Firstly, my wife Akila and the kids, who made do without me
around. I owe you, big time.
My employer, IBM is a leader in corporate philanthropy and
encourages IBMers to participate in programs such as the Corporate Service
Corps (CSC) and the Smarter Cities Challenge (SCC), both of which I took
advantage of. My manager Brian whole-heartedly supported my eagerness to
participate.
My amazing SCC team members made the three weeks fun, and I
learned from each of them.
Divine - boy, does she loves white rice!
Divine, a quiet presence during our heated discussions,
acted as the voice of calm and reason many a times when our patience would run
out and tempers would rise. On more than one occasion, she played the
peacemaker. She establishes an amazing connection with people in a short order.
I am glad that I was able to help her on her Abuja Hash trek up to Asokoro –
and I expect many more hiking stories from her.
The ultra-competitive Marvin
Marvin’s cool exterior hides a fiercely competitive spirit, evidenced
by his swim challenge with the instructors at the pool. He took his time opening
up, but once he gets going, he’s a hoot. As an African-American, his trip to
Nigeria held special meaning to him, and his farewell speech rings in my head.
Maria - did someone say "wine" ?
Maria’s conscientious, meticulous preparation and initiative
kept the team moving. Her fitness mania kept me on my toes. She’s a fun team
mate and an adventurous person. Her love of spicy food was an eye opener. To
get her animated, just get her some good wine.
Sameh loves nothing more than chilling with a hookah and talking politics
Sameh, though the youngest of the lot, has a quiet dignity of manner and gravity of thought that set him apart. As a multi-talented musician, he jammed with the piano players at hotel lobbies and drummed with the wedding musicians. His ultra-liberal word-view combined with his loquaciousness resulted in several memorable chats on global politics. His conversations with Uber drivers revealed a lot about his ability to connect with people.
Remi - Real-life Energizer bunny
Remi, the Corporate Citizenship manager for IBM West Africa,
was critical to the success of the team. Her passion for the project and her
energy levels were intimidating. To all observers, it was evident that she
believed she was doing more than a job – she was helping Nigeria rise up to its
potential.
Ann - always helpful, always cheerful
Ann, the Country Manager for Pyxera, was a quite presence in
the background – she kept everything going smoothly. The notable lack of unpleasant
surprises during our stay shows how well she did her job. The Pyxera team in
the US, particularly Kotheid and Rachel, arranged our travel and prepped us
during the pre-work flawlessly.
Dapper dude Israel
Israel was by our side everyday – an aide who provided local
knowledge and color in our interactions with Abuja and Abujans. His stylish
outfits were a visual treat, too.
Nasiru - natural-born hiker
Nasiru drove us around cheerfully, and on our Abuja Hash hike, led us back to civilization.
John and Judith
Allison
Allison, John and Judith, from the Permanent Secretary’s
office, were tremendously helpful in all or our dealings with the FCTA.
IBM Nigeria, particularly Judy, who pretty much acted as our
local liaison and Dipo, the Country Manager, deserve my deep gratitude.
The IBM Corporate Citizenship team in charge of the Smarter
Cities Challenge program, Celia and Anne, make this program work. They are primarily
responsible for us being here.
My blogging career will go back to hibernation after this is
posted. What I learned from my previous stint blogging was that while I enjoyed
the act of writing, the pleasure of looking back and reliving my experiences
were an unexpected bonus. I have no doubt that I will come back to relive my experiences
in Abuja through this blog.
To those of you who followed me along on this blog, thank
you.
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