‘Government should support entrepreneurs with grants to cushion effect of petrol subsidy removal’
Entrepreneurs
‘Government should support entrepreneurs with grants to cushion effect of petrol subsidy removal’
Mustapha
The Group Managing Director of Trade and Tech Group, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq Mustapha, recently won the prestigious Leadtimes Africa Magazine Businessman of the Year Award. He spoke with OPEYEMI BABALOLA on the challenges facing the business community in the country, the effect of removal of fuel subsidy and the Renewed Hope mantra of the current administration.
Congratulations for winning the prestigious Leadtimes Africa Businessman of the Year award. How do you see the award?
Thank you so much. I see it as an encouragement and challenge at the same time. Being recognised for such an award gives one the courage to do more. It is also a challenge to break new grounds and ensure we attain our mandate of becoming a world-class company.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I am an engineer by profession, and a soldier by orientation. I had my early education at the Airforce Primary School and Airforce Military School, Jos. I obtained a B.Eng degree from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, and several further studies. By practice, I have been into engineering consultancy and engineering projects execution. I’ve also been into international trade and currently the Group Managing Director of Trade and Tech Group. I have attended several trainings, workshops and seminars at home and abroad to broaden my horizon with memberships and affiliations to several local and foreign professional bodies, with diplomatic honours and recognitions among others.
What is the strength of your personality?
At the risk of sounding immodest, I will say resilient, courageous and unrelenting.
How do you stay on top of the turbulent business environment?
Life, they say, is not a bed of roses. I learnt from my military training and engineering background that challenges are inevitable but they are not insurmountable. With this in mind, I always strive and encourage my staff to put in their best and rise above all challenges.
What motivated you to keep going in your early days?
I reminded myself that what others can do, I can do even better. I am aware that human beings have their uniqueness. I try to explore my abilities and learn from others before me to create a better and stronger person.
What are the most important habits to be a successful entrepreneur?
Diligence, dedication, resourcefulness and above all, honesty.
What are your tips for building a successful team like yours?
It is essential to be a team player. One must learn to balance between the company’s growth and employee’s welfare. This list is unending; one must continue to muster all strategy and wisdom.
What are the biggest challenges to being an entrepreneur and how did you surmount them?
My biggest challenge as an entrepreneur is the business terrain. I will say it is rough in so many aspects. There’s the issue of inconsistent government policies. Take the foreign exchange issue for instance. Take taxation as another. Still on the business terrain, let’s take a look at the people. Many contribute to the difficulty in doing business. You take your time and resources to train someone; next he is off to start his or her business. There is the issue of unreliable workers, untrustworthy and disloyal, among other attributes. Such challenges were surmounted through risk analysis and projections.
At the board level, we discuss all such pressing issues. I will say we surmounted by quickly learning and adapting. We reshape and realign our objectives to meet the trending government policies. As for the human aspect, we continue to learn and develop strategies to keep them in check.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. One of my first principles is to lead by example. I go to site and watch everything. So, I am always on the move. In essence, one has to micromanage activities. Secondly, apart from motivation in terms of capacity building and remunerations, I study every member of staff to understand their peculiarities, challenges and prospects and we place them where they will perform best.
How do you see the future of Trade and Tech Group in the next five years?
We are hopeful that Trade and Tech Group will become a household name that everyone will request and count on its services.
What would be your advice to up and coming businessmen?
Be patient, learn daily and have a good character.
Who are your role models?
In Nigeria, we have the likes of Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Isiyaku Rabiu, Chairman, BUA Cement. They have become household names, and if you study them closely, you will see that they have the brains and dedicated their time towards achieving their goals. They are also people who do not relent, as they have to manage their affairs closely and break new grounds.
Nigerian youths seem to have lost their sense of direction. What is your advice to the youth?
I think this statement is relative. I have met and trained several youths that the company boasts today. While we may have some misguided youths, we have a good number that are up and doing. That said, I encourage the youth to explore Nigeria’s vast and enormous resources and the teeming population that constitute a huge market for many things. In addition to the theoretical knowledge learnt in schools, they should learn skills that are in high demand globally – IT skills, designs, craftsmanship and many more.
What advice would you give to the Federal Government on how best to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy?
Encourage local content. Support entrepreneurship through provision of grants. There is a need to ensure adequate generation of power to reduce dependency on fuel. Through this and with adequate jobs from local production, people will feel lesser effect of the high cost of fuel.
How would you rate the new government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with regard to the business community?
The Tinubu-led government is a government of Renewed Hope, though starting with difficulties necessary for positive change. We are
highly optimistic that the policies being continually developed by relevant officials and agencies will eventually override the difficulties.
The high cost of fuel that greatly impacts the cost of all items, the erratic and high exchange rates making business difficult will soon be ameliorated.
Are you interested in politics?
Well, at the moment, my focus is ensuring that the Trade and Tech Group meets up its international mandate. In the future, if the people feel the need for us to serve in any capacity, we may then make considerations.
As a frontline businessman and a philanthropist, how will you like to be remembered?
I will want to be remembered as someone who has impacted society positively and improved the lives of thousands, if not millions, for a better future for us all.
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