By Moses Nosike

Chief Emeka Ike, Managing Director/CEO MP, Masterpiece Nigeria Limited., makers of Skirt blended brandy and Kubanah Whisky both produced in Nigeria.From the onset, Chief Emeka Ike, a young Nigerian from the East is endowed with entrepreneurial spirit and that has helped him to be successful in his business adventure. In his business adventure among others, he has passion for job creation especially for the youths. Also, he believes much in the use of local content for production processes, and most importantly, Nigeria has what it takes to become highly industrialised and qualify for the commonwealth of nations.

In this interview with Nosike Moses, Saturday Vanguard, after the unveiling of his latest  brandy, Kubanah Whisky discussed the importance of local content if Nigeria must bounce back in industrialisation; the need for power supply and good road network system that promote production. Excerpts:   

T ell us your experience with the production of wine and spirit beverages?

I went into the production of wine and spirit in 2015 when we first started the production of Wrightway bitters and Skirt brandy. Before then, I discovered that Nigerians were buying foreign made brandies with alcoholic contents. One good thing I also discovered was that our company can produce the same quality of brandies. With that we didn’t hesitate going into the production of Skirt blended brandy. Already we had done our market research and discovered that we are equal to the task and ready to satisfy an average Nigerian consuming brandy and Whisky products.

Since 2015, you launched into the wine and spirit beverage market, how is market demand for your blended brandy and Whisky?

Since then, we have fully penetrated into the alcoholic drink market. Surprisingly, Skirt brandy has become a household name in Nigeria. Today, you can find it in any big super markets in country. Skirt is competing very well in the market. Yes! Nigerians believe in us and they have seen and tasted our Skirt brandy and Wrightway bitters and they are amazed with the quality, from market feedback we received.

So far, is it only Skirt blended brandy you have produced?

Skirt brandy is not the only one in the market. We have launched another, Kubanah Whisky. When the market demand continues to increase, we decided to launch  Kubanah Whisky early this year which was unveiled in Lagos with Destiny Etiko, Femi Adebayo, Nosa Rex and Nasty Blaq as brand ambassadors. Kubanah Whisky is a premium quality brand with unique taste. It is produced in high standard form and it is seriously competing foreign ones. The news was in the social, electronic, print media for awareness.

How do you see the business of production in Nigeria?

It is important to note that anybody embarking on production in Nigeria is creating employment opportunity in the country, even though it is has its own associated challenges such as no good road network to help producers circulate their products from the place of production to the market places or company branches even to the area where grassroot consumers can access our product.

Companies incur a lot of loses while conveying their products to the market, and this is not only affecting cost of production,but also cost of maintaining those vehicles is eating deeply into profit margin.

Again, cost of production is high because producers are expecting and waiting on government to provide power supply that helps in production of goods and services and as well attract foreign investment. When there is steady power supply, many hands are going to be engaged in production thereby reducing unemployment, crime wave, insecurity etc.

These days, the cost of diesel is increasing on a daily basis and it’s a big challenge especially producers running big factories. We are pleading with government to help producers with power supply, fix our roads for smooth conveyance of goods from one place to another. As it stands now, many producers find it difficult to pay salaries for cost production. Many have closed their factories since they cannot be able to afford the cost of diesel for production resulting in those companies laying off their employees.

What about tax and levies?

Yes! Tax and levies assist government to plan and execute federal, state and local projects if it is used judiciously. We pay tax and custom exercise duties; we pay based on the number of our product line. We also renew our license to ensure that we comply with government regulations for us to remain in business, we renew for NAFDAC and other government agencies.  These payments help government to generate revenue for the good of the states and the country. Tax payment is a law and it is obtainable in every country, not only in Nigeria. The only difference is that citizens of those countries benefit the dividend of tax payment. They enjoy good education, power supply, good road and other things that make lives enjoyable, unlike here in Nigeria, we pay and we don’t get those benefits tax payers should enjoy.

We are aware that some companies have left Nigerian business environment for high cost of production, what is your advice to government?

Nigeria is going through trial times. The business environment is harsh. Accessing forex is a challenge. Dollar keeps rising to the detriment of local producers forcing cost of goods keep sky rocketing especially consuming products. For instance, the amount you pay for a container today, go there to clear your container next week, you pay double of that amount. And many companies that couldn’t cope are now looking for alternative to ensure that they remain in business. That has forced some business to close shops, some left our environment to nearby African countries like Ghana where cost of production is not as high as Nigeria. It is a difficult situation, but I believe that government can still do something to help retain businesses in Nigeria. All we need here is good leadership and when we have it, Nigeria is one of the best countries foreigners would like to invest. I advise that producers and business owners should exercise patient, things will get better in this country.

With your Skirt brandy and Kubunah Whisky competing favourably in the market, do you intend to expand the scope of your production?

Expansion is a good idea, but our response is always based on market demand. So, if there is need for us to expand our scope of production definitely we will not hesitate in doing that. That will also create opportunity for employment, thereby removing some of youths from the street and idleness. We hope to expand very soon.

Several Nigerian youths are into illicit businesses, drugs, yahoo yahoo, what is your advice for them?

Contrary to what they are doing, there is money in genuine business if you start it well and be patient, but most Nigerian youths are not patient, they want quick money and sometimes they don’t know that involving in quick money making can kill the person before his or her time. Some of them don’t want to learn skills that can establish them. Yahoo, yahoo is not the best choice, I advise them to go and do something genuine and make genuine money that can give you rest of mind than engaging in illicit business. For instance if your family member becomes a victim of fraud business,  will you be happy? Also, I advise government to create more jobs, provide acquisition centres that can empower our youths where they can use their knowledge acquired to create jobs for themselves instead of using their handsets, computers to perpetrate evil.

What is your take on insecurity in the country which is deterring foreign investment?

The insecurity challenges today is affecting many countries of the world not only Nigeria. But it is more obvious here because there is no enough job opportunities to engage most of the idle hands in the country. Just like it is said that ‘an idle man is a devil’s workshop’. There is a lot of unemployment in the country, and as soon as government starts creating jobs, the insecurity level will reduced to the bearest minimum. And that will begin to attract foreign investments and a lot of our youths will be taken out of the streets. I believe things will get better again in Nigeria.

We discovered that you have passion for creating jobs for the youths, apart the production of wine and spirits, do you have other business ventures that also engage youths?

For now, we are focusing on alcoholic business, later we might go into other business ventures that will create jobs not only youths but for an average Nigerian.

How do you feel with the ongoing strike of ASUU and FG not reaching at a compromise?

On that aspect, nobody is happy with what is going on between ASUU and FG. If the strike is not affecting you directly, what about your family members, relations. For our children to be at home for months over strike is not a good omen. Some of them are getting frustrated because they are tired of staying at home without doing anything and they don’t even know when the strike will be called off. This is one of the things that is affecting our national development and also increasing crime rate. This also portrays the kind of government you have. Many years ago, Ghanaian were coming to Nigeria to school and other African countries, but today reverse is the case.

At this point, I can suggest that private universities should be banned and as well extend it to political holders that non of their children should school in abroad. Because if their children are schooling in our federal universities, they will not allow things to get worse as it is today. Now poor children are suffering it, a course that should take 4 or 5 years, you end up spending 7 to 8 years in the university. It is too bad, government should do something now.