Why Diox Will Win [Part II]

So the Kenyan beauty, Joyce Mbaya had herself fired this week? That's why I don't harbour tender feelings for worms that allow the waves to swallow them without putting up a fight.

Otherwise, I'm here, by way of analysis, to present to you the second and last part –why I think Deox Tibeingana will be crowned the 2008 African Apprentice.

Deox never forgets his winning mentality. In his first role as Zulu Corporation task manager, Shobanjo asked him how his team had performed, and was assured they would win by a 64% margin; something that was confirmed minutes later. This quality has made the doting father of two an outstanding achiever at a tender age of 30.

Deox doesn't call a spade a big spoon. He voiced his disappointment with the leadership of our brother Oscar in the sixth business task but rescued him with enterprising ideas. Even Kathleen noticed that "Oscar has not been able to make a central decision and stick by it without assertion from Deox." But the Zulu Corporation won and our boys survived.

You may raise your hand if you have a different view but Deox has been the fulcrum of Zulu Corporation from day one. The likes of Nnamdi are cocky but when Deox opens his mouth, he pulls the attention because his ideas are always great. It's for this that he has never faced the 'army court martial' presided over by Shobanjo since the show began.

In fact, evening whispers reveal he impressed the judges the most during auditions. Whereas Nancy's "average ideas" have miffed Blessing, Deox continues to wow his 'friends'. One of his philosophical ideologies goes: "A fit body is the domain of a sound mind" and at the show he's been striving to remain physically and mentality fit which explains his stellar performance.

Deox is a game reader and team player and comes with the shrewdness of a street lawyer. He has traveled widely and not even Shobanjo can intimidate him with his curtness. Pundits have defined him as quiet but with "some sort of very powerful personality about him" while his fellow competitor Eddie called him "a pillar of stability that can hold a team together."

It's a mark of integrity to give credit where it's due. When Kathleen joined Zulu Corporation, Deox was visibly disappointed because "We've always known Kathleen even before she came to Zulu as a b****" but when she excelled by steering the team to victory, Deox retracted his statement and embraced her. It's this sincere integrity that fellow contestants and viewers have come to immensely admire about him.

Did you know that he began taking lessons in Pidgin English from his chaperon as soon as he landed in Lagos for the show? It helped him to quickly adapt to the new environment and to feel at home and communicate well and get along very well with fellow contestants.

The likes of Tunde are openly opportunistic and loud-mouthed like the dogs that bay but don't bite. But if The Apprentice Africa was a fable, Deox would be clever little Mr. Hare with the doctor's white coat, a protruding tail and goggles to complete the package.

Call him crafty if you want, but for Deox, there is a time to bark and a time to lurk. For him it ain't over till it's over! He wants the money but more than that he will enter records for inspiring young Ugandans to hit the world stage and play with the big boys without fear, as he's doing.

Six contestants have so far been fired and emotional pressure is high but Deox calmly observed that the "spirit is very low… people are busy collaborating and conspiring, thinking of whom to take to the boardroom" meaning that he has dissected the situation. He was conspicuously missing in the boardroom on Sunday and Shobanjo said he was sick. But I think Deox used his time to think, so watch out.

It's no longer a secret that the man of all seasons will be the last one holding on after the swinging pendulum has thrown off the rest down the cliff. Then he will be handed the keys of the Mercedes, a job with an annual salary of US$200,000 and Uganda will feel proud than ever! If you have a different view, you have the privilege of having the matter settled in the courts of law. But until next time, God richly bless you!