PEACE IS CRITICAL TO ENTREPRENEUR'S SURVIVAL - OJEAGBASE
By AHMED IBRAHIM
Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship can only strive in an environment where there is peace and progress, says Dr. Sunny Obazu Ojeagbase, publisher Success Digest.
He spoke at the Success Digest Enterprise Awards Sponsors' Appreciation Dinner held on Friday.
He said, 'Nigeria is beset with many problems. Some of the problems are understandable because we are a multi-cultural society. But far too many of our problems cannot and should not be explained away by blaming our different cultures for it.
Take for instance the issue of power supply. It's more than thirty years that we have been talking about this problem. All manners of solutions have been proffered and so much money has been expended to forestall the light in Nigeria but the darkness has persisted. When an individual or a nation is confronted with challenge that seems to defy human solutions, the only option left is to turn to God for help'.
'One thing that is clear is that most Nigerians know what is wrong with our nation. Almost every one of us is an expert in that area. But what we are in short supply of are people and corporate organizations who will step on the plate and start to correct those things we say are wrong with our country.'
He said that the SuccessDigest Enterprise Awards is one of the initiatives of Success Attitude Development Center (SADC), a non-governmental organization formed in 1995 with the mission to raise and nurture successful entrepreneurs whose business is driven by fear of God, burning desire to care for their families and unquenchable thirst to do well in the community.
'Our vision is to empower people to dislodge the negative mindset that holds them captive and make them live in poverty and squalor to a positive mindset that wakes their sleeping giant to rise and shine. We are to teach them how to develop positive attitudes that will enable them to accept responsibility for their lives and not depend solely on government or relations to take care of their unlimited needs.
'Entrepreneurship is a difficult vocation. And I dare say it I a lot more difficult doing it in Nigeria than most other places. That is why we listed SuccessDigest Enterprise Awards (SDEA), awards money cannot buy, as one of our NGO's achievement.
'Through the awards we have been able to bring into focus credible entrepreneurs that Nigerians would be proud of. Thanks to our sponsors, this award does not come with a price tag. No individual or company has ever received SDEA award by paying for it.
'But we are still confronted with some interesting challenges I am about to reel out in that light.
Creating awareness for our NGO and what we are doing. This is a big challenge because there are millions of Nigerians that could still benefit from our wealth empowerment programmes that are not being reached because of our limited resources.
We need the support of media owners, corporate organizations and individuals to join hands with us in creating this awareness. It's appropriate for me to acknowledge the help we have received form some media owners, especially Brilla FM and Beat FM in this regard.
'Lack of sufficient funds to continue our entrepreneurship courses like the Basic Certificate Course in Entrepreneurship (BCCE).'