Our Personality on The Pointer Platform today is Dr Donald Peterson, Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor On Entrepreneurship Development. He is an economist and financial expert, a father, a philanthropist, and a humanist. In this interview, he spoke on the strategic roles of his office in the Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration, and how the administration is silently, but steadily changing lives through Delta-preneurship Programmes, his penchant for Philanthropy, and many more. Excerpts.
As the Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Entrepreneurship Development, what exactly do you?
Thank you very much. We were appointed in September 2023. Shortly after, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori gave us a charge. It was an uncommon charge. He said, “I don’t want what is common. I don’t want just good. I don’t want better. I want excellence.”
I interpreted his words to mean that he wants us to think outside the box, to deliver something different, something unprecedented. He wants something that has never been seen before. So, we sat down and researched, and we coined the term, “Delta-preneurship” .The word combines “Delta”, representing our beloved state, and “Entrepreneurship”, meaning Delta people engaging in business to achieve growth and higher productivity.
Under Delta-preneurship, we have two main initiatives: Tech-preneurship and Agropreneurship. These were chosen after a careful observation of global trends and pace-setters such as Elon Musk. In 2022, shortly after COVID-19, he was asked which people would lead the world in the next decade. He said the world would be led by tech experts and those who feed them. From this, we derived two focuses: technology and feeding the world.
The latter, “feeding the world”, struck me as significant because it is something everyone does daily, from children to adults; we eat to survive, without coercion or advertising. So we concluded that these two branches of business, technology and food production, would be ideal for Deltans to excel in.
If you look at the different ethnic groups in Nigeria, each has something it is known for: The Fulani for cattle, the Igbo for trade. What should the Delta people be noted for? It is already noted that ‘Delta nur dy carry last’. We are resilient and innovative, so Delta-preneurship aligns with our identity and the assignment given to us by His Excellency.
Uniquely, Delta State is the only state in Nigeria with four state-owned universities, two state-owned polytechnics, and two state colleges of education.
Aggregating youths in these institutions is key, since, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 65 per cent of our population is youthful.
We began by conducting a sensitisation tour across these institutions to inform students about Delta-preneurship. Fortunately, the National Universities Commission (NUC) already mandates entrepreneurship courses in all tertiary institutions. We integrated Tech-preneurship and Agropreneurship into the school curriculum.
Being from Ika South Local Government Area, I know the saying: “The dance is best practiced at home before being performed in public.” We reached out to university authorities, and I am pleased to report that we are collaborating actively with the University of Delta, Agbor, on Tech-preneurship.
Tech-preneurship covers several models: UI/UX, artificial intelligence, programming, digital marketing, and others, seven models in total.
Normally, each model costs at least ₦500,000 to learn. But thanks to the Governor’s charge, these models are provided free. Beyond this, we are connecting our youths to global platforms where they can offer IT services to multinational companies abroad.
Currently, a few young Deltans are earning in foreign currencies while working from Delta for companies in Europe and America. Some have opted to move abroad, but many choose to remain here and earn foreign currency locally, which I consider a better choice.
Having established the Tech-preneurship initiative, we plan to introduce Agropreneurship when schools resume in September–October. This timing coincides with the Christmas rush, when micro-businesses purchase chickens, turkeys, and other items to rear and sell for the festive season.
If you cast your mind back to Christmas of last year, you will remember that an average-sized chicken cost about ₦30, 000. One major challenge is the rising cost of poultry feed, which can consume 85–90 per cent of revenue. Therefore, we researched cost-effective alternatives and developed two solutions: Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming, which produces protein-rich maggots for poultry, pigs, and fish, and Azolla farming, a fast-replicating aquatic plant that serves as high-protein feed for livestock and fish.
This means that come next Christmas, a lot of Deltans will benefit. Both methods dramatically reduce production costs and enable farmers to retain 80–90 per cent of their revenue, which means the Governor is putting money back into the pockets of Deltans. This is what the Governor and we, as part of his team, are doing to give Deltans a better life under the MORE Agenda.
However, we understand that many people cannot relate to maggots and are often irritated by the idea. This is why we have introduced Azolla, a water plant. All you need for it is water and some form of shade, and it can be harvested every 48 hours. It can be fed to chickens, pigs, fish, goats, and cows (though not catfish), and they eat it and grow bigger.
There are also some of our aged parents who have a large space in their backyard that some even use for refuse dump. For them, we also introduced the Transgenerational Wealth Creator initiative, using coconut farming. Traditionally, coconuts are planted from a pod, but we now demonstrate that coconut fronds can be planted to yield multiple trees.
One coconut can cost about N1, 000-N1 5000, so if a tree can bear 80–100 fruits per year, and with 100 trees, a farmer can earn around ₦8 million annually. The process is tracked through a dedicated app, which notifies farmers and markets when coconuts begin fruiting. This translates to over ₦600,000 per month, about eight times the minimum wage, directly benefiting the people.
That is the kind of Delta State that Governor Sherriff Oborevwori is poised to build.
Delta State has about five million residents, and the majority of them are youths. How many have benefited so far?
In the first wave at the University of Delta, Agbor, around 2,000 students participated. We are now including community youths, and the interest has been overwhelming. They are so interested in it. They too can learn in the university environment.
Typically, Thursdays are allocated for students in higher institutions, while Fridays are for community youth.
Before now, they taught it was a university thing because the institution would issue a certificate for the training. However, we have reached out to stakeholders and community leaders so that youths in the catchment areas can be informed.
We expect an additional 4,000 participants, reaching 6,000 within 12 months.
By the time we launch Agropreneurship, the number will grow further because it will engage the youth and the old. Our vision is to train between 250,000 to 500,000 participants over 24 months, and we are exploring virtual training with Coursera, so participants can learn from home. All registration and training are free, fully sponsored by the Delta State Government.
What about getting resources like land for Agropreneurship?
Many of the initiatives, such as BSF and Azolla farming, require minimal space and can be practised in backyards or small rooms. For the Black Soldier Fly, all you need is a small room to serve as your insectarium, where rotten materials are used to attract the fly.
You also need a larvarium, where the flies, when ready to lay their eggs, go because they want privacy. There is a special kind of wood placed there to attract them, and that is where you harvest them.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, yam is regarded as the king of crops. However, because of the growing insecurity, even though the government is taking steps to address it, we must still find ways to eat and produce food in the meantime. That is why we teach people how to grow yams in sacks, a method that maximizes space and improves growth.
In the past, you needed a whole head of a sprouting yam to grow another, but we now teach that, depending on the size of the tuber, one yam can give you 10–20 stands in sacks.
These stands do not struggle for nutrients with other plants, so they grow bigger and better. Unlike the traditional spacing method, where a given space could take only 9 yams, that same space can now take 80–90. This is not new; it has been around, but it proves that you no longer need to acquire land to farm yams.
Coconut farming, as mentioned regarding transgenerational wealth creation, can utilise previously unused backyard land.
Does your office have support for existing entrepreneurs?
Existing entrepreneurs benefit too. For instance, Poultry farmers can now produce their own feed with BSF or Azolla, saving 85–90 per cent of costs. For example, take people in other types of businesses like content creators. Do you know how much that economy is worth? Its valuation runs into billions.
With our programme, however, you will become better content creators. You will understand how to use the artificial intelligence tools available to you effectively.
For instance, I often use this example: Christmas is approaching. If you go on YouTube and search for Christmas songs, you will see songs that have accumulated 600 million views, others with 69 million views, and some with two million views within just a month or two.
Over ten years, some have more than 600 million views. Do you realize that these views generate actual revenue? Someone with 69 million views, conservatively, would have earned over $6.9 million in about five years. Convert that into Naira, and you can imagine the billions.
With this training, your mind will be enhanced in terms of IT and IT product development. Your horizon will broaden, enabling you to venture into these areas and earn significantly more.
Let me illustrate further. Recently, there was a young man, John Imah, the owner of SpreeAI. A very young man. He initially studied fashion design. But he noticed a challenge: people wanted to see how fabrics and styles would fit them before they were even sewn. So, he took it upon himself to learn IT skills, not just the basic three or six months of instruction, but enough to identify a market need.
The need he identified was simple yet critical: people wanted to virtually “try on” clothes to see if a style suited them before committing to it physically.
So, he developed an AI system that allows users to wear clothes virtually, assess the fit, and decide whether the style works for them. Today, his company is valued at $1.5 billion, all from six months of learning. This is the transformative power of tech-preneurship: you can become a global citizen.
He started in Nigeria, and now he operates on the global stage. Naomi Campbell sits on his board. Without tech-preneurship and IT training, such a connection would never have been possible. This is precisely the transformation we are trying to create for Delta youth.
My advice is simple: the sooner they get on board, the better for them.
Beyond your work as Special Assistant, you known for your philanthropic work, particularly through your foundation. What inspired you to take on this path?
Philanthropy runs in my family. I come from a generation of “do-gooders”. From primary school, I have always shared my resources, books, bags, and shoes with peers in need. This ethos continues today, expressed through our initiatives in entrepreneurship and even football.
Football is not just recreation; it is a platform to scout for talent, develop skills, and create careers. Ronaldo was playing football in its raw form when he was discovered. Victor Osihmen was hawking sachet water on the streets of Lagos until his talent brought him to the limelight. Already, four youths from our programmes are playing in Italy. Their success contributes back to Delta, through spending, investment, and inspiration.
As Delta State is about to celebrate its 34th anniversary, how would you rate the government’s services?
Delta State is traditionally and culturally oriented. There is a saying that the son should surpass the father. His Excellency, Right Honourable Sheriff Oborevwori is exemplary in this regard because he was picked by the people, among other eligible candidates, to lead the state. Even the blind can see the Infrastructure development in the state.
For the first time, we are using Julius Berger for our projects. From bridges, roads, and project inspections are visible, hands-on, and effective. You can see him going to inspect the projects himself.
In Human Capital Development, Delta is leading and doing what no other state is. Initiatives like the recent Widow’s Welfare Scheme demonstrate efficiency, transparency, and direct impact.
Monies are being paid directly into the beneficiaries’ accounts, no middlemen or ghost widows. This is what I and Deltans generally know. I would rate the services at ten out of ten.
How do you plan to spread this programme across the state?
That’s where you in the media come in. We rely on you to help us disseminate the information. Also, it is important for people to verify what we are saying for themselves. Don’t just take our word for it. Come and see for yourself.
As the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.” Once you have seen it, you are encouraged to spread the word.
When we started, we visited all higher institutions in Delta State to sensitise students about this project. Every day, we are active on social media, pushing information out.
When we move to virtual training, people won’t need to leave their homes or offices; they can simply log in and learn. And it is free. Normally, you would pay for Coursera courses, but we are covering that cost. How much nicer can it get? His Excellency deserves a big round of applause.
You are praising the Governor, but there are still those grumbling at the back? What can you say to them?
Of course. There are always some who grumble, criticism is necessary. It keeps us alert and ensures we improve. The Governor listens to criticism carefully. He examines the facts, learns from them, and improves. That is why he continues to get better every day.
We are fortunate in Delta State to have such leadership, someone committed to development.
Delta is our state; we have no other. We must all work hard and smart to advance its development. The Governor deserves our encouragement and prayers to do more, rather than idly listening to destructive complaints. Why not contribute ideas instead?
Many ideas already exist; they are common, relatable, and practical. We simply need to fuse them together and implement them. That takes time and collaboration, but the results are transformative.
If you have such an idea, come teach us, we are ready to learn and have you as a member to actualize better things for Deltans.
