₦airaland Forum

Germannig:
Pay attention
The title of this post is about his origin, not where his successes come from, or whether he is attuned to Nigerian politics. Same can be said of other Nigerians/peoples of Nigerian origin doing well abroad who did so not because they are Nigerians, but because they found themselves in a working environment where competence is recognized. The man himself knows that he has a 50% IGBO DNA in him.
Him being recognized as black (what he is) and even mentioning Nigeria twice in that article is already a trophy

I doubt if what I'm about to say will change someone's already assumed perception of this man but reading the article you will understand that nigeria was mentioned only 2 times and it's mentioned in relation to his father. If u read it well u will see clearly that it didn't contain any form of recognition of his Nigerian heritage he was raised by a single mother and grew to become a success heavily influenced by his environment of course. His fathers origins aren't his origins. His achievements aren't reflective of his black origins but hardwork and perseverance.
Any one who bothered to read it will see that he didn't achieve what he achieved by being Nigerian, igbo or African. He never met his father probably doesn't speak any Nigerian language and is most likely unconcerned about the political and social climate of Nigeria.
But every one has opinions but if u think he is successful because he's igbo u re wrong, and before you label me all sorts because of ur disagreeing point of view understand something your words have no effect it can't even change the color of my piss so it's useless it's as useless as the assumption that being from a particular tribe is prerequisite to success or greatness. Read the story again and be liberated from that mentality

kingkakaone:
I've discovered that the elites have no tribe or religion, they only have interests.

It is the poorest of these tribes that are extremely tribalistic and foolish. All they do is to vent and poor their frustrations online or engage in needless ethnic battles online.

Check the wealthiest men from all tribes in Nigeria and see how they flow together, even the middle class in entertainment and politics are on same frequency.

While the poor are being tribalistic, the wise and rich are building bridges.

It is only wisdom that will make me understand that having the richest and most powerful man in Nigeria from my tribe won't put a dime in my pocket neither will it increase my bank account by a kobo.

Friends, stay close to others and build your empire instead of cutting down chances of getting to the top of the ladder.

franchasng:
maybe Yoruba elites don't have tribe, but every other elite have tribe.


Buhari is an elite, but he is more tribalistic than tribalism.

El Rufai is an elite, he is too!

Tinubu is also an elite but very tribalistic if u know him in real life.

Donald Trump is a super elite and he is the chief racist!


Adolf Hitler was a super super elite and he was a racist.

Stalingrad was a super elite and he was a racist!

Albert Einstein was a special elite and he was a racist who based all his teachings and theories on Jewish Physique, which angered Hitler.

Moses in the Bible was a racist or tribalist which made him commit murder to save his people and he was more than an elite.

So many rich, famous great men are tribalists and racists. I used to be a nationalist but thanks to Nairaland for making me realize how much other tribes hate my people so now its my people first then others follow, that's my new principle now even in real life.

You can chose not to be a tribalist but don't think if u are not tribalistic or racist, that its a sign you will become successful or join the elites.

For your info, history have shown that most tribalists and racists usually end up rich and famous, u can check records from the Bible to date

I am a proud tribalist; Igbos first, others follow

kettykin:
From humble beginnings to Queen’s right-hand man, how Ken Olisa became the most powerful black man in Britain

From humble beginnings to Queen’s right-hand man, how Ken Olisa became the most powerful black man in Britain.

For most children who grow up in single-parent homes, their future solely depends on the ethical tone at home.

If a child’s single mother or father is always moping and is unmotivated to make ends meet for the family, then the likely outcome of the child’s outlook on life is that of despair rather than hope.

The child, sometimes, has the potential to be successful but does not get the right environment to thrive in.

For Ken Olisa, his mother was a very driven woman who always expects everyone to put their best foot forward in all they do. “There was a high moral tone at home”, he said in an interview.

It took a lot of perseverance and self-motivation to get Olisa where he is. He admits his mother, teachers and community were also instrumental in his success.

He added that while in primary school, his headmaster introduced them to classical music and made them try caviar to prevent them from being intimidated by the affluent in society,

Born to a Nigerian law student and an English woman, Olisa was raised in his mother’s Nottingham home. His parents divorced and his father returned to Nigeria. He never met his father but that did not stop his single mother from providing her son with the best way she could afford at the time.

They lived in a house that had a hanging bathtub and the toilet was outside the house. “I always remember we lived in this house where you went in through the front door straight into the front room. There was an outside toilet stuck on at the back and a bath which hung on the outside wall. It doesn’t matter where you start from, it is where you want to try to get to that makes the difference,” he said to the Independent.

With an average working-class upbringing, Olisa, in November 2015, was officially named as the most powerful black person in Britain. Chosen for his work in “tackling homelessness and poverty”, Olisa topped a list of Britain’s most influential black people, a BBC report said.

He beat the likes of Sir Lenny Henry and Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen in the annual list that celebrates the achievements of African and Caribbean people in Britain, the report added.


That same year, he was appointed HM Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, with his jurisdiction covering thirty-two boroughs excluding London itself where the Queen takes charge of.

“The title gives him an office in Whitehall, a staff of 90, and puts him in charge of all visits made by the royal family within the city – with him even standing in for them on occasion,” The Telegraph wrote in 2015.

He was knighted in the 2018 New Year’s Honours for services to business and philanthropy.

Olisa had his college education at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge. There, he met his wife Julia and they have two grown-up daughters and grandchildren.

While at Fitzwilliam, he was the recipient of an IBM scholarship and later rose through the ranks of the same company, IBM after school. From there, everything has been uphill for him. He is now one of the most formidable businessmen in the country with a philanthropic streak to his name.


Olisa has a lot of firsts to his resume. He is the first British-born black man to serve as Director of an FTSE-100 company (Reuters), the first black master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and the Lord-Deputy Director of the Institute of Directors.

He went on to establish two technology companies: Interregnum, the first technology merchant bank (Restoration Partners), and Wand.

He and his wife are well known for their philanthropy. Olisa is an advocate for social inclusion, social mobility and getting homeless people off the streets.

His unsupervised position as Lord Lieutenant gave him the liberty to engage other outfits to aid his philanthropic works. He is the President and former Chair of Thames Reach, which provides accommodation for rough sleepers and homeless people, including people with mental health or drug misuse related issues.

He is Chair of the Shaw Trust, a charity that helps to transform the lives of young people across the UK and overseas.

Olisa is also the founding Chair of the Powerlist Foundation, a charity that identifies and supports future business leaders from diverse backgrounds; a former Governor of the Peabody Trust, a body that provides housing solutions for Londoners and those in South East, and a former Non-Executive Director of the West Lambeth NHS Trust.


When asked anytime what his proudest philanthropic act is, Olisa said it was the moment he and Julia donated £2m (2 million dollars) to his Almer matter in aid of an IT library in 2011.

The library was named after him and he is more than thrilled about it. “I want to be able to enjoy what I can give back in my own lifetime and we wanted our children to see how happy it has made their parents to give away money to help strangers…I am immensely proud of the work of Thames Reach and Shaw Trust for example, but I have very little to do directly with their success, whereas the library, it’s me,” he was quoted by Philanthropy-impact.org.

On becoming a role model for people of colour, Olisa did not want to feed into stereotypes. He believed that a person’s skin colour shouldn’t be a hindrance to them achieving their goals. Now, he is fully converted about the idea and is a role model for the BAME in Britain and beyond.

An encounter with his driver helps him ease into accepting the role. “I had an epiphany a few years ago: I was being rather dismissive while on the way to chair a debate about the need for role models for young black men.

“My driver, whom I had known for several years, stopped me in my tracks. He said that he lived in Peckham and his children believed that people like them didn’t work. They dismissed their Dad’s evidence to the contrary in favour of their neighbours’ experiences.

“I sympathised and asked how things were now and he said the problem was solved – both kids were going to University. I asked what had changed their attitudes and said that he had downloaded my CV and shown it to them as proof of what was possible. I am rarely speechless, but I was then.”

This experience birthed the Aleto Foundation, a mentoring charity that provides social capital by building the confidence of young talents.

Currently the Chairman of Interswitch (Africa’s largest e-payments company), this multifaceted man believes that philanthropy is more than just giving money away.

Most people think about philanthropy as a steppingstone to fame. A lord-lieutenant does not need such leverage. Olisa says philanthropy is about “engaging rather than signing cheques”. To him, it is a means to bridge the gap between the disadvantaged and “the elite.”

Olisa ascertains the fact that there are still some good people out there who just want to see others thrive.

He said to the Telegraph “…black people can do everything. There can no longer be an argument that if you can’t get on because you are black. There are lots of other reasons you can’t get on – you’re incompetent, you can’t speak properly, you can’t spell, you don’t get to work on time. But it’s not because you are black.”

selemempe:
urhobo?

Ekpeitit:
TRUE,Igbos are the BEST,smartest, richest,strongest,most intelligent, most educated,most innocent, most law abiding and most ARROGANT people in the world, if you are still wondering why everyone hates you, there's your answer.

kingkakaone:
Yes, any problem?

Aidejay:
anti igbo
Pro yoruba

No one identifies with a bad person. Am I right @ kingkakaone

Germannig:
When you call the bad Igbo person an Igbo, then expect us to call the good Igbo person an Igbo. How does that sound? Deal?

Aidejay:
and what will you do if I don't "Deal"
Okay from today I won't call a bad igbo person an igbo if I have done so before then i was wrong but please tell me that's not the only thing you picked out of the whole post here it is

selemempe:
the problem is that it is easy to preach yoonity cos u are from a tribe [s] of less than a million people. U cannot form a country via just ur tribe. U cant even form a state not to talk of a zone or a country. [/s]
To many igbos and yorubas, we are good to stand on our own might as a nation. That is why tribalism is a big part of our culture. Dont expect it to change soon. There is no nigeria in the real sense. There is yoruba, igbo, hausa/fula nations and others

Germannig:
When you call the bad Igbo-Nigerian person an Igbo, then expect us to call the good Igbo-Nigerian person an Igbo. How does that sound? Deal?

kingkakaone:
A very good question.
I like that.

Efewestern:
You are ignorant to say the Urhobos are less than 1 million, how you lie about everything just so you could feel good about yourself beats me.

Play all your tribalistic bullshit, but keep Urhobo out of your rubbish STATISTIC, don't go about undermining us just so you can prove a point.

Urhobo has a total land area of 5000 square kilometres, Lagos state has about 3400 square kilometres, meaning Urhobo land is bigger than Lagos state, so you lie about Urhobo not able to make a state.

Urhobo land is 5 times bigger than Singapore which has a total land area of 725.1 square km. So what are you saying?

gidgiddy:
States are created based on population, not landmass

Efewestern:
You are ignorant to say the Urhobos are less than 1 million, how you lie about everything just so you could feel good about yourself beats me.

Play all your tribalistic bullshit, but keep Urhobo out of your rubbish STATISTICS, don't go about undermining us just so you can prove a point.

Urhobo has a total land area of 5000 square kilometres, Lagos state has about 3400 square kilometres, meaning Urhobo land is bigger than Lagos state, so you lie about Urhobo not able to make a state.

Urhobo land is 5 times bigger than Singapore which has a total land area of 725.1 square km. So what are you saying?

Germannig:
Anybody who calls a bad Igbo person an Igbo, instead of a Nigerian, should not complain when they hear Igbo Amaka. They can't eat their cake and have it.

selemempe:
lol...easy bro
1st of all, forget nigerian statistics. I can tell u for free that the population of nigeria is not up to 160 mil. Oil money is the reason why we kept hyping our numbers. Igbos are maybe 20 mil max...yorubas are mayb 23 mil. Urhobo is mayb 800k
As for land, singapore is an island...is urhobo an island?
Look at urhobo map inside delta state....compare it with the mass of countries around west and central africa and tell me how it makes sense for ur tribe to become a country. And how do u plan to bypass ijaw to have sea access?
Even igboland that is 40,000kms (8 times the size of urhobo) and opens up to the sea at PortHarcourt is not up to the size of the smallest countries in the region. Look at igboland map within nigeria
My point is, igbos, hausas and yorubas have a chance (even if its slim) of being their own countries...that is why tribalism will not die in nigeria any time soon. Wat i suggest u minorities should do is to choose sides btw these 3 nations and break out of this unworkable union once oil era ends...cos bro, nigeria will never really progress with our tribalism and bro, tribalism will never die in nigeria.