Lawmakers need to engage stakeholders to address challenges in education sector — Alaba Lawson

Chief Alaba Lawson is a Nigerian business magnate, entrepreneur and academician.  Currently the Iyalode of Yorubaland, she had served as the first female President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA). She had served also at the top leadership of the Institute of Directors  (IoD), Nigeria. Also on her profile, is being the Chairman of the Board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State. In this interview with the Publisher, Nigerian NewsDirect, she speaks on her paths of achievements as she marks 70th birthday anniversary today (January 18th, 2021). She expressed disappointment on the exclusion of professionals and stakeholders in the process of approving policies and laws for education sector. According to her, policy makers must begin wide consultations with stakeholders in the policy making process. She spoke on the essence of embellishing the education system in Nigeria with technical education which forms a critical aspect of the system of the developed world. Among other issues, she recommended strategies to strengthen the Nigerian economy, mentioning that the cottage industries as the bedrock of economy all over the world, demand utmost attention from the Government with realistic policies that draws inferences from engagement with stakeholders.

As an epitome of excellence in the business world, what are those things you will consider as your achievements as well as the lessons the younger ones can take away from you as you turn 70?

The young ones must be God fearing and of course be hardworking. You won’t be the lazy type and say you want to excel in life. You must be trustworthy too and as business owners you need to be focused. If you don’t have focus, things might crumble. You must have navigated the path that you want to tread so that you don’t run into stormy water. You have to be prayerful too and all will be fine.

Can you give us a bit of your background and your secret of being strong at 70?

I just told you, you have to be God-fearing and leave whatever you want to do in the hands of Jehovah God. Even if you make mistake, it is to strengthen you and then move ahead. Trustworthiness like I have said, you have to trust yourself and others to move ahead. Unfortunately, people don’t look at life from this perspective; what they want is just money but things don’t work out that way. Be God-fearing, be focused, trust yourself and be hardworking, pretty soon, the reward will come.

As someone who has reputation for women empowerment and emancipation, how can it get better for our women?

We have to live according to the time we are in. All the women must remain united because in unity lies strength. We need to be able to focus on all kinds of women programme; be it in cooperative, programming and all other efforts that could grow businesses for women. COVID-19 has had its own impact for better part of last year (2020) and now they are talking of a second wave; women will come out of it very strongly by the grace of God. We can help each other through cooperative and by patronizing one another.

Why did you venture into school business?

It’s a divine call. It’s not what I set out to do; I had wanted to go into acting. I wanted to be an actress but ended up running school business and I really have no regret.

As an investor in the education sector, what do you think is right that we need to do more and best for our education sector to thrive forward?

The policy makers must carry the stakeholders along. It’s like the theory and practical; it’s the practical that will help to determine whether the theory is right or not. For instance, for almost a year, the university students have been at home, that is not compatible with education and the future of any country is education. Education is a good weapon to change the whole world for good.

Can you tell us some of the prominent products of your school — Lawson Schools —-?

They are quite many, we are already compiling the list. They are all over the world even in Sports. We will get back to you when the list is out; that’s our pride. We need to showcase that their foundation is here at Lawson Schools.

One would have expected that as a longtime investor in the education sector, you should be thinking toward setting up a university?

What kind of university do you want Alaba Lawson to set up?  Is it all these universities that they set up these days with nothing to show for it? Is it the one that even the product of a university cannot match up with that of a standard secondary school? No, I believe so much in technical education whereby when they are out of secondary school, they should go to tertiary institutions where they have their talents developed. It could be in engineering, automobile, carpentry and plumbing, among others These are the artisans making waves even in the developed countries; you make use of them everyday.

Are you now making calls that our education system should be tailored towards technical and vocational education?

Absolutely yes! In fact, that is the missing link, it should be tailored towards technical and vocational education such that our graduates will even turn into employers of labour and not be looking for the jobs that are not out there.

What will you consider as some of the lessons life has taught you at 70?

Perseverance and contentment. You have to be hardworking too. You see, all these things are like value chain; they are difficult to come by. You have to be self-disciplined, prayerful, trust yourself and and others too.

You were at a time the National President of NACCIMA, IoD, how do you combine all these responsibilities?

That’s the gift from my creator, the Jehovah God. If He has given you any talent, Jehovah God will help you on how to use it effectively. I can’t do it all alone; I have other people that we work together. I have a team and teamwork is the way to go. Being at IoD never disturbed me from running things at NACCIMA where I knew I did very well. People can testify to all these. I am the type that doesn’t blow her trumpet

At 70, what has been your relationship with the Media ?

I have always been carrying the press along. We still had press parley at my house some four days ago; only that last year we couldn’t do much due to the death of the General Manager of OGBC, Diji Akinhanmi, and many other people. We should give them that respect because they used to be with us but they are no more. It’s a year now that we lost Diji Akinhanmi and I have told the people that there is need to set up Education Trust Fund for children of people who died like this so that the education of their children won’t suffer.  So, we are on that for now and anytime we meet again, it will be to remember these fallen guys in journalism and then launch the Education Trust Fund.

You are also very much into development and providing support for medium scale industries and cottage industries, what can Nigeria do to expand its frontiers as a great weapon in tackling unemployment?

Cottage industries are the bedrock of economy all over the world. If they are not properly taken care of you can’t get the best for the economy. If you take bank loans and the lending rates are 30% or 40%, how do you survive? The government has been trying, no doubt, but a lot is also wrong with the implementation of those funds that have been put in place, and that is why I said the government and stakeholders must work together. Yes, the government brought the idea of community bank which has really been very helpful to the people. The capital for the community bank before was N5m, later it was jerked up to N20m when it became microfinance bank and now the government is saying owners of these Microfinance banks should bring N200m in an economy that is not that favourable; where are we going to get it? No, it’s not possible, and all of a sudden, the federal government started NIRSAL microfinance bank; how does that work? That’s why I keep saying that the government must carry the stakeholders along so as to place practicals side by side with the theories and see how it will work. The government needs to sit down and put away obsolete policies and replace them with new ones that could really help microbusinesses. They form the real foundation of the economy. Sometimes, they are arranged into cooperatives where they get fund with minimal of 5% interest and payable over years. By this, they can engage people who ordinarily would have been idle, that is what I know as poverty alleviation. The whole economy will now revolve around these MSMEs and everyone is engaged and productive.

If you look back, is there anything you wish you could have changed in the last 70 years?

Yes, of course, even in the way our education is structured! Sometimes ago, they started 6-3-3-4 system, what did they bring from it? Look at the schools around you, most of those machines are  obsolete. Is that not sheer wastage of resources? There are plenty of things to change please.

How do you relax?

I relax with religious music, sometimes, gardening and cooking. I go on holidays too. Jos is another good place to be but for the insecurity across the country, may God have mercy.

Women are said to be better managers and with eyes on politics, how you comment on this?

l don’t have eyes on politics. I can never go into politics because I can’t call black white — my white is white and my black is black. My role as a community leader should not be mistaken for being involved in partisan politics; no, I don’t like politics at all.