Below are the things I learnt from different people during this electoral journey:
- [GMB] Failure does not mean impossible! No matter how often and how hard the failure was, picking up oneself and daring to dream again is the greatest gift one can give oneself.
- [Prof. Osinbajo] See a man diligent in his works, he shall stand before kings and not mean men. Focus on being the best at what you do and be diligent at it. Don’t seek the spotlight, it will find you!
- [GEJ] You might never get a second opportunity to do good. While you can, with the power and authority you have, do good and a higher calling will not be far off.
- [Patience Jonathan] Brush up yourself and hone your skills – you never know when duty will call.
- [Reno/Okupe/FFK/Fayose] The only constant thing is change, hence, always be aware that tides could turn. If you do this, you will be careful not to throw stones at your neighbour.
- [Clergies] God rules in the affairs of men. Seek the good of the people and speak the truth to the government in love. Doing that does not undermine your anointing but makes you relevant as a shepherd over His people.
- [Nigerians] Never stop hoping, never stop dreaming, never allow anyone to dampen your faith. Personal gratification at the expense of the poor and helpless only corrupts, and in the end, God will speak for the poor and helpless, and you will be found wanting!!!
I am the author of Scaling for Success: Empowering African SMEs. I am a Partner at Sahel Capital, a food and agriculture-focused private investment firm in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital manages the Fund for Agriculture Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN) and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA).
I co-lead SEFAA, an impact-first fund investing in agribusinesses that provide direct or indirect benefits to smallholder farmers across 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also lead investments and portfolio management for SEFAA and manage FAFIN portfolios, two of which were recently exited. I am a director on the board of one of the portfolio companies and serve in advisory roles for several startups and SMEs.