Africa’s foremost serial digital entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, has explained why he has stayed away from politics even when he had the opportunity to make a success out of it. He also expressed overflowing gratitude to Nigeria, a country he said has “boosted and blessed me.”
On whether he would join politics after a successful run in entrepreneurship, he said: “Me, politics? No. I would have been governor of my state long, long ago, but politics is not my calling. However, I support progressive, ideas-driven politicians across the country,” he said.
Ekeh, who is the Chairman of Zinox Group, was responding to questions during a forum of select mentees of young entrepreneurs which ended late Thursday. He recalled his early beginning in the nation’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) marketplace after returning to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
The Zinox Chief, who turns 70 on February 22, took the mentees down memory lane, recalling how he introduced desktop publishing and switched the nation’s publishing landscape from analogue to digital, as well as scaling up his business into what has become a conglomerate today.
“I returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom after quitting my post-graduate programme because I believed so much in this country and the opportunities it presents. Though the country has blessed and bruised me, my dream was unambiguous: to propagate what I called ‘digital democracy’ in a country that in those days was wholly analogue. Today, I will say to a large extent that Nigeria has helped me to actualize my dream, though there is still work to be done.
“Once we were done with digitizing the media, we moved strongly into oil and gas, financial sector, and public sector where we impacted heavily on e-governance. Our ambitious Computerise Nigeria initiative ensured that homes, educational institutions, and ministries, parastatals and agencies (MDAs) which had no access to computers had access. We did not just dump computers on the people, we ensured they were skilled-up to effectively use the systems for enhanced productivity. Nigeria offered me the opportunity to do all this for which I am grateful,” he told the mentees.
Ekeh, an Imo state indigene, was in Owerri at the weekend with other dignitaries including Vice President Kashim Shettima and many governors, politicians and captains of industry at the grand finale of the Imo at 50 celebrations, where he was honoured with the Distinguished Star of Imo State (DSI) award.
While responding to questions on the state of the economy, Ekeh commended President Tinubu for the courage to start the reforms from the day he assumed office, arguing that any delay would have shrank the economy further and completely wiped out investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy.
He referenced the recent verdicts from the World Bank and the Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as evidence that what indigenous entrepreneurs have been saying about the Tinubu reforms as truly progressive is not a farce.
“As a major player in Africa’s ICT ecosystem, I can assure you that major multinationals in this sector are not only investing more in Nigeria, they are collaborating with indigenous players and this is evident in the contribution of the ICT sector to the GDP.
“You will recall that the World Bank Managing Director, Anna Bjerde, who was in Nigeria recently, said Nigeria is now frequently cited globally as an example of steady, credible reform leadership. That says a lot about what entrepreneurs and employers of labour like me have continued to say about the Tinubu government.
“Sentiments aside, President Tinubu is a well exposed visionary leader. He is investment-friendly, he is courageous and he is a good team player. This has impacted the brave decisions he has taken and I am happy that global bodies like the World Bank, and the WTO are talking about it. I have known the President for many years and he has remained consistent to his commitment to national development. I speak here as an entrepreneur, not a politician. I don’t play politics. I am not a politician and I will not be one. I play in the digital space which is the enabler of development and I am happy doing what I’m doing,” Ekeh said.
He recalled Tinubu’s role when he launched the Zinox range of digital products in 2001 when Tinubu was governor of Lagos State, stressing that he has no reason not to support him the way he supports his governor.
“As host governor, he took over the show, owned it and drove it. And that’s because he was futuristic and driven by the vision of a digitally-driven economy. Tinubu is driven by pragmatism,” he said.
He charged the mentees to stay focused on their track and be intentional in their commitment to keep forging ahead even when the tide seems against them; adding that “entrepreneurship anywhere in the world is tough but with patience, perseverance and commitment, you will push through the veil.”
