In my drive for Nigeria’s economic emancipation, I came to the realization that there can be no meaningful economic development and progress where a culture of corruption predominates. Corruption has been the bane of Nigerian society for too long. It is at the foundation of the economic morass and social dysfunction in our society today and no conscientious citizen can claim to be unaffected.
Outraged by the flagrant abuse of Nigerian public office for private gain, I volunteered to serve in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (E.F.C.C) during my National Youth Service Corps posting. My choice was ill received by close friends and family who felt that the dangers of working in such a sensitive organization far outweighed the noble sentiments I nursed. But I refused to be dissuaded.
In E.F.C.C, I worked with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Fix Nigeria Initiative (FNI). I also worked with civil society groups and pro-development organizations. Through my research, it became clear that to align economic reform only to corruption and abuse of office is to limit the wider scope of economic empowerment. I have come to believe that building strong institutions is the most powerful weapon in the anti-poverty arsenal of any developing nation.
To this end, I became highly interested in providing consulting services to the Nigerian Public Service. As a result, I left my cozy investment banking job for a role in the global management consulting firm of Accenture. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Central Bank, the Northern Nigerian Development Corporation and the Federal Inland Revenue Service are some of the institutions in which we planted seeds of reform in the hope of reaping a bountiful harvest of sustainable development.
I have chosen to specialize in change management, because I believe the proper management of change would be a huge asset to me in my quest to transition institutions from their current state to their desired future state. To this end, I set up my consulting firm, Kleos Advisory Services. Today, I am a speaker, trainer and consultant in strategic change management.
In conjunction with the global Association of Change Management Practitioners and our international training partner, the Human Change Management Institute, I am currently working to certify and mentor change agents who will be instrumental in transforming Nigeria into the country of our dreams.
Excellent service! Nigeria certainly needs this at the moment