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Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina
Published
2 years agoon
Before They Begin Igbo Point-And-Kill In Lagos By Felix Oboagwina
April last year, I wrote an article, titled, “Didn’t Tinubu Just Goof On MC Oluomo?” The piece did a post-mortem on the crisis rocking the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Long story short, Musiliu Akinsanya, alias “MC Oluomo,” was issued a query by the union’s national leadership, he refused to answer it and he was handed a suspension. Out of the blue, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared NURTW banned. In its place, they created the Lagos Parks and Garages Management Committee and appointed MC Oluomo to head it as Chairman. Those who know, know that Sanwo-Olu merely served as the hand of Esau carrying out the dictates of the godfather puppeteer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. MC Oluomo is Tinubu’s strongman.
Lately, MC Oluomo’s pre-Governorship-Election message to the Igbo stock in Lagos became a social media virus. In it, the Tinubu-assisted tough-guy warns all Iya Chukwudis (all Igbo), “Vote APC or stay at home!” Simply put, should the South-Easterners fail to support APC, these attack dogs want to scare Igbo with a promise of Rwandan-style point-and-kill. It is a desperate message from a desperado whose desperate paymasters have read the handwriting on the wall from February 25, where they fell from their Olympian heights and lost Lagos to Peter Obi’s Elu-Pee. However, people like me saw the February 25 fall coming long ago.
In my April 2022 piece, I observed and warned: “As the Nigerian proverb says, ‘It is the foolish fly that gets buried with the corpse.’ Tinubu, in bailing out his embattled unionist godson may have succeeded in damaging his own ambition.” Could I have been more right?
Anywhere in Nigeria, where commercial transportation takes place, NURTW “full ground berekete.” So does its parent body, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). These are nationwide networks. Injury to one of them means injury to all. NURTW and NLC could be making Tinubu pay for robbing them of Lagos.
Apart from the MC Oluomo blunder, several others factors triggered the shock APC and Tinubu received in their traditional hold of Lagos and gave the lead instead to the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, on February 25. That February loss made them zero in on Obi’s Igbo kinsmen in Lagos. They think they have an Igbo problem they could solve through scare tactics. Perish the thought! It has nothing to do with Igbo people.
LAGOS-BORN WANT LAGOS
There is the “Omo Eko factor.” Aboriginal Lagosians from the Awori stock and the Saro Islanders, descendants of the freed slaves who returned to Lagos and Freetown in the dying days of the slave trade, these too want a shot at the throne too. Rallying around the likes of Chief Olabode George and General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, they have formed “Omo Eko Pataki,” dedicated to planting a trueborn, full-blooded Lagosian in Eko Roundhouse.
The dream the aboriginal Lagosians and Island Lagosians dream about ruling Lagos should make sense. They point out that unlike the likes of Rauf Aregbesola (Osun State), who, after a spell of meritorious service in Lagos, still headed back home to vie for state governorship positions, indigenous Lagosians have nowhere to go. Only godfather Tinubu knows why he shunned their yearnings since 1999. He paid dearly for it on February 25. It has nothing to do with Igbo people.
THE #EndSARS FACTOR
The 2020 anti-SARS protests against police brutality threw up leaders like Aisha Yesufu at the national level. In Lagos, from its angry embers rose the likes of the comedian Mr. Macaroni, the musician Eedris Abdulkareem and FALZ, the “Bahd Guy” musician son of quintessential Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN. The #EndSARS protests eventually became a symbol of youth resistance to constituted authority.
It is an understatement to say that Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu soiled their hands in the ugly episode, which started out as a peaceful protest. The Lekki Tollgate has today become a symbol of that epic struggle, Nigeria’s own version of China’s Tiananmen Square, a place of sorrows, tears and blood. Lekki Tollgate, a private concern run by LCCI, has its ownership traced to Tinubu. His son Deji owns the advert firm that runs advertisements atop and around the structure. On the D-Day, three things happened at Lekki Tollgate.
· CCTV cameras were removed.
· Lights were switched off.
· A killing squad of soldiers shot into the crowd of hyper-peaceful, flag-waving protestors.
Blood flowed. Corpses of Nigerian youth piled up. The Army whisked away the slain, denying them the decency of a burial. Who sent in the marines? Sanwo-Olu denies but the military insists he did. Those youngsters have been waiting to get their pound of flesh. These 2023 elections provide that chance. They have waited for this moment since October 20, 2020.
Fate only provided Peter Obi as the accidental rallying point. Is it by omission or design that Aisha Yesufu, a veritable symbol of the #EndSARS protests, is highly visible in the Obi’s LP campaigns?
This is payback time. For that desecration of the flower of their youth at Lekki, Benin, Ogbomosho, young Nigerians want their pound of flesh. And they are determined, mobilised and organised enough to get it. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.
ANTI-MEDIA POSTURING
Apart from TVC and The Nation newspapers that he owns, which media can Tinubu identify as friends and allies today? The likes of Arise TV and AIT have gone overboard to denigrate him, after they wooed him without success. So does AIT. They spend generous airtime to mock and disparage Tinubu and his party. Little wonder. Before and since June 2022 that he won the APC ticket, Tinubu shunned the several debates they organised for presidential contestants. What cockiness! This anti-media posturing, unfortunately encouraged by his publicists, has proved a damager.
Who remembers that pre-February 25 even Sanwo-Olu did not much campaigning in Lagos? Instead of running his own political business, he was minding Tinubu’s business –gallivanting all over Nigeria with his godfather. The electoral results of February has sent the poor guy running from mall to shops to churches to computer villages, doing photo ops like a jack-of-all-trades! It has little to do with the Igbo.
MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET
By the way, Sanwo-Olu blames their poor show on his godfather’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. And who says that formation would escape unscathed in a multi-religious country? Tinubu performed woefully in the Christian-dominated South-East, South-South, as it did in several Christian featuring states of the North? Ditto Lagos. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.
GODFATHER’S LIMITED TENURE
The governorship is a tenured office. You do your maximum term of eight years and quit the scene. Tinubu became Lagos Governor in 1999. He left office in 2007. Thereafter, he has remained the ultimate godfather of Lagos politics. From Babatunde Fashola, to Akinwunmi Ambode, to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, all Lagos governors have come under the control of this ultimate puppeteer. All local government and Legislature operatives are handpicked by him. The question is: Will Tinubu’s godfather tenure in Lagos last till death do them part? Or will die the natural death of Olusola Saraki in Kwara State, Orji Uzoh Kalu in Abia, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Jim Nwobodo in Enugu and James Ibori in Delta, all of whom have had their godfather influence extinguished? The law of diminishing return is a nature thing. It has nothing to do with the Igbo.
THE LOSS OF AFENIFERE
Egbe Afenifere singlehandedly made Tinubu in 1999. His romance with them has long lost its fire –forget the other day’s PR trip to Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Ondo. Today, that foremost Yoruba socio-political group backs Obi 100 percent. Without Afenifere’s pillar of support, it cannot be smooth sailing for the former Lagos Governor.
OBI AND THE IBO FACTOR
Yes, Peter Obi is a boy, an Igbo (or Ibo) boy. Therefore, the former Anambra State Governor will naturally command the support of his kith and kin. However, social media buffs have pointed out that if you drop Obi from LP and replace him with any other Igbo politician, like Orji Uzoh Kalu or Rochas Okorocha, they would abandon LP like hot potato. Obidents swing only in one direction, the Peter Obi direction.
Why Obi? Obi packs qualities that those other politicians lack. Like them, he served in public office, but his integrity rings loudly and deafeningly. Here is a man who has refused to allocate to himself post-service pecks and pecuniary, where his mates corner lifelong cars, cash and castles from the state coffers! He exudes capacity, competence and character. Those qualities make sweet music in Nigerians’ ears.
It has nothing to do with the Igbo people. Obi’s magic goes beyond Igbo backing. His votes in Lagos came majorly from non-Igbo voters. Go and verify.
Agreed that the garrulousness, bragging and verbosity of a minuscule few of Igbo loudmouths would not help matters, but not all Igbo proclaim Lagos as a NO-MAN’S-LAND that they want to TAKE OVER. Yoruba “indigenes” will fight anyone proclaiming that assumption.
However, one thing I know (since serving as Director twice in the Jimi Agbaje governorship campaigns of 2015 and 2019) is that the Tinubu political family dusts up this propaganda-blackmail every election cycle. Fela calls it “their regular trademark.” This Igbo-want-to-take-over-Lagos is a xenophobic slang they apply during every election. They spread the misinformation that the opposition wants to red-carpet and royalise the “Igbo strangers” in Lagos. They used it against Jimi Agbaje. They tried it with Jandor. Now they are bringing that piece of trash against Rhodes-Vivour, whose principal happens to be Igbo. They disguise the blackmail as a clarion call for Yoruba unity, irredentism and nationalism. By these satanic verses, they paint Tinubu’s clique as protectors of Yoruba interest and resisters of Igbo expansionism. Those who know Lagos politics know that the MC Oluomo-Tinubu group are lying. Unfortunately, however, the formula seems to work. Always.
(OBOAGWINA IS AN AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST, AND MAY BE REACHED VIA: [email protected])
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Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming Features Star-Studded Lineup with Dbanj Gandoki, Akpororo, Taooma, Seriki Dariya, others
Published
2 weeks agoon
October 19, 2024Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming Features Star-Studded Lineup with Dbanj Gandoki, Akpororo, Taooma, Seriki Dariya, others
Legendary comedian Gbenga Adeyinka is set to host the much-anticipated third edition of his comedy show, Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming on November 17, 2024. The event will take place at the prestigious Balmoral Convention Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, promising an unforgettable night of laughter and entertainment.
The lineup features a mix of iconic comedians and musicians, including Omobaba No.1, Gandoki, Dr. Smile, Bash, Queen Salawa Abeni, Reminisce, and a host of surprise acts, with D’Banj headlining the show.
Gbenga Adeyinka remarked, “Laffmattazz: Lagos 3rd Coming will be the biggest comedy show of the year! We’ve curated an incredible roster of iconic headliners, and I’m excited to bring this level of entertainment to Lagos.”
Laffmattazz has cemented its place as a leading comedy brand, showcasing Nigeria’s finest comedic talent. This year’s event is poised to outdo its predecessors, featuring performances from Akpororo, Forever, Seriki Dariya, Princephelar, Dee One, Taooma, Baba Alariya, Madiba of Comedy, ATM, and more.
The night will also include musical performances by Tee Famous, The Countryman, Dami Cruz, and others, with DJ Wiki spinning on the decks.
Event Details:
– Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
– Time: Red Carpet (3:00 PM), Show Start (5:00 PM)
– Venue: Balmoral Convention Center, Victoria Island, Lagos
Ticket Information:
– Regular: ₦7,000
– VIP: ₦20,000
– Table of 8 Gold: ₦1.5 million
– Table of 8 Platinum: ₦3 million
Purchase Tickets at:
1. Ile Iyan by PODs, GRA Ikeja
2. Ofada Boy, Surulere
3. Prince Ebeano Supermarket, Lekki
Online Tickets Available at:
1. Ariiyatickets.com
2. Grandtickets.ng
3. Laffmattazz.ng
For ticket purchases, sponsorships, inquiries, and collaboration opportunities, please contact: (+234) 08156111111.
Brought to you by: Maltina, Goldberg, Ace Roots, Goldberg Black
Supported by: Parralex Bank, Enclave Green Homes, FIRS, Lagos State Government
Media Partners: African Magic, Royal Roots Cinema, Hip TV, Views Channel, Vybz FM, Ibrand TV, Rapid Broadcasting Network, City FM, Jordan FM, Rainbow FM, Mainland FM, Boom Radio, TVC, Kennis FM, Beat FM
Outdoor Partners: Nimbus Media, FPL Media, Folham, Media Crush, Elev8 Media
Stay updated by following Laffmattazz on social media @laffmattazz_ga1st for the latest news and behind-the-scenes content.
Don’t miss this epic comedy event! Secure your tickets now and join the conversation online using #LaffmattazzLagos3rdComing #GbengaAdeyinka.
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We Must Build A Virile Legislature For The Future, Speaker Obasa Says
Published
3 weeks agoon
October 13, 2024We Must Build A Virile Legislature For The Future, Speaker Obasa Says
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the Lagos State House of Assembly, on Sunday, counselled members of the House to strengthen the legislative arm of government ahead of the future.
Dr. Obasa gave the advice in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the opening of a three-day budget retreat for lawmakers and staff of the House with the theme: ‘Optimising the legislature’s power of the Purse’ for effective service delivery in Lagos State’.
The Speaker challenged the lawmakers to be committed in their legislative duties as they must leave lasting legacies for the future, strengthen governance, responsibility and accountability.
He charged the lawmakers on improved and effective legislative oversight functions being one of the responsibilities of the legislature.
“What we do now is really not about us; it is for the totality of the system.
“I appreciate this budget retreat. Each one of us must be responsible in carrying out the assignments we are tasked with. This is very essential.
“We carry out budget scrutiny based on what is presented by the executive. Once we give a go-ahead, it means the executive must comply and treat it accordingly because it has become a law.
“Going forward, all the reports of each committee must be presented at the floor of the House. This will help us decide on how to act for the sake of transparency and accountability,” the Speaker said.
He advised the lawmakers against docility in the task of ensuring that Lagos continues to weather economic storms.
“We all have roles to play and, in doing that, sentiments and self-benefits must be removed. The day you start with self-benefit, you have become a failure.
“If you do your job the way you should do it, you will earn your respect and will be held in high esteem by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“We are here today again to look at how we can improve on the laws we make at the House of Assembly as well as our oversight functions.
‘Let’s continue to be dedicated and loyal and I am sure we will get there. Let’s always straighten the path for Lagosians and those coming behind us,” he urged.
In his opening remark, the Clerk and Head of Service of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, described the retreat as an avenue to have insights into the state’s budget.
While commending the Speaker, he urged the participants to “be attentive and take home fresh ideas and knowledge.”
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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Bridging the Gap, Dr Anthony Aduro’s Vision for World-Class Healthcare in Nigeria”
Published
4 weeks agoon
October 10, 2024
Bridging the Gap, Dr Anthony Aduro’s Vision for World-Class Healthcare in Nigeria”
In a nation grappling with an ailing healthcare system, Dr. Anthony Aduro, a dedicated healthcare practitioner and CEO of Aduro Foundation, is emerging as a beacon of hope. Driven by a deep-seated passion for improving the lives of his fellow Nigerians, Aduro is spearheading a transformative approach to healthcare in Nigeria.
In a media chat the CEO noted that the Nigerian healthcare system is a mess, urging the government to
invest in healthcare infrastructure and partner with private sectors.
As a healthcare professional, Aduro explained that he witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by patients in accessing quality care, noting that the lack of adequate infrastructure, limited resources, and the prevailing apathy towards healthcare among government officials fueled his determination to make a difference.
He said: “The state of healthcare system in Nigeria is saddening, about 80 percent of Nigerians
use the general hospitals where you sometimes go and see patients sharing bed space, some of them not properly equipped.
“That is why I have a lot of interest in the healthcare system in Nigeria, and I’m putting in efforts to develop something where we can have an impact that if other people see, they can actually assist in building the health sector of the country.”
Speaking on some of his significant milestones in the healthcare of Nigeria, he said: “During the #EndSARS protest, my home town was affected. The healthcare centre there was demolished, and I reached out to the local government chairman, and they took me there. So, I rebuilt it, and equipped it, and I told them that it should be for the community. I thank God, a lot of things are going on there, it’s like a mustard seed; something that is small, but it will still grow and I still intend to build more health centres so that a lot of people, especially the low income earners will benefit from it.”
He disclosed plans to facilitate medical outreach in underserved communities in Okitipupa, Ondo state, where he hails from and also employ manpower to drive the growth of the healthcare sector.
In light of the above, the healthcare practitioner outlined strategies to revamp Nigeria’s
healthcare, including partnership with the private healthcare sector; Creating insurance systems for low-income earners; Investing in healthcare infrastructure; Telemedicine solutions.
“Telemedicine is one of my areas of research. Telemedicine is where you can still have the doctors and nurses in the US, and they can still treat you here,’’ Dr. Aduro explained.
Speaking on some of his philanthropic activities, he stated “I believe so much in a clean environment. When the environment is clean and you have some clean water, you are solving some problem that you don’t even know is there.”
Aduro explained that he has drilled a solar powered clean borehole water in seven villages including Okitipupa, Oloto, Ilumeje in Ondo State, noting that his core objective is to set a pace that others can emulate, and create employment opportunities.
“I was there at the commissioning of the town hall that I built and that was where one of the community members proposed to donate books for the students. That was the time I promised them that I’m going to build a library for them, and today, I opened the library and it cost N150 million. The library is an ultra modern one, powered by solar energy,” the healthcare practitioner noted.
Aduro believes that giving back doesn’t have to be monetary, stressing the need to create lasting impacts through job opportunities and infrastructure development.
The CEO noted that the Aduro Foundation was established to transform life through community empowerment, and creating opportunities. He noted that the core objective of the foundation is just to give back to, and have an impact on the community.
“You have to be creative when you want to give back to the community. It doesn’t have to be money, rather let it be something that will create a lasting impact. For example, if you create job opportunities, where you employ people, they will take care of others which gives ride to multiple effects. Giving back to the community entails making sure that something which will positively impact their lives is happening and it is continuous. It will not be one-off,’’ the CEO noted.
Speaking on his farm project, Aduro Farm, he explained that he got the idea while thinking of a way to reduce unemployment in Nigeria and boost sustainability.
He said: “It is just like creating an opportunity economy for people to get employed, and some people will have the opportunity to trade and do businesses with it. It is a highly mechanised farm, and there are staff working there. There are close to 60 people working there.
“We’re building a large piggery farm right now. We have a poultry pen that will take about 20, 000 layers. We have a fish outdoor pond that will probably take up to half a million fishes, we have about 15 people working there. And then you see people doing business, for instance we have egg sellers coming to buy eggs and resell them,’’ he added.
Dr. Aduro’s philanthropic endeavours are driven by a belief in the power of community-based solutions. He emphasises the importance of creating lasting impact through initiatives that empower individuals and communities. By providing access to healthcare, clean water, and economic opportunities, Aduro’s foundation is helping to build a more resilient and equitable Nigeria.
The CEO expressed optimism over the future of healthcare in Nigeria. He believes that
with the right investments and a commitment to community-driven solutions, it is
possible to transform the country’s healthcare system and improve the lives of millions
of Nigerians.
On how his upbringing influenced his present personality and values, he said: “My upbringing was very humble. It takes a community to raise a child. I was raised within a community and that influenced me because I love to have people around me. I was surrounded by people while growing up and I saw the knowledge my mother and father impacted on me on how I have to be nice to people. With that at the back of my mind, I grew up within a very large family comprising uncles, aunties, cousins etc while in Okitipupa and that influenced my upbringing, I really respect the communal life, I can never go away from that, and then the influence I saw within the community is what actually brought me to where I am today. Whatever I am doing or what I am trying to do, that community influence will always come into it and I can never forget that community which I grew up from.”
Educational background
“I attended St. John RCM School, it is a Roman Catholic school that time. I later moved to Joala, where my father was working then. I later moved Saint Columbus RCM School. After graduating from there, I think that should be around 1975 or 1974 or thereabout, I then moved to Modern School, from there to Local Authority Modern School at Okitipupa for three years, after that I went to Government Secondary School, Idanre.
“During that time, things were tough for me. I think the secondary school fees that time was less than N500 per year but it was a tough thing to pay but my parents tried. My mother had to sell her propperties put things together for myself and my siblings to go through secondary school. After my secondary school, I go admission to read anthropology in Maiduguri and I really did not like it because I have interest in health.
“I was actually thinking that I should be a doctor, which was my dream, because if I am a doctor I will be able to give something back to the society; I would be able to take care of other things at home but it did not walk out that way. I went to a technical school, it is more of an engineering school that time but it was a private school. I was there for one year but things were not going like I wanted it.
Going to India
:The purpose of my travelling to India was for education. It was hard in India, very tough, I left Nigeria with $100 that time. During that time, you can only take $100 out of Nigeria and then but being a strong headed person, I went through a lot of things in India. When I got to India, it became so difficult even that $100 was stolen from me because we were placed in a dormitory, like an hostel. We were like 16 of us in the hostel. Before I could register, the money was gone. But I thank God, I went to a church and I told them what happened to me because my passport was stolen also. Then a church community in India, though they are Hindus. The church community gave all they could, their offerings, everything like that, they gave it to me. Till now, that thing never left my memory because when people come together to give you a purpose for life, it will ever stay there.
“That is how I started. I went to Nigerian embassy, I got a little money, I was able to register for college because didn’t register for the university in Belgrade and I couldn’t go to medical school there. I have to go to a Business school. So I got myself into commerce and then I moved to the central part of India, that is Mapal, where I graduated with a Bachelor degree in Commerce and Accounting after which I did Master’s degree in Business and Commerce. But health was still very much in my head.
Why I moved to Kenya
I moved to Kenya for educational purpose. That was where I thought I can survive. there was no job, so we were looking for a best way to survive. I am very entrepreneurial. I have a lot of Kenyan friends when I was in India and from there I knew what was going on there. They are so much involved in coffee and tea export and I got into horticultural export in Kenya. My wife is a Kenyan. I went there to see if I could see a better opportunity rather than going into a main stream employment, maybe I could actually create employment, that was why I set up the horticultural export in Kenya. I did it for a while, exporting to France, UK and Italy. It was very competitive then because I was competing with Indians. Indians were exporters and importers, I didn’t make much in Kenya at all. It was tough.
My sojourn to USA
Things were becoming so difficult, the competition was very high, I love to be in competition but it was very higher for me. The Kenyans and Indians dominated the economy and for you to be able to be successful you have to go through them. The Kenyans and Indians fixed the prices for everything, prices that you are going to use to export and that is only price you’re going to use to export unless you have other means of getting your own deal from London or France or so.
When it was becoming so difficult I just have to move on and I said I would be focused on my dream. It was not because of education that I moved to US, I moved because I was looking for a better opportunity. So when I got to the US I have to start from scratch, that is what a lot of people don’t know. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are coming from or something like that, America will humble you, whether you have Ph.D or whatever you have, you’ll start from the scratch.
The American dream
“The American dream is always there, if you open your eyes, if you are determined, then you are very committed to what you are doing, straight forward, you’ll make it. You can be who you want to be and that is what is there. So,m I got into US and then started working in the healthcare sector. I was employed just like a programme kind of something, to co ordinate programmes within the health sector. “I was in finance, I had a Master’s degree in Finance from India but when you can coordinate programme, it doesn’t mean you are practising. You coordinate programme like the finance part of it, although that is in the heath sector. Then I have to start changing my ways. That was when I developed interest in how the health system works, like how to take care of aged and disabled people, people with disabilities, like autism, various types of disabilities. It is a different sector of health care system that actually focuses on human not on symptoms or treatment. It focuses on you and your health outcome. So healthcare is a big field where you have the physician and co.
“So I got into that and I started developing, I was actually growing in the heath sector. I became the residential manager for healthcare system which was Anthony Wince Services in Texas, Houston then after working in Houston about two years, I moved to Forthwin, Indiana through one pastor from Zambia. We got talking and he said “if you are in this sector, you can get something better in Forthwin in Indiana.” And he spoke with a friend of mine from South Africa. He spoke to Anthony Wince Services. It is one of the biggest health care providers for people with age and disabilities. That was in year 2001. That time I was made a programme coordinator for a sector of heath care, that is residential service of people with disabilities.
“That was what led me into the healthcare education. I moved from there and then I also have a doctorate degree in health care from World University in Minnesota. I grew up and I saw what I was doing there, I have to set up my own. I grew up to the policy level when we started doing policy for Anthony Wince Services now called Benchmark and from there I kind of broke out and started my own called Medị-link. That was the very first aspect of it, it is the first amputatery kind of services that deal with the people leaving with disabilities. I was able to talk to the state of Indiana that I have a better policy on healthcare sector and I was told to bring a proposal.
“That was why I was saying that your dream is possible, the American dream, if you are focused but the idea is that you have to be humble, because whatever the case, you are going to start from zero. It doesn’t matter what and how you are and then. I put my proposal together and it was approved. I started my own healthcare operation system in 2013
Have you been intimidated or were you affected by racism which is usually in practice?
“First of all, I don’t feel intimidated. I remembered one time in 2003 when I was a programme coordinator for Benchmark and we would go for healthcare. the entire hall would be filled and I would be the only black person there. Racism is something that cannot be taken away but you can actually create an opportunity from racism. That is what led me to where I am today, when you use that kind of negativity to create a positive thing for yourself. When you are able to modify the thinking and make use of the best of racism.
Any particular incident when you were in the US Healthcare sector, you were subjected to any form of racism before?
“It is like an unmentioned racism, it is something that you feel and know. There were a couple of times that, I think 2005/2006, I was supposed to be a programme director of a major programme for the healthcare system, we were five of us that were there and I was the most qualified when it comes to that aspect but things moved here and there but I am very grateful for the organisation.
“Everything I am able to build up on my own, it is because of that issue of racism. I won’t say it is a big issue but it has always been there, you’ll feel it. You know, the position you are supposed to get, you’ll probably not get them. There are so many people that I have trained that they will put on top of me. “Those are areas that I told myself that there must be opportunity in this thing. If I can train this person to be in this position, I can actually step out and create opportunities for myself
Regardless of who you are or the colour you are, you can achieve the American dream. It might be difficult but you can always achieve it.”
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