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Welcome to Bayeku,

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a riverine community in Ikorodu, Lagos --

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a vivid representation of several[br]riverine communities across Nigeria,

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communities whose waterways[br]have been infested

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by an invasive aquatic weed;

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communities where economic livelihoods[br]have been hampered:

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fishing, marine transportation

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and trading;

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communities where fish yields[br]have diminished;

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communities where schoolchildren[br]are unable to go to school

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for days, sometimes weeks, on end.

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Who would have thought that this plant

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with round leaves, inflated stems,[br]and showy, lavender flowers

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would cause such havoc[br]in these communities.

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The plant is known as water hyacinth

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and its botanical name,[br]Eichhornia crassipes.

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Interestingly, in Nigeria,[br]the plant is also known by other names,

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names associated with historical events,

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as well as myths.

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In some places,[br]the plant is called Babangida.

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When you hear Babangida, you remember[br]the military and military coups.

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And you think: fear, restraint.

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In parts of Nigeria in the Niger Delta,[br]the plant is also known as Abiola.

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When you hear Abiola,[br]you remember annulled elections

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and you think: dashed hopes.

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In the southwestern part of Nigeria,

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the plant is known as Gbe'borun.

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Gbe'borun is a Yoruba phrase

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which translates to "gossip,"[br]or "talebearer."

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When you think of gossip, you think:[br]rapid reproduction, destruction.

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And in the Igala-speaking part of Nigeria,

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the plant is known as A Kp'iye Kp'oma,

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And when you hear that,[br]you think of death.

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It literally translates[br]to "death to mother and child."

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I personally had my encounter[br]with this plant in the year 2009.

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It was shortly after I had relocated[br]from the US to Nigeria.

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I'd quit my job in corporate America

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and decided to take[br]this big leap of faith,

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a leap of faith that came[br]out of a deep sense of conviction

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that there was a lot of work[br]to do in Nigeria

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in the area of sustainable development.

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And so here I was in the year 2009,

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actually, at the end of 2009,

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in Lagos on the Third Mainland Bridge.

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And I looked to my left[br]and saw this very arresting image.

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It was an image of fishing boats

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that had been hemmed in[br]by dense mats of water hyacinth.

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And I was really pained by what I saw

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because I thought to myself,

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"These poor fisherfolk,

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how are they going[br]to go about their daily activities

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with these restrictions."

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And then I thought,[br]"There's got to be a better way."

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A win-win solution whereby[br]the environment is taken care of

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by the weeds being cleared out of the way

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and then this being turned[br]into an economic benefit

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for the communities[br]whose lives are impacted the most

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by the infestation of the weed.

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That, I would say, was my spark moment.

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And so I did further research[br]to find out more

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about the beneficial uses of this weed.

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Out of the several,[br]one struck me the most.

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It was the use of the plant[br]for handicrafts.

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And I thought, "What a great idea."

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Personally, I love handicrafts,

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especially handicrafts[br]that are woven around a story.

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And so I thought, "This could be[br]easily deployed within the communities

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without the requirement[br]of technical skills."

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And I thought to myself,[br]"Three simple steps to a mega solution."

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First step: Get out into the waterways[br]and harvest the water hyacinth.

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That way, you create access.

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Secondly, you dry[br]the water hyacinth stems.

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And thirdly, you weave[br]the water hyacinth into products.

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The third step was a challenge.

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See, I'm a computer scientist[br]by background

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and not someone in the creative arts.

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And so I began my quest

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to find out how I can learn how to weave.

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And this quest took me[br]to a community in Ibadan, where I lived,

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called Sabo.

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Sabo translates to "strangers' quarters."

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And the community is[br]predominantly made up of people

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from the northern part of the country.

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So I literally took[br]my dried weeds in hand,

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there were several more of them,

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and went knocking from door to door[br]to find out who could teach me

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how to weave these[br]water hyacinth stems into ropes.

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And I was directed[br]to the shed of Malam Yahaya.

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The problem, though,[br]is that Malam Yahaya doesn't speak English

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and neither did I speak Hausa.

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But some little kids came to the rescue

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and helped translate.

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And that began my journey[br]of learning how to weave

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and transform these[br]dried water hyacinth stems

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into long ropes.

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With my long ropes in hand,

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I was now equipped to make products.

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And that was the beginning[br]of partnerships.

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Working with rattan basket makers[br]to come up with products.

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So with this in hand, I felt confident

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that I would be able[br]to take this knowledge

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back into the riverine communities

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and help them to transform[br]their adversity into prosperity.

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So taking these weeds[br]and actually weaving them

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into products that can be sold.

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So we have pens, we have tableware,

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we have purses, we have tissue boxes.

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Thereby, helping the communities

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to see water hyacinth[br]in a different light.

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Seeing water hyacinth as being valuable,

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being aesthetic,[br]being durable, tough, resilient.

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Changing names, changing livelihoods.

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From Gbe'borun, gossip,

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to Olusotan, storyteller.

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And from A Kp'iye Kp'oma,[br]which is "killer of mother and child,"

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to Ya du j'ewn w'Iye kp'Oma,

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"provider of food for mother and child."

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And I'd like to end[br]with a quote by Michael Margolis.

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He said, "If you want to learn[br]about a culture, listen to the stories.

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And if you want to change a culture,[br]change the stories."

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And so, from Makoko community,[br]to Abobiri, to Ewoi,

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to Kolo, to Owahwa, Esaba,

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we have changed the story.

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Thank you for listening.

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(Applause)