Questioning Oyedele’s suitability for finance ministerial office is nonsensical, Kola Amzat

Black man; black heart! This is who we are. A black man never sees anything good in his fellow country’s men and women. This majorly accounts for the reasons why our progress has continually been retarded. This is why the African continent lacks behind virtually in everything.

It’s not rocket science! The name of the game is simply projecting and promoting your own for the global world acceptance.

Is it not curious that of all the continents in the earth surface-America, South America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia, it’s only Africa continent that is far behind, literally contributing almost nothing to the world, in terms of technological and scientific advancement, education, infrastructures, medical innovations, and even socio-political..

Instructively, the challenge in the continent is not for lack of natural endowment, competent and gifted hands. In-fact, the continent is prodigiously endowed with diverse and vast mineral resources, very resourceful, intelligent and human beings, of high mental capacity scattered all over, and of course, beautiful and highly predictable weather.

But the drawbacks remain: we cast doubts and aspersions at each other. We revel in cutting down our stars before they blossom. We deliberately halt our best eleven’s ascendance to stardom, and practically for no reasons other than envy, jealousy and strife.

And, below is just one of those mountains that African aspiring young men and women MUST climb on their way to prominence: 

Very recently, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, ADC Publicity Secretary went amok, questioning the suitability of the Finance Minister, and Co-coordinating minister of economy, Dr. Taiwo Oyedele for the office he’s presently occupying.

The former editor of a national newspaper wanted to be educated on whether the Minister has the appropriate educational background to oversee Nigeria’s economic policies’.

He confessed that he has utmost respect for the minister as he’s convinced that the fiscal policy expert is smart, but, he’s simply of the views that the minister doesn’t have the right education.

According to him, he acknowledged Oyedele’s intelligence and competence but argued that managing an economy requires specialized training and expertise. He went further that the way an Accountant reviews an economy is not the same way a development economist looks at it.

With the Abdulahi’s aforementioned submissions, it’s very doubtful if he has been painstaking enough to digest the profile of the minister as understated:

The Finance Minister and Coordinating minister of economy attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a B.sc in applied accounting.

He is a Chartered Accountant, and indeed, a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, as well as a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria 

He completed his executive education programs at the London School of Economic, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and Harvard Kennedy School.

Oyedele had a prosperous 22 years cognate and working career experience at PwC, joining in 2001 and ascended to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and African Tax Leader.

He is also a Professor at Babcock University in Ogun State, and a visiting Scholar at the Lagos Business School.

He was the Thematic Lead for the Fiscal Policy and Planning Commission of the West African Debt Management Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG); Chairman of the Taxation & Fiscal Policy, Faculty Board of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and a member of ministerial committee on the design and implementation of Nigerian National Tax Policy.

Without any iota of doubt, in the contemporary Nigerian, Oyedele is one of Nigerian best, and tremendous applause most go to the Nigerian president who identified, located and brought him in to national limelight and consciousness as Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, an assignment that truly brought about his best, and ultimately launched him into the plum office of Finance Minister, and Coordinating Minister of Economy, particularly at this critical time of multifaceted reforms on-going in the economy consequences of the years of bastardization of the nation economy by the successive administrations.

But, it’s curious and unexplainable that Bolaji Abdulahi and co have really not digested the minister’s profile. Their desperation for criticism of any government functionaries, as well as policy & programs have blurred their sense of reasoning.

Obviously, if they’ve been painstaking enough to comprehensively familiarize themselves with the Ondo state born minister’s educational achievements, they would have readily found out that accounting and economics are indeed the centerpiece of his educational laurels.

For Abdulahi and fellow travelers in the boat of causing disruptions and confusions in Nigeria all the time, they would prefer a Finance Minister and Co-coordinating minister that attended University of heaven, with all degrees in all fields, even, including the one the minister doesn’t need.

In countries across the globe, the best hands are presently in charge of political and economic leadership.

Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister’s reign has increased prospects of Canada rising to contemporary global leadership. The Prime Minister’s responses to a series of provocative statements, and theatrics of Donald Trump have not only been exemplary, articulate, statesmanship, but have also been remarkable and heroic.

In the contemporary Canadian society, Mark Carney is one of the best hands the country have ever produced and the Canadians have not only elected him to lead the country, they have also proudly and stoutly stand behind him and his government’s diverse policies and agenda, in the face of unwarranted provocations and relentless attacks by the gregarious and very disruptive President Donald Trump of America.

For the record, Mark Carney earned a degree in Economics from Harvard University in 1988. He’s a proud holder of Master Degree in Philosophy, as well as Doctorate Degree in Philosophy from Oxford University.

He had a tremendous career at Goldman Sachs, the globally acclaimed American Multinational Investment Bank and Financial Services company.

He served meritoriously as Governor of the Bank of Canada, as well as Head of Bank of England.

The situation is no less for France’s population of about 66.7 million that is being led by Emmanuel Macron as the President.

Macron studied Philosophy at Nanterre University and PR affairs at Science PO, before graduating from the Elite Ecole Nationale  d’Administration ENA in 2004.

After graduation, he got engaged by the French Ministry as an Inspector, forging powerful and imperial connections where he was head-hunted by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 to join the bipartisan Attali Commission on Economic growth.

Macron later joined World of Investment Banking at Rothschild and co rising through the ranks to become Managing Director, earning renown and widely applause for his role in advising Nestles $!2 billion acquisition of a division of Pfizer in 2012.

Macron ventured into politics and governance thereafter, and shortly after, he became Secretary General of the Elysee when Hollande was elected president in 2012, Macron was named France’s Minister of Economy, Industry, and Digital Data.

In 2017, his hour of glory finally came as he was elected France President, beating Le Pen in a decisive fashion, and assumed the authority and power as the youngest French President at 39.

And, since then it has been maximum support from his country men and women all the way up to the present time.

Why is Nigeria’s case always different? Why do we hunt our stars continually? Why do we construct barricades for the country’s best to prevent them from embracing stardom?

Abdulahi and Coy must affirm to Nigerians which other qualifications they expect Oyedele to possess before endorsing him for his present job.

I also overheard him mentioning that a development Economist should be in charge of the economy. Maybe he’s not aware that Taiwo is also an Economist.

It’s also not impossible that Abdulahi and coy are oblivious of the fact that there MUST be a collaboration between Fiscal Policy ( Tax and Government Expenditures) and Monetary Policy (Open Market Operations, Liquidity Ratio, Reserve Requirements, Discount Ratio, Interest Rates) to ensure an efficient, productive and prosperous  economy.

It is important for them to acknowledge that while Dr. Taiwo Oyedele sits at the top of Fiscal Policy as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Dr. Yemi Cardoso administers the Monetary Policy aspects of the economy, and that the two economic chieftains must always work and collaborate together for the benefit of the economy. And, they’re been working in concert.

Maybe, if opposition members were not lacking in the knowledge of the above, they wouldn’t have the audacity and temerity to start questioning the suitability of the Finance Minister for the office.

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB, ACS, ACTIN, MBA),

Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,

09077509348.