By JOSFYN UBA and CHRISTINE ONWUACHUMBA

When you say that Small Scale Entrepreneurs are big drivers of a nation’s economy,  Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola readily comes to mind. Her area of operation is  unique and uncommon to the women folk. In an area thought exclusively reserved for men, Abiola has made a success of it with doggedness and commitment.

She is the Chief Executive Officer, Wecyclers Nigeria Limited, a company which focuses on environmental friendly ways to manage waste.  She believes in building sustainable models for waste collection and reuse in the developing world.

Adebiyi-Abiola spoke to Daily Sun recently on a wide range of issues concerning issues of wealth creation from waste

Did your educational qualification prepare you for your current enterprise?

I studied for my MBA at MIT Sloan and started learning about people who live at the bottom of the income pyramid (people living on less than $2 a day).

While working on a project to help these households in developing countries, I decided to work on waste – focusing on its uses, collection and processing.

After the project was completed, I conducted additional research focusing on Nigeria and saw the huge potential in the waste recycling sector, especially among the manufacturing plants who are hungry for a cheaper and easily available source of raw materials due to local and foreign demand for end products. I  decided to move the idea forward. That was how Wecyclers was born.

 

Who influenced your decision to take to your current  occupation?

I am grateful to my parents. I was raised by people who value hard work and have a very strong moral code.

I remember (many times) as a young girl, my father would encourage me to do my best, regardless of society’s expectations of me as a woman.

That really pushed me to try and excel in everything.

Can you give us an overview of your occupation?

Wecyclers is company that is committed to improving recycling in Nigeria.

Our primary focus is to deal with the challenge of waste management and unemployment by offering sustainable and convenient recycling services to low/middle income households and businesses while creating grassroots jobs and economic partnerships.

The concept recycling is relatively new in our clime. What fuels your passion?

Social Impact and community service remain my driving force.To be more elaborate and without sounding immodest, we are the foremost recycling company that uses an incentive based model, where we reach out to low-income households.

We help handle their recyclable waste, reduce and divert the volume of waste that gets to the landfill, thereby preventing diseases from spreading in the community as a result of flooding which is caused by blocked drainages. 

Wecyclers turns waste into wealth and supplements the income of thousands of households.

Since 2012, Wecyclers has registered over 15,000 households for our collection service in 3 three neighborhoods in Lagos. We have collected over 3,000 metric tons of recyclable materials, created over 100 jobs and rewarded our subscribers with over $75,000 worth of gifts and cash prizes.

 How did you develop an interest in recycling waste materials?

I figured out that I wanted to be with people and give back to the world. So I quit my job at IBM. I went to MIT for my MBA to rediscover my purpose.

I had an interest in environmental issues and had been recycling my personal waste since my University days, while studying statistics on poverty and social development in Nigeria.

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During my MBA, I began  to think about how I could contribute my quota and proffer solution to the growing issue of waste management. That was how I went into the business of waste recycling.

Recycling is an uncharted course in Nigeria. What is your success recipe?

Wecyclers is a growing company. I would not say that we are there yet  there were lots of people who didn’t understand my obsession for waste. To some people, they were doubting  while it was more of confusion in some cases.

I am happy and proud to have proven to a lot of people that waste is actually wealth.

I was fortunate to have like-minded individuals who pushed me in the right direction when I started Wecyclers, and these people are still there.

They helped me  with research, survey and putting out my idea. As an entrepreneur, it is advisable to surround yourself with people with the same vision and goals

 

What has been your biggest landmark?

We have been able to integrate recycling into the waste management system in Lagos state partnering with them on the best ways to handle and dispose waste.

Before waste recycling, what were you doing?

Before Wecyclers, I was a software engineer building social networking software that served thousands of users at Fortune 500 companies.

Do you have any regrets for leaving a white collar job for wastes disposal?

I always knew that I wanted to do something different.  After five years, I quit my job and applied for an MBA.

I realized I was on the right career path when I aligned my work, which promotes a healthy environment and helps households create value from their waste, with my passion for building sustainable models for waste collection and reuse.  I have indirectly used my background in computer science and technology to solve a critical societal challenge.

 How have you brought your wealth of experience in the IT world to your new venture?

I worked for IBM for 5 years where I worked on a few projects developing some interesting products for our customers. I was also responsible for providing support for IBM’s 400,000 employees globally and I could be called at 2am on a Saturday morning to fix a broken server.

I was lucky to be working with boss who gave me a lot of responsibilities and big projects to work on.

Therefore, I can safely say that the challenges and targets I experienced are interwoven. They are all about services and serving people. It is about helping to  fix things up. Before, I fixed broken servers, now I fix and recycle waste. I don’t think there is much difference.

 Has government policy helped or hindered you?

Our partnerships with Lagos State Government and organizations has been a critical part of Wecyclers’ development.

We have benefitted greatly from the Lagos State Government’s progressiveness and openness to working with organizations that provide solutions to Lagosians’ challenges.

Wecyclers recently received a grant from the Lagos State Government to expand our collection and processing services into two new local government areas, create 120 jobs and 8 microenterprises and reach an addition 68,000 Lagosians.

What are some of the biggest lesson life has taught you ?

If you want to become an entrepreneur, or even better, a social entrepreneur, uncover your purpose, match it to a need that exists, and be selfless. Don’t just focus on short-term results!