Olubanjo, also a gospel singer, has done many programmes at Pan African University on management and entrepreneurship. In this interview, she reveals how she started EPA and why more Nigerians need to invest in themselves through capacity training.
Excerpts:
How did EPA come into being?
Well, the organisation was registered in 2006 but our activities were low-keyed. However, three years ago, we started working fully on financial management.
What prepared you for this role?
I have been earning money for myself since I was a child. In those days, our parents believed that we must do one handwork or the other. When I was in the Catholic School, I learnt to do crochet for sale. As I got into secondary school, I was still doing it. During my days in the polytechnic, I started using twinges to make shopping bags. Sometimes, I lined them, sometimes I didn’t. At that time, I was staying with my elder brother.
His wife used to sell these bags to her American friends. So every month, she did the selling while I made the bags. I’ve always known that one can make little things like that to earn some money and take care of oneself. I also used to bake. And so I had always felt that I would be doing something for myself when I grow much older. I am of the opinion that anybody can do that too.
My father had me when he was 50 and so by the time I was in the higher institution, each time I took a good look at my dad, I felt that I was the one who was supposed to be taking care of him and not the other way round. I felt he was too old for that. So I told him that he should not give me any money for upkeep. So, that also helped me to strive harder at using my talent to generate wealth from economic activity. It worries me when I hear people say, “I don’t have a father or a mother to help me out, I don’t have anybody to sponsor me…” I tell them, “You can do something on your own.”
Many people will tell you one needs money and connection to do these things or that the environment then was more conducive to venture into things like that, unlike what obtains now.
My reply is, no! How much did I start with? There are more opportunities now than there were then. People only need to open their eyes and try to solve a problem. You don’t have to be fully engaged in it; you can start on a part-time basis first. And there are many people who are already doing it but there are many more that should be doing it. That is why I am interested in capacity building and training.
Apart from the fact that the young can engage in it, it can also help those who are growing older. Nobody can make you retire; you retire when you believe you need to retire. But you should plan your life, because by the time you retire when you are 60, be it from a government corporation or any other establishment, and God says you are going to die at 90, that leaves a gap of 30 good years. So, what will you be doing for those 30 years? One would just be miserable. These days, people don’t look up to their children anymore. One has to start making preparations for retirement.
Would you agree that Nigerians are not into entrepreneurship?
I will not categorically say they are not. But the number could be more. And it could be at different levels. What can be responsible for people not to want to do something for themselves? It is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of “will I be able to make a success of this?” It’s basically fear. And secondly, not knowing what to do. A lot of people bring money and say they don’t have an idea of what to do. But money is not the first thing.
What’s the first thing one needs to consider?
The first thing is to ask yourself what the people need? What are the opportunities available? Doing business is solving problems. You provide solutions to people’s problems. It depends on where you are. What do the people there need? You then begin to look at providing that need and they will be paying you in return for the service that you render. I also sing; I sing songs that win souls and bless people. If I get to a place, and I think they have a need because of the situation they are in, if given the opportunity, I’ll sing to lift them and also sell my product that has the message. So, I’ll be solving their problems but also encouraging them to buy my product. So it depends on how you organise yourself.
As a CEO, what is it like working with the younger generation who many have referred to as “half-baked graduates”?
It is the reality of life. Sometimes, you feel like sacking them. But it depends on what you want from them. They know, here that I am, very accommodating but that does not mean that I’ll tolerate laxity. You can’t do everything on your own. You need people to help out. But what I’ve learnt to do is to look at the areas in which they can function. But if I feel that I am not getting what I want, I then let the person go.
Have you ever been under pressure to reconsider sacking anyone?
As much as I try to be compassionate, I also think that business is supposed to be productive. If someone is not being productive and I’ve done all I could to help, then, sentiments apart, the person would have to go. The wages must be paid and if we don’t work hard, we won’t get money.
Talking about paying wages, one thing many Nigerians would appear not to know how to do is managing money. How do you manage your money and resources?
Again, I prioritise. I look at what is important, what is less important and what can be avoided in totality. That’s one thing I learnt from my father and it has worked for me
So you just don’t dabble into things?
Sometimes, you dabble into things. It’s a risk. But you have to take calculated risks.
Would you say it has been challenging?
Honestly, in a way, it has been challenging. You want someone to work and you’ve done all that you could to make sure that you get the best and then, you find out that you can’t get it. Many of these ones (job seekers), I make bold to say, cannot speak English, many cannot write and then I begin to wonder, how they got through the higher institutions. But our system is so corrupt that some of them cheat all through. So if the corruption is dealt with, things will improve. Also, the desires by so many of our youths to get up without first stooping to find out how to go about it is something else. Because they see other people shinning, they want to shine too without knowing how that money came about?
What are the challenges of running a capacity building organisation in Nigeria?
Well, basically it’s just that people don’t like paying for training. They don’t see it as if they are investing in their own lives. They see it as if they are paying for your services alone. But I tell them, when you invest in yourself, you are your own asset and it’s always good to invest in it.
So, how have you managed to get around that?
The implication is that we had to lower our fees and then seek sponsorship from relevant organisations to support the courses.
Have you ever felt like quitting?
No. Rather, I’ve always felt like I should go on, because it is something that I love to do. I’ve been involved in training women who are not literate. And when you see them doing well and making it, the joy outshines the pain that one goes through. And so, it makes one want to do more. I have a friend who trained with us; after the training, she went to get a vast plot of land and started poultry there. Now she supplies big hotels. I’m very happy for her. She is still working full-time in an establishment. By the time she retires from that place, she will have somewhere to retire to.
That is one. Two, she has provided employment for other people, including graduates and non-graduates. She is an employer of labour too. So her days are fully occupied. You can’t find her with idle people because there is much to be done. Her week is booked with the regular work she does and at weekends, she goes to her poultry. So, there is no place for the devil because some people that don’t have anything to do will begin to perpetrate evil.
Definitely, that woman has found a mentor in you. Who are your own mentors?
My mentor is my husband. I have mentors in different areas but he is my chief mentor. For me to get to any level, my husband must, and is with me. And don’t forget that Jesus is my number one mentor, because I know Him and He speaks to me every day. In music, I also have mentors.
As a singer, how do you get inspiration for your songs?
I write all my songs. If I do any song, if it’s not written by me, then it is a hymn. I get them through the word of God. And I observe to get inspiration.
Tell us about how you met your husband.
We met at the fellowship through sharing of God’s word. We were relations for a long time. We are all from the same place – Ijebu. So we were like relations. And I used to even call him uncle.
So, how did “uncle” transform into husband?
(General laughter) Uncle became my husband. We were friends for five years without anything in mind.
Was it easy or difficult, having to now relate with him as a lover and then husband?
It was funny, not difficult. I was already used to him. So the transition was very natural.
How easy is it combining your role as a CEO with motherhood and being a wife?
It’s about prioritising. You just divide your duties and know what to do at any particular time. I also have helpers; so even when I’m not at a particular place at any time time, I have someone to do what I want done.
Do you still cook for your husband?
Yes, I do. But he doesn’t mind that someone does it. But even though I know he doesn’t mind, I don’t take it for granted. There are times he makes statements that suggest he’d rather want me to do it than someone else. At that time, I simply do it. As long as I am available, I try to do it.
What’s your typical weekend like?
Sometimes, depending on our schedule, we work. But otherwise, on Saturdays I clean the house. I was brought up to know that Saturday is cleaning day and I have stuck to that. So I supervise the cleaning as much as is needed. And then I rest, if I don’t have any other activity. The only other regular thing I do is to go for choir practice in the evenings. On Sundays, I go to church. On Sunday afternoons, I sleep. I stay in bed till 6 o’clock before going to cook.
Did you work elsewhere before establishing EPA?
Yes. But the thing is that I’ve always combined jobs. I’ve never really done only one job. I worked with the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and I was a radio presenter at that time. I’ve worked with my husband in administrative capacity in his accounting firm. I also did other jobs here and there.
That must have been during when you were having and raising your children. How did you cope combining two or more jobs and also raising your children?
I had helpers.
But that’s one thing people tend to shy away from these days.
I say you have to learn to trust and then treat them right. If you treat them like your sisters and brothers, they would not want to be wicked to you. But where they see your children eating chicken and turkey and their own food is without meat, how do you expect them to treat your children well? They will always remember that their mother is bad to them and so they mete out punishment to the children. And any opportunity to harm you, they will not hesitate. So, trust them, treat them like you would your sister and brother and then pray for them. Believe me, you can’t do everything on your own. So you need to believe in others to help you out.
What sacrifices have you had to make to give your children the best?
Yes, it is that of closing early to attend to them. For example, now, I have an eight-year-old who I pick up from school. I have to stay with him till the lesson teacher gets home. I take my work home if there is much to do. I can work till late or sleep for a while and then wake up to work. But the sacrifice is that I close early to be with him.
Do you have any phobia?
One of my phobias is that I do not want to stand before God loaded. I want to empty myself and win as many people as possible for Him. I want to go back to Him empty. I don’t want to go to Him fully loaded.
What do you think people don’t know about you?
Many people do not know I talk. Maybe it is my look, but they think I don’t talk. But I do when I have to. It’s just that I also listen a lot. I’m not the quiet type. Sometimes I plan to talk and sometimes, I just keep quiet.
What has life taught you?
It has taught me to always put my trust in God. And then, that I should live right, because whether you have houses built here and there, or you have plenty or not, you will not take any along when you die. So there is no need rushing to acquire and acquire what you necessarily would not need. That is why I look at our leaders who steal public money and stash it away in one country or the other with pity. I wonder whether they ever think of what would happen, if anything happens to them today.
If you are not working, what else do you do?
I just lie down to relax. I sleep when I can too.
Where is your best holiday spot?
Sometimes when people ask me that question, I tell them my village. But that is a joke. I don’t go there often. I think I prefer the comfort of my home to relax. That doesn’t mean I don’t travel, but I like my home.
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