Sunday Ani
Chairman of the Amaecom group of companies, Dr. Amaechi Marcel Ofomata, has challenged students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), to take their destines in their hands by acquiring practical skills that will enable them to be self-employed after graduation, instead of waiting for white-collar jobs that are non-existent in Nigeria.
Stressing that the era of white-collar jobs and dependency on government in Nigeria, and perhaps, in Africa has long gone, he charged the students to learn practical skills, commit to their passion, and start little businesses even while in school, in addition to their academics, in order to have a base after graduation.
He made the charge recently as a guest speaker at the 2019 Students Entrepreneurship Day organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Development Research (CEDR), UNN, where he spoke on the topic “Graduate self-employment: a veritable tool for nation-building.”
According to Dr. Ofomata, economic and statistical data, following recent research, portray Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, with scores of people living in abject poverty, and others suffering high mortality rate and malnutrition, leading to high crime rate, insecurity, depression and suicide among others. He, however, expressed optimism that entrepreneurs are the ones to save Nigeria from the economic doldrums.
The Harvard-trained entrepreneur lamented that universities and other higher institutions keep churning out graduates into the labour market every year in Nigeria with little or no provision for their immediate engagement for sustainable livelihood, thereby endangering various indices of development in the country.
He emphasised the need for increment in the number of employers of labour as the population of the youth increases, so as to enable them to create value that will improve the living standards of the emerging citizens because government alone cannot do it.
Dr. Ofomata who was the immediate past president of Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, Abuja, and current global mentorship chairman of Entrepreneurs Organisation, tasked the students to be patience in building their businesses from scratch, just like he built his Amaecom brand from an idea to significance.
He told the students that they have what it takes to make it considering their level of education and exposure to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which has made research much easier compared to when he started his business journey.
Advising them that the best age to establish a sustainable brand is in their youthfulness when responsibilities have not set in, he charged them to get business mentors, who could motivate and nurture them, as well as link them up to opportunities and practical know-how where necessary until their brands become sustainable.
Dr. Ofomata who is also the founder of a non-governmental organisation, Marcel Ofomata Foundation, decried the increasing rate of liquidation of many businesses, a factor he attributed to the inability of their founders to put up a business system that could outlive the first generation. He, therefore, charged the students and other entrepreneurs worldwide to intentionally have a succession plan for their businesses, adding that if students graduate from school to grow their little businesses, the rate of unemployment will reduce and they will also create value and opportunities for others, and that will consequently, contribute to nation-building.
On his business journey, he said: I started a business by hawking spare parts of old motorcycles on a low scale, before making profits, which enabled me to start buying new motorcycles from Innoson Motorcycles in Nnewi for my customers. My business grew to the point that I needed to rent a single store. Thereafter, I went into manufacturing of most of the products that my company offers the Nigerian and international market. Today, my company has created over 500 direct employments within and outside Nigeria and numerous downstream opportunities.”
CEDR later gave him a distinguished entrepreneurship award in recognition of his outstanding entrepreneurship achievements at Ekpo Convocation Park, venue of the event