Dr Hussaini Mohammed retired as an executive of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) before establishing Muregi Associates, a leadership and capacity-building consulting firm. In this interview with PAUL OKAH, he says government should first tackle economic problems and unemployment; instead of focusing on security alone.
What is Muregi Associates all about?
Muregi Associates was founded about ten years ago, after my retirement as a pioneer executive of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). The board is made up of eminent personalities, including a former minister, a former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), an American, Mr Calvin Alsop. Five of us came together to float a company dealing specifically on capacity-building, like training and retraining of staff of organizations in the areas of management, leadership, consulting, retreat and other advisory services. Muregi Associates is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Centre for Management Development (CMD) and Industrial Training Fund (ITF). In the last seven years, we have done much work for a number of private and public institutions, including NNPC, Raw Materials, SGF office, Primary Health, among others. Our trainings span sometimes three days, a week or two weeks, depending on the desire of our client. We are also into advisory service consulting. We do courses at home and abroad and we have also taken participants to countries like Malaysia, UAE, Ghana, Ethiopia, among others.
What has the experience been like since the establishment of the firm?
Like every other business, we have also had our challenges, especially in recognition of who we are and our capacity. Initial scepticism was there, as the public wanted to know if we were able and capable. Their fears were genuine. However, with the members of the board, there was no doubt about our capabilities. If we didn’t have the capacity, we would have gone under, but we have proved ourselves in the last ten years. I remember many companies that were formed the same time as Muregi Associates. They have all gone under in the last four years or so, especially during the period of recession. Even when the federal government imposed restrictions on oversea trainings on institutions, we still survived. We are particularly grateful to our clients for having faith in us. We wouldn’t have survived without our clients, but we have been giving them quality delivery. We even do trainings and serve as employment agency for banks.
You recently held a training for newly promoted commandants of NSCDC, can you throw more light on what the training was about?
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as a security outfit, realised that their top officers needed leadership and capacity training, so we held a one week training for them on capacity building and good governance, so that they can be up to date; in terms of leadership and management skills. NSCDC partnered with us to give cognate training in respect of giving leadership and management training to their senior executives nationwide. Many of them confessed that they have never had such a comprehensive training and wanted more. We had experienced facilitators from Lagos, Abuja and other places, including a medical consultant, because health is wealth. The officers confessed that they have never had a training with a medical consultant advising them about their health. It was a kind of an innovation. If you are not healthy, you can’t work effectively. If you don’t have good leadership, you can’t put people in the right places or curb security challenges. NSCDC has even said it will involve its personnel nationwide in future trainings because, as people grow in a profession, they embrace more leadership challenges. Even in the military, they send them to various courses to advance themselves, especially coming from different backgrounds. If you don’t get leadership skills, then you are a failure, as it were.
What can you say about security challenges in the country?
I am not a security man, but the challenges are very enormous. Security agencies are facing challenges that, perhaps, that is rather overwhelming. They are lacking the needed capacity. Terrorism is becoming more and more sophisticated. Therefore, what is required is more and more training, retraining and equipment. It doesn’t make any sense if a terrorist is holding a sophisticated weapon and a security officer is holding a dane gun. Terrorists are more equipped than our security officers and that is quite a challenge. Therefore, we should look at why they are failing. Even if you have the material, are you motivated? The motivational factor should be there, so that the soldiers will know that their children will be protected and given scholarships even when they die at the battle front. It is these leadership trainings that addresses such things.
How can you assess the present administration?
Addressing the issues of the past will never address issues of the present. I won’t talk about the last four years of the present administration, because I don’t like dwelling in the past. However, I suggest that the president should make key appointments that will steer the ship quickly. There are two areas today that needs to be focused on: unemployment and economy. The two are above security. If people are gainfully employed, they will not do anything negative. Many people are graduating without prospects of getting jobs. All the negative things in society may not be totally eliminated, but can be reduced drastically if people are gainfully employed. There is no society that doesn’t have crime, but you can avoid crime if you are employed. Believe me, security is not even the greatest challenge of our country. If the issue of economy and unemployment can be addressed well, security challenges will be minimized, though not totally eliminated. To me, security comes third: behind economy and unemployment. In a nutshell, the president should address the economy by appointing the right person as minister of finance, minister planning and key advisers. Who are his economic advisers? Looking back, the president had little or no economic advisers in his first tenure. If that is addressed now, we will be better for it. It is not my business to advise him on who he should appoint, but he can get the best in this country. We have capable people who can hold their own anywhere in the world. I won’t single out anybody to blame in the present administration, but history will judge them.
Who do you think should return as minister or should be in President Buhari’s cabinet?
First and foremost, the incoming cabinet must be made up of people willing to do their best for the country. The president must be willing to choose the best of the best, in terms of performance, governance and what have you. The president should look beyond APC to appoint men of integrity; irrespective of party affiliations. He is no longer politicking, but governing. That’s how it is done in advanced countries. Once election is over, you bring people from all over. For instance, former American President, Barack Obama, had a bitter rivalry with Mrs Hilary Clinton, but he appointed her as Secretary of State after the election. Even Donald Trump reached out to his bitter rivals. That’s what governance is all about. Once the politics is over, you reach out to get the best: whether from APC, PDP, ADC or any other political party. That’s what we should learn from advanced countries. My prayer is for the president to get a team of quality advisers, even if it is from other parties, because we have the best in every profession.
Do you think that Nigerians have been fair in criticising the present administration?
It is good to criticise government in a democratic environment. Leaders must have the capacity to accept criticism and consider or reflect on the issues being criticised. There is nothing wrong in criticising government. In fact, in a democratic environment, those are the people government should embrace. They are criticising something they believe should be done better. If a teacher does not want his students to be asking questions, then how do you improve yourself? Criticism gives people the best and brings the best out of government, so government should accept criticism for development of the country.
