Motivational speakers or inspirational speakers use the power of language to mold people’s behaviour. They use words to shape people’s emotions, break down people’s limiting beliefs and help them act despite their fears and doubts. They are the catalysts between people’s present and where they want to be in the future. I gave my first motivational talk in December, 2005 at my small community, Olisa, in my hometown of Ijebu-Ode during a ” get-together” organized by my friends and my humble self. Being the first person to gain admission into the university amongst my peers, I challenged them to study hard and turn their dream into reality. The following year, three additional people followed suit . That is the magic of a motivational speaker. They help people set smart goals and equip them with the strategy to turn their goals to fruition.
Having being in this industry for over a decade, I’ve watched closely many professional speakers come and gone. However, there are some brands that have weathered the storm and have impacted thousands of souls. Based on consistency, impact, contribution and uniqueness I present to you my 2016 top ten Nigerian motivational speakers.
- NIYI ADESANYA: He is a human capital advisor, motivational speaker, trainer and expert on the subject of leadership. Niyi Adesanya is leadership personified; an inspiration to many. He is Principal Consultant, FifthGear Consulting, a firm poised with the vision to help organizations be their best through building and sustaining a culture of leadership that can maximize productivity, engender growth and promote harmony. A highly resourceful speaker and mentor, Niyi upholds the concept that ‘TRUE leadership is not just influence, but inspiration. He floats an assortment of skill, originality and sheer passion in his style of delivery. He is the President, Alliance of Change Empowerment Speakers (ACES) – a high profile network of change speakers, professionals and human resource development experts. He is equally the President, ‘Niyi Adesanya Mass Empowerment Initiative; NAME-IT’, a body which is geared towards promoting and empowering entrepreneurship and business success and premiers the ‘Business bounce back, bounce up’ seminar annually.
- SESAN KAREEM: He is widely known as a Full Potential Coach, Sesan is the Team Leader of MAREEK IMAGE CONCEPTS (MIC) and a UK-published, EU-copyrighted and Amazon-marketed Author who has written and published 6 inspiring books on self-development and personal fulfillment. His writings have gone beyond boarders. SK is one of the international authors of united p.c., United Kingdom. He is being regarded as one of the YOUNG most provocative African speakers of contemporary age. Sesan is an EXPERT freelance Trainer of London Professional Training Centre (LPTC), Nigeria. A certified Leadership, Management and SME personnel by Global Leadership Training Institute, Nebraska, Omaha, and an alumnus of Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA), Lagos. He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and International Award in Delivering Training ( IADT) from Highfield Award Body for Compliance (HABC), United Kingdom. He is a highly resourceful speaker who has trained multinationals and small medium enterprise. Sesan has trained MTN Nigeria, FCMB Plc, ABC Transport staff as a wellness and healthy living facilitator of Industrial Training Fund (ITF). Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social development, Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, NASFAT headquarters and branches, New Heights Pharmaceutical Limited, Paxo Pharmaceutical Limited, PSN State branches and many other organizations have been blessed from Sesan’s teaching and training. Sesan is a columnist in pharmanews, the oldest health magazine in West Africa (Published since 1979).
- STEVE HARRIS: He is privileged to be a trusted authority in the fields of Life and Business Strategy, a highly sought after Management Consultant, Motivational Speaker and Author. He also doubles as the Managing Consultant, EdgeEcution; a firm of Management Consultants and Executive Coaches that assist their clients by creating and implementing interventions that cause transformation in their organizations. EdgeEcution utilizes consulting interventions such as retreats, surveys, telephone / branch assessments, corporate diagnostics as well as training interventions to inspire team to achieve the perceived impossible by winning the hearts and money of your customers and finally, through Life Strategy and Executive Coaching , they raise the leadership skills of organization’s leaders and Management Team.
- LEKE ALDER: He is the founder and principal of Alder Consulting, a Nigerian branding firm with offices in Lagos and London. He is credited with introducing branding as a discipline to Nigeria and has consulted on policy, politics and business at the highest levels locally and internationally. He has consulted on policy formulation for the federal government of Nigeria, the federal ministries of Information & Communication, Education, Foreign Affairs and Solid Minerals Development. He has also consulted on political strategy and communication campaigns at national and sub-national levels. Leke Alder is the chairman of the board of directors of Alder Consulting and, A Figment of Imagination. He was appointed by the Nigerian federal government to the Board of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and was the chairman of the board Tenders Committee as well as Chairman of the Communications Committee. He served on the Board for four years. Leke Alder has also served as a member of the organizing committee of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), the Board of Trustees of Day Waterman College, and the Steering Committee, World Economic Forum on Africa (the chairman, Sub-Committee on Media, Host Broadcasting & Advertising).
- MUYIWA AFOLABI: He is the Group CEO of Frontiers International Services Limited; a human capital development and social reformation outfit. He is a strategic thinker with world-class experience in value chain process management. He’s acquired vast experience working with Nigerian Telecommunications Plc., MTN Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria Plc. and Rosabel Leo Burnett Advertising Group as Customer Service Manager, Sales Manager, Brand Manager, Innovations Manager, Procurement Manager, Head of Advertising, Head; Operations & Business Strategy, Accounts Director. As an Employee Capacity Building Professional, he has trained thousands of employees in several world class business establishments across Telecoms, Banking, Insurance, Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Oil and Gas, Tourism, Hospitality, Media, Manufacturing, Aviation, Courier Services and the Public sector. Muyiwa daily inspires tens of millions of Nigerians via his drive-time career and life coaching talk-shows on several radio stations. Muyiwa believes Africans; black Africans are extremely intelligent, brilliant and hardworking. The bane on collective prosperity and rapid progress over several centuries however, include greed, self-centeredness, domestic dissention, treachery and fear. Muyiwa’s passion is to improve the life quality of black Africans through mind-set change!
- UBONG ESSIEN: He is Nigeria’s first Certified Speaking Professional. He is a renowned motivator and the publisher of Nigeria’s monthly motivational paper, The Achievers Journal. He is also the Dean of the public speaking training centre known as The School of Eloquence based in Lagos and London. He has been in the human capacity building profession since 1999 and has worked as a speaker, trainer, facilitator and consultant to a variety of Nigerian organizations in both private and public sectors such as Guinness Plc, AIICO Insurance, Fidelity Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Nigeria LNG, May and Baker, First Registrars, Nigerian Tribune, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Voice of Nigeria (VON), Lagos & Imo State Governments, John Holt Engineering, UAC Plc, UAC Property Development Company, Tastee Fried Chicken, HP Nigeria, Nigerian Bottling Company Plc, MDS, CAP Plc, and Brila 88.9FM. In 2007, he convened the first ever International Speakers Summit in Nigeria featuring Lenora Billings-Harris, president of the National Speakers Association (USA) and Robyn Pearce, Worldwide President of the International Federation of Professional Speakers. Dubbed Nigeria’s Mister Motivator for his pioneering role in motivational lectures on television since 2002 and winner of the coveted Success Digest Award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the same year, Ubong specializes in motivating people towards personal and professional excellence and training in public speaking skills. He is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), USA and the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).
- LANRE OLUSOLA: The Catalyst, Lanre Olusola, is recognized as one of Africa’s Premier Life, Mind, Emotions and Behavioral Change Coaches who works with individuals and organizations to transition from where they are to where they desire to be. Originally trained as an Engineer at the University of Lagos Nigeria, Lanre is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Boston Massachusetts USA, An ASET U.K Certified Life Coach with years of experience and expansive studies in the fields of Psychology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Performance Improvement Management, Human Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, MetaMedicine, Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT), Matrix Reimprinting and more. Lanre through the OlusolaLanre Coaching Academy (OLCA) offers a wide range of Programs and Services from Psychology, to Therapy , Coaching and Keynote Speaking. Having worked extensively in Nigeria, across Africa and other parts of the world in various capacities with organizations such as the World Bank, the UK Government through the DFID and The British Council, Ericsson, Total, Argentil Capital, EbonyLife TV, GTBank, First Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC, FCMB, FBN Capital, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the Nigerian Government and so much more, Lanre has been able to impart exceptional problem solving, motivational, human developmental, leadership and management skills to his clients.
- FELA DUROTOYE: He is a motivational speaker and a consultant. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Economics, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He acquired financial and management consulting experience with Ventures & Trusts Limited, the sole investment consultants in Nigeria to the European Investment Bank, between 1992 and 1995. As a venture capital and project finance analyst, he was involved in the set up and management of several projects including Academy Press, Business Forms Limited and Stark Nigeria Limited. He moved on from Ventures & Trusts to Phillips Consulting in 1998, where he rose to head the customer service group until 2000 when he returned to acquire an M.Phil in Strategic Management at OAU, Ife. Today, Fela Durotoye is the Chief Executive Officer of Visible Impact; a social enterprise set up to tackle social and environmental challenges and limitations with the aim to build people into super-achievers and responsible leaders, build corporate organizations into global market leaders and responsible corporate citizens, as well as assist governments in developing blueprints and programs that create a desirable environment for their people to do great things. He is widely regarded as a nation builder, corporate strategist and unarguably, Nigeria’s most sought after prolific business strategist and corporate activator
- DAYO OLOMU: He is a leading human capital development and business transformation strategist, based in London, United Kingdom. He is also an Event Host, an International Conference Keynote Speaker and Corporate Trainer on Leadership, Good Governance, Entrepreneurship, Business Growth, Human Resources, Career and Personal Development. Dayo who helps to unleash human potential by introducing steps that can turn a dream into reality is noted for creating momentum in people’s lives by taking them from good to great. An abiding passion for making a difference in the world, adding values to lives and increasing hi clients’ base, performance and profits exponentially get him out of bed every morning. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and vice-chair of the South London Branch. He is the CEO, Dayo Olomu & Associates UK; Founding President, Croydon Communicators Toastmasters; Founder, African Professional Speakers Academy; and President, Nigerian Trainers & Speakers Consortium (NTSC) UK. Dayo holds an honours degree in Business Information Systems, MSc in Human Resources and an honorary doctorate. He has a Diploma in Coaching and a post-graduate certificate in Further Education. He has travelled round the globe spurring people to success and optimal growth.
- SAMUEL ADEYEMI: He is the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, a fast growing, life changing church committed to “raising role models” based in Lagos. He is also the President of Success Power International, an NGO that among others things specializes in organizing financial, leadership and motivational seminars and is the President of Daystar Leadership Academy, a leadership school for business owners and ministers of the Gospel. He is a dynamic Pastor, Teacher and Motivational speaker and host of the popular programme – SUCCESS POWER – which airs on radio and television stations within and outside Nigeria. He is passionate about teaching Success, Leadership and Financial principles through seminars and the media. He is a much sought after as speaker both nationally and internationally.
We all need a little boost of motivation and inspiration to become more, do more, have more, accomplish more, experience more, achieve more, love more, laugh more, and live more because there is more fun, more joy, more fulfilment and more abundance for us if we stay hungry, be in the right environment, concentrate on other people’s benefits and know the truth about the science of success and the art of fulfilment. Who are your top ten Nigerian Motivational Speakers for 2016? Kindly share their names with our readers.
