Prince Bimbo Roberts Folayan is the founder of Diaspora Direct Investment Summit (NDDIS) and African Diaspora Direct Investment Summit, organizations aimed an mobilizing investment towards Nigeria. He is also a two-term past Chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, (CANUK).
Why did you relocate to the UK?
I relocated to the UK after the June 12 1993 elections in Nigeria which was annulled by the military. I was Chairman of the June 12 movement, a pro-democracy group of youths formed to fight the annulment of the June 12, 1993, elections by the military in Nigeria. I got married in 1994 as a young man and we were trailed by the Police and military every day because of our campaigns against the military’s annulment of that election. We were also at war with politicians who sided with the military and who tried to compromise the significance of that election. I was harassed several times because Police found pro-democracy leaflets and other protest documents in my car. I lived Off Allen Avenue, and my house was just a walking distance from late MKO Abiola’s house at Opebi where I always visited to meet his late wife, Kudirat Abiola, Senator Zinwina and other activists. I had to run out of Lagos to London I felt the lives of my new pregnant wife and I were not safe especially when I was attacked a couple of times in Lagos. That was why I relocated with the intention of staying for just a few months for things to calm down and for democracy to be restored. The few months turned to years. The rest is now history.
How long did it take you to settle in the UK and what were the challenges? What was your first job in the UK and what is your current vocation?
The United Kingdom is an amazing place. Even though it was a completely different environment from where we came from, we settled and adjusted very quickly. The immediate challenge was that the UK was a leveller. We were not used to this but also adjusted very quickly. Most Nigerians grew up believing in elitism back home, but everyone is on the same level here which is a beautiful thing. I got my very first job as Stock Analyst at WH Smith only a few weeks after I arrived in London. I walked to a high street shop, asked for the Recruitment Manager and told them I could help them improve on their stockings on the shop floor. I told him how I noticed that some of the items and brands were not displayed, which meant there was no coordination between the floor and the stock managers etc. He was shocked at my approach and told me that the guy who analysed, calculated and printed out stock requirements had just left. I filled the form for the position, passed through interview and got the job. It was a part time job. I was on that job for just a couple of months when I walked into Scope and did the same thing. I requested to see the Area Manager. The Area Manager was shocked at my audacity and invited the District Manager to come and meet this wonderful young man. They conducted an interview for me, and I got my first real job was as a Shop Manager with Disability charity Scope UK at Eltham. I lost that job after I resigned to Join Sainbury’s as a Retail Manager at a new branch in New Cross Gate. I was mistakenly left out at the last minute and offered a lower role, but I refused. I was out of work and had to do various menial jobs as ‘Sorter’ at Post Office and as cabman for a few months. I later enrolled at Westminster College for IT courses, attended various short-term programmes, enrolled at Greenwich University for a Masters conversion MSc course in Information Systems and Computing. Wrote various IT certification exams (e.g Microsoft Certified Software Engineer, Prince 2 Practitioner, Lotus Notes Certified Product specialist etc) just to mention a few and got into ICT full time. Since then, I have worked as an IT Consultant and participated in various major projects as an independent consultant all over the UK and Europe.
For how long have you been living in the UK?
I have been living in the UK for 30 years this year because we arrived in 1994.
What made you decide not to return to your country of origin?
I didn’t return to my country of origin mainly because of our children. After we had the first boy, we had 2 other girls and all of them started going to school. I could never disrupt their lifestyle and education for anything. However, I am always in Nigeria at least 2 or 3 times in a year and do a lot of stuff with Nigeria.
What is the one thing you missed about home?
Nigeria is very warm and very lovely. The energy level in Nigeria is second to none. If I was in Nigeria, I would most probably have been a big businessman or politician. I ended up as an IT Consultant, small businessman and a community champion in the UK. Some of my colleagues that I left behind became governors, senators, or have served in various capacities.
What are the changes you would want to see in your country of origin?
Most of the changes I want, have to do with the people. I would like to see a change in the mindset of Nigerians. The current mindset cannot take us to where we deserve to be. Most people like to blame leaders for the ills of society, but I prefer to focus on the people that produce those leaders. Citizens of a nation cannot be behaving like devils and then expect their leaders to be angels. Where will the angels drop from? For instance, I am a die-hard pro-democracy activist. Majority of Nigerians are not democratic by nature. You can see that all over the social media. All the political parties and supporters hate rigging but only when it does not suit their candidates. Look at the last elections and how Nigerians intimidated opponents. The intolerance level was on a different level. Look at how ethnicity and religion was introduced to the last elections. The level of intolerance is scary, and people are not free to choose candidates of their choice. I am sure, you saw how Nigerians demonised opponents of their candidates. What kind of democracy do we practice where people are demonised because of the candidate they support? Its only in Nigeria that I know of where people start to curse and abuse those who voted a particular candidate. Anyone in our camp is a lover of Nigeria and anyone voting for the other candidate must be evil. It’s so funny and uncivilised. I would like to see a Nigeria where we disgreee with people but protect their rights to be different. Secondly, we are too materialistic. I would like Nigerians to change their current mad rush for material things. Its destroying the country.
What has been your proudest contribution to the British society?
I have successfully mobilised British investments into Nigeria and vice versa, created opportunities for British companies to export their products and services to Nigeria and Africa in general. I was also one of the few Software Engineers that fixed the ‘Year 2K’ bug of the late 90s for the Post Office/Royal Mail and a few other financial institutions.
Are you optimistic on the political situation in your country of origin?
Yes. Nigeria will be great even beyond our imagination. It has got every reason to be a wealthy, prosperous and progressive nation. It is work in progress and my generation will witness it. What we need to do is to educate the people about democracy. Very soon, we will start to have free and fair elections.
If you have to change anything in your country of origin, what would that be?
Still the mindset of the people. We have to genuinely love our neighbours like ourselves and be more tolerant of each other. If we can fix that, we will fix corruption, kidnapping and other issues of the country and people will be free to contest elections without being demonised and presented as evil etc
What do you most admire in your country of origin? And what do dislike most?
Nigerians are very energetic people. They never give up. What I hate most is the intolerance level of young people, especially on social media. Things have gotten so bad that people have just discovered their voice with social media, and we are chasing the best brains out of social life. You could send out a very impressive philosophical message and a non-entity sitting under the bridge somewhere in Lagos could simply respond with ‘Shut up’ and hundreds, if not thousands could join in harassing you. A whole Professor Wole Soyinka was trolled. Very sad. People talk too much and heap all the blames on others. Its time we start to do add value to our country and stop blaming others.
What is your opinion on the mass migration out of Africa (Japa Syndrome) and what do you think will improve the economy of your country of origin?
‘Japa’ is actually not such a bad idea as people are painting it. Lebanon’s population is roughly 4 million, quite tiny as you can see. But the diaspora population is at least 4 times as large. Also, Jamaica has more people abroad than at home whereas Nigeria’s Diaspora is estimated to be about 17-18 million, but we have a population of over 200 million. Secondly, when you look at Diaspora contributions to Nigeria you will be shocked to see that Diaspora inflow is almost 5 times Foreign Direct Investment. We will get it right when we devise the best way to engage the Diaspora in National development. To develop our economy, we need to start patronising made in Nigeria goods and services and reduce the pressure on the Naira. For instance, we have led the way in London by mobilising the Diaspora to make Air Peace their first choice when travelling. We also need to start producing in Nigeria. All the industries and factories have been closed up. We need to embrace manufacturing more and this will help our economy. We cannot continue to import ridiculous items like toothpicks from abroad.
How can those in the diaspora help to improve the image of your country of origin?
This is what you and I have done for several years Prince Abiola. We first have to be good and worthy ambassadors for our countries by exceling in our different callings and in whatever we do in those countries and then help one another, reduce conflicts to the barest minimum, collaborate and then do the best to contribute to the country in which we are domiciled. That is when it will be easy to portray our country in a good light.
PROFILE
Prince Bimbo Roberts Folayan MBCS CITP, FIIM, PMP
Prince Bimbo Roberts Folayan is the founder of the hugely successful Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit (NDDIS), and African Diaspora Direct Investment Summit, organizations which mobilize Nigerians and Africans in Diaspora, British and other international investors to invest in Nigeria and Africa
Prince Bimbo was also a 2 term past Chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, (CANUK). CANUK is the umbrella organization of the hundreds of Nigerian professionals, Cultural, States, Welfare based and social organizations in the UK and he was the head of the entire Nigerian community in the UK. He is a highly respected leader in the British, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic community and was recently awarded: ‘Father of African Communities in the Diaspora’. He is the executive director, JWilliamz Limited and non-executive Director of DVC Technologies and Oxford College of Education. He is on the Advisory board of AIDO and is also head of AIDO Business and Investment worldwide. He is also patron to over 30 international organisations.
Prince Bimbo Folayan’s IT consultancy in the UK has seen him participate in several bank and telecommunication merger projects across the UK and parts of Europe. Bimbo’s clientele includes Nationwide Bank, Ulster Bank, IBM, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer’s, Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest Bank, Halifax Bank and Bank of England amongst several others. He was part of the team that completed the harmonization and re-branding of NTL, Telewest, and Virgin Telecoms (Virgin Media) and the merger of NatWest Bank with other financial institutions with the Royal Bank of Scotland brand. He is the senior partner of ABN Limited based in the UK. He was the UK Diaspora nominee to the federal government of Nigeria Vision 202020 board and was on the 14-member advisory panel for the establishment of Nigerian Diaspora Investment Trust Fund inaugurated by the President in 2020.
Although he is a prince from Ijero Ekiti kingdom, he also holds 3 traditional chieftaincy titles: Serikin Yakin (King of War) of Kagara Town, Niger State Garkin Kowan Pada (Member of Emirs Palace) of Kotangora town, Niger State and the Otunba Babaloja of Ilodo Kingdom Ijebu Mushin.
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