IS OUR DIVERSITY A CURSE?
S he was dressed conservatively, her jalabiya was plain and simple, the matching hijab neat and held firmly in place with the craft of one who was long established in the art. Her eyes carried a deep intelligence that was plain to see and her tone of voice, though soft, was full of determination and steel. This was obviously someone who knew what she wanted and went out to get it but what gave her such courage to go against the norm and excel, I wondered. what intrigued me was her story “an entrepreneur and the extraordinary lengths she went to succeed.
My nation is blessed with diversity, be it in tongues or tribe, in religion or tradition. we take for granted the beauty of our geography from the beaches in the South to the desert of the North, the rainforests in the west and the magnificent delta in the east nor do we regard the rolling hills, plateaus and mountains we see. By far the most underrated is the power in diversity of our people. Arriving in kano, we met a group of global shapers gathered from the four corners of the nation, easily distinguished by their dress codes, names and accents, all were united around a common determination to make a difference in shaping Nigeria’s future. each had a riveting story to tell, one of battling great odds to set up enterprises that would transform the entrepreneurial landscape of our nation in years to come.
The Almighty is no respecter of persons. He has freely given to all His creation gifts and talents that will make a way for them out of any restraints that man conjures to box them in and is more than able to nurture to greatness anyone who puts their trust in Him. As her story unfolded, I was struck by how determined she was to succeed where no one had dared to thread. Setting up an international call center service in Nigeria is a tough call. To do so, taking kano as the pilot and driving the vision as a woman, even more so. Four times she failed and still she persevered. with each failure she learnt a bit more and it finally paid off when she secured a uS firm to contract her services, putting Nigeria as a legitimate call center destination for the first time with international agencies. It is time to truly embrace our diversity. May the Lord open our eyes to the beauty and strength of diversity in our Nation today.