By Zik Zulu Okafor
“I make a special plea. Let us stop complaining. Let’s join hands, bring together our skills, competencies and time. Government cannot do it alone….Together, we can work to transform the economy of our nation…”
With this powerful patriotic call as her last word, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of North-West Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, Dame Winifred Akpani, rounded off a night of impassioned plea for collaboration toward economic revival and transformation by a rendezvous of data scientists, technology professionals, techno-economic analysts, business magnates, business advisers and generally elites of the technocracies with deep understanding and domain-specific experience. But they were all bound by one thing ; they were all alumni and alumnae of KPMG and Arthur Anderson. Even the invite to the event made it clear that they did not want interlopers. ” Arthur Anderson/KPMG Alumni only”, the invite stated tersely. And the business mixer was aptly titled KPMG Alumni Ignite ; Cocktail/Networking Event. The theme was crystal about its objective- Reviving the Economy, with the kicker, ” Be A Change Agent.”
The Keynote address that officially followed a savory cocktail couldn’t have been given by a more robust alumnus and ultra committed change agent. Oladapo Okubadejo is the Hon. Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor of Ogun state, His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun.
Here was a man who in one of his routine drives to his home town, Ijebu-Ode, in Ogun state was , in his words, ” hit by images of poor and abandoned roads, youth roaming the streets, heaps of garbage on the streets and children hawking on the streets…”
They were like tales of silent mystery about the vanishing glory of a town that gave him everything, good moral values, education and all. After a journey of rare introspection, he pledged to be the change he desired in the society. Ten years after, Friday, May 3, 2024, he stood before his colleagues, as a Keynote Speaker, one who not only kept his promise, a silent pledge to be a change agent but one also elevated by the sheer actualisation of that pledge to continue at a state level in public service . His postulations for reviving Nigeria’s dull economy was therefore pragmatic and insightful.
But KPMG Alumni Ignite also paraded a panel of exceptional technocrats.Dame Winifred Akpani, for instance, is your atypical change maker, an exemplar that remains ever silent about her contribution to socio-economic change. From Cross River state where her petroleum company depot is situated, to her home state, Delta and a few other states in Nigeria, Dame Akpani continues to contribute immensely to the cause of education, building schools and giving scholarships, empowering small enterprises and petty traders and importantly teaching them sustainability and how to grow their scanty wares, contributing immensely to strenthen security through consistent donation of vehicles and financial resources to both the police and local vigilantes, building, refurbishing and furnishing police stations to give them a conducive workplace and provision of infrastructural facilities such as electricity and water.
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Like the Keynote Speaker, Hon. Okubadejo, Dame Akpani in her concise contributions therefore posited options that were tested, factual, constructive and workable. The other members of the panel, Folake Fadahunsi, CEO, Proworth Investment Company and Ademola Odeyemi, Managing Director of Optimus Bank are also formidable Change Agents, building capacity, training young , aspirational people and playing major roles in their empowerment.
It was a night in which the Keynote Speaker and Panelists were in absolute agreement about the process of reviving the economy and even procedure for growth.
They acknowledged some of government’s policies including fuel subsidy withdrawal and floatation of the naira as steps in the right direction. But they offered more tips and recommendations.
In a world facing unprecedented challenges from the global pandemic to environmental issues, geo-political tensions and uncertainties plus technological disruptions ; challenges that have impacted global economies causing economic downturns, cost of living crises and financial instabilities, these icons of transformative change called for concerted efforts and commitment of stakeholders, governments at all levels, businesses, communities and citizens to inspire economic revival.
They urge the government ” to encourage diversification by developing new industries, sectors and value chains to reduce reliance on traditional sectors, spur innovation, entrepreneurship and investment in high-value-added industries and high growth sectors such as the creative arts, entertainment and mineral resources among others”.
For the KPMG Alumni Ignite Keynote Speaker, Okubadejo, reviving and transforming the economy ” requires a combination of strategic policies, investments and initiatives that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, inspire confidence and drive recovery.” Doing this in his informed opinion would require ” fostering industrialization by upgrading manufacturing capabilities, promoting industrial clusters and attracting investments in key sectors while providing support for small, medium enterprises” . For this massive gathering who today exemplify the legacies of Klynveld, Peat, Marwick and Gowerdeler, KPMG and the guiding force of Arthur Edward Anderson, economic growth would require untrammelled embrace of digital technologies and promotion of digital transformation across sectors of the economy to drive efficiency, innovation and competitiveness, invest in infrastructural development in key areas and instigate practices that balance economic growth with environmental protection and social inclusion.
But the momentous occasion couldn’t end without questions on the pangs of fuel scarcity that Nigerians are currently suffering. As a member of the audience put it, ” Fuel scarcity was with us 30 years ago. And it is still with us today.
How can we put an end to this scarcity? “
Dame Akpani, who is the Chairman of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, provided the answer and it was with her characteristic precision. ” Free market “, she said matter of factly. Free market is an econo based on demand and supply with little or no government control. And she posited that with a free market and increase in oil production, fuel scarcity would certainly become history.
The final word of the night would however come from Tola Adeyemi, the Managing Director of KPMG. He reaffirmed the importance of collaborative efforts, enunciating KPMG’s technological expertise and its readiness to take on projects to advance the cause of development and economic growth .
A historic night it was indeed.
