JUMOKE ODUWOLE
IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE!
In her capacity as the then Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment and Secretary to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Jumoke Oduwole is credited for leading the team who was responsible for Nigeria moving up an unprecedented 24 places in the World Bank’s flagship Doing Business Report over the last three years.
Prior to her being called to serve, she had a brief stint in the Nigerian banking sector and then headed on to the lecture room where she held sway as a senior lecturer in International Trade Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos and was an elected member of the University’s Senate. Despite this being a new scene for her, Jumoke has taken up her role in government with enviable confidence and has delivered on her duties with passion and purpose. In this interview with KONYE CHELSEA NWABOGOR, she lets us in on what her current position as Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business entails and also shares her thoughts on Nigeria’s present economic challenges.
Congratulations on your appointment as the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business. Did you see that coming?
In 2015, I was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment. In that capacity, in July 2016, I was made Secretary to the newly established Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and coordinator of the activities of its secretariat with a vision to make Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business. My team was responsible for Nigeria moving up an unprecedented 24 places in the World Bank’s flagship Doing Business Report over the last three years, among other notable achievements. We collaborated widely with all levels of government – the national assembly and the judiciary, all state governments, key business-facing regulators, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders. We jointly began the work of making the Nigerian economy more productive and competitive, and we have some tangible results to show for it.
What exactly does your new role entail?
Even though we have achieved some traction, there is still quite a lot of work to do in consolidating on our achievements and taking things further in this Next Level. I feel extremely honoured to have been appointed one of only seven Special Advisers to Mr President, and entrusted with more responsibility to deliver impact in one of the priority focus areas through the transformation of Nigeria’s business environment.
My role as a Special Adviser to Mr President on Ease of Doing Business demonstrates the Administration’s determination to improve the regulatory, bureaucratic and legislative environment for businesses operating in Nigeria, particularly SMEs to thrive.
A recent analysis by Forbes has rated Nigeria as the 110th best country for business in the world in 2019. The list also states that Nigeria is rated 14th in Africa while South Africa occupies the number one spot. What can be done to improve on this?
In addition to working on hard infrastructure issues such as power, roads and rail, airports and seaports, and broadband penetration, over the last three years we have created a systemic intervention focused on reducing the cost of doing business and the time it takes to do business, particularly relating to interaction with government agencies, with a particular emphasis on transparency and leveraging automation to reduce rent seeking opportunities. I can readily point to the significant improvement in the process of starting a business in Nigeria through automation reforms undertaken by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which is the first port of call for harnessing ideas and unlocking innovation in any economy. Again, our 24 hour electronic visa process application process has enabled foreign investors and business travellers to receive visas on arrival as they forge partnerships with Nigerians. The very first executive order of this administration, the Executive Order 001 of 2017 on efficiency and transparency in public service mandates MDAs to adhere to service level agreements with each other, and as advertised to the public pertaining to their processes. Importantly, EO1 performance is tracked on a monthly basis for select PEBEC agencies, and the public have the opportunity to lodge complaints or give feedback through the reportgov.ng app and portal, which has a mandate for a 72 hour response time backed by the Federal Executive Council.
Going forward, we will be consolidating on the deepening of these reforms to promoting a sustainable reform culture by all stakeholders, as well as taking on the implementation of feedback pertaining to some of our regulators to ensure that we have a regulatory environment that adhere to global best practices in order to support the growth of key sectors of the economy. You can also expect some big ticket, game-changing reforms such as the National Trading Platform which will deliver a single window project and scanners to Nigeria’s ports, starting with Apapa Port, making them more efficient and competitive. Catalytic legislation, such as the Companies and Allied Matters Bill, is also poised to be passed and signed into law before the end of this year.
My role as a Special Adviser to Mr President on Ease of Doing Business demonstrates the Administration’s determination to improve the regulatory, bureaucratic and legislative environment for businesses operating in Nigeria, particularly SMEs to thrive.
Some people would say these numbers look good on paper but it doesn’t necessarily represent the reality on ground. What’s your take on this?
The validations from the private sector regarding the impact of the over 140 reforms implemented by the PEBEC initiative so far are what has led to these modest increases in our rankings. There is really no way to “game” these reports. The World Bank Doing Business report, for example, is hinged on what private sector says they are experiencing, not what governments say. On our own, we track the empirical impact of our reforms from a cost and time perspective and are now moving to tracking actual financial benefit to companies in targeted sectors. Our website www.businessmadeeasy.gov.ng, lists out the reforms and we have received numerous testimonials from businesses on actual impact to their bottom line based on these reforms. For example, Flying Doctors Nigeria Limited, a medical emergency service operating across Central and West Africa has significantly increased the number of patients it has brought into Nigeria in the last 18 months simply because of the availability of the emergency visas on arrival introduced by the Nigerian Immigration Service specifically to address this need. As you can imagine, medical tourism, already impactful on its own in terms of revenue generation for Nigerian hospitals, has an additional knock on effect of demand for hotel rooms for accompanying family members, and the likes. This is how just one reform can be a game changer for a sector.
What are your thoughts on Nigeria’s present economic challenges and how do you advise start-ups work around them?
Our current economic challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria alone. All across the world governments are battling with similar issues. The priorities of this
Administration – tacking security, corruption and growing the economy – have been well articulated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017-2020), from stabilizing the macroeconomic environment to investing in our people and building a competitive economy, a lot of work has been in progress and is beginning to bear fruit. The journey is not necessarily and easy one but it can definitely be done with collective effort. With government spending at less than 10% of GDP, we definitely need a vibrant and proactive private sector. I’d encourage them to think global – to do the work, do the research on how to be globally competitive, set high standards from the beginning. Be out there! It takes courage but playing to win is something Nigerians are actually great at. Connect with ecosystems and networks in your sector so you learn the lessons that others have already been through – don’t allow excuses or blame the system because every problem is an opportunity.
Tough as it may be and there’s a wealth of knowledge and experience out there – others are pressing in, paying the price and making it work.
Determination, resilience and good old favour will take us all towards where we want to be in life because “fortune favours the brave”.
What are your thoughts on the growth of the Nigerian fashion industry? Any favourites?
Phenomenal! I’m a die-hard fan of Nigerian fashion. At least 90% of my wardrobe is proudly made in Nigeria. Simply Beautiful clothes! Many people know I wear a lot of my bestie, Folake Coker’s designs. I’m a real Tiffany Amber girl. The major milestones in my life over the last 20 years can all be chronicled with TA pieces and influences. Of course, all the clothes in this shoot, except one outfit, are TA or TAN (their diffusion line) Lol! I also support a lot of younger designers as well. The gorgeous and fun mustard jumpsuit is a Lady Biba piece and I’m quite the #LadyBoss wearer at work. I wear a lot of TIFE and GREY, Moofa, Exclamations! and more for work and for life. I’ve been eyeing OlarSlim since one of my mentees rocked an interesting shorts jumpsuit at an event we were at a few weeks ago but I don’t own any of her pieces yet. I constantly meet designers at exhibitions, fairs and shows and I also have my tailors, from the high end ones to my faithful and reliable Louis or Biliki at Sura Market. I really enjoy supporting them and wearing all these clothes. I feel especially exotic when I’m abroad and people ask about my clothes or bags or hair or lipstick and I smugly tell them that they are Nigerian brands, but I really can’t wait to see some of these businesses come to full scale mainstream on the global fashion scene. Why can’t TAN overtake Zara or Mango in a few years? Zashadu up stage Prada? Tara dethrone MAC?? Why not? There’s definitely the selfish angle to all this. Nigeria can earn much-needed foreign exchange from exports of our clothing, apparel, leather and other accessories, cosmetics and more not to talk of the number of jobs that can be created from local light manufacturing for consumption and for exports. I’m personally committed to solving their business environment challenges so they can produce locally and dominate the African market and beyond. It’s really in all of our interest to consciously buy Nigerian and wear Nigerian to help grow our own economy, while looking and feeling absolutely fabulous!
What are some of the successes recorded when you served as SSA to Mr President on Industry, Trade and Investment, and now as SA of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC)?
The first thing I would mention is that we were able to noticeably diminish the very significant trust deficit that existed between the private sector and government prior to 2016. We did this by engaging a lot with private sector and mediating between private sector and public and civil servants to foster dialogue and mutual understanding of their roles. Another area I am proud of is the building of a systemic intervention from scratch without any preexisting structure, and ensuring the sustainability of the project to this point. Fostering a sustainable reform culture within some MDAs and getting some of the reforms the PEBEC has birthed beyond the possibility of unravelling if we take our foot of the pedal. For example, in 2017 we partnered with the National Assembly to pass two critical laws in the area of access to finance, which is a major issue for SMEs in Nigeria by underpinning our credit bureaus and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s National Collateral Registry with legislative frameworks. That feat is about to be repeated with some key legislations that we have loading.
Prior to your being called to serve, you were a senior lecturer in International Trade Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lagos what was that experience like? I left a career in investment and corporate banking to pursue academia and I have never regretted
Tough as it may be and there’s a wealth of knowledge and experience out there – others are pressing in, paying the price and making it work. Determination, resilience and good old favour will take us all towards where we want to be in life because “fortune favours the brave”.
that decision even for a single day. Academia gives you the liberty and space to develop your mind and is actually excellent preparation for public service. Those were the years that I really came into my own. I think I can refer to teaching as my first love. I simply love my students!! The opportunity to impact and help shape young minds was such a privilege, and now it is always so gratifying to see them thriving in various works of life ranging from following in my footsteps in public service or academia to tech, fashion and creative industry, business, and of course, becoming stellar lawyers in practice.
Do you see yourself ever returning to the lecture hall?
I have never stopped teaching, and I don’t think I ever will. Almost every time I have the opportunity to speak to an audience or to my team I end up defaulting to teaching mode. Its basically part of who I am.
Do you see yourself ever going into active politics.Any plans?
Why not? If the timing and the role is right I’m 110% committed to active public service.
It’s often been said that politics is a dirty game particularly for women. What’s your take on that?
I do not believe that “politics” should be looked at with such a limiting lens. We really must demystify these stereotypes. Every situation would be different so we need to do the research and hard work.
If I am convinced that running for office is what I want to do, then I will face it wholeheartedly, the same way I face every new and challenging opportunity – with rigorous preparation, determination and courage.
Any observation about the challenges that women face that are specific to the public service space?
In my opinion, people, not only women, face the same challenges in public service as they would in any other professional space. Competing or collaborating to excel and reach the top of any professional ladder has its demands. Again, I would not shroud wanting to excel in public service in any more mystery than I would have given wanting to reach the pinnacle of my earlier banking or academic careers.
We need to change the rhetoric from public service being some unknown space that many people are afraid to explore because it is critical that a certain minimum percentage of the best minds in every country willingly serve in nation building. In Nigeria’s case, it has become existential for us that this should be the case.
In any area, I find myself, exhibiting character, competence, capability and courage are my mantra, and these are pretty much transferable through all works of life.
What are some of the most rewarding experiences you have had as a public servant?
The first deeply rewarding experience I’d share was when I informed the Vice President that Nigeria had moved an unprecedented 24 places up on the World Bank Doing Business rankings in 2017. With the effort and political capital that he had expended in actualizing Mr President’s directive to the PEBEC to move up 20 places that year, and was one of the top 10 most reformed economies that year, it was so gratifying to share that the systematic and well coordinated approach taken by the Council had bore globally acclaimed fruit, and that we were progressing in the right direction.
Of course, working with federal and state MDAs to deliver consistent upward movement in our indicator areas year on year since the inception of our initiative is really meaningful. It is exciting to see some officers in agencies that were originally almost hostile and resistant to change become self-motivated champions of reforms, “efficiency conscious” and seeking the leverage of automation on processes themselves. Indeed, some once defensive public officials now have a deeper understanding of their role in contributing to Nigeria’s economy and have become evangelists for reforms in their various MDAs. The journey ahead is still a long one but on two occasions now we have paused to recognize the hard work of such colleagues and our partners through the Annual PEBEC Awards events.
As a wife, mother and public servant, how do you find balance and unwind despite your busy schedule?
As a wife, mother, daughter, sibling, mentor and friend, as well as a busy professional, like everyone else, I do what I must to make it all work!! No, seriously, first of all I have an extremely supportive and encouraging husband, and a strong support network of family and friends as well. I also now actively take steps to ensure that I do not stay under too much sustained pressure for too long, and that I don’t over exert and overcommit myself. With the increase of lifestyle and stress-related illnesses it has become really important that we all do this. I commute between two cities on a weekly basis so I try to as much as possible ring-fence my weekends primarily for family time and rest, but in general, for private time. I do try to keep these boundaries. With public service in particular, if you allow it, your whole life will be consumed by work and/or work-related events and conversations even at the weekend because well meaning people see you and remember their issues, ideas and suggestions, or want to have an exciting debate on topical events - leaving you with no time for a mental break - so I have had to learn to “say no” and to try to practice lessons learnt a few years ago from the book “essentialism” - the disciplined pursuit of less!
What drives you in life to keep pushing boundaries?
To put it simply I’ll have to say its “God at work”. I truly consider it a privilege to serve Nigeria. For me, it’s really more about being impactful and making a difference on this God-given assignment than about pushing boundaries per se. I really didn’t start off planning to do many of the things that I’ve done, it’s been a whirlwind adventure with God and I know this for sure because looking back at my life, I could never have designed it the way its turned out so far.
If I am convinced that running for office is what I want to do, then I will face it wholeheartedly, the same way I face every new and challenging opportunity – with rigorous preparation, determination and courage.