Pat Utomi is a remarkable Entrepreneur, teacher of entrepreneurship and encourager of budding entrepreneurs His thoughts and ideas on the vital subject of entrepreneurship are deeply profound and very applicable to the Nigerian environment. He believes that an entrepreneurial revolution can lead Nigeria out of poverty. Utomi’s example teaches us to always strive to create value in society and the marketplace. Excerpts:
TIN- People have all sorts of definitions for success. What does success means to you?
PAT-True and lasting success really starts from within. There are intangible qualities that are the bedrock of lasting success. When people measure their level of success by their material possessions and connections, they usually end up in error. If our parameters for measurement are wrong then ultimately our measurement itself will be wrong.
What makes for success is the strength of character, knowledge, a sense of service towards others and a willingness to sacrifice for others. When others see your sacrifice for them, they will be willing to follow you.
Success also has to do with delayed gratification. You delay gratifications today so that you can get things of lasting value tomorrow. We need to stop defining success as having plenty of cash or connections to people high up in society.
A successful person is someone who is able to properly manage his resources and the challenges of his environment. He has an understanding of where society should be heading, so he continually strives to move society in that direction. In doing so, he improves the lives of others. This really is what success is all about.
In the last 5 years and more, of our national life, the criterion people use to judge others significantly became what you have in your bank account. You have a very interesting occurrence in Nigeria in which someone who has millions today is suddenly broke tomorrow because his wealth did not come from him creating something significant value, but rather owing to his access to someone high up or from abuse of the commonwealth. Since his sense of value comes from the money he has, he will develop a feeling of worthlessness and become desperate to re-acquire money in ways that might ruin whatever reputation he may have left.
TIN-So, how does one form these internal values that guarantee success?
Your values develop over time. A combination of factors usually moulds one’s values over time. You see, reputation is what people say you are. Character is who you really are.
A former Ambassador in Nigeria was going to float an NGO in Nigeria. A few foreigners who were businessmen planned to use it as a business vehicle for themselves. They were then looking for Nigerians who could float things for them
It had so much financial attraction that they believed that any Nigerian they approached will just fall all over scrambling for it. When they approached me, they were surprised that I wasn’t interested.
Believe me, I was broke at that time! The thing was so naïve but not necessarily illegal. I was just uncomfortable with it. They just couldn’t understand why I turned them down. I think we are formed by a combination of factors. I was influenced by a few factors while growing up –home, school, church and so on. You have to stay close to the values that are good for you and keep on reinforcing them.
Just like a great building doesn’t just happen, so also great values don’t just spring up; they are cultivated over time. Even after cultivation, they still need to be continually maintained.
TIN- You just said that you were broke. Someone will be surprised to hear that Pat Utomi was broke! You were the Special Adviser to the President at age 27, Deputy Chief Executive at Volkswagen Nigeria at 32. Can someone like that ever be broken? When were you broke?
(Laughs) Incidentally, I have never been a rich man. At least not in the Nigerian context! All I am concerned about is being able to pay my bills. I think one of the greatest gift you can get from God is the gift of contentment. Whenever I get some great resource, I tend to look for great good to plough it into. If it is an investment in a new business idea, it will be in a social enterprise. I guess I am a social entrepreneur.
It would amaze you that when I left Volkswagen Nigeria, all money I had was less than 200,000 naira. At Volkswagen Nigeria, I wasn’t so well paid. I was entrepreneurial, so I had a few businesses to make some extra money. My total exit was not more than 100,000 naira.
TIN-Did you resign from VWN?
PAT-Yes. I felt I wasn’t fulfilled. I desired to teach. A lot of people thought I wasn’t thinking well. I made up my mind not to be there at 38. So, just before my 38th birthday, I left.
TIN-You go for a doctorate at an age most people are sitting for JAMB. How would you advise young people in Nigeria today?
The truth is that there are different strokes for different folks. We all have different paths we are to walk. You’ve got to believe in yourself. You’ve got to believe that you can make it. Never give up. No matter the setbacks you face, you can get to wherever you desire to get to.
It upsets me when people say I’m a genius. I’m not. I’m very average. This doesn’t mean my life has to be second-rate. As an average person, I can be what I want to be by working hard and respecting the dignity of others and creatively thinking through every opportunity that I see.
The things that stand people out are things that other people overlook. They are ordinary things. We walk past them every day. Take the start of ABC Transport as an example. All of us were trying to travel to Port Harcourt and back. We waited endlessly for Nigeria Airways which never came.
Frank Nneji had no capital; all he had was his NYSC bicycle allowance which he used to rent somewhere and started selling equipment. At a point in time, travelling between Lagos and Port Harcourt became a challenge for him so he thought of what could be done to create an alternative to Nigerian Airways. That was the humble start of ABC Transport. The challenge is to put on our thinking cap, persevere and not compare ourselves with others.
I recall when I just came back to the country. I had two Masters’ degrees and a PhD. I did my project on Public Finance and Budgeting. When I was doing my fieldwork, the Permanent Secretary, of Finance, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji invited me to come and work for him when I come back; so I had a great opportunity. That was an easy path set for me. I could have just come back, gone to him, been assistant to the permanent secretary, ministry of finance with a house, in Ikoyi and so on. But I said to myself,’’ I want to take a risk. I want to offer the skills I have at a broader spectrum as a consultant in public policy and management.’’
That option meant I was choosing to take a risk because that kind of consultancy wasn’t popular then. There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have any income in the next year and I might end up becoming the ultimate disaster! So, I had the option of going to work for Abubakar Alhaji and having a good time and maybe becoming a permanent secretary or taking the risk of establishing something of my own. I went for the risky option.
It gave me the opportunity to work for a broad spectrum of people. I was living in our family house in a room. Just a few months after I established Utomapp, a management and Public Policy consultancy Firm, I started working in a political position.
When I was appointed, I didn’t know anyone at that time who helped me to get into the position. I was neither politically active nor a friend of anyone in power. I had just come back. I had been writing a column from graduate school in the United States. Ray Ekpu was editing Sunday Times at the time. He asked me if I could do some writing for him in Sunday Times and I said, ‘’Why not?’’
When I finished my fieldwork, I started writing from the US for Sunday Times. Most of my writings then were on tax policies and stuff like that. Then I met a few people who were doing some work for the vice president then, Dr Alex Ekwueme.
I think it was during a discussion on some work for him that someone said, ’’Then go and fetch him .’’ So they came to ask me and I said, ‘’I’m a consultant.’’ So I went to work on the assignment but before the assignment was submitted, I was invited to see the vice president.
He just discussed it with me very casually. He made it seem like a passing comment then he said that the president had approved my appointment to replace Prof. Odinigwe!
I was so taken aback that the first thing I said was that I will go and think about it! He looked at me as if I was a joker! He turned to someone and said, ‘’Look at this boy!’’ Then he turned back to me and said, ‘’Okay, go and think about it.’’.
I was returning to Bode Thomas Street (in Surulere), Lagos, where I was living when I first met a friend who lived a few blocks away. I said to him,’’ Oh I just met the vice president and he said I should come and be a Special Adviser.’’
He asked, ‘’What did you say?’’ I replied, I told him I’ll think about it and I am still thinking about it.’’ He looked at me oddly and said, ‘’Look, you can keep on thinking about it while I go and tell them that you have already agreed!’’
The point is this: I decided to take a risk. I had a chance to take an easier path but I looked long-term and went for the tougher option.
Maybe I would have done well if I had taken the other choice but I’m glad I decided to create value by creating a new era in consulting at the time. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of time to pursue that because of the coup and then being head-hunted into Volkswagen Nigeria and so on.
TIN-So what are your success habits?
Hard work. Nothing just happens. A strong appetite for learning. Any day I don’t read, I feel like I have fallen into some deep illiteracy. You must keep reading. I have a great appetite for reading. You can also learn from anybody.
Respect for other human beings, no matter their status in society: It’s very vital to treat people well. You’ve got to learn to think, ‘What’s the opportunity in this situation?’’ This is very critical to me.
I am obsessed with continuous improvements. I always ask how I could have done better. I also try to exaggerate myself. I try to take my work seriously but not myself seriously. I also enjoy my work. Work is fun for me.
To Be continued.