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Science and Technology, SMEs need govt direct funding – Esike

By BusinessNews Staff on October 6, 2013

Mr. Johnny Esike, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Sykes, Energiprojekts Nigeria Limited. He is an articulate engineering icon who has made the difference in the profession without being biased. In this interview with Moses Nosike of Saturday Vanguard Business, he and the company’s engineers reveal that giving clients the best is part of the company’s principles. He also identified key areas of the economy that need government direct funding as Small and Medium Enterprises, Science and Technology etc. saying if we must create employment, develop the country and attract foreign investors serious attention must be paid to these directions. Excerpts:

Since 1990 when Sykes Energiprojekts Limited was first incorporated, what has been your major achievements?

Well, since 1996 when we restructured the company in two places, engineering and manufacturing, we have achieved so much in terms of service delivery, constructing of some tank farms along the line and also delivery of our individual projects such as developing a complete oxygen plant presently functional in Delta State. However, in the course of project delivery, we have delivered on Turnkey basis, Matrix Oil and Gas which we built in 2007 and also Masters Energy, Port Harcourt in 2009.

Also we have delivered 8500mtons and 7200mtons oil storage tanks at IBAFON OIL Ltd, in the same 2009; construction of petroleum pipelines for SAHARA Energy, Apapa. And we also have done most recently, Matrix Energy, and this month we have completed the management construction of A &E Energy Tank farm in Warri. These are our major micro projects. We also have other maintenance project for companies like Sahara Energy at the Aviation terminal of the Presidential Air fleet, Nigeria Air Force Base, Abuja and Honey Well Flour Mills five years ago, just to mention but a few.

What are your business principles that have kept the company moving forward despite challenges in the operating environment?

Actually, what has really kept us in business overtime is integrity in our business and delivery of quality service. We deliver projects as at and when due. We satisfy our clients by delivering quality projects. Again, we aim at building a business based on sound engineering, construction values and principles that have continued to evolve and adapt to global changes.

We keep moving forward and achieving results despite challenges because our approach to solving engineering problems includes extensive and far-reaching consultations with our clients/associates, in-depth analysis of the task, challenges and the cost effective technical options with a view to rendering quality service to our valued clients.

What are those things that stand Sykes out in the engineering sector in Nigeria?

As a matter of fact, we have done so much in tank farm areas. We are performing credibly. We keep to time anywhere we handle projects. Most projects that should last for one year, sometimes, we deliver them at the eleventh month. We don’t compromise with standard. This is one of the things that make us unique. Our clients are satisfied with the kind of service we render to them because we deliver quality within stipulated time. And more to that, most depots we have built are of international standard and have kept us in business today despite competition.

We keep good working relationship with our clients because they are satisfied with our service delivery. For instance IBAFON OIL project have called us for the maintenance of their depot and so also is Rahamaniyya’s depot because of the way we handle maintenance services. As a matter of fact, they refer and recognise us when they are facing challenges.

What are your strategies of winning clients?

As it is said: “A good product sells itself”. We have never tried to change our quality services we render to our clients. And this has been our major winning strategy in this industry and that is helping us also to compete favourably.

Sir, do you think with your experience in the industry that government has a role to play in the engineering sector in Nigeria?

Government has a role to play in the engineering sector in so many ways. In the area of manpower development the country is lacking enough. There is a collapse in our technical schools and they don’t get the best. Our youths in the school are after certificate and they don’t acquire skills. So manpower development in this country is one of the major challenges government has to do something about.

Also much emphasis on certificate without skills is not helping matters. Most of our freshers today can’t defend those certificates they are carrying about. As a result, when you employ them, you start training them afresh. Moreso, government can be of value in developing micro industries, that is the small and medium scale industries that can provide jobs for Nigerians if developed.

Before now, government claimed to have disbursed millions of Naira soft loans for SME in the country, but unfortunately those who really need the loans don’t have access to it. Therefore, government has to devise a means or strategy to ensure that loans meant for SMEs go directly to those that need it as that is another means we can develop our economy. Many indigenous companies are dead today for lack of government support.

For instance, fifteen to twenty years ago, a company owned by Ezekiel Izuogwu who developed the first Nigeria car. Government went there to launch it and promised to support him, but as we speak I don’t think government has given him any support. These are things that kill ingenuity and innovation in Nigeria. When you want to innovate and create things to compete with the outside world you need government support.

I have mentioned Izuogwu who needed government support to develop automobile and other areas of engineering but was completely neglected, and we have the so called Science and Technology. I don’t know whether the ministry is sleeping, they go to Abuja and support those imaginary projects that people don’t see. So we need direct government involvement in innovative projects. Government should go to Polytechnics, Universities and support students that have innovative projects, create direct funding through the ministries involved and not through the schools.

[Vanguard]

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