Cephas Kadiri is a director at the Grassroots Project for Good Governance. He tells TOMI MARK-ADEWUNMI about his career

What is your educational qualification?

I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Lagos in 2018. I have also taken some professional courses since then, especially in the areas of civil society administration and business management.

What is your work history?

Before graduation, I registered my first limited liability company called Saxum Analytics, which specialised in research, strategic communications and grassroots organising. Immediately after graduation, I started an investigative online news platform which later went comatose due to lack of funding as well as a lack of commitment on my part. I finally started the GPGG with a lot of support from my associate, Bolujoko Olumayowa. Then, in June 2019, I founded a research initiative focused on poverty alleviation in Nigeria. I am currently building a website together with Uwemedimoh Sampson and Opeyemi Samuel, and the focus is on increasing access to affordable and quality education in emerging markets.

I have a penchant for starting new things.

What is your job description?

I am a director at GPGG Nigeria, a non-governmental organisaation. This role primarily entails overseeing the execution and smooth running of our various projects, such as the good governance boot camps and community development sensitisation.

What led to the setting up of GPGG?

GPGG was borne out of my desire to contribute to improved governance in Nigeria. I hit the ground running when I found the right team.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered in the course of running the NGO and how have you been able to overcome them?

The biggest challenges have been motivation and finance. Sometimes, it feels like nobody understands or cares about one’s contributions but one still has to continue because it is more about passion and not necessarily validation.

On the issue of finance though, I understand that this is just a phase.

What are the most important values you demonstrate as a leader?

The most important values I demonstrate as a leader are sacrifice and resilience. I think that the little I have successfully done so far has been mostly about my ability to make reasonable compromises, especially in the face of adversity.

Have you been able to accomplish the purpose for setting up the NGO?

If you say ‘purpose’, that is something we are constantly working towards and we are making progress, no matter how small. If the purpose is achieved, then there would be no need to continue with our work.

In what ways has the NGO helped in bringing about good governance?

Since February 2019, we have partnered with various anti-corruption organisations such as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and National Human Rights Commission, as well as foreign development and political experts, to train young Nigerians via boot camps and training sessions on inclusion, participation and good governance advocacy.

I believe we are doing our best to contribute to social change and good governance.

What sort of training is available for young Nigerians at your boot camp?

The boot camp is simply a series of advocacy sessions, where we engage stakeholders and professionals to help train young Nigerians who are passionate about governance and leadership on accountability, efficiency, inclusion, responsiveness and participation.

What is the mission and vision of the NGO?

Our mission at GPGG is to raise awareness with well-tailored and purpose-driven campaigns on the need for good governance, training Nigerians on the features of good governance, inclusion and assisting public institutions in improving service delivery. Meanwhile, our vision is to ensure a nation governed by accountable, efficient, responsive and law-abiding leaders.

What are your goals?

I have quite a lot of goals but the major one is to see my country move from where we are right now to being a first world country. I know it sounds like a wild dream but I wholeheartedly believe in it.

Who are your role models?

I don’t have any role models. This is because I try to be mindful of the people that I look up to and I detest sycophancy and hypocrisy.

What are some of the principles you have followed that have helped your NGO to grow?

The first is vision. I think prioritising our vision above every other thing has helped us tremendously. It would have been easy to lose focus and steam if we had paid less attention to our vision.

Secondly, courage has been at the core of our progress. We have held on to it from the onset and I strongly believe we are forging farther ahead with it.

What do you think are some of the mistakes made by the leadership of the country?

Leading the nation? The country is suffering from a dearth of purpose-driven leadership. We have been experiencing leadership crisis with the wrong people in the right places. In most cases, the government seems like a mistake. That is because many people want to be a part of government in Nigeria, so they can amass as much wealth as possible. What motivates the average Nigerian politician is money. They are not there to make a difference; they are there to steal. It is one thing to draft a manifesto; it is another to have genuine purpose. A purposeless government with deceptive politicians is a mistake in itself, so it is only normal that we expect mistakes from them, hence the question of which mistakes exactly they are making wouldn’t even suffice.

What are some of the qualities that have aided your career growth?

I think my desire to always want to know more has contributed the most to my career growth.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy playing chess, classical piano and reading.

What words of encouragement do you have for young Nigerians?

The older generations have failed (us) but they still hold sway. The only path to a better Nigeria is for young Nigerians to take up the mantle of leadership. I am doing my part and everybody should do theirs.

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