Archibong talks about the challenge faced by industries in Nigeria AND how Akwa Ibom can leverage its industrialisation drive.
Prince Mendy Archibong is the Managing Director of Goodtime Group of Companies. Goodtime companies are into industrial chemicals and paint production, oil and gas as well as importation. In this interview, Archibong talks about the challenge faced by industries in Nigeria, how Akwa Ibom can leverage its industrialisation drive to wriggle out of the COVID-19 economic downturn and; his community interventions. Excerpt:
You have been engaged in the productive industry for about 25 years, and you’re an industrialist. As an Akwa Ibomite, what was it like when you return home to see that the government is trying to get the state industrialized?
I am happy. I’m proud to see Akwa Ibom being industrialized. The governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has done so well in establishing industries in the state. But we’re still backward in the area of power supply.
How do you mean?
There’s no state or country that can have good manufacturing industries without good power supply. If the government can improve in the area of power supply, I believe the state would do much better in industrialization.
As you know, power is in the exclusive list of our country. What do you think the governor can do for us to really improve in that regard?
Since our governor loves industrialization, he should interface with the federal government and with relevant stakeholders in order to find lasting solutions to the power problem facing the state. I am aware that the governor is working towards ensuring that every household in the state has 24/7 electric power supply by 2021; that’s a fantastic plan. I encourage the governor to expedite actions on that. If he can fix power alone in the remaining three years of his administration, then he would have solved one of the state’s most fundamental problems and we will owe him profound gratitude for that.
Let’s talk about your experience as an industrialist. What is your story?
There are some people we shouldn’t neglect. You see all those boys who go about picking scraps? That was how I started. From picking scraps from the dustbins, I was able to gather and send them to companies. I watched how the companies handled the scraps from start to finish. I had a vision that someday, I would be like those companies. So, I managed my resources with focus. That was how I was able to grow to where I am today.
So, from picking scraps, watching those companies do their production, and you’re now into chemicals not metals. How did you find yourself in chemicals business ?
When I say scraps, plastics are among them. I went into pure recycling. My challenge was power; that’s why I said power is number one when it comes to industrialization. And we, the manufacturers spend so much in buying diesel. I spend five to six million naira monthly in buying diesel in my company. So you see, power is number one.
You spend five to six million naira monthly for diesel? What does that mean to your company’s operations?
That is the challenge we are facing. Every manufacturing company faces this challenge too. I’m sorry to say that the masses are the ones at the receiving end because they are the end users. The cost of production goes to the masses. As a businessman, one exists to make profit.
If you spend such an amount where you are operating, why not also try to bring your firm home so that you can employ our people?
We are working towards that. Recently, we’ve been able to acquire a place. We at Goodtimes Group of Companies are not into manufacturing only, we are also into petroleum and gas. We are already planning to build a gas plant here. That will employ a lot of our people when it comes into fruition.
Since you have been in Akwa Ibom, you must have checked out people in similar business as yours and many of them in this state, perhaps, are not doing well. What are those attitudes you’ve seen in Akwa Ibom businessmen and women that are hindering their successes?
What they need is orientation. An average Akwa Ibom person is hardworking. Our people don’t know how to steal, they know how to work. We can teach them the nitty gritty of business. We can teach them that they can be entrepreneurs. We can teach them that they can grow from the scratch to any level, and that the sky would not be their limit.
What is that attitude that does not allow businesses to thrive in Akwa Ibom?
What is making business not to thrive in Akwa Ibom is lack of innovation and creativity. Our business men and women should be alive with current realities in business. We should be able to change the narrative and do something new, something different from the already established ones, something useful to the society. Some people like to do businesses that would give them immediate profit. Such people don’t have the patience to wait and see their businesses grow. I think we should do away with such tendencies.
Some people tend to argue that Akwa Ibom people are not business-minded. Do you align yourself to such submission?
No, I don’t believe that Akwa Ibom people are not business minded. God has given everybody brain, it’s just an individual’s choice to put his brain to work. We have a lot of Akwa Ibom businessmen and women that are doing very well in Nigeria.
When the Covid-19 crisis hit Akwa Ibom State, you were one of the first persons from the diaspora who came to assist the poor and the less privileged people in the state with palliatives worth millions of Naira. What was the motivation for that compassionate gesture?
Passion for my people was that which moved my hand to do so. We know that the disease is a killer disease, so I came to assist my people in Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene local government areas and other places so as to check and curtail the spread of the disease.
Covid-19 has strangulated so many businesses in Akwa Ibom state and Nigeria. As an industrialist, what would be your advice to business people as they struggle to get back to their endeavours?
They must know that there’s nobody that cannot come out from a fall. All you need is determination. Every company has felt the pain of COVID-19. What is keeping us today is that we are determined not to fail.
Now that Akwa Ibom will not have so much to spend as a result of the COVID-19 experience, what would be your advice to the state government in the area of expenditure?
They should check the areas where monies are being spent. The government should be able to determine both the important and unimportant areas and prioritize them. The most useful areas should then be addressed, while the not so important ones should be put on hold for the time being. Above all, there should be accurate records of internally generated revenue.
We know that some Akwa Ibom persons, including you, are established entrepreneurs. How do you intend to help Akwa Ibomites benefit from your wealth of experience?
I am currently developing a programme where I can share my experience in business and industry with our people, particularly the youths. It will be free of charge, I will be doing it through seminars and workshops.
How can the industries established in Akwa Ibom State be sustained?
Companies the world over depend on quality management and then, of course, teamwork to succeed. Growing and sustaining a company would require that you have in place the right intellectual capital, strategic partnerships, and most importantly; products or services with strong marketplace demand. All these can be harnessed by the management personnel. Many times, I would be in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and my company is working in Lagos. That happens because of the effectiveness of my management team.
Akwa Ibom state is considered to be a civil service state because most of its people are working in the civil service. Is it too late to redirect the mindset of people who have this mentality?
Let me correct that impression, Akwa Ibom is not a civil service state, it is a business state. Until we have the mentality that Akwa Ibom is a business state, we may not go far. So, we should jettison the mentality that is a civil service state. Meanwhile, it is not too late to change that mentality. Change is constant in every society.
So, what can the government do to encourage private people going into business?
Establishing small scale businesses is the key. The government should empower citizens who are into small scale businesses, train them and then monitor how the businesses move. We should be able to let small scale business people know that they cannot be selling garri at home alone, they can export garri too.were are people who export the Afang. How do people eat Afang soup in London? There are places in London that you would see good Afang soup to eat. So, we should give our people the orientation that the small scale businesses can also involve exportation thereby making it large.
Looking at our democratic journey so far, in what area would you say the state government has done well?
Good roads. The Akwa Ibom state government over the years has done very well in constructing good road networks. I can say that this has helped business people n the state.
But often, people score the government high on security than in infrastructure?
You see, one must look at what is good for the common man first, even though security is paramount. The common man looks for what to eat first before security. If there are good roads, as we have in Akwa Ibom, it will reduce the cost of transportation which will in turn lead to the reduction of cost of products and/or services. With good roads, transporters would not increase their fares. When transport fares are incredibly high, it is the common man that suffers. The rich people can pay for anything no matter the cost.
Governor Udom Emmanuel celebrated his 54th birthday on Saturday. What do you expect from him as he enters a new year in his second term in office?
I thank God for his life. I wish him a very happy birthday. We in Akwa Ibom Liberation Movement went to three hospitals on that day to share love with the sick people. We did that as our own little way of supporting the government. His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel has done well, so far. I want him to do all it would take to ensure the establishment of Ibom deep seaport and putting it to use. If the seaport is operational, it will go a long way to bring huge income to the state and nation. Our state will not depend on oil again if the seaport is operational.
