Cyril Bobisco Okoye is Chairman, CEO, Grape Tree International Limited. An award-winning business mogul and philanthropist, he has been honoured by different organisations for his business acumen and humanitarian efforts.
In this interview with VIVIAN ONYEBUKWA, Okoye, holder of the traditional title of Akurienne Aniocha Ezeani of Adazieani talks about his business and life generally.
How small did you start, and how big are you now?
I started this business as early as at 1998 and it wasn’t large then. The business started from retails. From there, we developed into wholesale and then productions. We partner with Sego Manufacturing Company Ltd in China. Since then, we have been growing. Before year 2005 we were able to make some advancement into other countries in West Africa like Ghana, Guinea and since then we are doing great in this business. We started in Lagos and expanded to Anambra, Abia, Kano, Rivers, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi States. Now we are also in Akure, Ogun, Benin, Maidugri, Ado Ekiti and many other parts of the country. The product is also in the UK and America. So, if you go to African shops you find them there. They buy from us, not from China. We also ship directly to Ghana and Guinea.
When you are in business for many years, definitely you will be big because through this we have established Niger Power Bricks Industry Limited. We are making a difference.
While you were growing, did you encounter those early business challenges?
Yes, even a small child that wants to walk, encounters challenges. There is no way you cannot encounter challenges in this world and you want to make a difference. There must be challenges, especially in a growing country like Nigeria, a developing country with challenges of leadership, changing of policies, monetary policies, and the banking system. All those things are challenges that business face. So anybody that is doing business in Africa must know that we are developing countries, so there must be challenges. So you cannot run away because you are facing challenges. There is nature of change so when it comes, you face it.
Are there other government policies affecting your business in addition to these ones you just mentioned?
Yes. Forex policy is one of the major challenges, because you cannot query the currency situation because it fluctuates. It affects our partnership with those outside Nigeria. When exchange rate goes up, then it is a very big problem for you and those outside Nigeria. That means that you don’t have stable prices. For instance, managing supermarket is a very big problem because the exchange rate goes up anyhow. All these super malls, you have to give them information. You don’t just wake up and change prices without letting them know.
Another major challenge is clearing from the port. They often change their system. So you cannot predict that this is the clearing cost. Also, trying to bring the factory down to Nigeria is a challenge. Again, energy is one of the problems because Nigeria is a complex place that you cannot even predict the next production. Production here is not easy at all. You assemble your raw materials and you have to import them because we don’t have hundred per cent raw materials here. So when we brought some machines and started to put the machines here, we found it very difficult. So policy in business is a problem because sometimes the officials don’t have business people in mind. They focus on one side and are not interested in other areas.
Gas and diesel, also a challenge, but we cannot run away from our country.
What can government do regarding these policies?
I am not an expert to advise them, but if they can have a stable policy that can last for at least five years before changing it, it will help us. If you can change policy, give people some time to adjust, rather than once the government changes, the policy changes. It is very difficult.
Now that we have a new government in place, how will you advise them?
Definitely everybody is waiting to see their own policy because the policy will also change. What I am telling them is that whatever policy they are going to make, they should know that there are businessmen and manufacturers around so that they will not be hurt so much. Let them not bring harsh policies that will make people run away from Nigeria. You can see that so many factories have already closed. It’s not that the business is not moving but the policies are too harsh so when you cannot cope you have no option than to leave. They should create a business-friendly environment. That is what everybody expect.
Looking at where you are coming from and where you are now, what drives you to keep pushing?
If you don’t want to do anything, you become a lazy man. You are ready to consume, but not ready to produce. So I have the passion to do something. I am the type that does things the way it should be, who believes that I can do something to benefit other human beings. I have that ‘I can’ spirit. I don’t like telling stories or one thing or the other. I want to be serious and productive. I want to give what I have to the nation. I want to be part of the country. I want to be part of those that can achieve for the society.
Still going back to your early beginning, what can you tell the youths in terms of unemployment?
Everything depends on the individual. As we are talking, some youths are roaming the streets – not all youths. There are people who want to have everything already made. There are people who want to be productive. There was never a time things were smooth-from your childhood, primary to secondary school. You would see about 50 people in a class and at the end of the day only 20 would pass. What happened? Why? There’re people who want to make something different, and there’re people who just stay and keep complaining, looking for ways of excuses. Some of our youths are productive. Some are smart doing something for a living, while some go to Internet and Facebook all through the day, yet they complain that there are no jobs. You must be creative. Parents want the best for their children. That is why some of the children go to school with their pockets filled with money and they won’t even concentrate in school. During our own time, there is no time for your parents coming to pay your school fees. You have to work. Now you send them lesson teacher, everything, still they complain that there is no job when they come out. There are jobs. How many of them are ready to do the job and do it better? We employ them. Call some of the graduates to write an application letter, they can’t even write it. They would copy it, and they are graduates. So, the youths that are productive are getting jobs. Some went to school and came out with forged results and certificates. Can you employ them? But those that went to school very well and came out with good certificates get jobs when they apply for it. So some of our youths are doing very well, while some are not. Government can’t feed everybody’s pockets, you have to work. There’re lots of jobs in Nigeria to do. Some of the jobs they do overseas and get money, if they do it here they progress more. So I am advising them to look down, take time quietly to study the environment where they are, and be creative. They will make a lot of money because our climate is very good. So there is no place they can’t succeed if they are creative. They should come down to their senses and stop complaining.
What more can the government do to help the youths especially now that we have a new government?
They should create an enabling environment. Give us light, good roads, security, so that people can be safe. It is only when you are alive that you can do something. Nobody operates in a harmful environment. Make the place safe so that our youths can do something. Our security is in a terrible state.
Is there any advice your parents gave you that has helped to shape your life?
Yes. Those days we always listened to our parents, but these days they see parents as old schools. During our time, your parents would caution you, advise you. Your mother would sit you down and advise you on how to live your life, and your father would also advise you, caution you and try to tell you their lifestyles, where they made mistakes. But even the parents of nowadays too lie so much. They don’t tell their children where they made mistakes so that their children would take correction from them. These days parents, find it difficult to apologise to their children by telling them sorry when they offend them. When they do at all, they only pay lip service to it. So everything depends on a family background and parents. Some parents see their children only when they are watching television. Some parents don’t even care how their children made their wealth. So 70 per cent of what is happening now is caused by parents. There is a foundation problem.
How has this foundation problem affected the society?
It has affected the society badly. If you go to the prisons, you will see the effect. There you see thousands of youths wasting themselves because their parents refused to do what they are supposed to do, and the children end up in battered conditions. Parents are busy chasing money and don’t have time to take care of their children. I am not saying that money is bad, but you must do the right thing to get money, and also train your children to know the value of that money.
Being in the business of toothbrushes for a long time, how long should one use a toothbrush before discarding it?
You can’t use a toothbrush for more than three months. It is something that you have to be very careful with, else you would be infected by germs, because it is nylon and well treated. The treatment lasts only three months and it expires. It is dangerous to your health if you continue to use it after three months. You don’t look at it because it is strong and looks good physically, but look at the time limit of the chemical that is used to treat it. It has an expiry date. We sensitise people, telling them how to handle their toothbrushes. Don’t put it in the sun because of the chemicals. See your dentist regularly. Don’t keep your toothbrush in the toilet because when you flush, the echo goes up and affect your brushes. That is why the brush must have cap to cover the brush. The quality of the brush too, matters a lot. Use treated brushes, else you are importing cancer on the teeth. Don’t buy a brush because it is cheap. That is why it must be approved by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Nigeria Dental Association to check the quality and standard so that you don’t go and import toothbrushes and sell poison to people.