The Nigerian Dream

By Kola Olutimehin

The Nigerian Dream is about having your own personal dream and living it in spite of the many discouraging and difficult factors in the country. It is a call to action for every Nigerian and lover of Nigeria, so that we can jointly build a nation that becomes our pride as well as the envy of other nations. This book helps you to induce a dream that will not only provide a personal benefit, but will also help you to play your part in nation building. A must read for every Nigerian and lover of Nigeria – it is time to lift our nation from the consequences of inactivity.
This book will also help anyone whether or not you are Nigerian, to induce a dream that will not only provide a personal benefit but will also help you contribute towards the development of your community at the same time. It helps you to live a purposeful life and gives you the reason to live!

• Language: English
• Publisher: MakeWay Publishing
• Release date: Aug 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781907925313

Kola Olutimehin

Kola Olutimehin (also popularly known as getKOLA) is a Dream-Driver and an internationally acclaimed inspirational speaker who travels around the world inspiring people and corporations to channel their energies and focus towards their endeavour. An accountancy graduate from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the UK, Kola has consulted and contributed significantly to productivity and business process re-engineering with blue chip companies and entrepreneurs in two continents.Kola is the author of The Nigerian Dream, a book that challenges every Nigerian and Nigeria lover to contribute their personal and corporate efforts to uplifting the nation out of a state of despondency to an enviable one. The foreword to The Nigerian Dream was written by His Excellency, General Dr Yakubu Gowon, GCFR, the former Head of State of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975.Kola is also the author of another inspirational book titled Dream and Achieve, which is independently published in some countries. Dream and Achieve guides one to induce a dream and work towards the achievement of the dream in one’s lifetime. The introduction to Dream and Achieve was written by the Napoleon Hill Foundation (author of Think and Grow Rich – an international classic published in the USA in 1937); whilst the foreword was written by Chief Olu Akinkugbe, CON, a prominent Nigerian industrialist and philanthropist.In addition, Kola is a serial author in ‘The Making of an Icon’ series. He has co-authored the auto-biographies of eminent personalities, extracting principles that may be learnt from their lives, in what he has referred to as the Iconic Principles. An innovation, the Iconic Principles, which come up at the end of each chapter, provide an educational aspect to these biographies.INSPIRATIONAL TALKSIn building organisations’ human capital, Kola’s firm highlights the significance of taking relevant and definite action steps, amongst other values, and infuses a passion that challenges and assures the success of the organisation.The ability of all people, irrespective of their positions within or without an organisation, to relate with our talks has made for better drive and accomplishment in their lives, as well as the productivity of the organisation. Excellence is show-cased as an ideal that is attainable.THE ‘TALKS’Kola’s talks can be summarised by W Clement Stone’s phrase; “whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve through a positive mental attitude.” The underlying impact of these talks is productivity and fruitfulness in the lives of those that attend the sessions. The speeches create opportunities for both personal and organisational development and attainment of desire. The following are often derived from the talks:•The ability to believe in one-self and one’s capabilities•How to eradicate fear and taking daring action steps•Boosting the capacity to make decisions•Inspiring initiative and desire for personal and professional change•The ability to set goals and work towards the accomplishment of these goals•Enabling a vision that produces social responsibilityKola helps you to break free from the rut of familiar living and the inability to make a profitable change, especially where adverse results have set in.Various organisations have greatly benefitted from these services from around the world. The goal from his standpoint is that the more organisations that work towards their desired direction, the better our universal world can become.A BUSINESS COACH/CONSULTANTFrom his background as a chartered certified accountant, Kola focuses on the provision of business coaching and consultancy services to corporations and entrepreneurs; in order to help ascertain a business direction and work towards the attainment of the organisation’s goals. The following are some of his areas of professional expertise:•Review of corporate strategy, and ascertain practical steps towards attainment•Policies and procedures review, recommendation and implementation•Operating process and systems review and recommendations•Internal control review and recommendations•Assessment of periodic management reports and re-design, where required•Specific project assessment and management•Operating systems analysis, recommendation and implementation•Business restructure (including employee profile reviews)•Business start-up advice and consultation

Book preview

THE NIGERIAN DREAM

…the seedlings of national transformation

KOLA OLUTIMEHIN

MAKEWAY PUBLISHING LIMITED

…making way for your ultimate success…

(SMASHWORDS EDITION)

Copyright 2011 Kola Olutimehin

First published, 2011

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Published by:

MakeWay Publishing Limited

(Smashwords Edition)

Website:

http://www.getkola.com // http://www.makewaybooks.com // http://www.thenigeriandream.com

Email:

[e-mail] // [e-mail]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

DEDICATION

FOREWORD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHAPTER 1 - THE DREAM

CHAPTER 2 – THE DEMONSTRATION

CHAPTER 3 - WHAT NEXT?

THE PRACTICAL DREAMER’S AFFIRMATION

THE PRACTICAL DREAMER

SOME KEY AFFIRMATIONS OF A PRACTICAL DREAMER

NOTES

THE NATIONAL PLEDGE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

Arise, o compatriots,

Nigeria’s call obey

To serve our fatherland

With love and strength and faith

The labour of our heroes past

Shall never be in vain

To serve with heart and might

One nation bound in freedom,

Peace and unity

Oh God of creation,

Direct our noble cause

Guide our leaders right

Help our youths the truth to know

In love and honesty to grow

And living just and true

Great lofty heights attain

To build a nation where peace

And justice shall reign

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to a generation of Nigerians who will dare to induce a dream, believe in it and go after it with vigour, until it is attained.

We create our own future!

FOREWORD

The thoughts and ideas, ‘The Dreams’ of Nigeria becoming a Great Nation ranked amongst the Top Nations in the world have long been in the making. They date back to the early days of our forefathers’ clamour for independence during the 1940s and 1950s till independence was eventually achieved in 1960. These ‘pioneers’ set out to do something about it and in the First Republic they launched the ‘1963 to 1968 Development Plan’.

Unfortunately, that plan was seriously disrupted by the political crisis which took hold of the country from 1966 to 1970. Fortunately, at the end of the crisis in 1970, the government of the day aggressively embarked on a Reconstruction Development Programme/Plan (1970 to 1975) followed by a National Development Plan (1975 to 1980).

These two Plans formed the basis and structure of our developmental dream – The National Development Plan. The experience and success of the second National Development Plan (1970 to 1975), led to the evolution of a most profound and ambitious development plan, a dream plan, upon which to lay the foundation of Nigeria’s ‘Industrial Take-off’ (Nigeria’s Industrial Revolution) aimed also at establishing the fundamentals of Nigeria’s future political stability within a much desired democratic framework.

The Nigerian Dream, when adopted, imbibed and practised by Nigerians can and will deliver the success that we and our country so richly desire and deserve. This can only be achieved when people make a success of themselves, individually and collectively. The first step towards this success is that people should believe in themselves and their capacities, as ably and masterfully put in this book.

I read through the manuscript of this book, The Nigerian Dream, on my way home from Rome and the Vatican where I attended and represented The President and Nigeria at the Beatification of Pope John Paul II. As I read and also reflected on the Beatification and the man, the late Pontiff and his exemplary life, a thought came to mind, namely, that when people do things, it is not just for themselves, it also has an impact on society and humanity. I encourage all Nigerians to endeavour to contribute their own part by deciding on,