Despite the socio-economic problems that has made the intellectual community not-so-conducive in Nigeria, various researchers and analysts have gone the extra mile to find a lasting solution to the crippled economic sector of Nigeria the poverty capital of the world.
One of such individuals, who have consistently taken efforts to lead the development of the economic sector in the country, using his unique understanding of the sustainable development goals, in areas ranging from sciences and business to SMEs and microfinance is Segun Iroko. OYOINSIGHT.COM’s Managing Editor, Adebayo Abdulrahman spotlights him.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: FROM IGBETI TO ESPAM
Born on the 3rd of November, 1972, his educational voyage from Igbeti to Espam drilled him with the required knowledge for a purposeful career. In 1991, he bagged his West African School Certificate from the United Missionary Church of Africa Secondary School Igbeti Oyo State. From there, he attended the Kwara State polytechnic, Ilorin where graduated with an Higher Ntional Diploma in 2001.
He bagged his post graduate Diploma and Masters Degree from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, in 2009 and 2011 respectively. He then proceeded to the Espam Formation University Zone Dambassade, Cotonou, where he bagged his PhD. In 2018.
A 5-STAR ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND GROWTH PLANNER
Between March and April 2018, Segun worked as an agriculture consultant on the Nigeria Economic and Recovery Growth Plan focus laboratory project for 2017-2020.
This laboratory was designed to fast track achievements of set objectives in the ERGP plan by providing a forum of engagement between private sector investors and public-sector officials and its main objective was to unlock stranded capital for economic stimulation; given the realization that investors capital is often tied down due to government bureaucracies and regulatory issues.
However, during the presentation at the ERGP focus lab; Segun, based on the potential in his business and SME presentation to have a lot of impact in business sustainable development in Nigeria and the world at large, earned himself a 5 star which is the highest grade in the system.
‘Cassava Alone Can Fund Nigeria’s Budget’
While working as a technical consultant for Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), on the development of cassava value chain with full backward integration, Segun and his team carried out a development research and discovered about 21 output products from cassava that can turn around the fortunes of the farmers and Nigeria at large.
He then helped established a cassava ethanol processing factory in Ogbomosho that has the capacity to produce 1000 liters of ethanol per day as a pilot scheme for the outcome of their research. He discovered that if Nigeria can invest on 4Million hectares of cassava farm and set up processing plant of various products and capacities in different zones, the output, can to large extent, fund the countrys Budget.
INTERNATIONAL ENTREPRENEURAL JUDGE
For the past nine years, Segun has served as a judge to select the best and most innovative champion for the ENACTUS world cup across the world.
ENACTUS is the world largest experiential learning platform dedicated to creating a better world while developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators.
The Enactus network of global business, academic and student leaders are unified by our visionto create a better, more sustainable world. An annual series of regional and national competitions showcases Enactus teams impact, evaluated by global business leaders.
STRONG HUMAN RESOURCES OVER COLLABORATION AS AN APPROACH TO NIGERIAS DEVELOPMENT
To Segun, for Nigeria to ensure that by 2050, over 200 million Nigerians will not wallop in abject poverty, seeking answers to this question must be a key catalyst that informs policy and projects planning and implementation for the country, because, This calls not only for collaboration between public and private sectors but also for strong human resource input especially at leadership levels of society.
