Mr Obaro John Tani was born some years back precisely 1958. He had his early education in both Kaduna and Ilorin Kwara State. He studied computer science . He had stints with the UBA and International Merchant Bank(IMB) before he decided to float his own company SystemSpecs…..
Excerpts:
What’s your background like?
I was born in 1958. I had my early education in Kaduna and Ilorin. I went to Ahmadu Bello University to study computer science. Choosing computer science was not based on a proper understanding of what the course entailed or the career it would lead to.
John Tani Obaro- CEO MD SystemSpecs
I was very naïve about courses and career paths then. Choosing computer science was more because it sounded musical in my ears than any other reason!
‘’I didn’t really know what to study. I was certain, though, that I didn’t want to study engineering because rightly or wrongly I had an impression that it would involve plenty of manual work. There was a common perception then that engineering was tough.’’
Well, I knew that was lazy, so, I fled from engineering –the tough field! I always look for the smartest way of doing anything that I want to do and I didn’t think engineering was it. I also didn’t want to go for single honours in mathematics, so, I looked at the list on the form and saw computer science with mathematics, it sounded musical in my ears, so I selected and went for it. Today, I‘m glad that I did.
I thank God because I have no reason to regret that decision. I don’t think I would have enjoyed anything better than what I studied. I graduated in 1079 and went to the University of Lagos for an MBA which I finished in January 1982.
From here, I headed for Leventis’s work. Here I was supposed to be selling computers but after six months I felt I wasn’t prepared for selling. I felt I needed to get into using the computer more before getting into selling, so, I went into the banking sector.
I spent two years at the United Bank for Africa(UBA), from 1982 to 1984. Then I moved to International Merchant Bank, Nigeria(IMB), where I stayed for seven years. I was there as Head of the Information Technology Department. That was where I cut my teeth. It was a great experience for me.
IMB was very good for exposure. We had some of the best brains in this country under the same roof of IBM at that time under the former minister for science and technology Ebitimi Banigo. As it turned out at some time, 6 banks in this country were manned by an ex-IBM staff either as Managing Director or Executive Director.
That showed the kind of people assembled together at IMB at that time. It brought out the best in everybody then..
After 7 years in IMB, we succeeded in installing an international banking package called KAPITI. We worked with Anderson Consulting in selecting and implementing that banking package.
At IMB, I had a good time. I was promoted almost every year or every 2 years. I had very good salary packages but I still got tired of the job because I felt I had seen It all in the banking industry. I felt my job had become too much of a routine and was no longer exciting. I felt it was time to do something else.
At that point, even though there were a lot of packages for the banking industry, I still felt there was a vacuum to be filled because there wasn’t a commensurate number competing for the real sector. And that was when I felt like pulling out. So I did and aligned with the Systems Union to promote their product, SunSystems, in Nigeria. That was the beginning of SystemSpecs.
Could you please explain the dynamics of your transition from a secure job to the uncertain world of entrepreneurship?
It was a battle of a least 2 years after I knew that I wanted to do something else. I was confronted with about 3 or 4 options. One was to go and study accounting. The second option was to look for another job and that was when the new banks were coming up so if you wanted more pay, it would have been easy. The third option was to get out of the country.
The four option was to start a company of my own. I wasn’t particularly scared that I wouldn’t know what to do. I believed God had deposited much in me. I was confident in myself but then I had my doubts about the Nigerian business terrain: the corruption that was creeping in and the failing systems. Those were the reasons why I was very much concerned.
How did you finance the start-up?
When I was to start, I did a lot of business plan write-ups! I felt I needed about a million naira to start –up. I went to the banks but they wouldn’t touch supup entrepreneurs.
Eventually, I found someone who decided to take a little equity. Someone else gave me a loan but more importantly, God gave me an idea. We decided to run a training course. It was a very appealing programme at that point in time, titled: Managing Information Systems Strategy.’’
For the emerging banks then, that was an interesting topic I was able to get a lecturer from the UK and we charged 50, OOO naira and got more than 19 participants. I got 50,000 nairas less than I million naira mark. We didn’t start off to be a training company but we did the training two raise the seed capital for the business.
Did you have any entrepreneurial streak or tendency while growing up or was it something that came up while you were working?
Frankly, I can’t recall thinking of being an entrepreneur earlier on in my life. I enjoyed my academic life and the norm then was to get out of school and get a job. By God’s grace, I had good jobs.
I think entrepreneurship, for me, started when, at 33, I began to say to myself, ‘’Well, I’ve done this for seven years. Is this what I will do for the rest of my life?’’ I can’t remember exactly when a clear direction to set up my own company came up. But I faintly remember I told a friend of mine at 28 that I wanted to be a millionaire by 33!
What is success to you?
Success to me is when, on my death bed, I’m able to say, ’’I have lived a good life; I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race and there lies ahead of me a crown of righteousness.’’ That to me is the definition of a successful life’’ Such that by the time you are leaving this world you can smile away.
As for my business, success to me means, after I have left SystemSpecs, or even this world, that SysttemSpecs continues to do very well and even better. Then, I feel I would have left a legacy.
It also means to me, having happy people around me; people that by God’s grace one has been able to positively impact not just in the workplace, like my colleagues in the office, but also customers. If they believe I have contributed something to their businesses and also to their lives, then, I would feel that I have succeeded.
What success traits are the most prominent in your life?
Well, I tend to be focused. Some may say it makes you narrow in scope but I enjoy it. I prefer to take a little thing and do it excellently well rather than dabble into so many things. And that has worked well for us at SystemSpecs.
E started off with SunSystems, a pure accounting software. After a while, I felt there was a need for a complementary payroll system in the market. We were able to come up with what is known today as HumanManager®. And many people are sort of surprised that we have not branched out to do many other things.
We‘ve had people walk in with multimillion naira contracts and offers, for maybe hardware or even some different software. But we‘ve been able to say, ‘’No, we don’t think that is our calling. We want to stay in our area of business and do it very well.’’ And to God be the glory, at least today, if you want to talk of human resource software payroll software in Nigeria, the name HumanManager® will readily come up.
So, I believe in being focused. I believe also that integrity pays in business contrary to what many people might think.
‘’Integrity may suffer in the short-term but it pays in the long-term.’’
‘’We ‘ve lost some contracts because we didn’t want to mess up our integrity but the inner peace I have is more satisfying’’, he said
What are your most important personal development habits?
Well, I like intellectual discussions with people. I like to read good books, especially biographies. I think you can learn one or two things from the lives of others. I also play chess. I enjoy playing chess. I usually prefer the king’s opening.
If you are 25 years old in today’s Nigeria what would you be doing?
Do you want the truth? The first thing that would cross my mind would be to go to the Canadian or American Embassy to try to get out! If I fail to do that, then I would think of creating a niche for myself and making something out of it. There are opportunities in Nigeria, no doubt, but it’s a really tough terrain. It’s a jungle out there.
Talking about niches, how important is it to create them in business?
By creating a niche you can win more easily.
If you do what everyone is doing, your customers will think he is doing you a favour. Then, it wouldn’t be so much of an exchange of value. You need to be unique. Your customers need to know you for something special and different. This will make your business stand out.
‘’I want to be able to walk away from my customers feeling I have genuinely added value to their businesses. Yes, I get money in return. But for me to have that positive feeling, I need to add a unique value to our customers. They will come to appreciate that not just anybody can do what I am doing for them. That’s what niches are all about and that’s why niches are important.
What did SystemSpecs bring into Nigeria?
We are probably one of the first computer companies that went straight into the software and have remained in software. We have never sold I box of PC, we never sold any peripherals. At a time when not many people understood what software was all about, not to talk of a software industry, we were able to create that awareness of an industry called the software industry and today, there are many more companies going straight into the software.
Is HumanManager® written in-house?
Yes. We started it off to meet a need in the market. One or two clients asked for a payroll system and we said,’ why not if not?’ We started developing in the days of DOS through the early days of windows and today, e are on the Web. We’ve moved from simple payrolls to pensions and human resource management.
How about your wife and family?
She runs a children’s fashion outfit. We are blessed with two children.
Most people don’t strike the balance between work and family…
By God’s grace, early in my life, I discovered the importance of developing a good relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That has helped to shape me and direct my drive in life. So, Whatever I do, I ask myself, ‘’Is this of God?’’
Once I have the assurance that it is of God, I am emboldened to go ahead. I remember about two days before SystemSpecs started, I was at a vigil. There were prophetic words about the success of SystemSpecs way beyond what I could envision then. And in later years, it has come to pass. Why should I not be passionate about God? He’s done so much for me!
Oftentimes, people get scared of venturing into untested areas of business.
John Tani Obaro dared it and today he and his high-flying company, SystemSpecs, are on top of the software development industry in Nigeria. He‘s a trailblazer, no doubt, and SystemSpecs is a model company in the software industry in Nigeria.
Today, the genesis of Software development and Industry will not be complete in Nigeria without the mention of John Tani Obaro and SystemSpecs. It was indeed a laudable achievement.