My Nigeria…

Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Simon Kolawole, has been named among the next generation of African leaders by The Banker magazine, published by the influential Financial Times of London.
Ten other young African professionals also made the list, including another Nigerian, Dr Joseph Adelegan, a chartered civil and structural engineer.
Thoko Kaime and William Kamkwamba, both from Malawi, were named also. Kaime is a risk analyst while 21-year-old Kankwamba is a student of the African Leadership Academy.
Others are: Phuti Malabie, a South African company executive; Nigel Chanakira, a Zimbabawean entrepreneur and business owner; Erik Charas, a Mozambican entrepreneur; Acha Leke, a Cameroonian business consultant; Yolanda Cuba, a South African chief executive; Nathan Reddy, a South African graphic designer; and Jose de Lima Massano, a bank chief executive from Angola.
The Banker, in its current edition, noted that “good news from Africa is often drowned out by a tide of negative reporting”, saying it aimed to combat this “by profiling the achievements of leading young Africans”.
The magazine, which was established in 1926, wrote: “War, corruption, famine and disease. Pick up a newspaper in any developed country and these four words will leap off the page in any given story about Africa. Often it can seem there is no good news to be found in the continent at all.
“Many commentators in the West tend to disregard Africa as a hopeless case, and any good news that emerges is overshadowed by reports of the bad. Average gross domestic product (GDP) growth across Africa, for example, has averaged more than 6% for the past three years – a fact generally ignored by commentators who focus almost exclusively on negative news.
“The Banker has always fought the urge to report negatively on Africa, however, because there is too much good happening to ignore.”
The magazine said the report on the next generation of leaders “is another attempt to redress the balance of bad news. With help from the World Economic Forum (WEF), we have identified some young Africans who we believe represent the future of the continent”.
Kolawole, who was appointed editor of THISDAY in June 2007, is a product of the University of Lagos. He was a British Chevening Scholar in 2005, bagging a Master’s degree (with Merit) in Governance and Development from the prestigious Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK.
Asked by The Banker on the secret of success in an African environment, he said: “We have unlimited opportunities, but some people can see only problems. Problems are often opportunities in disguise. A key secret is recognising that there is success to be made and value to be added in the midst of these challenges. You must use your head positively, creatively. Work hard, work smart. If you see refuse everywhere, rather than keep complaining, why not use your head? Set up a refuse collection company and become a millionaire!”
Kolawole picked the late Burkina Faso leader, Thomas Sankara, as his African hero, noting: “He led by example. He put his country first. He was not perfect, no way, but I don’t ever have problems with people who put the interests of the community above personal interest