Chief Obinna Onwuatuogu is a title holder and also a man of many parts from a humble beginning you would say. He is the founder of Shadros Pan and African Logistics Nigeria Limited and Lasting Impression Logistics Nigeria Limited, reputable logistics companies. Besides, this young, enterprising, philanthropist and dynamic Nigeria has his hands in many pie. He is the lover and promoter of football club. He is the owner of Lasting Impression Football Club known by Lagos state and Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) that is currently doing well already in training top notch players that can compete favorably well anywhere in the world stage. As Upright personality of the week, Chief Obinna took a cursory look on how he started and where he is heading in the logistics space and what plans he has going forward, having his eyes focused on success and upliftment of those around. Excerpts:
ABOUT YOU
I am Chief Obinna Rejoice Onwuatuogu, I come from Abia State and my local government is Obingwa Local Government, I am a freight forwarder and basically known as a clearing and forwarding agent. As a titled man, my traditional title is Dike Akoginobi. It was given to me at NsiriImo South Autonomous community in Umuahia, Abia State. The reason for this is that I contribute to the development of the place and also give out scholarship to people from there. My friend is the President General (PG) of Nsirimo and I used to contribute to whatever they do in their place and so they decided to give that.
SO YOU ARE A PHILANTROPIST
Yes I am and aside from that I also own a football club called Lasting Impression Football Club, known by Lagos State and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). That’s part of what I do to give back to the society. Some of my players are playing various places, one of my places is playing for Remo Stars FC and for now he is earning N200, 000.00 and I allow him to keep it. I also export players and for now I have three, one is Vietnam, one is in Thailand and another is in the UK. I equally contribute to the needs of the less privileged as I try to help as much as often as I can.
ANY PLAN TO SET UP A FORMAL FOUNDATION
Well for me I am not Jack of All Trade but the way things are going it is pointing towards that in the future. You know what it means to own a foundation, you have to get people to share your vision with and trustworthy as well because it has to be done properly.
HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN IN FREIGHT FORWADING
Well everybody has a beginning but I won’t count the years I was learning the trade, rather I would count from the time I got my CAC in 2004 that made me someone who has come into the business and is known by the government. I am also a government licensed agent, I have two of them and some have asked why I have two licenses, one my father’s name is Shedrack my mum is Roseline and I am the only son, I have five sisters. The way they beat me, the way they treated me made me ask them what was going on, and they said I would not understand then. So when I grew up and during my learning period I now found out that what they were telling me was for my own benefit. I then thought to myself what can I do? to appreciate them, I had to form SHADROS PAN AND AFRICAN LOGISTICS NIG LTD. But unfortunately my father did not stay. He had an accident going to work and they thought it was a minor stuff not knowing that he had internal bleeding. When he died, his friend who had taught me clearing told that my father before his death was thinking about how I was going to survive being an only son; that was a secret nobody knows till today. Then we have another company called Lasting Impression Logistics Nigeria Limited. I ran into somebody a total stranger and we exchanged cards and I cleared the cargo the first one, the second one, the third one. Then they brought a truck load of goods and then I asked the man, have I given first impression? The man said to me that he does not believe in first impression but I got curious and asked why and he said somebody who wants to dupe you, would give you a level playing ground to allow you to build trust, after the trust the day he now strike you. He then asked me a question, ‘if you want to relate with this type of person, will you relate with first impression or lasting impression’? I answered, lasting impression. Unknown to him, that stuck in my head and so I now went to the CAC in 2007 and registered lasting impressions Logistics Nigeria Limited. That’s how I came about two companies; but despite Shadros being the there before and made it possible for the second one, I cannot kill it but the major company brand name I want to promote and sell is Lasting impression.
THE ATTRACTION FOR THIS LINE OF BUSINESS & WHAT THE CHALLENGES HAS BEEN
When I was growing up I used to see containers go past, basically I didn’t know cargo all I knew was containers, and we lived between the borders of Cameroon and Akwa Ibom. I am from Ngwa, we have a boundary with Akwa Ibom and so seeing those containers coming from Akwa Ibom drew my attention and that was the first attraction and within me I loved the job. So when I was introduced to it, I just wanted to clear containers, to clear cargoes and also wanted to render services; so it was the containers I saw that attracted me. Then the challenges I have is every year the customs bring in new changes and we just have to come to terms with it. Also in the past we used to type manually but now you just don’t have any choice than to be computer compliant. So these challenges keep you on your toes and you just have to adapt to them. Another aspect is that the exchange rate in Nigeria is not consistent and business in Nigeria are not flowing, most specifically the cargoes the freight charges are so high and cargoes are no longer coming as usual, before virtually every six hours cargoes are coming dropping and tarmac is busy but this days tarmacs are like play fields. This is because when most business men look at the cost of freight, they have no other option than to do groupage and sea freight. Even those days we don’t bother handling personal effects, we give them to our boys to clear but now due to the drop in cargo, we struggle to handle personal effects by ourselves. Apart from these its actually a good business and we thank God that we are still here. You also have to create a niche for yourself and despite the challenges that we have I believe that what is worth doing is worth doing well. I believe is that the more you grow, you show class and my plan is someday to compete with DHL, UPS, they don’t have two heads they started from somewhere. A DHL man came here the other day and said to me wow what a place you have and even said that I have scored half of the mark and so the next thing they will talk about is integrity.
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHERS?
One is honesty, the other is integrity. I don’t cut corners in my business. I know that where we found ourselves it is the mercy of the customs we live on. So if I have a client that comes to meet me and your bill is hundred million naira and the client comes to me and says he wants to pay his 100 million my own is 10% and I will do that for him. If he feels that due to the economy we have found ourselves and you want to compete, I will now say ok we will have an agreement. I don’t know how to forge documents for people, I don’t do that. There is a saying that when somebody who has mother and father is being spoken to, someone who does not have parents should listen. So now if you go and get fake papers and you collect 100 million from somebody, he pays you and you tell him that you are going to pay his duty and you didn’t do that the person will carry the receipts with full confidence and maybe its an Letter of Credit (LC) job, he gets to the bank and finds out that its not in their system the bank will just hold the document and say no problem and then tell him it is fake they will get you arrested and find out and arrest the person who gave you those fake papers. So what I do is that I will give you my bill, then you pay to my account. That is what DHL does, DHL has a bond may be two billion or five billion with the Federal Government purse that enable them when you need your cargo, you pay into their account because they have already paid upfront to the federal government. So when you go to DHL, they say pay to their account, you don’t ask them questions, they give you, bill, and your invoice you can pay, that’s where I am going to. When you come to my office I will tell you your invoice and you pay me don’t ask me questions. So when you come I will discuss with you and ask what do you really want, so what makes me stand out from others is that I am honest and I’m straight forward in my business. My name alone tells you, Lasting Impression, I can do anything to save that name. Again you can see my office, some people are richer than me but they don’t have an office, they use their car and when clients come they treat you according to where you belong to, so as a result there are certain jobs you cannot do. You can’t come in here and say you won’t do business with me but how can you do that in a car park, except if you have a God Father, else they ask a real agent, where is your office, where is your warehouse, so I stand different from others.
ANY REGRETS DUE TO POLICY/ CURRENCY INCONSISTENCIES?
I don’t regret anything because money is not meant for everybody, even they throw money everywhere and you pick up, on your way it might be taken from you and you go home empty handed, therefore money is not meant for everybody. I have very positive mindset and such that I believe that where you think you cannot survive, no matter how, I will survive there. When you do business in place like Nigeria you must find a way to adapt and that’s it. Basically its all about opportunity meeting preparedness and that’s why I said that money is meant for everybody. My mother used to tell me something which translated in English says ‘you set trap to catch money’ another ones that ‘you have to first sit down before you rest your back’ so these two sayings stay with me. So despite the situation of the Nigerian economy people are surviving so I must survive. Despite the high cost of the dollar people are still flying, cargoes are still coming in so no matter how bad the economy is, just find a way to survive.
WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU WERE THE MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENT TO ENSURE THAT BUSINESSES SURVIVE IN NIGERIA
Well I would call my friends and say let’s bring money together to see what we can do to create a level playing field for others. If the economy is so hard there is something I will do to ensure the exchange rate is reconsidered, the bank will give us one single unit instead of two, and they can do that. Because we are just fooling ourselves in this country, we have the resources, we have everything let’s harmonize it well. Do you know that in the bible the Israelites who were Gods chosen had those among them who were doing very well but they used their excesses to help the poor, so where are taking this money to; why cant use it help people, the subsidize certain things or you exemptions, give free duty because its coming back to society. So what I would do is to approach the banks, what are your challenges, is it forex? I will give forex at a very low rate and make it will trickle down to those who collect loans from you. I will call stakeholders together, let’s see how the common man will survive that’s just it. Like in Europe for instance there is always common things they enjoy, even if you live in a caravan you always have light. But human nature is funny and like the bible says ‘a lover of silver can’t be satisfied.’ So if one is the finance minister and he is also a lover of silver he keep everything and won’t give you any. So it is putting the right person in the right hole, someone who has human feeling. Basically it is to stimulate the economy and there are so many ways to it because what goes around comes around as you cannot go and collect loan of 10 naira to buy goods and not sell for at the least 11 naira.
PROJECTION FOR YOUR COMPANY IN THE NEXT 5, 10 YEARS
I will be all over. I will have a good office in most of the European countries and Asian countries. I will sort out goods for people, you come in here, give us your location and we will step and its possible we will pick it up for you and clear it for you, that’s my vision anywhere in the world even in Africa. I am trying to get into affiliation with other countries because there is a group whereby if they have job in Nigeria they contact and I clear and deliver and if I have a contact too maybe in Gambia I will also give them, its an affiliation I am trying to enter so that anywhere they call us we will pick up be it China or anywhere except the delivery fare is bit shocking but for picking up we’ll pick up anywhere. I want compete with DHL, they don’t have two heads, its human beings that work there, I will employ experts and allow them do their job.
MESSAGE TO PEOPLE
If I tell you my story you will be surprised. You see my father I would say was a rich because back then he bought and drove a Peugeot 504 car, and for you to be able to afford that means you are comfortable then. Also we had a five room house we lived I, then there was nothing like flats but in 1983 my father lost his job and things changed. Gradually we moved from five rooms to four, three and finally we had just one where five of us lived in. in this Lagos I was a barber under the bridge for four good years, I was a bus conductor in Surulere, Idumota, I worked under the Ojuelegba bridge. You see life is about finding where you can fit in. to those who aer coming into this clearing, check if you have the tenacity, patience and focus to do this business. If after few years you cannot find your feet, you adjust you mustn’t die there, most of our colleagues you see them begging money to feed because they don’t want change. You can leave the business and drive Keke Marwa (Tricycle) to feed your family so you have to check if it fits you. So to those who are coming into this business first don’t be in hurry to make money, know the job. My boss told me something that a job of two million can come in but because you don’t know the job, you will mess it up. Learn the job, second is Patience and also find out if you are inclined to that. So it is not because someone is doing well in it then you insist on doing it, rather find out if you are called to that area. Third when you are coming into the business you don’t come when you are old, you come while you are young preferably while still under your parents or guardian who pick up your bills. Like me my father nearly made me miss out on this clearing and forwarding, he was not the one who introduced me I had an uncle and my father wanted me learn from him when he was done but my mother took me to my father’s friend in a nearby village and told him ‘I have a son’ and when he saw me and after talking with me, called my mother and told her that her son was intelligent and that he knew what to do. My father was not willing to give me money, the day my mother was to travel to the village I called and told her that I wont learn the job again and she asked me why and I told her that my father refused to give me money for transport and my mother gave me N100 and I promised her that I must learn this job and make her proud. You can see that if my mother too had deviated I would not be here today and that is why I had the power to hold her life, she would not go. So if you are coming in do not come when you are already an old man, because you have to pay bills, children school fees, house rent etc. there is an Igbo saying when translated says ‘you don’t learn to use your left hand at an old age’. Back then because I was young my mother would support me with transport fare and even give bean cake (Akara) to take to work for lunch. So those who are coming should come early enough when their parents can pay the price for them and not when they are married with children and saddled with lots of responsibilities.
STAFF STRENGTH
I have 30 staff members spread across my branches here in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and in the East.
HOW YOU RELAX
I go clubbing with my friends on Friday and my wife knows that as well as my where about that’s how I relax. I also jointly own a club with my friend here in Ajao and I equally love and listen to good music. I dance and always get a good sleep.
