By Wilson Adekumola
Nigeria-Netherlands citizen, Adeyinka Abel Daso is a passionate giver, a virtue he said he took from his parents and which has been part of him since his secondary school days.
He sees giving as a normal way of life. He was one of those who gave out palliatives to many people in Lagos in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. He contributed his quota to the development of Christ Apostolic Church in Ofosu under Idanre branch in Ondo State; he also renders financial assistance to churches and projects in the Netherlands
A Nigerian by birth, Daso is the CEO of Manlobel Venture, Almere, Netherlands, a company that is into oil and gas and the financial market. He has worked in several organizations including Lyca Mobile as an executive sales manager, then regional manager, and Mitsubishi as operation assistant respectively before he decided to establish his own six years ago.
Born in the seventies in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, Daso studied marketing as a profession then moved abroad to study Business Administration.
Asked what informed his trip to the Netherlands, Daso who is also the Deputy Coordinator of Omoluabi Association in The Netherlands, a Yoruba social-cultural heritage, told Church Times that after his first degree in Nigeria he decided to explore different ideas in a different environment and he did everything possible within the confines of the law to make his dream a reality saying he has not regretted his decision.
He says further, “My goal in life is to become a successful businessman and extend a helping hand to others. That was my childhood dream. And it is becoming a reality now due to integrity and hard work, which are traits I took from my father.”
Life in the Netherlands
Speaking on life in that part of the world, the former secondary school teacher, declared that, “Being another environment in a country other than where you were born, the most important thing is to abide by the rules and regulations that govern the country. Life generally is the same all over the world when you are a law-abiding citizen. It may be rough at the beginning but perseverance and resilience would make you excel.”
He also pointed out that, “businesses are the same but the difference is the directives. Unlike here, people are not committed to working hours in Nigeria. You cannot do that in the Netherlands. We work as required but in Nigeria, we believe in personal reward”.
Being a player in the oil and gas industry, Daso who is the current All Progressive Congress’ (APC) Chairman in the Netherlands says Nigeria still parades one of the cheapest fuel pump prices in the world noting that the present Nigeria leadership is working vigorously to put the country in the right part. He then advised the citizens to do the needful to encourage the government.
He said, “The pump price in Nigeria is one of the cheapest in the world. In the Netherlands, the pump price is 1.59 euro equivalent to N850 why a liter is 162 naira in Nigeria. You can take the statistics of fuel price around the globe you will then understand what I am talking about.
The present Nigeria leadership is working very well to put it in the right part. President Buhari has been rated as a highly performing president in the history of Nigeria but Nigerians are not always patient in every facet of life even in their personal business. Nigeria is just 61 years old compared to the Netherlands that is about 400 years old now. Rome was not built in a day. We have to be patient with our government and do the needful to encourage its effort.
“The fundamental problem of Nigerians is lack of discipline and God-fearing spirit despite they go to church and mosque. Before President Buhari came to power Nigeria was rated as almost number one corrupt country in the world. We are not saying there is no corruption now but it has drastically reduced to the barest minimum.
“Everyone could see the level of infrastructural development going on in the country. Nigeria could go out of recession in a short period of time during this global pandemic while other countries are still struggling with it. Nigerians sell a bad image of the country on social media, meanwhile, every country has its negative stories but you hardly see that on social media. The Bible says, “Speak peace to the land and it shall be well with you” but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Let us be honest and sincere with ourselves, then things will get better.” He added.
While explaining what Nigeria should do to address the sliding economy, he counsels, “It is time Nigeria should diversify its economy and consider other sectors because only oil cannot solve the present Nigeria population problem that is over 200 million. I will advise the government to look into the agricultural sector, Industrial sector and develop the skill of the citizens to encourage manpower.”
Concerning the crime rate in the Netherlands, Daso who is also the CEO of Best Reality International Company in the Netherlands revealed that Netherlands police is well disciplined and have zero tolerance for corruption revealing that prostitution is legalized in the Netherlands to curb rape.”
Nigeria’s judiciary a problem
“Netherlands police is very organized and does not tolerate corruption. Our police should be reorganized and re-orientated so that they can be more effective in carrying out their duty. Nigeria’s judiciary is the biggest problem Nigeria is facing. Everyone obeys the law here in the Netherlands. Nepotism and favouritism have eaten deep into our system in Nigeria. Netherlands curb raping by legalizing prostitution which has economically benefited the country. Rape is a big crime in the Netherlands.
The philanthropist as he is fondly called also emphasized the need to create State police to solve the insecurity problem in Nigeria, “in the area of security in Nigeria, state police should be instituted to combat the issue of insecurity. On the other hand, in the area of unemployment, the agricultural sector could be the way out for the youth. In our school, technical work should be reintroduced to our system. Here in the Netherlands, everyone is fully engaged. Our culture and discipline should be taken seriously”.