Uka lbe is Co-Founder and MD/CEO of Nexgen Energy and Allied Services Ltd, a Renewable Energy company involved in distribution and installations of solar systems/products for un-served, underserved and served residential, company and industry and communities in Africa. In this interview by SAM NWAOKO, he speaks on alternative energy solutions, its economy and sundry issues around the technology.
TRANSITION from telecommunications engineering services and to power provision services would seem like knife through butter. It might be for you, but what are some of the inherent intricacies that should be envisaged by some people?
Moving from telecoms to the power industry took me back to the basics of engineering where we were taught to solve problems. In my opinion, both involve planning, deploying, and maintenance of infrastructure though the end user may not see these backend processes. For one to transition from the telecoms industry to the energy industry, one must be able to conceptualize the basic framework that is common to both industries and build on it. The ‘intricacies’ include the ability to adapt and to distil the framework of both industries and build on that knowledge. There are basic life skills that cut across industries such as the skill set of project management, effective communication, and active listening.
In terms of policies and their implementation, would you say there is adequate encouragement for small and medium-scale private businesses in Nigeria?
Implementation is the problem. The regulatory frameworks are there but we struggle with implementation. We have enough policies that can transform industries but are they being implemented? The institutions that implement policies need to be reformed. Secondly, our educational system should be developmental. Education should develop ‘the head and the hands’. Emphasis should be on technical skills to drive the economy into production. Our schools focus more on theoretical knowledge without adequate emphasis on application of the theories. Policy implementation and developmental education is what we need.
How would you describe this encouragement?
Most of the encouragement is at the level of policy and strategy; it has not trickled down to small and medium scale businesses, the grassroots of the private sector. The willingness has been there but the bureaucratic will to drive and implement the support for small-scale industries has always been lacking.
If there has not been adequate encouragement, how do you think the government can encourage the private sector?
The way to encourage the private sector is by removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and making the civil service responsive to implement the strategic policies of the government. I would say the major challenge of Nigeria has been the bureaucracy of the civil service that does not translate government policies to meaningful impact.
In your line of business, you would have had some experience in FOREX. Would you like to share any – past or present – so as to guide others?
Yes, we have been through different cycles of our FOREX policy. We have had the controlled regime where the government oversaw FOREX exchange. Though the price was low, private industries had little access to it. It makes it challenging as in my line of business most of the raw materials are imported and unfortunately cannot be substituted. However, when the currency is floated as it is in this present administration, it is available, but the volatility makes it difficult. Our microeconomic environment is dynamic. Small businesses must be able to adapt to any FOREX regime.
In Nigeria, how much awareness would you say there is in alternative energy supply? Is there enough? How much more do we need to do to create awareness?
Awareness can never be enough considering the number of people without electricity, which is a basic need for any human development. We need more homegrown solutions to address the needs of the citizens. Most people are aware of the availability of alternate power solutions but cannot afford it. To create more awareness, there must be constant engagement among the various stakeholders in government, the private sector, and citizens.
Are you encouraged by Nigerians’ reception of alternative power supply – do you see a future in the business?
Yes, not only Nigerian but the world at large. There is now a shift towards decentralisation of energy systems. Before now, most energy systems were utility-based but now we have individual systems of deployment like solar and wind energy. The effect of climate change has made many governments aggressively opt for alternate systems instead of the traditional fossil fuel. This means the future is in renewable and decentralised energy systems.
What can the various tiers of government do to make the alternative energy business environment more conducive for players and sundry stakeholders?
The government should actively collaborate in renewable energy by creating a funding solution for the acquisition and the supply chain for renewable energy deployments. There should be manpower training for both the supply and downstream sector of the business.
Do you think that solar products can be produced in Nigeria in the near future?
Yes, there are already companies assembling solar products in Nigeria. It is not rocket science. What we need is the necessary infrastructure to make the costs competitive. If that is not available locally, people will always patronize the cheaper alternatives from China or increase prices to compensate for the infrastructural deficiency in Nigeria.
Do you have anything to say to young entrepreneurs looking towards the renewable energy sector?
Be ready to train yourself to adapt to the ever-changing business environment in Nigeria.
What was your childhood like? What pranks led you into trouble with mum or dad?
(Smiles) Honestly, I can’t remember much of the moments I had with my biological parents because I lost both of them before the age of nine. I was the fifth of six children. My maternal uncle, Engr. Ezeogo Okoro took three of us in as his own children and decided not to get married at the time for our sakes. We lived with him in Sapele, Delta State. My uncle was very strict. They said I was the most troublesome among my siblings living with him because I did exactly the things he warned us against, such as leaving the house after 6 pm or going out on Saturdays. Looking back, I believe the estate security informed him when we left the house in his absence because he always seemed to know all our antics. I would daringly leave the house in his absence and not return until close to his arrival time. There were other antics such as climbing trees to pluck fruits despite warnings not to do so. All these earned me enough strokes of cane. On Saturdays, we were not allowed to leave the house because my uncle made it “thinking day”. We would only eat boiled egg for breakfast and be forced to reflect and meditate the entire morning. We would look out through the window and wish we were the other kids playing outside. My uncle fed us healthily. He stocked the house with enough rice, beans, and semovita but I still longed to eat garri. Therefore, it was easy for me to do trade-by-barter with my classmates to exchange raw grains of rice for garri. Today, as an adult, I understand the discipline my uncle subjected us to and I appreciate my background, although it wasn’t an easy experience growing up.
What would you change about your past if you could?
I believe I am an extrovert by nature, but I am shy by nurture. I think it’s because I did not have enough opportunities to hone my extroverted personality. I would have given myself an avenue to experiment, explore and take more risks and acquire more social and soft skills.
The streets were safer back in the days. So were campuses and travelling round the country. Are these assumptions? How do you see the streets and all these now?
Yes, the streets were safer back in the days because I remember walking from Okonma Gardens to St. Malachy Grammar School, Ugbeyiyi Sapele, daily. It was about three kilometers. Walking to and fro my lesson venue was even farther and I had no fear whatsoever. When I gained admission into the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) at age of 17, my uncle would take me to the commercial bus park in Sapele to board a bus to Warri which was about 15 to 20 minutes’ drive. From Warri, I would board another bus to Onitsha, a journey of about four hours and then another three hours from Onitsha to Owerri. You can imagine that a 17yr old boy could commute such long distances unaccompanied without the fear. I traveled solo for five years from 1995 to my graduation year in 2000 and even undertook journeys to other cities like Umuahia and Owerri to visit relatives without fears. Unfortunately, it is no longer so today. There are untold nightmares on the road these days. I once boarded a bus going to Owerri from Warri in my uncle’s presence. The moment he turned back, I collected my transport fare from the driver and boarded another vehicle going to University of Benin to visit my elder brother and some of my classmates in UNIBEN before finally heading back to Owerri. The risk of traveling nowadays is high unlike in the 90s and 2000s when we traveled with hardly any incident of kidnapping or armed robbery.
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