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By Chukwudi Nweje
Dr. Obiora Anthony Chukwuka, Executive Chairman of Greenlife Pharmaceuticals, is an active player in Nigeria Pharmaceuticals Industry. Incidentally, he did not get there on a platter. He went through the wilderness to get to the top of the leading pharmaceuticals company where he sits.
Chukwuka became an apprentice ladies shoes trader in 1980 after his secondary school due to lack of funds for university education.
In 1983, he received N5000 worth of goods, a shop and packing store as settlement and during the Major General Muhammadu Buhari / Brigadier General Tunde Igiagbon regime, his shop at Balogun Market was demolished. He later sold what was left of his shoe business for N10,000 and became a pharmaceutical products merchandiser.
From merchandising pharmaceuticals, he registered Leton Pharmacy which over time metamorphosed into the market leader, Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited.
Chukwuka went back to school 22 years after he completed secondary school and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos and a Master’s Degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Metropolitan University, England, United Kingdom. He has also become an Honorary Doctorate Degree awardee from Commonwealth University, Belize in collaboration with London Graduate School, and an Honorary Pharmacy Award (Hon. PSN) given by Pharmaceuticals Council of Nigeria (PCN) in collaboration with the Pharmaceuticals Society of Nigeria (PSN).
Chukwuka tells his story in this interview.
Year 2023 is a remarkable one for you as it holds a lot of landmarks. For example, you would be turning 60 years on July 18. It is your 40th year in business and you have also had a rare honour of being conferred with the honorary title Aare BAASEGUN of Ikireland by His Majesty Oba Olatunde Falabi, Lambelo III Akire of Ikire Kingdom. How do you feel about all these, firstly turning 60?
I feel great turning 60 years. When I was a child, I saw people in their 60s as next to God. I never knew I will one day be 60 years old. I thank God for attaining the age of 60 because it is not a joke. I really thank God for all I have achieved in these 60 years; I also plan to step aside from the job after my birthday for my children who have all grown.
You are clocking 40 years in business. How did you start?
I was very calm and cautious as a child as the only male child of my parents out of six children. My father was not buoyant enough to sponsor me to the university after my secondary school, so my cousin who sold ladies shoes in Lagos came and took me as an apprentice, I served him for three years and he settled m with N5000. The amount was not in cash but in goods and a shop. I also went into the same line of business.
Unfortunately, when Major General Muhammadu Buhari / Brigadier General Tunde Idiagbon came with their War Against Indiscipline (WAI), my shop at Balogun Market was demolished. Air Commodore Gbolahan Mudashiru was then the military administrator, but luckily what I had in the shop were only samples of my goods. The main products were in the packing store. My Oga told me to look for another shop at nearby markets, but I told him I was leaving the ladies shoes business, which we then called gbanjo’ shoes; that I wanted to go into an organised business, I sold the shoe business for N10,000 and went into pharmaceuticals merchandising.
How come your honorary title of Aare BAASEGUN of Ikireland title? The Yoruba are conservative people who do not give out titles any how and you, a non-native received not just any title but Aare. How did that happen?
I was surprised when I received the letter notifying me of the conferment; I know Aare is not a common title. I first heard the title Aare when it was conferred on Chief MKO Abiola, so I know the title is not as common as Otunba.
Their letter notifying me said it was because of my pharmaceutical business, humanitarian, economic and developmental projects both home and abroad that have been highly impactful in the Nigeria health sector. The letter said that over 10 million lives are being saved annually from your affordable antimalarial drugs across the country. More than 200 Nigerians directly depend on Greenlife and over 5,000 indirectly by the measure of those in your employment and dependents on the stakeholders’ family.
The letter stated: “We’ve keenly observed that you are not among the philanthropists that seek public approval but will rather do that which you do quietly for the benefit of mankind. You have had our children (Ikire indigents) gainfully employed in your organisation and we believed they have also contributed positively to the organisation’s development. The letter also said: “Discrimination is not heard in Greenlife and you have continually ensured equal employment opportunities, above all, you have always left an indelible mark in everywhere, and we trust Ikireland will be a beneficiary too.”
I recall that the Oba’s son was my General Manager for several years, I also think the Oba is a pharmacist. I told the Oba that I am always reluctant at accepting titles but will accept because it is coming from him.
A Christian song goes count your blessings, name them one by one. What are some of the things you are thankful for recalling that at a young age of five, you escaped death by the whiskers during the Civil War when you contracted Hepatitis? What other remarkable things are you thankful for?
The Hepatitis I suffered in 1968 was one of the ways God showed me his love, and that Hepatitis is the reason why I am into pharmaceutical business. If not for the Red Cross personnel that did their best to save me, I could have died. It was then that I vowed to join the Red Cross when I grew up and I did. I rose to become the head of the society in my secondary school.
Greenlife pharmaceuticals Limited has been in business for 28 years now. How has the journey been?
Greenlife has been in business for closer to 38 to 40 years because it metamorphosed from the shoe business of 1983, and pharmaceutical products merchandising into a highly structured pharmaceutical organisation delivering effective and efficient services which Greenlife Pharmaceuticals represents today.
After I sold my shoe business, I opened Leton Pharmacy; my Oga’s name is Leonard and I am Anthony, thus the name Leton. I did not want to operate illegally, so when I got to Idumota I registered it as Caleb Pharmacy. In 2002, the Pharmaceuticals Council of Nigeria (PCN) ordered us to leave Idumota; the market union, which I was the Public Relations Officer, told them that they cannot order the Oba of Lagos out of the market because then Oba Oyekan was with us; we went to court but while the case was on, I explored other avenues in line with the directive given to us. I later registered Greenlife pharmaceuticals.
You said your experience with the Red Cross inspired your pharmaceutical business, but when you were admitted into the University of Lagos, 22 years after you left secondary school, you studied Business Administration and then obtained a Master’s degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. Why didn’t you study Pharmacy?
I always had a mind for business. I wanted to learn how to manage what I had. I have five sisters and each of them has at least five children, so there were always nephews and nieces who I had to shower with gifts; they have only one uncle.
Greenlife pharmaceuticals Limited is a household name in Nigeria and West Africa. What is the secret of the business success?
The secret is that when you want to start life, start with a vision. The aim of going into business is to make a difference in the community for better; it is not necessarily about making money; this should not be your primary focus. If making money is your primary focus you will not go far. I opted to make a difference and I was doing that. This is why the Pharmaceuticals Council of Nigeria (PCN) recognised Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Limited. I have been conferred with an Honorary Pharmacy Award (Hon. PSN) given by Pharmaceuticals Council of Nigeria (PCN) in collaboration with the Pharmaceuticals Society of Nigeria (PSN); I am also their Life Patron.
Everywhere you go to in Nigeria even in the remotest villages, you will find the Igbo many of whom own patent drug stores. Is there any reason behind this?
The Igbo are enterprising by nature and this is due to apprenticeship. Many of the successful Igbo businessmen like Coscharis, Innoson and I went through the tutelage. Unfortunately, that culture is dying; many youths today do not want to pass through the process of apprenticeship; they want easy money. I already completed secondary school and had my certificate before I became an apprentice. Then many of the apprentices attended only primary school or were secondary school dropouts. Youths should know that even if they are university graduates, they can still go through apprenticeship to achieve what they want.
What are some of your philanthropic activities?
I have a foundation called Eziafakaego Foundation that has touched the lives of many people through building houses for them, providing scholarships, and other services. I inherited the trait from my late father who was too good in helping people. The Eziafakaego Foundation has put smiles on peoples faces; it shares free drugs and foodstuff to people annually. Due to my contributions to uplifting people, I have been conferred with the title of Eziafakaego by several communities, including my hometown, Nnokwa, Nanka and many other towns, I decided to remain just Eziafakaego and not acquiring several other title names.
What Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) is Greenlife pharmaceuticals Limited involved in?
I learnt the importance of CSR and the importance of giving back to the society at the university; my life started from left to right; I learnt that it is good to give back to the society and I do it every year. I have tarred roads in various communities as CSR, I have built hostels in various schools; my philosophy is that your wealth is better appreciated when it is spent on the less privileged.
Greenlife is a household name and one of its products, Lornart, is a leaning anti malaria drug. The World Malaria Day was celebrated in April this year with them ‘Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement.’ Malaria is still a major cause of deaths in Nigeria while some countries have succeeded in eliminating malaria. Why is it difficult to attain zero malaria status in Nigeria?
I don’t think it is possible for Nigeria to eliminate malaria given our dirty environment that allows mosquitoes to breed; we can reduce malaria but we cannot eliminate it.
In the pharmaceuticals industry, we are doing our best to provide the best drugs to fight malaria; Greenlife Pharmaceuticals is one of the first companies to introduce the mobile authentication service (MAS), to combat counterfeiting, but the drug counterfeiters have also started using fake MAS to fool consumers.
How true is it that certain blood groups and genotype are more susceptible to malaria?
It is scientifically proven; genotype AA is more prone to malaria than genotype AS. I experienced it personally; I am genotype AA and I suffered malaria more frequently when I was living at Ejigbo than now that I live at Ikoyi.
At 60, all your children are grown up and have started their own families. How do you feel?
I am the only male child of my parents so I married early and God has blessed me. I have three boys and three girls and I am happy that they have all graduated from school. Some of them were in the university at the same time I was.
You mentioned earlier that you will step aside after celebrating your 60th birthday, what will keep you busy, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop?
Stepping aside does not mean that I will give up the business; I will still be involved but not as actively as I am now. I will come to work perhaps two or three times a week and go on holiday more.
Did you groom any of your children to succeed you?
Yes, my first son understudied me. I trained him personally, he is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Analytics abroad.
What have been your happiest and most painful moments in life?
My happiest moments are when I see people succeed; it is not about me. My sad moments included not having many people to play with as a child. I grew up as the only son, I only had my sisters to play with so most of our play were girls play like using coconut shell to ‘cook’ sand outside the house. On one occasion, I picked up a coconut shell that I wanted to play with and there was a big black snake under it; I dropped the shell and ran, the snake pursued me; luckily as I ran a dog came out from inside the house and fought with the snake and killed it, but the dog died too because the snake bit it.
Your biography, ‘My Wideness Journey,’ will be unveiled during your birthday on July 18, what are sone of the lessons to learn from it?
My birthday is on 18 July, a Tuesday, so the celebrations have been shifted to the weekend of July 22. I don’t want my guests to give the excuse that they went to work, I want them to be free to celebrate my birthday with me.
There are many lessons in the book; if you make a mistake in life, it may affect you for your entire life. I urge youths to read the book now that they still have time and correct the mistakes. The book has about 13 chapters and it will teach those that read it that life is not all rosy; one must go through some obstacles but the book will teach them how to overcome those obstacles before it is too late. About 1,500 copies of the book will be presented that day and sold at a discounted price.
