant him long
life.
(Again, pause 3
seconds to acknowledge the amen/amin from the audience.’
Introductions
I would like to congratulate
Dr Ifeanyi Okowa for being crowned Silverbird Man of the Year and all the other
winners here tonight. Well done. My
sincere admiration goes out to each of and every one of you for your
outstanding achievements which have been recognised at this magnificent venue
and event. It is always a pleasure to be
here as Lagos has always been kind to meand my businesses.
I love Lagos!
It is therefore both right
and fitting that we are in Lagos, our commercial and cultural capital, to
celebrate the success of our fellow Nigerians.
I have always believed that
our nation has been blessed with an abundance of human talent and that our most
valuable resources is not what lies beneath our feet but between our ears.
That is why so many of our
countrymen and women have been celebrated not just in Nigeria but around the
world in the fields of business, sport, music, film, medicine and so many more.
When I was preparing my
speech, it got me thinking about the nature of success and how people become
successful. And I thought I should
address my comments not to those here this evening, who have already reached such
stellar heights in their lives, but so many of the viewers at home who I know
aspire to be successful themselves.
The question of whether
success is a function of nature or nurture has long been debated since
humankind first came together. You can
read thoughts from the ancient Greek philosophers on the subject.
More recently, academic
studies around the world have concluded that nurture is the biggest influence
on how an individual progresses in their life, as we are all to a broad extent
born equal into this world.
Instinctively that is what I
have always felt to be true. So, let me tell you about my own experiences and
how they have guided me in my varied career in public service, business and
politics.
I was born to an
impoverished family and when I was very young, I lost my father. So, despite a lack of funds it was my mother
who raised me. I remain eternally
grateful to her for ensuring I went to school every day, so I was able to
receive an education which equipped me with the ability to start my career
working in the customs service.
So even from an early age I
learnt three key lessons from my own experience:
How important women are in
nurturing our young children to give them a good start in life
How important education is
to enable anyone to achieve their potential
How important it is to have
a job, because however low you start if you work hard and are perseverant you
can achieve whatever you put your mind to.
As some of you may know, I
am seeking to secure my ultimate job in two weeks’ time…….
And I hope I have applied
those three lessons in my job application.
Lesson number 1: invest in women
When I set up my
microfinance bank in Adamawa State, I directed them to make 80% of the loans to
women as they ensure the money is put to productive use. This bank has elevated over 45,000 families
from poverty which I am very proud of.
But what has made me proudest of all is the fact that 98% of the loans
have been paid back, which enables my bank to help even more poor families.
If I get the job, I will
take this concept and roll it out nationally to elevate millions of families
from poverty.
Lesson number 2: invest in education
As part of my desire to give
back to the community which raised me, I have endowed nursery, primary and
secondary schools, as well as the American University of Nigeria, in my
hometown of Yola.
I am aghast that as I speak
our students across the nation are not being educated due to the ASUU strike
that is about an argument over N60 billion.
If I get the job I am seeking, my first task on day one – along with
naming my cabinet – will be to end this disgraceful strike and get our students
back to their studies.
I will also triple the
amount the Nigerian Government spends on education from 7% of its budget today,
not just to the 15% recommended by UNESCO, but to20%.
I recognise the value education
can bring to the individual and the nation.
But even more than that I want every child in Nigeria to have the
opportunities I had.
Lesson number 3: invest in creating jobs
After I left the Customs
Service I went into business and fortunately I appear to have been somewhat
successful in it.
And as I grew my businesses,
I was able to employ more people and make more money.
And as I made more money, I
was able to employ more people and so on.
So as of today, I have
created over 50,000 directly jobs and a further 250,000 indirectly. I am also the biggest employer in my State.
If I get the job, I will
apply what I have learnt in my business life to create millions of jobs across
our great nation. I trust it is not too immodest to observe that perhaps my
skills and experience have never been more needed?
Over the last four years the
number of unemployed Nigerians has rocketed from 7 million to over 21 million,
most of whom are our youths in their most productive period of their lives and
many of whom have studied hard but cannot find a job.
Did you know that based on
the current rate of growth in unemployment that if something is not done 62% of
our people will be unemployed by 2023?
That is not just frightening, it is a time bomb.
If I am selected for what undoubtedly
be my toughest-ever appointment, I have clear plans on how I will create the
best environment Nigerian has ever seen for creating jobs.
To take just one example, I
will establish a national apprenticeship scheme to give 1 million of ouryoung
people vocational training with certification, which is so lacking in Nigeria
today.
I have fortunately reached a
stage in my life where I do not need to work anymore, but I am grateful to
Nigeria for giving me such a rewarding life on many levels.
One of my favourite actors
is Jack Lemmon who was a master of his art.
I was always taken by his expression which he coined when he was at the
height of his success, “to take the elevator back down” and which led him to
set up acting schools for deprived kids in America, it is a phrase that sums up
my attitude to life.
Which brings me back to how
did Jack Lemmon and every other successful person get to the top of the
elevator in the first place?
Some say it is
ambition. Others say it is talent. For me I think it is a combination of
both. For talent without ambition is a
waste, yet ambition without talent is worthless.
Yet there is one more
ingredient that to me is crucial and which I want to impress on all those at
home who believe they have the talent and ambition to succeed and that
ingredient is pure, unadulterated hard work.
They say that to be good at
anything whether it is to play the violin or to become a great footballer takes
a minimum of 10,000 hours of hard graft.
That represents typically
3-5 years of commitment and practice. So, the last ingredient in my book of
success is perseverance and determination.
Who can forget the ‘Miracle
of Dammam', when Nigeria became the first team to come back from four goals
down to win a FIFA World Cup match – all the more extraordinary for the fact we
only started scoring in the last 30 minutes of the game!
Please put your hands up if
you remember that match?
Miracles happen in the Bible
and the Qur’an and miracles can happen in Nigeria for individuals and our
country.
So, to everyone at home who
wants to be on this stage in 2024 please remember that if you apply yourself
and really, really want to achieve something then your future success is in
your own hands.
May I conclude by thanking
Ben Murray Bruce for hosting such a wonderful evening and for giving me the
opportunity to share my thoughts with you all. I would like to congratulate the
winners once more and wish all those who want to better their own lives the
will to do so.
For one thing is for sure,
the more successful people we have the more successful Nigeria will be.
And as for me and my
chances? If there is a better candidate for the post than me,then so be
it.
I can only hope the
recruitment process is fair.
However, I can say for the
record I have done much more than 10,000 hours of practice to do the job well
and promise that if I get the job I will apply every ounce of my determination
and perseverance to repay the confidence in hiring me and to make a great
success for my employer, the Nigerian people.
May God bless you and God
bless Nigeria.
Thank you.
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