By Agatha Emeadi
Mr Kennedy Chimezie Nwankwo popularly known as Abig is the Founder/CEO of Bigly Conglomerate. His group of companies include Bigly Oil and Gas Limited, Bigly Energy Limited, Bigly Wood Limited and Bigly Food Limited.
He is a native of Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. Nwankwo could be described as a focused young man who was driven to great heights through sheer determination.
In this exclusively interview with Sunday Sun, Abig who turns 44 today said that he will lie low and not throw any shindig.
He rather requested all and sundry to catch up with him next year when he will be 45.
“My 45th birthday will be explosive by the grace of God. It will be hot and a hit because I will make noise like I have never made before,” he said.
How did you start life?
Actually, I started my life early. As a child, I was born when my mates were born, but we were not rich like most other families. My father sold cars while my mother sold fish. We are 10 in number that my mother gave birth to. We are seven boys and three girls, all alive and all married. I am the seventh child in the family. My parents were not believing God for any particular sex of a child, they were just a happy couple. My father died when I was 17 years old in senior secondary school then, SS2. I abandoned school in Ihiala, not because of school fees, but because I saw my contemporaries making money and decided to come and make money. I joined my senior brother who had a shop at Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos. He used to sell Belgium fairly used fridges and deep freezers before his business nose-dived due to financial constraint. He later relocated to Brazil. When I came to Lagos and could not make the money; I had to go back to Ihiala and finished my secondary education. After school, I came back to join my immediate senior brother named Arinze in the same business at Lawanson. Again, the shop closed and he travelled to South Africa, where he resides now. So, I started my business from an empty shop without a dime and became a commission expert popularly known as ‘Oso-ahia.’ I did that for four years which sustained me too. It was from that shop that I picked up and got some money which I used to join in oil business. Azuka Onwudinjo of blessed memory was my destiny helper. He was shot last year in South Africa. We discussed and I brought N450,000 and gave to him. He went to Aba depot and got some oil. Another brother called Ken Emeakaye gave us filling station free of charge to be putting the fuel. So, we started from there. At a point, I forgot about the business, but Azuka was a sincere guy. After the whole transaction, he will be truthful in the dealings and give me what I am supposed to get. We started the business with 11,000 litres of fuel and grew to 33,000 litres and from there we both were happy business boys. All these happened in Ihiala. Later, I started importation of woods while becoming an oil magnet in the industry. I became strong in both the upstream and downstream sectors. From there I registered my companies named Bigly Group which gave birth to Bigly Oil and Gas Limited, Bigly Energy Limited, Bigly Wood Limited and Bigly Food Limited today. In the last 17 years, we have been able to sustain our businesses, clientele and progression. Furthermore, I can tell that I left my parental guide at the age of 19 when my biological brother travelled outside the country. I lived with other people who were also business people at Lawanson, but I told you I was focused. I contributed to weekend cookings and bills in the house.
How did you meet your wife?
I met her as a comfortable man. She knew I have made name in the business industry already. She is fine and does not give me headache. She is from Enugu State.
On your own, do you encourage young people to go to school first or apprenticeship?
From our part of the country, we believe in apprenticeship which leads to personal development, accomplishment and comfort. No matter how difficult the economy is, once you buy and sell, you must have gain. And that gain is basic sustenance for your family. That gain is also expansion in business. If one imports goods worth N10 and at the end of every expense, you gain N4, no one will spend the whole gain, you add it into another business and keep expanding. This is the reason people from our part of the country could turn their businesses around and become self-made billionaires without any government input. Again, if one looks at the system of governance in Nigeria, most graduates are jobless. People that are prominent today were yester-years apprentices. We easterners believe in apprenticeship. School is wonderful, no doubt, but at the end of it all, where is the job? I can tell you now that I am hungry for solid education because I stopped at OND. Now, I have special programmes lined up for me at Harvard University in United States. I will travel to start them, get my degrees because one can go to school anytime.
Apart from being a businessman, what other profession would you have loved to be in?
I would have loved to be a professional footballer. When I started at the area where I lived, I got injured and stopped playing football. Honestly, I still would have loved to be one, but other events have taken over it.
How was growing up like for you?
I grew up within my household with my parents and my siblings. My mother had 10 of us all alive today. One of our greatest legacies that my father left for us is unity, peace and love. The 10 of us are all alive, all married with children and are all into various businesses. Yet, we do not have any issue among us. We are all in unity, love and peace. We have built houses in our communities. We all eat together when we come home during Christmas season. That was how my father trained us. when he was alive, he made it compulsory for everyone to come back home and celebrate Christmas and new year together, including the ones outside the country. Unfortunately, he died when I was only 17 years. He did not live to enjoy the fruit of his labour. My father was a car dealer while my mother sold fish. Today, my mother is still living and enjoying the fruit of her labour. Now, when all of us are gathered, large quantity of food can come out from any house and be set at a place we built and called ‘Ezumezu’. Everybody will come there to eat. There could be personal arrangements in various houses; but we must all eat from one pot with my mother in supervision. My mother is a happy woman seeing what her household had become. My mother is into heavy charity as well. All her children pay her salary compulsorily at the end of every month which she will extend to others.
My promise to God
When I started my businesses, I promised God that since he has raised me to enviable heights, I will establish a foundation that will empower other people. Through His grace, we have lived up to expectation through our charity organization known as ‘Abig Nwankwo Foundation.’ I can boldly tell you that we have helped a lot of people to travel outside the country, paid school fees and hospital bills to several people. We also take care of the sick and elderly. Proceeds from the other arms of the businesses sustain the Foundation. It is my promise to God who is the sustainer of live and businesses.
Schools attended
After my secondary education, I attended Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State and was awarded Ordinary National Diploma (OND). Now, I have a six-week programme in Harvard University which I am trying to pursue.
How do you feel at 44?
At 44, I am grateful to God. I have never celebrated my birthday in all my years. But next year when I will turn 45, it will be a hit here in Lagos. A lot of dignitaries from home and abroad will come to grace the occasion. My previous birthdays, including this one, I used to celebrate with orphanage home in Ozubulu, Anambra State called Necdot Homes for disabled children. There are over 100 children in that home. In the past nine years, I have quietly celebrated my birthday with them. What I do is to go in with my team who would bring food, clothing for the children and music. We would eat, drink and dance without showcasing it to the world. After our party, we go home quietly. Even this year too, I will make out time and be there. When their foams faded, I bought 80 foams for them.
As a businessman, has there been any bad opportunity in business for you?
There has not been any one. It has been a gradual rise.
Are you fulfilled today or is there any other thing you have in mind?
I do not need any position from government. I only need God to sustain my life and my businesses. I do not need much in my life again. I am good, I just need the sustenance.
What do you think the present government should do or change for businesses to thrive in Nigeria?
What I will tell the government is that most business people have challenges and when such happens, it affects other facets of the economy. If the government can ameliorate some policies for more business to thrive, it will be better.
Give example of the policy you want The government to look into?
The rate at which the dollar rose was not funny. It affected businesses and the people as well. One cannot import or purchase goods at a higher rate to sell without profit. If the government gives a waiver, or reduce the rate through policies, processes and leadership, business people will have a better day, while the masses will also enjoy the place. With the hunger in the land, we are trying to support others the way we can. Last month, I shared 4,500 bags of rice, 1,000 cartons of tomato pastes, 4-litres of 1,000 gallons of groundnut oil and others just to cushion the hunger in my community. We do this twice in a year.
How did you manage COVID-19 with your businesses?
That was part of what God did for us. Then, people thought that the world was crumbling. I shared out most of the things I had in the East. We survived like other businesses survived.
You are a member of Cubana Group, how does it function?
In that group, the Chairman, Obinna Iyiegbu, Obi Cubana, started what he called under the ‘Mango Tree Programme.’ It was an online programme designed to help people around. We managed to put smiles on people’s faces through the programme. When I looked at my businesses, I told myself that I needed to join a group. So, I met Obinna Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana) who is a nice man. We have done things together without having issues. He is one of the most trusted and reliable businessman I can deal with seamlessly.
What advice do you have for the upcoming youths who are interested in ostentatious lifestyle as we see today?
I try to tell people around me especially my staff who are graduates that if you do not have work, does not have any skill nor trade, money does not come from heaven. In fact, there are days we come to work, I will summon everybody outside and tell them my story and how I started. Manna does not fall from heaven. One must work to make money. I suffered before I made my money. One of the greatest values is that determination is success. I was focused, I told myself that the other people who have money does not have two heads, I will work hard and be rich like them. One thing is making the money, another is the sustainability. I started managing my life when I was a young boy. I bought my first car when I was 21 years; but I was focused.
At that stage of your life, you had become a happening big boy, were you into women, clubbing and such lifestyle?
No, I am not that type. I have my own lifestyle because I am focused on something. I do not throw money then and my people used to say that I was too intelligent. I took it like that and managed myself till date. I do not spend my time illegally. Any time I spend on the road or street is for a reason not truancy. It must be guided and timed. That was how I started my life and it helped me. I had friends, but knew what I wanted and how I followed them.
What advice do you have for fellow businessmen?
From my experience, I will advice that businessmen and women should follow their focus, trade and passion gradually. I still tell my people to calm down, be patient and wait for their time to come. It shall surely come.