By Agatha Emeadi
Managing Director of EPSS Private Security Services Limited, Buduka Johnson, is in some sense an Amazon, whose female footprint in the Nigeria security services industry is getting deeper and wider, thereby laying a path for other women.
Johnson holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. From the university she earned a Master’s degree in Information Technology. The multi-talented woman, who has won several awards, is blazing a trail through diligence, focus, passion and zeal. When her mother was kidnapped, she deployed her broad knowledge and expertise in security matters to track down the abductors and rescued her alive in 2010.
How and why did you choose security business instead of other enterprises?
Well, I graduated from University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and also got a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the university. During my days as a student, I acquired a taste bud of travels and holidaying and that gave me an insight that I could be independent and become an entrepreneur. Just before my graduation in 2003, I set up ‘Injaz’ Limited in London with my sisters and I was the managing director; one year later I realized that my passion was not for that environment and needed to come to Nigeria, which I did in 2004 to set up ‘Injaz’ in Port Harcourt, Rivers State alongside an IT firm which provided services and consultancy in information technology. At the time, our office was in a hotel owned by my sister, and through that I saw the gap in security personnel. Before the EPSS Private Security Services, I had set up Water Info Limited, a water treatment company and we did a lot of water engineering projects by installing water treatment plants for some oil multinationals. That was the business I was doing before I saw the gap in the security services and became interested in running a security business. Besides, I was always involved in human capital development; that is my interest and passion; I want to see how people can change the dynamics, so security happened to be a high labour business and that naturally embedded in my businesses. As well as I had the IT and water engineering company, I set up EPSS in 2007.
What challenges have you faced in running your security outfit over the years?
If one has the passion and goal, the challenges are what bring out the person in you. The challenges enable you navigate to achieve the sought-after goal. Being in the business itself in Nigeria has its challenges and as a company we deliberately set ourselves to pursue the advocacies that we can do for the security industry to succeed in Nigeria. We sponsor different security discussions to push for those reforms that the sector needs because when the policies are good, one will get a better business as well. Right now, security business in Nigeria is going through a lot of definitions. We lack few things in the policies and legislations that need to be adjusted. The architecture of security in Nigeria should include private security business and it will work better when there are policies and implementations.
What is the main focus of EPSS Security Services?
EPSS is a fully licensed organization; there are several security elements that we can take in. The company is a recognized security organization with NIMASA, and on its behalf we perform port security assessment. After the 2002 attack, there was a treaty that every port must conform to the ISPS code. We do that on behalf of NIMASA and send to different ports in Nigeria. Any port that receives any ship must have ISPS conformant. We provide security guards to the gas companies, government facilities and to secure and also attend to private individuals. We also have the function of training guards to perform the normal guard services as well as providing consultancy in security risk analysis and management. I sponsor my work force a lot in the Certified Protection Officer (CPO) exam, which is highly technical and tough. It is my desire to be a good mentee to the younger women. I did not come back to Nigeria with money, but passion and zeal. It came to a time when my sister felt I was suffering so much with my job. I told her I didn’t want to work with a company, but rather wanted to grow my own. It took years for her to be convinced that I would make progress, but I could see the vision, passion and knew I was going somewhere. Right now, I am a member of all the security associations that matter in Nigeria. We have done a working document in the association to help the service providers which was launched in December. I also served in the Rivers State Association of Licensed Security Services Practitioners in the last six years and many others. I am looking forward to retire with a workforce that can take over in the generation of digital security.
It appears there are few women in security business and profession…?
I agree with you. It’s a business where we used to take it to be men’s masculinity, but being in this business and having my background in engineering and information technology, it is easy for me to move around the security in the digital environment; that has given me a solid edge. Years ago, I did not realize that it would give me the focus, but right now the skill sets that I have helped me to navigate through cyber-security issues I have to deal with. There is a convergence between physical and digital securities. Now that we have people guarding an environment, technology has also helped to make it a lot easier.
How do you put all these together, busy security business, being a wife and mother so the home front is not affected?
It is the grace of God and I have learnt to manage my time very well. I have been able to put in structures at home in just the same way I carry out my business operations. During the lockdown challenge, we were able to strategize and make sure everything worked to the best of our knowledge; we changed our business continuity plan immediately. We moved in and locked the guards in their locations and supplied food to them because there was no movement and we could not have left them alone even though it was tough for the organization. And that action from the company drew them closer to the organization. Being a wife, the way I take my business is the way I take my home as well. I have been able to structure things that would work for me. With the technology facility where I am, I can monitor things at home. I know what to add and subtract and run my home with all focus. I also do a lot of travels; I study to deliver lectures and have our head office in Port Harcourt function. There has never been a limitation for security business. And being a woman, I have not seen a weakness or a setback in my gender. That was even what prompted me in my professional journey.
How was your growing up like?
I am the eighth out of nine children of my parents. I had my primary school education in Sokoto, where I attended a bit of Arabic school, got back to Rivers State to continue my secondary school education at ArchDeacon Crowther Memorial Girls, Elelenwo, in Rivers State. By the end of secondary education, I gave my life to Christ and that was the great foundation that helped me build character, faith, and boldness. I decided to go to the University of Benin to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering. My father said, “We don’t know anybody in UNIBEN, I told him we do not need to know anybody there. I eventually went because I was offered Mathematics instead of my passionate course. My brother-in-law who was British sent me to the Enahoros with a written note and they looked after me for one year while I studied Mathematics. My passion was Electrical and Electronics Engineering, so I moved to United Kingdom to study. I was the only girl in my class for three to four years. There were girls in other departments, but in my class, I was the only girl. I moved with the boys who always pushed me to represent my class and school. Also, the multi-lingual association helped to form my compatibility with other people.
How about the roles your parents played while growing up?
Very important! My father, who worked with Shell for 25 years had a passion to nurture churches, that was exactly what he did in Eleme where Shell posted him to. My dad, until he was 86, when he passed on, would fight for people because he wanted to see other people’s progress. My mum would always say to me, “You did not leave any of your fathers’ attitudes.” We had a common belief that my father was very hospitable and charitable. Part of what we do is to reach out to the needy the much we can.
As a security expert and mother, what solution could you proffer to avoid bullying in schools?
Times are really changing so much. The teachers we have in schools need to notice changes in the character of the pupils. Schools must be deliberate about the measures in place, to monitor events. Why would schools not have CCTV cameras? I should be in my office and know what happens in my house. It is very important because children are involved and are vulnerable. People are frustrated, salaries can’t even take care of themselves so people are not giving their best and our environment is not allowing people to give their best. Not having a good system, coupled with the quality of persons that we now have in the culture is a problem. The basic thing is to do the reassessment of how that environment is, to assess every vulnerability and put in measures that would curtail all these. We cannot totally eliminate criminality but the deterrence would reduce crime rate to the barest minimum.
Tell me a bit about your mother’s abduction in 2010?
When my mother was kidnapped from my village in River State at 2:00am, I was the negotiator. It took us five days to agree on terms. I worked with my team as a security personnel. The kidnappers call came exactly at 3:00am with my mother’s phone and I spoke my language loudly. “Mum if you can hear my voice, don’t worry, I will make sure you come out of this and I switched off my phone deliberately. In the morning, I reported the incident and also switched on my phone. Their call came again to inform me that they were paid N70m to kill my mother. Then I asked them, ‘What you waiting for?’ I told all my siblings not to speak to anybody, we finally agreed on N1m ransom. I drove to where they asked me to come with no police tracking behind me. When I got to them, I saw two guys on a motor-bike who planned to collect and speed off. They warned me not come with tinted car or police; when I was convinced, they were the ones, I sped up and ran over them near a market place. The leg of one them was hung on the wheel of my tyre and the other ran away. People thought it was an accident, I told them no, they were kidnappers holding my mother in the forest. I bought 50 torches and mobilized boys to comb the bush and bring my mother out. They got the information and set her free immediately. While we were still in the bush combing, my mother was already home. Not a dime did the kidnappers get from the family.