SPEAKER_01 0:01

Life is not a pizza man. It doesn't do delivery. It's not gonna wait for you. Whatever we want, we have to go out there and get it. And we must not self-defeat ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

That is a snippet of our podcast today. Hey there, Maureen Cherna here, founder of the MindSight Academy, neurocoach to executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, and a neuroleadership trainer using insights from neuroscience to help you deliver results by learning to work smarter, be in control of your brain, manage yours and others' emotions, change behaviors, flourish and exceed expectations. Welcome back to another episode of Lead to Excel Podcast. I am so thrilled to be with you today because we have a special guest. But before we get into that, remember to subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen to it. Because it will help other people find it and give them the opportunity to understand how they can rewire their own brain to enable them to achieve their goals. So without wasting any more time, grab your cup of coffee or your drink or whatever that might be. Put your feet up and listen in. I'm absolutely excited and really looking forward to this podcast today because I have a really special lady with me, an amazing lady, and um I'm not going to say much more, and I'm not even going to introduce her. I want us to kind of talk, and then you will really get to know who this lady is, how amazing she is, and then I will fill in the blanks as we go along. So, Aisha Yesufo, I am so honored and happy to have you on this On Lead to Excel podcast. Thank you for joining me.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Thank you so much for having me. It's my pleasure being here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

So, Aisha, where are you? Where in the world are you?

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Well, I'm currently in Abuja. Abuja, Nigeria. That's the capital of Nigeria in West Africa. So that's why I am currently um and it's amazing over here.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

I totally agree with you because I've just come back from Abuja. I came back about two weeks ago. And it truly is amazing, I must admit. Yeah. So Aisha want us to talk. And you know, and I'm saying that I'm truly honored to have you on because I know how busy you have been. I did see you, I think two months, two weeks ago when you came to London. I was at that dinner, and um, I think after that dinner, I said to myself, I've got to have this lady on in my podcast. I've actually been wheeling it for a while. So when I saw you there, I went, okay, this has to happen. So I'm glad you're here with us.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Oh, thank you. I'm glad I'm here. So here we are, it's happening. Like we always say to people, just dream. The worst thing that will happen is a no, and the no never changes anyone. So it'll just keep going. So I'm glad, I'm glad also that we are doing this.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Thank you so much. And that's so true. Dream it, and it happens. So, Aisha, for those that don't know you, I'm going to just um really explain who you are in one sentence, and that is how you describe yourself. You describe yourself as an active Nigerian, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Yes, active Nigerian citizen.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Active Nigerian citizen, that's right. And there's a reason why Aisha says this, but before we get to that, could you just tell us a bit about your background? So, how did Aisha grow up? Who are you? Where did you grow up? And what was, is there anything in your childhood that really I would say that kind of led to you doing what you do today?

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Okay, so my name is Aisha Yusufu. I was born and brought up in Kano State. Uh, I'm actually from Edo State. Uh so my state of origin is Edo State, but my state of birth is Kano State, and I grew up in Kano. Um, I have two children. Uh my youngest child is 21. Um I'm married. I've met uh April, I'll be married for 25 years. Who I who am I? So I'm this crazy, outspoken little girl who didn't bother whether adults liked her or not, but who just did things her own way. I mean, just lived life learning and willing to escape the poverty that she found herself growing into. And I've also grown into this outspoken woman who does who doesn't allow herself to be defined by society, but let society uh uh see who she is and let the society itself as accept her. In terms of uh this, I've always been this way. I think I was born this way. I've always made the math. My dad would talk about when I was quite young in Nordsee school. And one day I walked up to him and I said, Look, if you're not going to take me to school, I will no more go to school because the neighbor that he would want me to join the the uh uh him to take me to school, I said he was behaving in a funny manner as if he didn't want me. So I've always been that way. I'm one person who speaks up when I see injustice and I do not mind uh whether you're older than me, even though we grew up in a in a place where uh girls are not supposed to speak, children are not supposed to speak, I always spoke. And one of the things I realized, even as a little girl, was the fact that when my truth favored people, they loved it. But when it didn't favor them, they were always angry. And sometimes they will, I received a lot of beatings and a lot of cold treatment, but it didn't bother me because I just I just was okay with myself. So I sometimes I do say that I sort of like grew up alone, but it was something for me. I read a lot of books, and so because of that, I had a world to escape into. And uh my father, when I was like 11, 12, my father lost all his business and then he became extremely poor. And I think that sort of like defined me. Saying one moment, my father, you know, had a good life. We as children, we had a good life, and then all of a sudden we lost everything. And up to today, I really do not have attachment to anything, even life itself, because I always feel like it can be taken away uh from you. And so for me, growing up, uh, we got to a place where we grew, I grew up poor. And where in Nigeria, when you grow up poor, you're faceless, nameless, and voiceless. You're not seen as a human being, and that can be so dehumanizing. And I watch how parents of children who weren't poor or who weren't from the side of the uh town that I was from, we sort of would not want us to associate with their children and they're sort of like sort of push us away. And it it really hurt. And uh, I grew up a very angry uh teenager, angry at a country that had so much potential, but yet there was so much corruption, so much stealing, people were wallowing in poverty, and certain people were looked upon as if they didn't exist. They were practically cancelled. And so for me, it's something that I really didn't like that. And my first 40 years, I focused on my financial independence. And when I became financially independent, I could then now focus on the nation. When I turned 40, I realized that I was a problem of Nigeria by my silence. That's why I always say to people, I'm not an activist, I'm just an active citizen who just got tired of not having a voice, who got tired of not having a voice on national issues, on issues that concern her country. And I realized that those adults I used to blame when I was young, that they didn't weren't doing anything about the country, even though the country was being mismatched, that I had grown up to be one of those adults. And I didn't like that. And I felt if I failed to speak up, uh, then it would mean that I also had failed myself. And uh so on my 40th birthday, I decided that if God gives me another 40 years, that I was going to devote it to Nigeria, and four months after Chiba girls were abducted. And Chiba girls' abduction and their life sort of like with the notes resonated with mine. I grew up in a part of the country where education was not seen as very important, especially girl child education. I struggled to be in school. I insisted I wanted that education, and I was mocked a lot because by the age of 11, all my friends were married off. And I got married at the age of 24. Most of them were grandmothers. So being mocked, being looked upon as if you're nothing, I would go to school in the morning without breakfast, coming back, I wasn't expecting lunch. And that's how the Chibogirs also were from poor families. And I realized that if I was taken away in 1991, when I wrote my SSC, the same exam that Chiborgers were writing when they were abducted, and nobody spoke for me or spoke up for me, I probably wouldn't be here today because my parents would not have been able to make demands for my own uh return. And so I decided that I was going to make demands for Chibo Girls, no matter how long it took, because to fill Chibo Girls would be to fill the little girl that I used to be that used to cry for help and nobody helped her.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Wow. Wow, wow. Aisha, that is an amazing, uh, gosh, amazing story of your life. You know, I want to dig a bit deeper into your childhood, and I'm gonna come back to where you stopped in terms of Chibo girls. You know, when you were young, you said that you were driven your, you know, that you were always pushing, it's almost like pushing the boundaries. Did you find that your parents, you know, did they resist it? Because, you know, there's this culture sometimes in some homes where children shouldn't be heard, um, that, you know, they should children need to be quiet, they shouldn't be heard. And even if you speak up, they there's a way they can actually shut you up. How did you, you know, kind of navigate that? Was it that your parents listened, or, you know, because you were quite vocal from when you were young, how did you manage that?

SPEAKER_01 10:19

I was extremely vocal. And so so there are two ways to read. So there's one part where, uh, because I was extremely vocal, I was extremely intelligent. So my father could hold adult uh conversations with me, even as a child. So we discussed politics, economy, and stuff like that. And even at a very young age, I started reading books on psychology, and you know, so I was really well into reading. And so for myself and my dad, we have a lot of discussions, we will have arguments, and my dad had one thing. As long as we had arguments, sometimes we would literally argue for days, two, three days. We're on the same side, and my mom would come like, what's wrong with you guys? Can't you come to me? Can't you just keep quite? I wouldn't let it go. And I will always go and try and find research or either look for books or get a library that I'll go to get something. And if I have an information, my dad will always go with the superior argument. So I'll give that to my dad in terms of as he gave me that voice for me to be able to air my own feelings, argue. Even today on social media, I'm able to argue with with people. And I always say to people, I love dissenting opinions because dissenting opinions give you opportunity to look at issues from a different perspective. And so I'm I'm I'm able to go. So that's on one hand. On the other hand, also you had this cultural thing where as a child we're not supposed to be seen uh talking. You were or you're only supposed to be seen but not heard. No, but I would always pick up and I always want to be heard, and it got me uh into trouble, a lot of trouble. And I'll give you an example. There was a time that something had been done in my house, and my parents accused me, I think most especially my dad accused me of doing it. And I kept saying that I didn't do this thing. Later, we found out that it was another cousin of mine that had done it. And I said to my dad, you need to apologize to me because you accused me of something I hadn't done. And it turned out it was in a family sort of like guarding my aunt, my mom was there, my aunties were there and stuff like that. My cousin, and they said that, oh, it's an abomination for a child to say that the parent had drunk her for him or her. And I was like, Why is that an abomination? And of course, my dad stopped talking to me for a while. I was to go and apologize to him. I was a bit stubborn. I did it. But what I ended up doing, I think we called it truth. So I just washed his clothes. So that was my own way of apologizing, and then we let the matter be. But to say that's that's I will tell you that was the story of my life. And a lot of times where the we you would get the cold treatment because you said the truth. And uh, I was one that it didn't matter whether you were my father, or you went my father, or you're my mommy, you went to my mom. If you're wrong, I'm gonna tell you you're wrong. And if somebody else is right, I'm not gonna cite you just because you're my parent, I'm gonna be on the side of truth. And that's some of my simplest, even today, say, you know, and too many people don't know who you are and how you've grown up. That's why sometimes when they're attacking you on social media, I don't care whether everybody is on another side. But if I think that is the truth and the way it is, I always say it to the extent that my mom will always say that, oh, in my court, nobody wins, because I'm I'm so objective to a fault. I would like to tell you this is where you did wrong, this is what you uh you did right. But in terms of dreams, I will tell you my dreams were bigger than that of my parents. And you can't blame them. They grew up in a place where, you know, it was military error, opportunities were in that much, and when they lost everything, they lost hope. And they had this child whom we could barely feed. There were days when we didn't have any food, and I'll be talking about traveling the whole world. I'll be talking about, you know, achieving so many things. I'll be talking about getting a Nobel Prize, so many things for me that I put out there. And I was so extremely lazy. I love to read books. I could read books for you from money tonight, but I literally couldn't do a lot of things that you know, supposedly women are supposed to do. I hate cooking even up to today. I don't like washing, I don't like sweeping. So my mom will like give us my immediate junior sister would do all of those things wonderfully well. But I wouldn't. And so it was so frustrating for them for the because they believe as a girl, these are the things you're supposed to do for you to get a good husband and stuff like that. I'm like, no, that's not what I'm looking for. I just want to ride my own car, I want to have my own money, I want to have, you know, sort of my own life escape from the ghetto that I was born into. But something happened in 2014. My mom called me and said, Thank you for dreaming for the whole family. Because I ended up actually dreaming for the whole family and being able to raise my and the firstborn, by the way, of um seven. We used to be eight, but one died very early. So we're we're seven. So I have six siblings, three sisters, three brothers, and I've had to be like a parent to them. I had to stand for them. You know, sometimes when my parents weren't doing the right thing, I felt they should be doing all the way. I will always stand for my siblings. So that's something I've always done uh all the time. It's not easy. And so I ensured when I had my own kids, all the things that I felt my parents didn't do right, I corrected them. I've made my own mistakes in parenting my children, and I hope all the things that I didn't do right, they also will correct it. So as we go on, we have uh you know better relationship with our children. Uh so for me, I believed in information, which wasn't forthcoming with our generation of parents. If you ask questions, we're like, oh, you asked too many questions. So I'm exactly my kids were allowed to ask a lot of questions, nothing it's of. And I always say to my children, if the only reason why you respect me is simply because I gave back to you, then you're not I'm not deserving of your respect. You must respect me because you know there's something worth uh respecting that that I'm doing. And I don't believe that because I give back to my children that I own them, I don't own them. Uh they are their own individuals. Mine is to guide them. Uh, so mine is not that they have to do the things I want them to do. And I always say to them, question me. If I ask you to do something, you feel no, and you should. And even the way I've brought them up, it has always been an issue of uh letting them know instead of giving instructions, do this and don't do that. I just tell you, these are this is what is on the ground. These are the repercussions of doing either A or B. And then you make your own uh informed decision. So I believe in parenting, giving your children information so that they are able to make informed decisions, and as they go into teenagehood and young adulthood, because my youngest child is 21 now, they are able to make their own decision, not being carried away by you know, uh by a head mentality. Because what normally happens when you when you're that kind of a parent who just gives your child instruction, do this, don't do that. When you're not there, they now look for whoever it is that is has that strong uh uh personality within their group, and then they begin to follow the instructions there. So for me, it's always been give them the information for make for them to make the informed decision because that was what I wanted as a child, and I ensured I gave my children that.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Gosh, a lot, a lot there, a lot, a lot, a lot on pan there. And I'll just go with what you said at the end, and you did talk a bit about it in as well in terms of parenting. Looking at how you were parented, the fact that your dad gave you a voice, and the same thing is what you're now doing with your children, and you're so right. Because when you just, you know, keep telling kids what to do, and you don't give them the opportunity to think, you're wiring their brain that way, and you're so right because when they then grow up, they look for people that will continue doing that, telling them what to do, and they won't have a mind of their own because they've not wired their brain, or their brain doesn't even know that they can. And there's something special about what you said in terms of reading, you read a lot, and even though you were living in poverty, that aspect of reading almost opened you up to a world that was possible, and that's so powerful. So, Aisha, in terms of what you do now, so we, you know, you one, I think for me, the first time I got to hear about you was, I think it was during the campaign for Chibo Girls. And then it continued, yeah, and then NSAS in Nigeria. For those that don't know, there was, you know, I won't go into so much detail now because we don't have time, but what you did, the youth literally stood up to challenge the government in terms of the police, what how the police were were policing and the government, and you literally ended up becoming a face of that. And I remember that so clearly. So I think my question to you now is more what's made you or how have you become it's almost like becoming fearless. How have you gotten to the stage that you've become fearless? I understand why you've, you know, you're you're doing what you're doing. It's that fight for justice. But how have you got it to the place you've become fearless? Because with the answers, I I to really honestly, if I had a hat on, I would have taken it off for you. You stood up and said, you know, if you're going to shoot, shoot me first. It was something like that, if I'm correct. Yeah. But yes, how, Aisha, did you get to this?

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yes, I remember that, you know, the answer's protest was done by the Nigerian youth. I always say to people, I'm not a convener of NSAS protests. I didn't call for it, but I joined the Nigerian youth. And I voted for them. And it was such a beautiful thing to see them taking charge, making demands, and you know, it was against police brutality and simply saying to the government, please don't kill us. These are the youths that we have not given them an enabling environment for them to try. And they found niches for themselves and they were doing so well. And yet the police came, we come and profile them. Something as simple as having an expensive mobile phone or a laptop or fine car or dreadlocks or tattoos just got you killed or maimed, or you know, they would take your money away from you. And so when they were out there, I was really rooting for them. On that day, I was practically at the back until when the police stood up as if they were going to shoot them. And that was when I went to the front and I said, if you're going to kill, shoot at them, then you have to put the bullet through me. And so that was how we how we got that. How did I get to be? Uh remember for me, I was less than 10 when I said to myself that the worst thing any human being can do to you is to kill you. And that is not really the worst thing because you were going to die anyways. So I I was I was I was I was grew up as a child who was very thoughtful, found out who I was, accepted myself for myself, and uh I had my moments of really reading, you know, you especially the fact that I think I read all of those books of philosophy and all of that, sort of like changed my life. And uh, you know, had series of thoughts. Like I look back, I'm like the things I think I was thinking as a teenager, it's what a lot of people don't even do until they are 30s. And so that really helped me. And so, because of that, I'm never I was never afraid of anything. I was actually quite respectful, but definitely definitely not afraid. And so every day I was even up to today, I say to myself, look, there are lots of people who have never said anything, who have never stood for anything, who have just minded their own business. But it didn't stop debt from finding them, it didn't stop some people just going out there to kill them. So I would rather be out there as a fight standing. I would rather die standing when I'm fighting for something than die, you know, hiding under my bed. And so that's the thing that I go up. And maybe probably because of my faith as a Muslim. I know when when it's time for me to die, I'm going to die, anyways. So What's the big deal? I'm going to just say that truth the way it is. And I think that's right for even as a child. I always look at what's the worst thing you're going to do to me. I say, well, it's not really the worst thing. And that's how I've always continued, even up to this day. There are some days, especially during that exaus protest when that picture was taken after that, when the police started attacking us and shooting at us, I literally thought that was my last day on earth. There are so many protests I've gone to. I was telling someone yesterday that look, I've said my last prayer so many times, that I'm sure last prayers is tired of me. But at the end of the day, it's really to say what is the essence of life. For me, death is not when I can no longer breathe in oxygen and bring out carbon dioxide. Death for me is when I can't speak because I'm afraid to die. Then truly I would have been dead by then. So that's basically for me the way I live my life and I go on.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

That's absolutely big. And you know, it's for what you've described, is it's it's like a it's a mindset, isn't it? It's it's really how you've wired yourself. And that's so, you know, there's so many people who are out there who literally are living dead, if we put it that way. So then yeah, no voice, no hope. Afraid of everything. Exactly. Afraid of everything, afraid of life itself. So I think, you know, I'm just so, you know, I just find you so inspirational because it's really getting people to realize that it doesn't matter what your background is, it doesn't matter what experience you have in life. The fact is that once you're living, you can make a difference wherever you are. You know, and now that Nigeria is about to, you know, have another election, I notice that you're really standing and campaigning with one of the candidates who is Peter Obi. And I think my question to you is because I know through time you've supported other candidates, you know, as time has gone on. In this time, because Nigerian leadership, leadership anyway, is so important, but Nigeria particularly, I suppose I can say that because I'm Nigerian, is so important, so crucial, because it's almost saying we cannot continue the way we are. Things cannot continue the way they are, they have to change. So I think for those people who are not in Nigeria, Nigerians who are not in Nigeria, non-Nigerians who know Nigerians, or non-Nigerians who hopefully one day would visit Nigeria without any fear. Why Peter B?

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Okay, so before I answer that question, there was something you mentioned that I just quickly want to touch upon, is to say to everybody that yesterday died last night. It's one thing for people to disrespect you, it's one thing for people to marginalize you, it's another thing for you to disrespect or marginalize yourself. So when you refuse to live to your full potential, that's exactly what you're doing. You're disrespecting yourself, you're marginalizing yourself. And so our background must not be a reason why we hold ourselves back. And you must not seek for permission from people for you to have a voice. Wherever you find yourself, own your own voice, own your own ground. Don't wait for a seat to be given you to you at the table. Bring your own seat. And if you don't have your seat, if you don't have a table, you don't have a seat, no problem. Get a mat, sit on the floor. Even if there's no floor, even if there's no mat, just sit on the bare floor and keep talking and keep letting your voice be there. Even if nobody listens, you listen to yourself. And so that's one thing I'll say to people. Don't allow your background to hold you back. Like I see a lot of, especially young women who like coming up and they're holding themselves back and say, no. The worst thing that will happen if you put yourself out is a no. And a no never kills anyone. You just keep doing what you're doing. Sooner or later, people will be forced to listen to you, whether they want to listen to you or they just want to get you off that hair. But at the end of the day, you achieve that. So I think I just needed uh to put that in.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Though thank you for really stressing on that point because I think it's a really important one for women, particularly. And I think even, you know, there's something you said previously about the fact that when you were 11, most of your you know mates at that age had been married off, but you kept going, you refused to, you know, and at 24, you're in fact your your age mates were already grand grandparents. And I think it's that determination, that focus on what you wanted, and you know, that fact that no doesn't kill anyone. I love that. If I'm going, I'm going to put that in the quote. No doesn't kill anyone, and it's true because so many people, one, are afraid of rejection, afraid of not doing what society expects them to do. So society expects us or culture expects us to do this. Oh, I've got to do it. You don't have to. And I think that's the message you're really bringing out. Thank you for really emphasizing that.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

Yeah. Thank you so much. Like I like I once said to my mom when she was talking about culture. I said to her, Who are these people who set the culture? She said, Oh, it's our forefathers. And I said to my mom, it is time for me to set a new culture for the next generation that will be coming in. So that's him. Thank you so much, also. On the question of why Peter of you, like you did mention uh um earlier, I've always supported candidates from 2014 when I turned uh I turned 40 uh December 12, 2013. Four months later, Chibogets were abducted and I came out on national issues and I started making demands. By the time we got to the 2015 election, I supported a candidate. And as of that time, I only knew two of the candidates, the the then president and then the main opposition party. And I supported one of them, uh, the opposition party. And after a while, I realized that look, a lesser evil, because then it was just our, oh, okay, choose the lesser evil. I realized that a lesser evil in opposition is actually a monstrous evil in power. So choosing out of a lesser evil is not the way to go. So by 2013, I what I now did was to look at all the candidates that were running and choose who is most competent, whether they were in the big party or they were not in the big party. And I chose uh Dr. Obi-Sokosini, who was running in what was then called a smaller party, ACPN. And uh in 20 uh 2023, like we are now 2022, when we started, we had all the candidates. What I did was to allow all the primaries to be done, because I really didn't know most of the candidates, um, except for the two major ones. And of course, Peter will be here and there. I didn't study him as much. But when uh the poor primaries were done and they had emerged, I sat down and I studied them all to find out who is the most competent. For me, it was about who is the most competent, not about who is likely to win. And then I found out he was the most competent amongst the lords, and that's it. So why Peter will be simply because he has competence, character, capacity, he has empathy, he is willing to learn, he's a servant leader, he's a transformational leader, he's one who listens, who listens to the people, he's one who is patriotic, who cares about Nigeria. You find that almost every state in Nigeria he knows something about that state. And you see someone who has invested his life learning about this country, not just someone who maybe now has so much money or something, and thinking, oh, I need to get power, oh, it's my turn to get power. No. But someone that you see over the decade, decades, have actually studied this country, have actually cared, have actually tried to see what are the ways that this uh the country can be fixed. And so for me, those are the basic reasons why I'm I'm supporting him right now. And most especially because of the empathy, because I believe someone who has empathy for the people will want to take the people to the level that he or she is at. And that's something that is very key and very, very uh uh important. And for me, it's it's something that I've given my all into. Uh, I've been on campaign trades with him, I've been working with him, and the more I work with him, the more I see uh the kind of person I would like to see in leadership position. Because he's someone who listens, who is not afraid of criticism. He actually welcomes criticism because he always says that is where you can learn from. And I think that's such a good trait in Nigeria and something that we all need to do. But most importantly for me, the fact that I hold him accountable and that if he gets if when he gets into office by the grace of God, I'll continue to do justice, which is to hold him accountable and ensure that he gives Nigeria good governance, accountability, and transparency, for us to have a country where uh everybody is treated with respect and there's equal, equal level playing ground for everyone.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Thank you for that. And there are the few things that you mentioned, and this is so important because my focus is always on leadership. And you fact that you mentioned servant leader, transformate transformational cares, empathy. It's that whole aspect of being of having emotional intelligence to be able to lead, and that's so important for any leader, you know, whether it's a country, whether it's individuals. But Aisha, how will you be able to hold him accountable?

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Oh, there are different ways to hold a leader accountable, and you know, governance is made up of two sides: there's the supply side of governance and also the demand side of governance. The people who are voted into office, they supply governance, and the people that vote them into office, they demand for governance. If you do not make demands for governance, people who are voted into office usually serve what comes most easy for them, and that's bad governance. Because literally, without doing anything, you can give bad governance. And so, in holding them accountable, is to continue to scrutinize what you're doing. It's just like when you have a company, you have an employee or someone who uh, if you're a supervisor and you have people who are supervising, how do you hold them accountable by checking what are the jobs that they're supposed to do? Are they doing it? And so that's what we must also do as citizens, to continue to check the people that we voted into office, what are they doing? Are they the things that they ought to be doing? And when they are not doing it, we should speak up and let them know that it's not acceptable for them to not do that. And there are different ways to write to them, you let them know about it, if they still refuse, and you go on the streets and protest. And so when you protest, if they still don't do anything as much as possible, then it's for you to vote them out. What citizens must never do is enable bad behavior. And if you if you reward bad governance, they will give you worse governance. So when somebody fails, they know that uh they will be voted out. So that's an incentive for them to sit up and do the needful and ensure that they are giving people uh good governance. We must ensure we get to a place where power will truly belong to the people, not a few people who control, uh, a few power brokers who control how things are done. And so these are some of the ways that we would hold them uh accountable. And citizens need to do that. And even when you talk about protest, because a lot of people in Nigeria always say that, oh, protest doesn't work, it does work. A lot of things that we've got to, we don't have got in there without protest. And so these are things that work, and we must always get that critical mass that it's needed for you to really have the government do something about it. And sometimes it says about one to two percent. So one to two percent of Nigerian population is about two million people. If two million people are in the streets protesting over an issue, whether the government likes it or not, they'll be forced to listen. And so that those are the ways that we're going to hold them accountable. And we will hold them accountable. For me, my main job with Peter will be to ensure that I'm holding him accountable, to ensure that he does the things that he has told the people that he's going to do and ensure that uh he builds a Nigeria where everybody uh will be well taken care of.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

So much. Thank you. I think we we are literally almost at the end now, but thank you really for sharing that. And for those that are you know out in diaspora or Nigerians, how can they support Nigeria to be the Nigeria we want it to be? Whether it's towards the election or after, what message can you give uh we Nigerians in diaspora?

SPEAKER_01 35:24

For Nigerians in diaspora, I always say they're going to be part of the game changers. And uh Nigerians in diaspora should understand that uh we are all equally affected. Nigeria, it's uh it's a place where it's turn by turn Nigeria Limited, I usually say. And we're all potential victims waiting to happen. You can be abroad, you can have a second citizenship, you come to Nigeria one day, and Nigeria will do you. And like there's a saying, popular saying where they say may Nigeria not happen to you. And so it is in our own interest for us to have a country that works for every one of us. Even for Nigerians in diaspora that have a second passport, a second citizenship, and all of that, they should know that in Nigeria that is working is also to their own advantage. For example, there's a difference between a British Canadian and a Nigerian Canadian. Because when you see a British Canadian, you say, oh, they are there in Canada because they want to. But if you see a Nigerian Canadian, you look at him and say they are there in Canada because they have to. Because back home where they come from, life is not as good as what they have here. But you look at that British or back home where he comes from, life is also as good. And so that alone is something that every one of us uh must also work uh towards. And also to say that there are so many Nigerians in diaspora who are bearing the body of citizens back home. And that is not something that they should be doing. If we have a good uh country, good economy, good healthcare system, good public uh uh quality education, free, they won't they won't have to spend as much money as they've spent taking care of their families and friends back home. And most Nigerians in diaspora, you see them working so hard and they have to maintain those bills and uh expenses that they're doing for the people back home. So this alone is something that they should be invested in the election and say that people should go get their PVCs and also vote uh and ensure that we have good, credible uh leaders that would that will manage the affairs of the country. And so, having said that, what's exactly the way that it can help? Election is very expensive, campaigns are very expensive, and so they should fund, help to fund campaigns of people who are running for office that they think are competent and will do the needful for Nigeria. They have narrow accounts, send in your money, your $1 will make a huge difference, your $2, your $10, your 10 pounds, 10 euro, whatever it is, 100, 10 real. Put it out there, use your Nigerian account and send it to the account of candidates who are running uh for office. The same time, also you have a power of influence. What is this power of influence? You take care of a lot of people's bills. They come to you all the time. You play government in their lives, you play God. Even God asks for loyalty, government asks for votes. And so you should be actually talking to the people and asking them, what are they doing? And educating them about uh election, about politics, about governance and the relationship between governance and their lives so that they will understand. Let's not forget that democracy with that education is a disaster because a lot of people don't really truly understand what democracy is all about. So it's our duty to talk to them. Our families, our aunties in the village, our uncles, our grandparents, our friends, talk to them and let them know. And also use that circle of influence to get them to get their PVCs, to vote right uh for Nigeria. And so these things are very, very important that we all can continue to do. It's most important for us to understand that look, there's no, we don't have any country other than Nigeria. This is where you would truly and absolutely be first class citizen. Every other place, you always second guess yourself, whether they're treating you just like someone who is there. But here in Nigeria, you know you are Nigeria, and so we need to give our all uh to this beautiful, amazing country that has been there for all of us. And so it's very important, let us all do the needful and ensure that we are all working towards having the kind of leadership that will take Nigeria to where it's supposed to be so much.

SPEAKER_00 39:43

I think that's that there's a lot there, and I I really love that because you really broke it down for you know, yeah, no, that was awesome. Thank you so much. So, to end this podcast, Aisha, what word of final word of wisdom can you give our listeners? Anything you want to just tell us to really encourage people to rise, you know, in in whatever capacity, but anything that comes to you would be great.

SPEAKER_01 40:12

Oh, okay, fantastic. I have quite a few things. Uh just let me start off from where I stopped before. We should do with the Nigerians in diaspora. To say to the Nigerians in diaspora, you contribute about 4% to the GDP of the country. You send in hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Yet you do not do not have any political power. With such, you send, you contribute so much to the economy of this country. And so there's a need for them to begin to hold candidates accountable, especially when it comes to diaspora voting. So that's something that they need to do. On a general note, for everyone, is for me to say to everyone life is not a pizza man, it doesn't do delivery, it's not going to wait for you. Whatever we want, we have to go out there and get it. And we must not self-defeat ourselves. We've been told severally, we've been conditioned to believe that as people, as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that we're powerless and helpless, we can't do anything. That's a lie. We are quite very, very powerful. What they've done is that they've captured our minds. And Stevie Biko said that the greatest weapon of the oppressor is actually the minds of the oppressed. And so you have people who are able to take away your mind and make you believe that you don't have the power, then that's the real weapon that they have. There used to be a lie that was told in Nigeria, and that was election, votes don't count. And we used to say votes don't count, why are they buying votes? But right now we can see they no longer sell that lie because that lie has expired. The next thing they try to tell you is that, oh, a certain candidate cannot win. Like they come and say, Oh, Peter Orbika. That's not it. What really matters is for you to vote for him because he has competent scarlet capacity. And if every one of us were putting in our votes, and that's what will be counted. Let's not be afraid as we go into the 2023 election. 2023 election is election for survival, and every one of us must stand up and do the needful. We must get our PVCs, we must vote, we must sit back to defend our votes and ensure that they are counted and they are put in there. Let's not move away, let's not go anywhere. And we can do it, we can do it because we are the people and the power belongs to the people. We can do it because we have a new electoral act that a lot of shenanigans that the politicians used to do have been taken care of. We can do it because we also have a president who is not running for a third term, and we can use Buhari's news and value. He has said he wants free and fair, credible election as a legacy that he's going to give, which is something he has, he doesn't have much of legacy, and it's something that he really has shown the body language and also the political will to do it. So let's ensure that we take advantage of this and bring in people with competence, character, capacity to lead this country. Because as Nigerians, we also deserve a great nation. And I will say finally to everyone, I will never give up on Nigeria, no matter what it throws at me. I will fight for Nigeria. I will fight for the unborn generation, the way I wish other people had fought for me before I was born. Because if they had fought for me before I was born, they would have fixed a country so that I meet a great country and hand over an even greater country to my children, my grandchildren, and the generation yet on born. But even though they didn't do that, how we fight this fight, and I hope every one of us too, let's put our hands together and fight this fight and ensure that we have a country that works for us so that the Nigeria we yearn for, we are able to give it to the next generation for them to experience that generation. Nigeria must work in our lifetime by the grace of God. Thank you so much for having me today.

SPEAKER_00 43:53

Aisha, thank you so very much. You've really given yourself. You've given, you know, we we we you know we know who you are, how you started, and you've really given us a lot to think about and a lot of actions to take and a lot to inspire us. And I, you know, one of the um thick things that you said at the end that I just want to repeat is don't self-defeat yourself. That is so powerful. And you kept repeating these two words we can, we can, we can. And that's something to really um take away with in terms of us as Nigerians, but in terms of anyone listening to this podcast, it's using this to really achieve what you want in your life. You know, we've heard Aisha's story of where she came from to where she is today, and she's a successful businesswoman who is actively really fighting for the cause of Nigeria. Aisha Yesufu, thank you so much for coming on to Lead2XL Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

Okay, three things before we finish today. Have you subscribed to this podcast? If you haven't, make sure you click that subscribe button wherever you listen to this podcast. Because once you subscribe, you will not miss an episode. And as usual, if you have a topic you would love me to speak about or bring a guest on, do let me know by leaving a review. Finally, do have a fantastic week and remember that you are limitless. So I look forward to seeing you in our next episode. Bye for now.