Nigeria will soon emerge stronger from its challenges ―Adebanjo Safiriyu

In this interview with BAYO ALADE, businessman and CEO of SAF Petroleum, Aare Adebanjo Kazeem Safiriyu, said it was the duty of every Nigerian to make the country work and that very soon, hopefully, the nation will emerge stronger from its challenges.

The country is currently on a cliff hanger, so to say. Given this situation, what is your take on the general state of affairs?

Whatever the challenges we may be passing through, I have that strong conviction that all will soon become history. I think the difficulties are just pointing to the fact that this country is destined to be great. I think Nigeria is God’s project such that He, the almighty God, won’t allow the country to fail. There’s indeed hope of a better tomorrow, so we all have strong reasons to be hopeful. Let’s all cooperate with our leaders and remain obedient citizens. It is the duty of all of us – the one leading and the led – to make this country work.

As of today, youth unemployment is on the high side. As an entrepreneur, how do you think unemployment generally, could be tackled in the country?

It is high time our youth began to think of what they could do with their hands. That is they should acquire more of skills now than certificates. The white collar jobs are no longer available. Even in other parts of the world, governments are not finding it easy to fulfill their obligation towards workers.

The number of workers has kept on increasing leading to an increase in wages and other emoluments whereas income has been shrinking. Moreover, other duties of government such as provision of infrastructure like roads, housing, quality education and health among others, must also be carried out.

 

So, let our youths think of what they could do in order to be self-employed and later be employers of labour, starting small and growing their businesses as time goes on. The government too should provide some kind of support such as soft loan for entrepreneurs; good roads and stable power supply, massive investment in agriculture too. All of these will help to reduce unemployment.

 

 

As an investor in oil and gas, how do you think the country could achieve stability in fuel pump price?

It’s the general opinion, based on simple economics that except our refineries are functioning maximally well, such that we can refine our crude oil here, there will always be instability in the fuel pump price because our crude oil is currently being refined abroad before it is now brought back to us. If this continues there’s no end in sight for increasing fuel pump price.

Rather than wasting another $4bn on Turn Around Maintenance of the existing refineries that has yielded little or nothing in the past, the government should roll out plans to build three refineries within the next 10 years. It’s not to our advantage, I mean those of us in oil and gas sector, that we have to be adjusting our pump price frequently because cost price has changed and so we will also have to be looking for more capital whenever we want to buy product for our filling stations.

Building of new refineries would not only help to create thousands of jobs but also in the long run, help to cut down what Nigerians are paying for fuel since it is now produced locally. Rather than wasting fund on repairing the country’s old refineries which has yielded little or nothing, the Federal government should concentrate efforts on constructing new refineries that would not only help in providing employment but also guarantee steady supply of petroleum products and eased the suffering of all Nigerians. Time is now for the federal government to build new refineries so that we can stop importation of what ordinarily we have in abundance here. It’s against all logic that we are still importing fuel; does that mean we don’t have the wherewithal to build at least two new refineries under two years?

With new refineries, we will be solving the major problem of frequent increment in pump price, ensure steady supply of fuel as well as provision of jobs for our teeming youths. The issue of controversial oil subsidy which usually piths the government against the people will also become history. The implication of this is that the country will have more funds to attend to its developmental needs, among others. One other major constraint confronting the business of oil gas in the country is the problem of infrastructural deficit and largely, the challenges of bad roads which are more often than not are responsible for tanker accidents. We are appealing to both the federal and state governments to help in addressing this problem.

 

As an entrepreneur of many years’ standing what is your advice for young entrepreneurs?

They have to remain focused and be tenacious. Young entrepreneurs must be ready to persevere because good things don’t come easily. They should not cut corners; when they are in need of advice, they should seek counsel from those well-established in the business. Above all, they should be closer to God and be confident that things will always get better. Attitude, they say, determines altitude; so, it’s important to remain positive in all that we do for greater heights.

What is your take on the MOU on Lagos-Ogun Joint Commission signed recently by the governors of the two states?

Lagos and Ogun states are like Siamese twins; so, doing things in common should be natural to both. The two states are so interwoven that one will be in some places thinking they are in Lagos State but are actually in Ogun State. There are so many people living in Ogun State but working in Lagos. It is really a welcome development. For instance the two governors have said that it is under this joint commission that they want to jointly fix Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu expressway; likewise Abeokuta-Sango-Lagos expressway. Imagine what impact these projects will have on the economy of both states.

What drives economy all over the world are partnership. It is in the light of this reality that I want to say synergies and initiatives like this are welcome development. They are good steps towards maximising the abundant potentials in human, financial and other natural resources that will ultimately help in creating better society and make life more bearable for all.

For instance, it is under an initiative like this that both governors are combining strength to fix the impassable Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu as well as Abeokuta-Sango-Lagos expressway, among others. All these when fixed, will impact positively on the lives of the residents of both states. With the proximity of Ogun State to Lagos, it has a lot to tap from its huge economy and this I am sure is going to be a plus for the residents.

You recently clocked 66. What lessons has life taught you?

First and foremost, I must say I am grateful to Almighty God for granting me yet another opportunity to be a year older. There are many of my mates and those who are even younger that have gone; so I am full of praises to God. One of those lessons life has taught me is that when you strongly believe in a project and you put your efforts into it, you will eventually succeed and that is why I usually urge people not to despair because nothing is static; no condition is permanent. Life has also taught me that we should be mindful of others. If God has worked it out for you, be ready to support others; affect the lives of people around you for good, after all, what will matter most after you have been long gone are the lives God has assisted you to touch while alive. This is quite important; it is good we live a life of impact. It makes the society a lot richer and better.