1. What's your
background and school like?
I
was born to an industrious parents which means I had to be involved with
something as little as I was. My father ran a palm oil business and transport
company while my mother ran a restaurant and a supermarket.
I
finished from St. Paul Anglican Primary School Uruala in 1982 and then Bishop
Shanan College Orlu, in 1993. It wasn’t a smooth run, but those days were
filled with sweet memories and you needed to be good, diligent and tough to handle
the positions of Assistant Senior Class Prefect and School Chapel Prefect, which
I occupied.
The
next step was Political Science from University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State;
Aviation Management from Massey College Auckland New Zealand and Law from
National Open University Abuja.
2. As a well-established business man, what's
your career experience?
Business has been before me since I was a kid,
because my parents were into it. They taught me to always solve problems if I
must succeed and that is what I have been doing as a business man.
My
first leap was in 1999 when I started the FOW Company, which is now registered
in Nigeria, USA, Canada, UK, South Korea and 15 other countries. Identifying
and solving problems have been the key to our growth.
In
2009, I established Hats Aviation Limited in Owerri, Imo State and we made huge
success in aviation and logistics management. There is ORGE Lounge and ORGE
wine shop; Face Of The World Organization which is a multinational event and
entertainment company.
People
look at what we are doing now and think it is the only thing I have ever been
involved with, but we have had pageants, fashion weeks and award ceremonies
within and outside Nigeria.
FOW
Company, Trade Nigeria, Globe Chambers of Commerce are now at the forefront of
our businesses with problem solving initiatives within and outside Nigeria.
We
have Nigeria – Asia Business Forum and similar things for Europe, Australia and
America. We had Nigeria at 59 National Day Awards 2019 Singapore and it was
amazing, thanks to Office of The Secretary to the Government of the Federation;
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We
have also established the Nigeria - Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while
our planned joint trade mission to Korea was put on hold because of the Coronavirus
and are looking forward to bouncing back when everything is gone. Right now, we
are doing a lot in business development and capacity building via economic and
business summits; trade and property expos as well as trainings for young
entrepreneurs across the county.
3. Tell us the challenges you've been facing
running these businesses and successful in a country like this?
Ideas
rule the world, but the greatest challenge faced by the man with ideas is
getting those who need those ideas to believe in him. Sometimes, implementation is basically an
issue when you have an idea that is bigger than the platform you’re operating on.
Sentiments
could often be an issue as most people would want to consider where the owner
of the idea is coming from rather than what impact the idea would be making and
sometimes, it is so difficult to find the right people to work with.
4. As a lawyer and an entrepreneur, what would you like to say combining this two distinct professions and scaling through?
Like
I said earlier, business has always been around me. I combined it with my
primary, secondary and university education so this won’t be much problem
because none of them contradicts each other.
Being
a lawyer is a business on its own and merging it with another business might
seem so tough, but learning at the early stage of my life to be good, diligent
and tough, means I can do it all, but with the right people around me.
5. What is the energy that has kept you moving?
The
first is never running out of ideas and the second one is success because when
you achieve one, you want to do the next one.
These
things are wrapped in the grace of God which has blessed me immensely with a
good team, friends and most importantly a loving family with an amazing wife as
a crown on it.
6. How easy or difficult would you say it is for
entrepreneurs to be successful in Nigeria?
Before
you say how easy or difficult it is to succeed in Nigeria, you need to consider,
what you are selling, where you are selling and then who you are selling to. If
these three are wrong then the business is already wrong.
If
they are right, then it will boil down to what you know and sometimes, who you
know. But generally it is not so easy, knowing that some infrastructures like
power and road are yet to be at the top level.
High
expenses on power and transportation are often scary to low startups. But kudos
to those who still find their way through.
7. Having gone
this far, do you feel you’ve achieved all your goals?
Every
goal is the foundation for another and it never ends. You remember when we all used
to say the sky is the limit? No one has actually built anything that starts
from the ground to the sky.
I’ve
made some remarkable achievements in life, but I don’t think I am there yet. If
I’m being sincere, I’d say that I’m just getting started.
8. Can you tell us about your U.N ambassadorship?
It
was in 2012, but I have been working on so many life changing and charity based
projects before then. I organized the United Nations Fashion Week and Awards
2012 In New York, and so far we also have Her Trade Support Program, which
donates funds to indigent women across the country to improve their businesses.
There
were more pageants and charity works I was involved in and United Nations
noticed that and recognized me as Goodwill Ambassador.
9. As the word goes “young people are obsessed
with making quick money” what's your advice on this?
We
will suffer it someday, aside the bad image it is giving Nigeria at the
international community presently.
We
have ended up having many rich people but are still cumulatively poor because
all we do is consume things and send back the money to other countries while we
take on the liabilities of expensive cars, gargets and other things that are
perishables.
None
of these moneys go to education, research and investments that will birth
others. So we are still far.
My
simple advice for young people is that they should understand that there is
dignity in labour. Knowing that you worked for your money is great and it will
encourage you to work for more. But when the stealing channel is blocked or
when the person is nabbed by law enforcement agents, it is the end. But there
is no end for something legitimate, it keeps growing.
10. What is your own definition of life?
10. What is your own definition of life?
Life
is not where we stay; it is where we pass, that is why waiting for anything to
happen is dangerous. You stand and make it happen.
It
is more of journey to an ultimate destination to me, we are tasked with
choosing the way we will be remembered by what we do, which is basically how we
treat others.
Understanding
this, means I live my life solving problems and want to be remembered by the number
of problems I solved for myself, others and the entire world.
