SHOCKING INTERVIEW:
‘NIGERIAN Politicians are JOBLESS Fraudsters Having sole Intention to Enrichen themselves’-Tee Mac Omatshola ISELI, former President PMAN, multiple award-wining flutist
…’I Have moved a $1.6 billion Entertainment Super Dome Project out of Nigeria to Dubai, Originally planned for Lagos without Light Improvement for TWO years’
* ‘I Am Not Pleased with our political climate, the recession, the poverty level and the state of our Entertainment Industry’
* ‘I Am Having a World Music Concert in October, 11 Shows in Europe, Performing with the JACKSON’S Family at their 50 year Anniversary in Dubai for a TV worldwide special’
* ‘2017: A terrible waste of time in the Oil & Gas Sector in Nigeria’
* ‘I Have lost a Fortune to Nigerian Successive administration BAD decisions’
* ‘2016 and 2017 were bad years for every business man in the country, due to clueless Government in power’
* ‘Nigerian Factors: Fraud, Mismanagement and Greed cause of FUEL Scarcity’
* ‘Real Enemies of Nigeria are people around President Muhammadu Buhari’
* ‘Nigeria went into serious Recessions in 2017 with millions losing their jobs. The only ones who were making money were the banks with their excessive bank charges and ATM deductions
* ‘PMAN had a successful election in January 2017 supervised by the Ministry of Labour and with the Trade Union Registrar in attendance, NO More Faction’
In this interactive chat with GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF for Naija Standard Newspaper, Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, a highly successful Nigerian entrepreneur, former President of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria, PMAN, talks about his latest New Year resolution, Nigeria’s Economy, World Music Concert in Europe/Dubai; What caused Fuel Scarcity, Identifying the Real Enemies of Nigeria, Political Appraisal in Nigeria and how Peace returned to PMAN. Enjoy
Q: In this 2018, what are your New Year’s Resolutions?
A: To spend most of my time out of Nigeria because I am not pleased with our political climate, the recession, the poverty level and the state of our Entertainment Industry. I have tried to be part of the development of the Entertainment Industry in creating the Entertainment Foundation of Nigeria, the Entertainment Data Base Nigeria Ltd. the Entertainment Cooperative Multi-Purpose Society of Nigeria and the Entertainment Products Distribution Network of Nigeria. These will all continue but I am surprised and disappointed that there is very little interests to participate, develop, but there is a lot of jealousy and negativity by Entertainment participants. Only in positive work together success can be achieved.
Q: Do you have any plan to go into politics and contest for Senatorial or any other political position bearing in mind that you are an outstanding Nigerian?
A: I have absolutely no intention to seek any political appointment. I look at most politicians as jobless fraudsters with the only intention to enrich themselves. I can never lover myself to that level.
Q: What are your plans to take your music to the Next level in this New Year?
A: I have moved a 1.6 billion USD project to build an Entertainment Super Dome out of Nigeria to Dubai and shall spend most of my year on this project. It was planned originally for Lagos put without improving the electricity supply in the last 2 years (despite election promises to that effect) I decided that it will be a risk to build an Entertainment Dome with shopping malls, theaters and cinema halls in a country where we have to rely on Generators and often inadequate supply of Petrol and Diesel). I have been booked for about 11 concerts in Europe. No plans for shows in Nigeria yet.
Q: Are there on-going plans for you to embark on nationwide music shows and World Music Concerts?
A: Yes as I stated, we already have for schedule 11 shows in Europe this October. I shall perform with the Jackson family at their 50 year anniversary in Dubai for a TV worldwide special. No Nationwide Nigeria tour planed.
Q: Tell us about the various successes you made in your Anti counterfeiting and Piracy engagement last year
A: I got the MTN approval for (certain) number hash, which is an improvement to the previous phone number on medicine. This we will put on CD’s and DVD’s so that visually one can already see if it is a genuine CD and then when one scratches the number it will confirm it.
Q: Can you reflect on the achievement in your mineral oil business?
A: There has been no improvement. The Gas and Oil sector and mining sector has gone to sleep, the same as the country. Even the Ogoni and Bonga oil spills had no development. 2017 was a terrible waste of time in this sector.
Q: Do you plan to have an oil bloc in Nigeria to further help your mining business?
A: I am okay with what I have with my Norwegian Oil partners. I do not intend to put more money into it. I am negotiating a sell off of my mining interests because the sector is just not working. I have lost a fortune to bad government decisions, especially when Olusegun Obasanjo, OBJ, revoked all the licenses a few years ago and we waited 2 years for the mining act to be completed. My two processing plants rusted completely. There is always a lot of talk about developing the mining sector but I have been in it since 1992 and seen very little effort by previous Governments. Only during Goodluck Jonathan’s time we had an excellent Minister of mines, seismic mapping and good cooperation.
Q: Will you say 2017 was your best or worst year as a Nigerian? If yes or no what are your reasons?
A: I would say 2016 and 2017 were bad years for every business man, due to clueless Government in power . Trillions of Naira left this country because of a very unpleasant business climate. The devaluation of the Naira from 150 to 360 are the major reason of the problems. The cost of living with a 200 percent increase and an uncontrolled inflation rate made most companies to flee from Nigeria and kept new investors out!
Q: How will you rate the Nigerian economy in terms of positive impact on Nigerians in 2017?
A: There was nothing positive in terms of progress in 2017. We went into a serious recessions with millions losing their jobs. The only ones who were making money where the banks with their excessive bank charges and ATM deductions. It looks like the banks and foreign exchange dealers became authorized fraudsters. Nowhere in the world is one paying the interest rates of Nigeria, Nowhere are banks so unfriendly and ready to use the police and EFCC against their customers. A total overall of the banking industry is required before foreign investors will consider to bring money back to Nigeria. I have investors ready to bring over 10 billion USD into infrastructural developments but I tell them to hold on. We have to wait and see!
Q: Why do you think fuel is still scarce in Nigeria?
A: It’s all the Nigeria factor. Fraud, mismanagement and greed. Everybody passes the blame to the next one. Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has become a confused corporation and even the Vice President does not know if there is subsidy. How much and who pays for it. There is no accountability and until a change of Government, we will not know the extent of the fraud being committed at the moment. It will be momentous.
Q: Will you blame shortage of fuel in Nigeria to failure of leadership in the country?
A: Yes on every level. As long those paid to do a job only think about their own pockets, nothing will work properly.
Q: President Muhammadu Buhari in his LIVE New Year broadcast said enemies of Nigeria are the people hoarding the fuel purposely to suffer the masses and that they (security agencies) are investigating them. Who are the real enemies of Nigeria?
A: I think President Buhari reads whatever they prepare him to read. He has lost touch to the reality of Nigeria. The people around him have to be blamed but of course the head is always taking the blame and the bad publicity. We all know the real enemies of Nigeria! It’s the team which surrounds Mr. President. They do not tell him the truth and make sure he will not see or find out the truth! Most of his ministers are not capable to do the job for which they were employed and his own staff is selective with what they present to him.
Q: There seems to be no peace till now in the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria, PMAN. How can peace, progress and unity return to PMAN?
A: PMAN had a successful election in January 2017, supervise by the Ministry of Labour and with the Trade Union Registrar in attendance. The Industrial Court confirmed the election. The problem is that the new PMAN President Hon Keston Okoro is not performing. The elders of PMAN are not happy and changes will have to be made this year according to the rules and regulations of our constitution. Apart of that there are no more fractions. A Musician Union has a very important role to play, to regulate, supervise and develop and we are working in getting PMAN up to the international level.
