Nigeria at 62: Behind The Screen
The first day of October is one of the most memorable days of Nigeria as a nation. It was on this day in the year 1960 that Nigeria gained her independence. As time went by, the country gained traction and popularity such that it was arguably the giant of Africa and the most populous African country. At 62, the display of Nigeria on the screen is seldom positive and patriotic Nigerians start asking questions like when did we get it wrong? Instead of asking when did we get right? Behind the screen of these negative vibes lies Nigerian men and women breaking boundaries, setting records, and making things right globally. In this post, I present to you four of the many Nigerians that are waxing stronger as they get older just like the waving flag of Nigeria that was first hoisted in 1960.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala GCON: I can not afford to start this list with anyone else other than this indefatigable woman of substance and value. Not because she is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), one of the 100 most influential people in 2021 (TIME 100), Commission Emeritus, Co-chair of Global Commission on the Economy and Climate or because she sits on the board of top companies and organizations including Danone, Standard Chartered Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Georgetown Institute for Women Mandela Institute for Development Students etc. She previously sat on the Twitter Board of Directors and Managing Director (operations) for World Bank. She tops the list because she is the first Woman or the first African to achieve most of this greatness. She was also the first woman to serve two terms as the Finance Minister of Nigeria.
Aliko Dangote GCON: One of my college lecturers, Dr. Ugbagbe usually says you have no business doing business if you are not out there to make money. I used to think it is a cliche but as I grew older I realized it is not, especially when Aliko Dangote has arguably remained the richest man in Africa for several years. According to Forbes, Aliko Dangote has a real time net worth of $12.4B as at 26th October 2022. He was named among the top 100 richest persons and most powerful persons in the world. He sits on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa, Clinton Health Access Initiative, International Business Council of the World Economic Forum.
Amina J Mohammed GCON: Ms Amina J Mohammed is a Nigerian-British diplomat and she is currently the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations since 2016. Prior to her appointment she served as the special adviser to the former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. As documented on the official UN website, she led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Goals. She has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. She was the Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016. She sits as a board member and Advisor of several organizations including ActionAid, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, International Development Research Center etc.
Akinwumi Adeshina: Akinwumi Adeshina was awarded the World Food Prize in 2017 and he is currently serving his second term as the President of the African Development Bank. He is the first Nigerian to hold the post. He was the vice president of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). According to Wikipedia, Akinwumi Adeshina was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New Africa and was named Africa Person of the year twice by Forbes . He was appointed by former UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals. He was also awarded the Grand Officer of Merit of Tunisia.
