Soludo, Economic Reforms and Challenges of the Times
By Tony Elumelu
This invitation, as a guest speaker, to deliver a lunch talk in honour of a highly distinguished patriot and an alumnus of this great citadel of learning, Professor Charles Soludo, is easily one of those humbling moments in my life. What a privilege to share this august occasion with a great lion of our generation! Indeed I feel highly favoured and grateful.
The invitation granted me express liberty to speak on any subject pertaining to business, education or e-learning. Unfortunately, I have chosen to talk and cast my focus on something much simpler for me to handle, a more general theme that can save me from the serious screening spectacles of the respected academics here present. Luckily for me, my friend and supervisor, in whose honour we are gathered here, is an accomplished professor. So, should I goof as a neophyte, I trust Prof, being a reformist and rescue economist will surely salvage me. If per chance however, my talk turns out to be topical and aptly reflects the times we live in, then, please know that the Lord's favour is still upon me.
Let us, therefore, reflect on the mercy of the Almighty Lord who gives knowledge and wisdom; the wisdom and knowledge, which when bestowed, on the righteous ones, they apply to deliver and advance their nations. All learning, all education and all business pursuits are sterile, vane and unwholesome if they do not add positive value to society; if they do not salvage the people from squalor, ignorance and disease. True education should liberate the people from fear. For me, this is the reason we are gathered here today. To celebrate a man who is dedicating his education and learning to the service of his people.
Let me therefore crave your indulgence to speak on this innocuous topic - "Unto Thee I Grant - Away From The Precipice and Unto the Mountains". This rather sounds biblical as in the saying - "For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
Our country is characterised by chaos, insecurity, anarchy, greed, inordinate ambition and profligacy. The quest for authentic leaders who will lead us out our morass is the greatest challenge facing our generation today. We must find Leaders in the academia, politics, the professions, government and industries. Leaders upon whom such scarce talents as the power of strategic visioning, focus, dedication to quality social service, drive, momentum and integrity are richly endowed. Leaders with the power of breakthrough, the power to orchestrate positive change in our society and the courage to render selfless service to our fatherland and society in general, no matter the odds. To identify such people is the crux of society. Hence the age old question, "who shall I send?"
Here lies the wisdom and ingenuity of the one many call 'Baba', President Olusegun Obasanjo. Before our very eyes history is being made. First, it was Dr (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC that was picked for service. Today, her prowess is almost legendary and her achievements in the quest to rid our society of substandard drugs breathtaking. She is a tower of excellent service to our nation. And like Prof Soludo, she is a product of this great institution. Her passion is to establish a value adding sync between education, business and life.
Before our very eyes again, another icon of excellence is identified, another great lion is chosen. Unto him was granted a mantle - the government shall be upon his shoulders. He is called to turn things around for his nation and provide succour for the battered economy; where his father's place of worship is abused, he is to turn down the tables and use the cudgel if necessary for the long-term good of all. What a challenge!
To provide healing in terrible ailments would usually require surgery. And surgery is usually associated with pain. The responsibility clearly called for a careful selection of the "who shall I send" - It must be a man of peace, a man of good judgment, a man of great insight and above all, a man in whom education and business must be in sync. Indeed, a man with a lion's heart. And so 'Baba' picked our very own Professor Charles Soludo and commissioned him to take our economy away from the precipice and unto the mountains. And being a lion, Professor Soludo immediately accepted the challenge.
A cursory look at the manifestations of the noble activities of these products of this University, UNN, will reveal the distinguishing traits of great Lions - boldness, strength, resilience, efficiency and effectiveness. Traits that we strive at all times to portray in Standard Trust Bank Plc.
STB is well known for blazing the trail in several frontiers. Our customer service level is acclaimed as outstanding; our corporate governance model is in line with global best practices while our corporate social responsibility to our immediate environments is worthy of emulation. By providing employment to over 3,000 Nigerian youths directly, we continue to give vent to the aspirations of our youths for career fulfilment. With our over 86 on-line, real-time network of branches spread out strategically across the nation, we are always within reach of every Nigerian banking public, thus making life better for our diverse peoples. Our aspiration is to become the Lion King of the Nigerian banking industry.
In similar vein, Professor Charles Soludo who we celebrate today is a Lion. His reform agenda for Nigeria's banking system is bold and heroic. And he is executing this agenda with the speed and efficiency of a true lion. In the few months following his call to duty, he has shown courage, insight and vision. In short order, he has become to many, Nigeria's beacon of hope for a revitalised national economy. We salute you, Charles.
The levers of success today all over the world are anchored on the platform of courage, decisiveness, incisive insight, dogged sense of purpose and a disarming sense of urgency. Without these traits visibly demonstrated and with faith in our Creator, we might as well enjoy popular delusions that ultimately will leave us dumped and dejected like the five foolish virgins as narrated in the scriptures (Matthew 25:1-13).
In the fifties, a Wall Street Journal article ranked Nigeria ahead of Japan among the countries that will be stars in future. Today, our brothers, sisters and children wallow in poverty and move in droves to South Africa and even Ghana in search of education and the good life while Japan enjoys per capita GDP in excess of $20,000. It is a call to duty for all of us particularly my generation. We are proud of you Prof Soludo, for answering the call to duty. For the rest of us, we all owe him a simple duty of ENCOURAGEMENT. That is the least we can do to support this noble cause and divine choice.
It gives me great pleasure to announce the following donations by Standard Trust Bank Plc to support the UNN e-learning centre project as a mark of respect to Prof Soludo:
We will work with the university to build a Hall of Fame.
We will support the university to set up an IT resource centre with necessary hardware, internet connection, computers, scanners and printers.
We will establish a Local Area Network [LAN] linking up the university's principal officers and departments in the university.
We will partner with the university to issue electronic ID cards that would also serve as debit / ATM cards for banking activities in the university.
Let us therefore rise in respect to this great institution, University of Nigeria Nsukka, and in symbolic support to a great warrior of my generation - Professor Charles Soludo.
Mr. Elumelu, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Standard Trust Bank Plc delivered this lunch talk as Special Guest Speaker on the occasion of the Founders' Day/-Reception of Prof. Charles Soludo, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, at the University of Nigeria, - Nsukka.
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