In this exclusive interview with The News Chronicle, Engr. Dr. Uzor Onyia, CEO of Onyia Construction Company and lecturer with the University of Nigeria Nsukka, bears his mind on the engineering industry in Nigeria, his company’s growth, construction management and other issues in the country
TNC: Thank you for granting us this interview. We all know it is not easy to set up a business and run it successfully, more so in a country like Nigeria. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your company: what does it do? Why did you venture into that line of business? How has it been so far?
Dr Onyia: Onyia Construction is a private research and real estate development organization. It began in 2011 as Capital Project Management & Consult until we rebranded in 2016 to become Onyia Construction. We research on emerging technologies, innovations, management strategies, skills and competencies in that can aid the engineering and real estate sector. Recently in collaboration with our partners, we won a 100,000 Pounds research grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Lloyd’s Registered Foundation to look at relevant engineering skills for the industry in Nigeria.
Through this project, we are working towards impacting the engineering education in Nigeria, because we believe an engineer is supposed to be a creator of jobs for other sectors in the society, whether in the manufacturing, agric, banking, healthcare and what have you. If our engineering is not at its best, it simply means there is something wrong, that is, there is a gap between the skills and the industry, between what is taught in the classroom and what is obtainable on ground. So, we are in collaboration with COREN and the Nigerian Society of engineers (NSE) and others in the area of engineering education and innovation. We also do joint venture real estate development with our partners.
Construction is quite broad, so as experts in construction management we oversee a lot of things; from the planning, design, execution, completion and even inter-department relations; in summary, we ensure that what you order, is what you get.
TNC: Please tell us about what keeps you motivated and focused on the business – despite the inevitable odds that anyone or any business faces along the way. What are the peculiar challenges you face you in your line of business?
Dr Onyia: It has not been actually easy; we are in a challenging and competitive industry. I will say passion keeps us going. The big guns at times try to bully others out of projects, so one has to contend with that.
The lack of proper structure for corporations like we have in the western developed countries is also an issue.
I have done my first degree in engineering, second degree in project management and the third degree in construction management; I am passionate about engineering in the built environment, its sustainability and impact to humanity and nature.
Knowledge and expertise are also part of our strengths as we combine research with construction and development.
TNC: Do you think entrepreneurship is for everyone? What advice can you offer aspiring entrepreneurs?
Dr Onyia: I would say entrepreneurship could be for everyone if they do what it is required of them as ENTREPRENEURS. I teach my students entrepreneurial engineering and also construction management. I teach them how to start when they graduate as civil engineers; most importantly to not have the mindset of looking for jobs in big construction or oil firms and the likes, which on itself is not bad.
I teach them to identify what they are passionate about and function creatively in these areas of their passions. I have a student who produced electronic guitar from scratch to completion, I encouraged him to commercialize his skills instead of just joining the labour market.
Generally, an entrepreneur should have passion for the enterprise, be smart about your team selection and don’t bring in people based on sentiments while overlooking ability. Also, an entrepreneur should be creative and resilient.
TNC: Let me have your take on some national issues. Insecurity has been one of Nigeria’s major issues and in recent times, it has degenerated to a point where we now have bandits, unknown gunmen, Boko Haram and kidnappers.
Dr Onyia: These are quite unfortunate occurrences in the country but we must not give up, because in the land of challenges lies enormous opportunities.
It is also common knowledge that corruption is affecting every sector of the society, yet I can say we are making progress in certain areas. Imagine politicians are now buying votes whereas previously, they use thugs to snatch ballot boxes, it shows our electoral system is evolving and improving.
We must believe in ourselves and try to elect credible leaders, which is the best we can do. But first of all, we must believe in the Nigerian course, because I am a firm believer in the Nigerian course.
