Nigerian-born United Kingdom-based Sheun Onamusi is an entrepreneur-cum-political analyst. Onamusi, who is also the head of the Nigerian British Business and Young Professionals Forum in the United Kingdom, in this interview by FUNMILAYO AREMU, speaks on the role of young Nigerians in the 2023 election and his plans for youths.
As a young Nigerian who is passionate about the restoration of the country, what is your take on the current jostle in Nigeria’s politics towards 2023?
My take is that 2023 is a pivotal part of the Nigerian history, in politics, and the general well-being of the nation. From 1999 to date, we’ve had several elections and often people say that each election cycle is a very critical part of the history of the nation. But I think that 2023 is even much more important. After we have seen an exchange of power between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), which has brought about the government of Muhammadu Buhari. Ever since, there has been a huge decline in growth and an increase in insecurity. Even though the current government claims to be progressive and has probably executed some impressive infrastructural projects in their defence, we’ve seen a lot more regression, whether it’s in our economy or even in the morale of the nation. This means that we have a huge work at hand as a nation. There is no doubt that the next government will have a herculean task ahead of them come 2023. This is why the coming election is a very important part of Nigerian history. Truth be told, we are also at a point that we ask ourselves, should we return to the old way of governance under PDP or should we progress with APC?
The atmosphere is becoming interesting as many politicians, both old and young, have begun to show interest in sensitive positions such as the office of the president, what is your view about this?
I don’t see anything new. So far, some of the faces that we are seeing coming up are individuals that we already predicted would be coming up for the position of the president of the nation, whether it is from the APC where we have the likes of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, or we have the likes of Senator Bukola Saraki or Rochas Okorocha. I am of the personal opinion that it’s all a recycling exercise. The same set of people has been in power backstage of controlling the nation for a long time.
If I were to put on my unbiased hat, I think most of them have done well. They’ve done well enough to be part of Nigerian politics when most people refused to be part of the political discussion of the nation after the military government left the governing of the nation to democratically elected representatives. They have taken the mantle when a lot of people ran away from them. The likes of Tinubu have played a huge part in bringing in young, fresh governors in the past and we’ve seen that with four elections ago he was responsible for giving us the likes of Fashola in Lagos. And we’ve seen him in other states where he has played a key role. However, is he competent enough to be president of the nation? That’s a question that I would like to leave open. I do not think that we should have these men who are better at power broking and playing politics, rather than the administrative work that needs to be done as a president of a nation of intelligent individuals such as Nigeria. Nigeria has one of the brightest and greatest sets of individuals worldwide, both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, and to have individuals with questionable backgrounds, whether it’s in regards to their finances, or regards to how they have been part of politics over the years. I think it is a thing of concern. This is not a jab against the APC aspirant, it applies to both political parties because most of these men are cut from the same cloth if we will be brutally honest.
I would like to see of someone who has been part of the institution, someone who understands the economics and the key areas of growth that Nigeria needs to concentrate on in the next decade, because over the next decade, if we don’t get this right, our nation will be worse than Zimbabwe.
So, my take is that whether you’re old or young, I’m not as concerned about what I’m concerned about in 2023, is, are you cerebral enough? Do you have what it takes to lead the nation? I’m not talking about do you have money to run the election? Do you have what it takes to lead a nation of really intelligent, diverse, complex individuals such as Nigerians?
Do you think age indeed is a determinant factor in the coming elections?
As I’ve mentioned, in my answer to the last question, I think that age shouldn’t be a determinant as much. However, I would like to see someone that is below 70, someone in their 60s, 50s, perhaps in their 40s. These are the sort of individuals that we need to have because you can see across the world, whether it is in Sweden, France, or Canada, they have young people who are leading their nations. We will continue to be disadvantaged on the world stage if our presidents have to consistently deal with health challenges while running the nation. You need stamina to run a nation. I wish that the next president of Nigeria would be in their 50s or 40s.
What is your advice for Nigerian youths in the choice of another set of leaders in 2023?
They should look beyond the status quo. They should look beyond the rhetoric that we have been fed with over and over again, when a younger candidate or fresh face comes into politics in 2023, seeking to run for any position at the state and federal level, or governorship or president, we should not play the same rhetoric that we’ve played in the past. We should ask critical questions; let us know their intention and their plans to genuinely turn the country into a better place.
I would love to see young Nigerians vote for new political parties in their respective states as well as vote for fresh faces in all political positions.
With your exposure, what approach do you think Nigeria can take to be classified as a developed country?
I would say that we need to look at our strengths and work on them as a nation. We need to look beyond crude oil as our major source of income. We need to diversify the economy as a lot of people have said over the years, but much more than that, we should look at our strength as a nation, we have a growing population, we have really capable young hands that can push the nation forward. We have vibrant youths; we have a creative industry that we can put to work.
I think the creative industry allows us to position ourselves differently across the globe. What is coming out of the entertainment industry is strong enough to position ourselves as a developed nation, we can do a lot more, and I would love to see the next government take a very strong position in working with the creative industry. They should put in some resources; funds, time, and effort into the creative industry so that we can position ourselves right both internally and externally.
The United States of America who we often look up to as a nation has mastered this. If we can master that as well, we can change some of the narratives that we hear about the nation. I would love to see the next government work very closely with the Nigerian Diaspora. The Nigerian Diaspora is growing on a rapid basis. There was a figure that we might have roughly about 10 to 20 million-plus Nigerians in the Diaspora alone.
With your exposure, what impression do the foreigners have about Nigeria and Nigerians?
There are diverse opinions about Nigerians generally. In some places, Nigerians are seen as fraudsters, but to a large extent, which we don’t talk about quite often, Nigerians are respected for their tenacity, creativity, entrepreneurial mindsets, hospitality, and much more. Nigerians are doing exceptionally well in the Diaspora and are perceived as intelligent people. On a recent trip to the United States, I sat down with some African -Americans to discuss Africa and its people. I found out that a lot of them respect Nigerians, for their intelligence, smartness, and tenacity through what they bring to the table regularly. You have Nigerians in every walk of life, whether it’s in sciences, arts, or engineering, you will find a Nigerian. Two in six black people that you meet in the Diaspora are either Nigerian or married to Nigerians or have some Nigerian heritage and that puts us in a good position.
Of course, when it comes to Nigeria as a country, the story is always that of concern. A lot of people are concerned that how can we have this pool of resources and great individuals doing well at the African Development Bank, WTO, WHO, and World Bank, and we still have a nation that is struggling? So there are questions like this that still run in the minds of most people that you meet in these places. But by and large, Nigerians are perceived in a mixed light. Nigeria as a country is often perceived in a much dimmer light than Nigerians are.
You have over the years empowered youths through your initiative, what has been the driving force?
When I look at my life and the opportunities I’ve been given, the blessings that I’ve received by living in the United Kingdom and putting them side by side with my background, I am convinced I need to give back to my country. That is what drives me! This is why I am committed to creating opportunities for young Nigerians to see what they can become much more than what they are currently going through in the tough climes of Nigeria as well as see the world as a global stage where borders are not a limit anymore. I have always stated that I was not the smartest or the brightest kid in school while I lived in Nigeria. Growing up in Lagos, I was 18-years-old before I left the shores of the country and I never passed my exams, with flying colours. I was always the average student and most of it was based on the environments that I found myself in, but the moment I was taken out of the environment and planted in the Diaspora and given needed opportunities, my life has never remained the same. So, my driving force is to create opportunities for inspiration and entrepreneurship. I thank God that we have been able to impact many lives through our initiative. There’s also the drive to live a legacy that my children can have the choice to come back to live in their motherland without constraint.
Are you impressed with the results of your impact on Nigerian youths through your initiative?
I have mixed feelings, if I will be honest, I would love to see more, I would love to see us make much more impact. We’ve had the opportunity to support a young business that had no clue about its future. We put them in our incubation programme where we helped them to understand the dynamics and the basics of business and business management.
We helped them and they saw a 200 percent increase in growth in their business. We’ve also been able to send some out-of-school kids back into school as part of our initiatives. So we’ve seen some progress. We’ve seen national coverage, we’ve been on national television, and we’ve seen some level of impact being created so far. However, being the kind of person that I am, I want to see more, I want to do more and that is still a driving force for me.
What should Nigerian youths expect from your empowerment programme this year?
We are coming back with our annual Redefine Success Summit, where we are going to be looking at the future entrepreneur and intrapreneur. We are going to be talking about how to thrive wholesomely in a post-COVID reality and also create an opportunity for interaction and engagement with Nigerian-based high flyers and international speakers. The summit will be held in a few months’ time.
and then