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My Diary
Day 3
Baptism into International business.
If I was financially loaded, I would dig deep into my resources and immediately extend investment to Antigua. I will do so today.
I would do so from pure instinct and conviction.
Yesterday, I had my baptism into the world of International business, a masterclass of a conversation led by Mr. Gaston Brown, the Prime Minister here, and facilitated by Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Airpeace Airline. After listening to both of them at this private meeting between Antiguan government officials and a delegation of businessmen from Nigeria, I am ready for a plunge into the new frontiers that the Islands of Antigua and Barbudas offer any adventurous Nigerian. These are opportunities in a space that is virgin, ‘innocent’, unpolluted and eager to do business with fellow Blacks from the ‘Motherland’ in a new global architecture.
The carefully selected young moguls are from different parts of Nigeria and from diverse sectors including Real Estate, Oil and Gas, Hospitality, Finance and Manufacturing. Allen, in his wisdom, added Sports to the mix. This raised the eye-brows of the PM a notch, particularly to be introduced to the former captain of the national football team of Nigeria.
The PM and Allen Onyema led the conversations that were brief, frank, promising, incisive and exciting.
Airpeace Airline is to provide the startibg blocks, the most essential service of connecting the ‘Homeland’ to the ‘Motherland’, eliminating the previous excessive cost and circumlocutous connection between the two lanďs separated by Slavery, Centuries ago. The two peoples have been yeàrning for a ‘bridge’ to reconnect them.
Airpeace Airline has become that long awaited and yearned-for link. It will soon start to provide regular direct flights from Nigeria to Antigua, with Lagos as the hub servicing the rest of the continent, and Antigua as the hub servicing the rest of the Carribean Islands.
I listened to the Prime Minister reel out the opportunities that exist in his country, the incentives available for investors from Nigeria (because of Allen), the ease of doing business in this laid-back, tax-free, crime-free environment, and I fell in love.
I listened to him speak about the future he environs of the country he leads, and I was tempted to ask to be made a citizen.
Tgere mire magic to comè.
I listened also to the responses from the Nigerian delegation, one by one as they probed and asked deep questions. I was proud to ciunted amongst them.
Nigerians are born ‘free’ (the freest Blacks in the world), aggressive, confident, friendly, assertive, courageous and daring.
I start to picture the immediate future following this 4-day visit to the ‘Paradise in the Sun’.
What I foresee is too good to be true and to be missed.
Soon, the meeting was over.
We were summoned outside for an evening of music, refreshments and Antiguan entertainment. We met with other Antiguans from different sectors of life as the National Troupe from.Nigeria provided .Great cultural entertain2ment in various Nigwrians dances.
It is there that I met the President of the Antiguan Olympic Committee, the Secretary-General of the Antiguan Football Association, and some other sports officials. Useful conversations have since started. It is a win-win situation for all those that can see beneath the scantily clad women of Antigua (they are everywhere on the Island), and appreciate the benefits in the virgin state of things here.
Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS.
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