NUEL OJEI: A HAND IN MANY PIES

He is one investor with a very tall ambition. Discerning, methodical and astute, he braced all odds to attain a frontline position in all sectors of the economy in which he plays in, and he actually has his hands in many juicy areas. This is the story of Emmanuel Isichei Ugochukwu Ojei, Executive Chairman/Group Managing Director, Nuel Ojei Holdings

No matter from which perspective one decides to look at it, the fact remains that he is one Nigerian whose name overtly personifi es courage, vision, hard-work as well as sturdiness. He belongs to the category of rag to riches Nigerian entrepreneurs who started with nothing but walked their ways through the turbulent waters, breaking barriers to attain success. Today, Dr. Emmanuel Isichei Ugochukwu Ojei is not just that entrepreneur noted for sales and services of the Mazda brand of automobiles only; he sits atop a group of company with diverse interests cutting across major lucrative sectors of the economy, all under the umbrella of Nuel Ojei Holdings (NOH).

Said to be worth over N25.7 billion ($165m) as at the end of 2011, Nuel Ojei as he is fondly called, has been able to build a conglomerate of sort, making him a major employer of labour and he is currently counted among top 20 richest Nigerian entrepreneurs.

With aggressive marketing and outstanding initiatives, Nuel Ojei’s group of companies whose scope of activities remain diverse and include construction, banking, importation, sales and services of choice motor vehicles, oil and gas, has remained a major benefi ciary of juicy public and private sector contracts over the years.

Born in Lagos in 1951, Ojei had his early education in Lagos before proceeding to Issele-Uku Technical College, Issele-Uku, Delta State for his higher education where he obtained his Ordinary National Diploma (OND), Business Administration and Management between 1970 and 1972.

Barely a year after completing his OND programme, Ojei, in 1973, joined the services of Rutam Motors Limited (a part of the Ibru Organization), where he served as Sales Manager until 1976 when he left to establish his own automobile workshop business, an idea he was said to have dreamt about while he was with Rutam Motors. That dream did not materialize until after many years of toiling.

Again, less than one year after he left Rutam Motors to establish his fi rst business, the failure of that endeavour forced the young Ojei then to beat a quick retreat and returned to paid employment but he was back, this time to run his dream business under a registered name of Nuel Ojei Company..

In March 1977, he ventured into the insurance industry, working with UnityKapital Assurance Plc which he later became a director in.

As business continued to blossom, Nuel Ojei felt the compelling need to restructure and harmonize his various business interests into one dynamic group, thus leading to the incorporation of Nuel Ojei Holdings Limited (NOH) in 1989.

Now, barely two decades after, NOH has rapidly evolved as a behemoth in the Nigerian business landscape under Nuel Ojei’s visionary leadership.

Today, the Group has over 10 business units and associate companies and maintains a highly diversifi ed investment platform with tentacles in automobile, banking, insurance, oil and gas, solid minerals, energy and telecommunications among others.

In association with a vast network of reputable overseas technical partners, NOH has been involved in the execution of a number of technology-driven, high-end projects in the areas of power and energy, aviation safety and security, shipping and ship building, oil and gas among others, carving a niche for itself as a foremost wholly owned indigenous private conglomerate, combining a crack team of about 200 highly experienced expatriate and Nigerian professionals in its workforce.

Continuous expansion has led to the building of the state of the art offi ce complexes in key commercial centres such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Asaba while overseas liaison offi ces are equally maintained in high brow areas in Germany and the UK.

In line with the avowed philosophy of Ojei which espouses honesty in business dealings, and true to its corporate slogan of ‘…no quality compromise…’, NOH is known for a culture of corporate excellence, prompt service delivery, uncompromising faith in customer satisfaction and abiding commitment to contractual obligations.

The Group, Business Courage learnt, recently executed a strategic restructuring programme that was geared towards placing the respective subsidiaries and business units on sound footing to enable them function as autonomous corporate entities. Already, some of the companies within the Group have become self-fi nancing and self-accounting independent units, it was learnt.

Notably among the subsidiaries of NOH is Nuel Auto Distributors Limited (NAD), the automobile business unit of the group which was incorporated in 1981 as a sole representative of Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan. In addition, the company also represents Swaraj Mazda Limited, India, an Indian-Japanese Joint Venture for small and medium sized trucks as well as specialized vehicles.

In November 2008, NAD also entered into an agreement with WeststarAssociates Limited – sole representative of Mercedes- Benz in Nigeria to operate the authorised workshop and dealer of Mercedes-Benz products in the country.

With over a decade’s operational experience in automobile business, NAD has emerged as a major player in Nigeria through immense contribution to the development of the nation’s transport sector.

NAD maintains state of the art offi ce complexes, complete with ultra modern showrooms and workshop facilities in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Asaba. These workshops have recently been structured to operate as autonomous units; and are staffed with the fi nest array of Nigerian and expatriate engineers/technicians who have been re-trained in the latest technological knowhow of both Mazda Motor Corporation of Japan and Daimler Benz of Germany.

Another company making waves under the group is the Emo Oil and Petrochemical Company Limited (Emo Oil). The company serves as the local content vehicles in oil exploration, exploitation, and production of crude oil; crude lifting, petroleum products importation/ exportation, consultancy for gas and pipeline integrity projects.

Emo Oil and Petrochemical Company Limited (Emo Oil) was incorporated in January 1993 as a member of the Nuel Ojei group of companies and has remained a key player in the Nigerian oil and gas Industry.

Its involvement in oil and gas exploration and production, pipeline construction, oil services and consultancy over the years has led to the establishment of several other affi liated companies to form what is today known as the Emo Group within the Nuel Ojei corporate family.

Notably, the Emo Group comprises Emo Oil and Petrochemical Company Limited, Emo Exploration and Production Limited, NJ Exploration Limited and fi ve other companies. The group has a workforce of over 200 expatriate and Nigerian employees.

Agricultural Tractors and Equipment Company Limited (ATECO), is another subsidiary under NOH Group which deals in agricultural tractors and implements. The company currently represents Punjab Tractors Limited, India in Nigeria and the West African region.

In recent years, ATECO has handled large orders from government agencies for distribution of tractors to large scale farmers across Nigeria. With agriculture as the key to future national economic expansion, ATECO has continued to work in partnership with relevant agencies and organisations to support large scale mechanized farming in Nigeria.

Another member of the Emo Group of companies is the Emo Ashapura Energy and Mining Limited, formed as a Joint Venture in partnership with Ashapura Minechem Limited, India and specialises in the mining of solid minerals. Following the acquisition of various mining leases from the Nigerian Government, Emo Ashapura is currently embarking on the establishment of a mining and processing plant for barites and bentonites in Nigeria.

Following the Ministry of Mines & Steel Development’s change in strategy to privatize the Nigerian Mining Corporation with intent to secure technically competent investors with fi nancial capability to mine the minerals in Nigeria, Emo Ashapura has recently acquired the following mining properties belonging to the former Nigerian Mining Corporation from the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Bureau of Public Enterprise: Nigerian Barytes Limited (formely 18706, Now ML 245, sold as a package), Nigerian Kaolin Company, at Kuba Ladi, Jos (now consolidated into ML 549, also sold as a package),Minerial License ASEPL 202 at Ogoja, Cross River State (EL 166 EL), and Mineral License ASEPL 203 at Ogoja, Cross River State (EL 167 EL).

Dr. Ojei’s involvement in the energy sector cannot be over-emphasized. Through his Glantre Nigeria Limited, he has been able to explore the sector to a great deal. Glantre Nigeria Limited is today one of the leading providers of Power and Distribution Transformers to the Nigerian electricity subsector.

Incorporated in 1986, the company operates in partnership with VA Tech Elin Transformers GmbH & Co., Austria, which has recently been taken over by Siemens AG, Germany. The company no doubt recognizes the fact that the potentials for growth are enormous in the rapidly expanding power sector in Nigeria. The company has handled large orders for government agencies, for several decades and sees the continuing emphasis on independent power projects as an indication of brighter prospects for the company.

The NOH has been in partnership with a wide range of companies for effective service deliveries and most of these partnerships has been project –specifi c. For instance, its partnership with Thales France has seen the fi rm execute the Total Radar Coverage of the Nigerian Airspace (TRACON) project. It’s in partnership with Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC), Seoul to achieve local content vehicle for oil prospecting, exploration and production while it’s in partnership with VA Tech Elin Transformers GmbH & Co, Austria (now Siemens AG, Germany) for sales and distribution of power transformers.

NOH’s partnership with Mazda Motor Corporation of Japan has fetched the fi rm the sole distributorship for Mazda cars in Nigeria, offering sales, marketing and after sales services of Mazda vehicles. NOH is also in partnership with Weststar Associates Limited for repairs, service and sales of Mercedes Benz products. The same also goes for Swaraj Mazda, India which enables it distribute and sell refuse disposal trucks, agricultural tractors and equipment in the country.

For the exploration and mining of Barytes, Kaolin and bentonite, NOH is in business partnership with Ashapura Minechem Limited of Mumbai, India.

A man of many parts, Ojei is also on the board of many companies and organisations. He is as an advisory board member of the Economic Growth and Development Centre, (EGDC). The EGDC is a non profi t, non-governmental organisation, committed to achieving the goals of speeding economic development and eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. The EGDC was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in January 2003.

Within the short space of time, the EGDC has made appreciable strides in the pursuit of its primary objectives. It is engaging a number of non-governmental organisations including advocacy groups within and outside the country, development partners, governments and policy makers as well as private sector stakeholders in the poverty eradication and development issues. The EGDC collaborates with government and non -government agencies in fi nding the best approaches as to poverty alleviation in the country, through projects and initiatives that bring the gains of good governance and democracy closer to the people. In this regard, it helps government institutions and other clients to reach the grassroots through its numerous and carefully designed programmes.

In 2011, Ojei was recognised as one of the 50 ‘founding fathers “of Delta State, by the Delta State Governor; Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan during the state’s 20th anniversary for their industry, integrity, professional expertise and contributions towards the development of the state and nation.

Uduaghan had extolled the virtues of the awardees explaining that most of them have made their mark in various areas of specialization. He said “This award is an initiative meant to recognize the deserving Deltans who have selfl essly served the state and country in their various endeavours and whose efforts have helped to transform our society.”

In recognition of his business acumen, he was awarded with a Doctorate Degree in Business administration by Delta State University Abraka.

 Credit: National Mirror