How do you mould a better people out of ordinary citizens or customers? Or build a strong economy supported by strong local output? It is surely by giving the citizens the necessary support that stirs them towards achieving the extraordinary. This can either come through provision of formidable knowledge bank or educational facility that helps them hone their skills. By providing such people with the financial support that pushes them towards achieving tangible goals – long-held business dreams, projects or other vital pursuits – the economy would be boosted and the living standards of many would be enhanced.
These are not going to come through government effort alone. No, it’s going to be attained by the co-operation of the leadership of the public sectors and the goodwill of private businesses.
In Nigeria, we have seen quite a number of corporate initiatives that are driven by sheer concern for the ordinary citizens. Some of the beneficiaries of these initiatives are either the benefactors’ customers or anyone with blood running through their veins. In Abuja, where dozens of participants were presented with prizes ranging from N500,000 to N10 million by the largest telecoms and ICT company in Nigeria, MTN, through its Cash Quest consumer reward promo, the idea of the ‘Better Me’ brand proposition began to make sense.
A better people, apparently, had been a good people. Now getting to the coveted position of being seen as better is a journey. It’s a journey of inspiration, perspiration and opportunities provided by a better institution. For MTN, investing in people seems an utmost priority.
The pace of change in the world cannot be discountenanced. Nigerians need to be well equipped to meet up. Western nations are raking in millions via the ingenuity of its citizens. Uber, a mobile app for taxi, is shifting its attention to Nigeria subtly taking business away from our local transport union; Facebook is returning millions to its operators at the expense of local ad agencies. There are chips, clothing and machinery that have been developed through the ingenuity of young men and women from other parts of the world. Backed by a strong home government support and structured financial system, it is just a matter of time before the best local invention or conception stands as counterfeit when compared with products from Europe, Asia or North America. Of course, it is an open-market era and only the best counts.
Now what is the hope of the ingenious among Nigerians? What is the hope of the young man with a fresh idea for automobile or micro-chips and others?
Nigeria, as it were, can no longer depend on its mineral resources alone to survive. It is an age that demands human capital development – thanks to MTN for that ‘Better Me’ initiative. Being better, perhaps, presupposes reaching beyond past achievement. It is about acquiring more knowledge for the individual; it’s about creating conducive atmosphere where ideas can thrive for the government; it is about remembering to work towards the good of the host community for the business operators.
Through the Cash Quest promo, MTN is taking the lead in consumer empowerment. So far, no fewer than 200 customers have been rewarded in the consumer promo. Abdumojeed Salawu, a trader, was one of the lucky customers given N10 million at the prize presentation in the nation’s capital. He spoke about how he would invest the money into his fresh meat business.
“My tyre and meat business really needs this money. It was like a dream come true because I have been thinking about where to get enough money to plough into the business in such a way that I can expand to an appreciable level and this N10 million is sufficient for that purpose,” he said.
Like Salawu, Silas Geoffrey, another recipient of N10 million cash prize, spoke about how he would use his prize to encourage others who are striving, especially young ones who have good business ideas.
That, however, was not the first time winners in the Cash Quest promo have spoken about how the prizes have come in handy either to pursue an importation business or promote an ailing venture. Nanna Blessing, a cosmetologist, who received a Kia Sportage SUV through the same initiative a month ago, mentioned how she would brand the car to promote her beauty business. Ekeaku Ikenna, who was among the first batch of winners, had also spoken about how he would use the money to build his automobile spare parts business.
Our democracy is maturing. It needs enterprise to accelerate that process. Without the right support to beef up the confidence of Nigerian entrepreneurs through a strong financing structure and a system that supports ingenuity, the nation may be left adrift of global development. This must not be allowed to happen.
NNANNA NWAFOR
