I Chose Impact Over N1.2m Salary — Ex-SMEDAN Boss

A former director-general of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr Olawale Fasanya, has said he left a higher-paying job at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to return to SMEDAN because he wanted to make impact rather than remain in a role where he had limited responsibilities.

Fasanya disclosed this in Abuja yesterday, during the public presentation of his book, “From Cradle to Saddle”, where he chronicled the history and growth of SMEDAN from inception.

According to him, he abandoned a position that paid about N1.2 million monthly with several benefits and returned to a role paying less than N300,000.

“Some people felt I was mad by leaving a job paying roughly N1.2 million and going back to one paying less than N300,000. But I wanted to be where I could make impact. You cannot warehouse me,” he said.

He said the decision eventually positioned him to rise from being the agency’s first employee to becoming its director-general.

Fasanya said he joined SMEDAN at its inception and participated in building the agency from scratch when it had no office or operational structure.

“When the agency was created, we had nothing no office, no platform. We started from the guest house of the first director-general and built it to what it is today,” he stated.

Explaining the title of the book, Fasanya said From Cradle to Saddle reflects the journey of nurturing and building the agency to maturity.

He listed some of the initiatives he contributed to during his years at the agency, including MSME policy development and enterprise support programmes.

Speaking at the event, Katsina State Deputy Governor, Malam Faruk Lawal, who represented Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, described the publication as an important documentation of institutional history and enterprise development.

Lawal said the book would serve as a resource for policymakers, entrepreneurs and future leaders, stressing the need for stronger support for micro, small and medium enterprises to drive economic growth and job creation.

He also reaffirmed Katsina State government’s commitment to enterprise development, innovation and youth empowerment.