Last Father’s Day, I posted a simple message on Facebook to all my ABC children: “Let the worst in others bring out the best in you.” Before you lose thoughts on ‘ABC,’ it means “academic, biological, and chosen/co-opted”I have them big and small and all over. The English equivalent is original Oracleme! The concept, however, is not new. Our ancestors stated it differently: “Ibe na-ezi akọ.” It was my father’s favorite saying. I am passing it on in English to all.
Poverty should not stalk our people if we get our acts together. We can make a good use of the bad hand dealt to us by the current economic woes and high levels of unemployment. We can fight back economically for the good of society. We can short-circuit the deep and dangerous divides between the haves and the have-nots for mutual benefits. It will take the provision of needed services that neither exploit the provider nor cheat the purchaser, with ESERE as the ubiquitous mediator.
Peer pressure is real, but we do not have to succumb to everything our peers do or say. On the contrary, we should learn from their successes and their failures alike, from their actions that annoy and from their exploits that elevate. “Akọ” or common sense does not come from formal teachings alone; it comes also from taking the trauma of trials and tribulations of life and turning it to one’s advantage.
People do a lot better when they are challenged. Survival instinct becomes the incubator of innovations. Think Biafra. Next year will mark 50 years since the end of the war. It pains that we have lost the lessons of Biafra: what it did to us and what we did with it. We lost the peace of “no victor, no vanquished,” but it is late to lament and point fingers. What would Jesus say? Turn the other cheek! We did, and we were smacked yet again.
So, what do we do? What can anyone do in the face of formidable forces that cripple growth and disgust the human spirit? There are no easy ways to build a great society. Nothing great glides into our lives on carpets of coloured clouds; nothing easy ever wears the garment of greatness. Greatness stresses sacrifice, self-discipline, and service.
There are many poor people struggling and striving to kickstart business ventures. Meanwhile, some rich people have the money and are looking for reasonable investments that will benefit society, even if they do not make millions monthly. What if we institute a socioeconomic setup that is bent to bridge the gap between budding businesses and generous givers with the mind of teaching to fish, not dashing out daily dough?
It is called social enterprise. The concept is simple: crowd funding from home and abroad to promote creative concentrations of ideas and talents. With humility, honesty, and hard work, the foundation can grow a new generation of entrepreneurs in Enugu and environs.
I made a similar proposal to the committee set up by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in 2015. I hope someone still recalls the economic committee chaired by Msgr. Obiora Ike and featured some prominent persons. There are no guarantees in such proposals, but it is worth giving a test run. If you don’t try, you have failed; if you try, you may succeed. You never know which embryo will emerge an emperor!
I named the setup “ESERE”: Enugu Stock Exchange and Revenue Engineering. The acronym reminds me of the saying: E sere enu ego, obi ya adị ebe ọ dị! It
captures roughly the principle of ESERE operations: secure a financial base and take studied risks in growing the core by investing in the economic welfare of people. Losses to investors are minimal because everyone buys into the setup for the common good. ESERE is not generally geared towards making profits but more to have social impact.
Everyone likes a success story, and everyone wants to buy into it. Think Rangers: Assuming ENSG floats it as a public enterprise. Hundreds of Nigerians will throw in money and forget about it! A football club will not make investors millionaires; it is just for the bragging rights of ownership of a piece of history! Bring it down to some struggling talents who need a few thousands of naira to give credible ideas a vent. Who wouldn’t want to chip in some kobo on the naira!
The sad side is that frauds scourge the socioeconomic scene. Corruption is dyed in the fabrics of society. Therein lies the challenge of ESERE: a socioeconomic storage that is both accountable and secure, a financial family that has a heart and a soul, and an ụmụnna-like umbrella operated by people with a mind to make money while doing good. With information technology, dark dots in investment are easily eliminated. Look at the banks; they now function at elevated trust levels and bring even the aged and barely literate into cyberbanking. A few clicks and a code get every investor to the heart and health of the socioeconomic setup.
Poverty should not stalk our people if we get our acts together. We can make a good use of the bad hand dealt to us by the current economic woes and high levels of unemployment. We can fight back economically for the good of society. We can short-circuit the deep and dangerous divides between the
Haves and the have-nots for mutual benefits. It will take the provision of needed services that neither exploit the provider nor cheat the purchaser, with ESERE as the ubiquitous mediator.
Now that we know of something to do, the issue to address is simple: Who will bell the cat? Forget government; governments have no business in business. Look in the mirror.
THE ECHO 