Boss Of The Week
Why MicCom Cables and Wires Remain the Preferred Choice – Mrs. Bukola Adubi
By Eric Elezuo
If you call her a woman of many parts, you won’t be wrong. She is a Pharmacist by qualification, an Engineer by vocation and hospitality practitioner by passion. She is Mrs. Bukola Adubi, the Chief Operating Officer of Nigeria’s foremost indigenous cable and wire company, MicCom Cables and Wires Limited.
Adubi’s sphere of influence is overwhelming as she compliments her official responsibilities with wifely and motherly duties as well as the presidency of the Cables Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (CAMAN), which is the umbrella body for essentially all the cable manufacturers in Nigeria.
Her intelligence, an adequate blend of genuine personality and beauty, was brought to the fore when she spoke to The Boss Newspapers on diverse issues bordering on family, nation building and the need to protect local content, especially in the cable manufacturing sector.
Excerpts:
What does it feel like managing this company set up in 1978, over four decades ago, and keeping it afloat through thick and thin?
Well, I was born into this. It was founded by my parents, and it is a joy to also see the company continue to exist beyond them. For every family business, it is probably one of the biggest wish that their legacy exists beyond, and overstays their own time. That is a joy on itself. This is what I have always known.
We branched into hospitality over twenty (20) years ago, but this has always been the core business of the family.
It is something I have always known; something that has been a source of joy for the family, and I am happy to be here. There’s a special sense of fulfilment that comes with the fact that you are part of the team that is bringing the company to a different level in a different generation. There’s a whole different joy that is associated with this.
Can you trace the trajectory of MicCom Cables from inception till when you became the CEO
In 1978 when the business started officially, the company was more or less an electrical contracting company. Then there were only two manufacturers and these were tied to foreign affiliates. This gave my parents the nudge to reason that if others can do this, then they could as well.
My parents were both engineers, and that’s how they started. They gave it a shot. From a humble beginning, the factory started in the Akowonjo area. We started small, and very gradually. We are the very first indigenous cable manufacturing company, and we set the bars very high. We opened the trails for lots of newer Nigerian companies that joined after us. Between then in 1978 and sometime in the early 90s, it was just my parents doing their thing. My mum was the factory person, more of technical, and my dad was more of sales and marketing. While dad transverse the nook and crannies, my mum was saddled with managing the factory. They had a very good balance. It was in the early 90s when my older siblings started to graduate from the universities that they started to join the business. There are three engineers. They all passed through the system, and it is interesting to know that all three of them had a stint in the business, and they had their part to play in wherever the company has found itself now. One particular sibling ran the company for over 15 years, and that was a joy for him too because then, he took the business from where my parents sort of dropped off for him and brought it to a new level. The system had been run by different hands up until when I officially started…well, I have had one leg in and one leg out since 2012. It was in 2015 when I officially took the reins as the COO. I do report to my superiors (of course, I have ‘ogas’ too) and to the board as well.
I am the face of the company and the chief oversight officer so to speak. Some people think I have PhD in Engineering, but the only real PhD I have is the fact that I was born into this, and it was very easy for me to grasp, and honestly, this is my life.
So if you are buying a MicCom product, you can go to sleep because I know the processes that we go through in the factory. I know how intentional we are about quality. We are certified with the quality management system. We are currently being certified for the occupational health safety and the health & safety management systems. We are particular about safety and quality. I can assure you.
Does it mean that MicCom is the only place you have worked?
No, remember that I am not an Engineer. I have worn many different hats. I graduated as a Pharmacist from the United Kingdom, and I worked as a Pharmacist in the UK for a couple of years. Then I came into Nigeria, and did some kind of pharmacy exchange programme. I worked briefly as a Pharmacist and also did some business consulting as well. But then in the middle of my youth service, something came up. I was not posted in Lagos; I was posted somewhere else, and there was an imbalance doing the work I got in Lagos. At a time, we had started a golf hotel and resort in Osun State, again part of the family business – the MicCom Golf Hotel & Resort. That, I will always say is my baby. It was birthed officially in 2003. I grew that business from scratch. It’s such a joy, especially because I never had any experience in hospitality. I literally learnt on the job.
I love where it was when I had to hand it over in 2013 when I had to assume my present position. So you can see my life has been spent in different industries including medical, hospitality, and engineering. I wear different hats, and of course, I am also a wife of almost 20 years, mother of two beautiful teenage girls, and so you can conveniently say that Buki is a woman of many parts.
From 2015 to date since you took over as the COO, what has been your achievement as a person
I feel a lot of pride. In 2015, we took over management as a result of the company going through some changes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t doing so well; we’ve lost a lot of market share owing to some wrong decisions that had been made. It is therefore, a joy to see where we are at today, and to have been part of that is something I will forever be proud of.
One thing I will always hold dear is the respect people have for the company, and for the quality name it had made for herself. That definitely helped our growth again.
Now, being the first indigenous company, what was the competition like when other rivals started joining the market?
I think this is also something that my parents have instilled in us. It is that feeling of inclusiveness. They have always been proudly Nigerian, and would say it anywhere, and they raised us also to be proudly Nigerian. When more people started coming into fold, there was joy all around. There was no feeling that they were coming to compete with us. MicCom was very supportive of the new businesses. At the end of the day, we are all still in the business.
We continue to talk to government, SON, CPC, Ports Authority, Customs and more just to see how we can minimise all these fake cables that come inside the country. SON is doing well, but there’s more to be done. That is the number one issue that affects everybody’s bottom line.
Over the years, we have tried to distinguished ourselves and have carved different niches for ourselves. For instance, you will not find MicCom cables in the open market. That is one very significant thing that we did. Everyone else is in the open market. If you have a good thing, you protect it with everything that you have. The open market unfortunately messes up our brand equity. We know how they adulterate and produce fake cables. Out of every 10 coils of cables that is in your name, you will be lucky if you find one that actually came from your factory, and it is a problem; a big problem. A few years ago, we took the odd decision to take ourselves off the open market, and it has segregated us from everybody else. So when you buy MicCom, you know you are buying the real thing because there is no chance of its fake being anywhere.
That’s really a tough one. How do you manage to control that decision knowing that dubious staff to frustrate the effort and take it out to the open market
The truth is that those who deals in fake things feed on the availability of the real thing in the market. If there’s nothing to copy, it becomes difficult to copy, and there will be no fake. If we have a distributor, and we are in the market, it becomes easier for them to say it is from their distributor, and then we can’t deny. But if it’s not there, then it’s one less thing to think about.
Well, take trust into consideration because among the staff, there may be some who can be mischievous, do the unthinkable, and take it out. What measures are in place to dissuade staff from acting contrary
For the longest time, I think one of the greatest assets we have, apart from our product itself, is our people. I am a strong believer in the fact that it is how you treat your people that they will treat you, and whatever it is they are handling for you. Simple. If people around feel mishandled, mistreated and that their integrity has been wronged in anyway, people will be people and people are human – the bible says that the heart of man is continually wicked. It doesn’t take anyone anything to say ‘so you think you are smart abi?’. But we have people here who have been working with us for decades. So I have such short turnover of staff that is unbelievable. For every new staff, they come into an environment where they are taught; the older staff are happy to transfer the information, and they see that there is a path here, and they stay. Yes, people come and go, but the core of my staff are very loyal, and I thank God for that.
Feelers around say Nigeria cables are one of the best in the world; can you beat your chest and say that as the first indigenous cable manufacturing company, you set the path to that victory?
Absolutely! We are the most experienced of all the Nigerian companies. We have been around longer than anyone else so we can actually track history, and so we know how the whole thing started and much more. Even in the lull of the business once upon a time, one thing that spoke for us was our quality. When you have a good product; forget it, people will find you.
Why do you think that those who are not customers of MicCom should come on board, and why would those already on board remain on board
If you want to sleep with your two eyes close, you choose MicCom. We have heard of buildings collapse, of fire outbreaks; the reasons do not go beyond the use of substandard products. I can beat my chest and say that because MicCom products are not in the market, there’s no chance of a fake product. So if you are buying a MicCom product, you can go to sleep because I know the processes that we go through in the factory. I know how intentional we are about quality. We are certified with the quality management system. We are currently being certified for the occupational health safety and the health & safety management systems. We are particular about safety and quality. I can assure you. A lot of my other colleagues in the industry wonder why we are not in the market and there’s a reason. Sometimes you have decide what is more important – whether it is money or to protect the quality of the name. This, for us, is just about out name, and nothing can stop that.
Have there been challenges in your sojourn, and how have you been able to surmount them?
You know I mention as well that I am the president of CAMAN i.e. Cable Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. Obviously, all legitimate cable manufacturers in Nigeria belong to that group. So whatever challenge I have as MicCom is the same challenge all of us have. Part of what the group does is lobbying to make sure we get all the challenges sorted. One major challenge is this issue of fake cables. The reason Nigeria cables remain the best is because we checkmate ourselves. If one person is doing anyhow, we call him to order, and so everybody is on their toes. That makes us conscious of that quality. You are protected buying cables from any company in the group. We continue to talk to government, SON, CPC, Ports Authority, Customs and more just to see how we can minimise all these fake cables that come inside the country. SON is doing well, but there’s more to be done. That is the number one issue that affects everybody’s bottom line.
There is also the issue of foreign exchange. A lot, if not all of our materials are imported. We don’t have access to CBN rate. We have to buy from the black market. Even the raw materials – we are bringing comes with a tariff. This makes us expensive unfortunately. That’s where all those dealing in fake are enjoying because they make themselves cheaper by short changing on the main ingredients of the product, and you hear people say, this is cheap, yet they don’t know what they are buying.
But have you and your team embarked on any kind of sensitization campaign against the menace?
That’s what we are doing now. There’s a lot of online, print, TV, radio and more going on now campaigns going on the moment to let people that there are certain things, as a consumer, you can do yourselves to checkmate what your electrician is buying for you, just to be sure you are buying the right thing. It is a good thing that I am here right now in this capacity as CAMAN President. I know what it costs to keep a company like ours running. The overhead alone are huge; power alone is a problem. We have processes in the factory that even if there is power from the DISCOs, you have remain on alternative power because if they take the power from the grid, the whole process is messed up, resulting in waste. So I am very passionate about getting things right for us as an industry, and I am looking forward to that. And I am again looking forward to this transitional year for the country as it is a perfect time to get our issues heard.
Again, by the time I’m 50, I want to be thinking of dialing down a notch. I have spent a lot of my years in work. I do enjoy working, and put everything I have in my work, but it will be time to dial it down. I want to travel around the world. I want to enjoy myself. I want to travel for once without thinking about or taking my computer as I do now.
Are you members in CAMAN giving you the necessary cooperation to ensure this is achieved
The biggest thing we have been able to achieve is the unity among us over the years. As much as we are competitors outside, once we come into that meeting, we see ourselves as our brother’s keeper. Again, the fact that we are allowed to be checkmated by ourselves means we understand why we are doing what we are doing. We go to one another’s factory to inspect production process, and no one is afraid when we visits his factory because he has learnt to understand this is the right thing. There is the belief that no one will sabotage the other.
That’s very rare. How did you managed to achieve that?
Yes, very rare. It’s really amazing and I am very thankful for that, I believe it is also because everybody is vested in the industry. It is a very hard industry to break into because the start-up capital is huge. So it is better to have collaborative power among your selves so that you can fight a common enemy. It’s a of challenge but the fact that we are all focused on the same goal helps and goes a long way.
Tell me, is cable manufacturing business very lucrative?
It can be if you don’t have all these other issues
But it is, considering that you have been in business this four decades and counting
That’s why we are still here (laughs). You know one of the better things that could happen to the industry is localisation – local content. There is at the moment an executive order by the president that says that every parastatal must buy from local companies certain items that they need. I really wish that order is being followed to the later. It’s still a bit shaky but we are getting there. However, there a board; the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB). They monitor local content in the oil and gas industry. They are so insistent. All the foreign oil companies including Total, Shell and others doing business in the country can’t import directly any goods or service, otherwise the board will shut down their project. They are that powerful & effective; they are really efficient. They opened a new door for us. Five years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to go to say Total, and they will give you RFQ – Request for Quotation, and say they want to buy cable – never – they see you like you can’t solved their problem. But now, the Board has made it easy to approach them so they have no choice but to patronize local content. However, the Board also checkmates you on the gains you make to make sure that you improve and expand. So don’t think you are making free money. It must reflect on everything you do so you can make yourself better – cause investment in your systems.
Already now, a lot of our members are enjoying this benefits because they listed some from where cables must be bought from. They are not saying buy from only this person, they are giving options, saying as long as it is from these people, we are okay, and it is made in Nigeria.
Again, you the beneficiary must live up to expectation. They have to see traction, and it is developing us. We are increasing capacity, buying machines, employing more people, giving revenue back to the government, and everybody is happy.
But the NCDMB is only in the oil and gas. If only we could have similar thing in construction, have them in telecoms, and other sectors, local companies will be better off
So what efforts are you making to have them in other sectors, especially yours?
That’s the reason behind all the lobbying. We thank God for the new government that are coming in now because this is a fantastic time for us to make our voices heard from a different perspective. We have plenty things to show that we have done well and deserve the assistance. By the time everyone settles down, we will begin to make our voices heard so that these things can be replicated in all the industries, and then the cable industry will be versatile.
Now what do you think is future of cable and wire manufacturing industry in Nigeria?
The way we are going, two things can happen because things are pretty bad now in terms of infrastructure, power, foreign exchange and all of that. The best thing that can happen is that all these issues are dealt with. If all these issues are dealt with even by 50%, the traction we would get will be double for the industry. So either things go that way or things get worse, and nobody is praying for things to go worse. So we can only pray that things get better, and with better things come a win-win situation for everybody. It is looking bright; that is my optimistic belief.
And I guess it will look brighter if government shows more interest in the sector
They don’t have a choice; they must show interest but we have to get very vocal as well. This is my industry so it’s not about MicCom. It is about the survival of the industry. And people need to take it serious. Unfortunately, a lot of unfortunate things are also happening – buildings are coming down every other day. There’s a lot of attention on fake building materials and the causes, and cables form an intricate part of building. Even if you put up a ramshackle building, you must put light there. Even if the building is not made from concrete, it must have a bulb, and you must have wire for the bulb. So whether we like it or not, we are an industry that nobody can just ignore.
Are cable manufacturers consulted before buildings are erected?
It depends on your electrician because he is part of the process. But yes, in making up the BOQ during every project, where it is decided what and what is need, cable has to be there, and somebody needs to be able to rationalise that cable need. One way or another, we are getting involved.
How do you juggle being an ‘engineer’, a pharmacist, a hospitality personnel, mother and wife, and still maintain your composure?
It is the grace of God…
But the NCDMB is only in the oil and gas. If only we could have similar thing in construction, have them in telecoms, and other sectors, local companies will be better off
And…?
Good support at work because a lot of the things I do involve late nights and traveling. I am happy now that my children are teenagers. When they were small, every job I had had always been involving, and it is good to have people that supports you. Of course my husband is my number one champion. If he had made it difficult for me to explore, I wouldn’t be there today. The grace of God is major as it is a lot to pile up. Then again, I saw my mother did it. She raised a fantastic family, and she was very hands on at work. So if she can do it, I can. And I see how she managed it, so it’s just to take a peep off her own handbook. Nothing is impossible.
With all the work load, how do you find time to recreate, and which areas of recreation do you find attractive?
That is one thing I’ve always been told I need to do more of. I’m not much of a social butterfly. So if I am going out, it is because that person is important to me. If I am not doing anything, I am in my house because my Mondays through to Saturdays is all about work.
Notwithstanding, there must be something you do to maintain your youthful outlook
It’s the grace of God
Yes, but there’s always something that the grace of God use to accomplish it
I think one of the biggest thing for me is I try not to worry. I discovered that worry is one of the things that cause high blood pressure, headache and other diseases that then overwhelms someone. I don’t worry. People have approached me and asked what kind of human being I am. In the middle of all the issues, something will happen. You know, when you hit a brick wall, it’s either you pass through the wall or you bounce back; something will happen. So if I can’t control the narrative, why give myself headache. That is one thing I know has given me a lot of peace. And when you have peace, everything else become easier. But I won’t tell you it’s because I eat a definite kind of food or do a certain kind of exercise.
Do you actually have a certain kind of food – best for you?
Plantain – in any form. This is something I eat anytime. I eat well and good. I don’t do breakfast, lunch and dinner in that order necessarily. I can wake up and say I want to eat eba or pounded yam and I’m good for the day.
How about sports? Do you support any team?
I’m not really a sports person. I’ll flow with any situation around me. My husband is the more ardent football fan. I keep myself busy; I don’t like wahala. The fanaticism of most football fans makes me wonder if they are sharing the money with them. I walk away from whatever is going to cause headache for me.
What target have you set for yourself by the time you clock 50?
Oh…50 is very close. To be honest, I have actually been thinking about it recently, and I am pretty fulfilled. I will be 50 in five years, my children will be much older. I have a daughter now going into the university, and the other one will be joining her in a few years. By that time, the one going in now would have graduated, and the one following would be almost graduating. That, in itself is fulfillment for me. That I have two girls that are self-sufficient. And that God has helped me to have done the best I can with them, then it will be them and God.
Again, by that time, I want to be thinking of dialing down a notch. I have spent a lot of my years in work. I do enjoy working, and put everything I have in my work, but it will be time to dial it down. I want to travel around the world. I want to enjoy myself. I want to travel for once without thinking about or taking my computer as I do now. I can sit down and read. Of course, that’s one thing I do enjoy very well. You are transported to a different world when you read. It takes me away from work, and I love that.
Who are really your parents? How did they motivate you so much that you are giving so much?
My mum, Comfort Olufunke Ponnle is late now. It is worthy of note that MicCom is a combination of two names; Michael and Comfort. My dad’s and mum’s names. One couldn’t have asked for a better parent – growing up was a joy. I am the last of five, and by the time I came along, they were already rich, and sometimes I used to wonder that if we can afford to do this, why are we not doing it – if you afford to take the children to a different school, why are they attending public school – if you can afford to hire a house help, why are you doing things yourself – so some of the trainings we went through, we might have thought they were pointless at the time, but now I see a huge difference to our lives. I’m sure I speak for the rest of my siblings. My mum was very intentional with us – she was very busy, but very intentional. She has been late over 10 years now…
…And your dad?
Dad is very much alive though retired. He lives in the village. I enjoyed my growing up days. It strengthened and grew me.
And your husband?
My Wole is such joy, and has allowed a very ambitious and career minded person like me to be what I wish to be. Honestly, I chose a good man, and I am happy. And my children are better off for it. One of us is always available. He’s always there when I’m not. We have a great partnership, and it’s fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better husband.
What do you regret in your 45 years of existence?
Nothing. Whatever has happened has moulded me. They say that whatever does not kill you makes you stronger. I am happy for my life, and give thanks for the part God is playing in my life. A lot of the time, it’s not about me. It’s really not about me. The fact that I also realised that, helps me to free myself a lot more, and be able to do more. No, no regrets.
MicCom has seen 44 years already, is there any possibility of MicCom seeing another 44 years.
By God’s grace, yes. The biggest thing I have also learn in this business is the succession. The worse thing you can do to your business is to hold on to something you can’t replicate. It’s a good thing it is family that is replicating the succession now, but even if it is someone else that is going to come in to take over for whatever reason, there’s going to be a succession plan.
I guess there’s already a succession plan on ground
Yes, there is. MicCom can’t die by God’s grace.
What do you think you would be leaving behind for the person that will succeed you?
A good name. A good legacy. That brand equity that we’ve grown.
And there’s every possibility the next person wouldn’t need to go through stress
Well, at the end of the day, it is a different world. The world my parents were in is a completely different world from the one I am in today. Theirs may also be different. So, they need to be ready for that change, and that change starts now. Change is one constant thing in this world. If we are set in our ways, we won’t be where we are today. We would’ve just died a natural death as a result of someone claiming that this is how we’ve always done it. Everybody has to be on their toes.
Thank you very much for your time, Mrs Adubi
Thank you too. I really appreciate.
By Eric Elezuo
Many see him as controversial, while a great many others see him as a known philanthropist. However, the obvious fact remains that Nigeria-born, England based pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, is busy transforming young and youthful lives into the wonders they were created to be, using his NXTION, formally known Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church (SPAC Nation), before June 2020, a Christian denomination worship centre in East London.
Situated at The Atrium on 124 Cheshire St, London, before the UK authorities reportedly ordered its shutdown, NXNATION was established to rekindle hope in the lost and about to be lost lives, especially among black youths. This, Pastor Tobi, as he fondly called, has been doing even as he is celebrating 44 years of impactful living.
According to information ontained from the church’s site, NXTION has been “a faith based organisation that is committed in seeing the lives of young people being transformed. A generation whereby many young people have been dejected, abused and simply overlooked, SPAC NATION merely offers an alternative, whilst changing the narrative of this generation one step at a time.
“Taking a hands-on-approach, SPAC NATION offers 1:1 mentorship/key work sessions, counselling and guidance through the means of lifestyle evangelism’’. A concept that is not common within today’s society, SPAC NATION breaks the mould…”
In a research conducted by BBC in 2019, it was observed that Adegboyega, who is said to be the cousin of Britain based popular actor, John Boyega, in collaboration with five other pastors (the generals) working with him, has helped many young people to lay down their arms and take up the bible as well as other worthy and rewarding businesses for a greater and better future, and of course many testimonies abound. Each of the pastors runs one of five churches across the capital.
Also known as PT (Pastor Tobi) by adherents, the young up and mobile Nigerian pastor is always the cynosure of all eyes during his services, which more than anything, takes the shape of a celebration, and the message is principally ‘prosperity gospel’ – a belief that God rewards his followers with material wealth – and the more they give, the more they will be rewarded.
Like every stylish preacher, Adegboyega attracts condemnation from most people who do not know how his church is run, and others who may have been fed with wrong accounts. But he affirmed that he has not taken anybody’s or church’s money, his flashy lifestyle notwithstanding.
PT’s denials came in the wake of claims by young followers that they have been left in thousands of pounds of debt, calling to question the church’s inner workings. But PT explains, bringing to the fore the reasons the church and its pastors sort of appear ostentatious:
“We realised young people need help. That help may be getting into college, or getting out of a gang.
“I realised that to connect with the generation you have to look like them.
“What are they looking for? Why are they attracted to drill rap? They want the shoes, and the clothes.
“We thought we’re going to do the same thing, and wear what they wear, then we’ll pass on the right message.
“I can easily pull up in a nice car among secondary school kids who may be about to start selling drugs. They ask what I do and I get them engaged.
“Once I get their attention I can pass on the right message, and tell them they’ll make money by changing their lives. We had to attract them.”
Adegboyega, himself, a pastor’s son and trained lawyer, has truly exhibited charisma in everything he has been engaged in, especially in the way he has been getting the young ones to jettison a life of crime and gangsterism to embrace the loving Word of God and genuine business. He is far from the typical everyday minister.
He said:
“SPAC is a very different kind of church. It’s not your typical church.
“We tell them there’s something better, whether that’s a start-up business, or education – if they weren’t part of our church many would be in prison, or dead.”
The wealth on display, apparently is also a cause for concern, given the vulnerability of many youngsters looking for a better way of life. Tobi believes that instead of allowing the youngsters seek good life through crime, it were better they are introduced to Christ, using all the trappings of the good life they envisaged.
In his church are neatly arranged rows of weapons, mostly knives, which have been surrendered by repented gangsters and small time criminals in what appears like a gangster movie.
While the church denies all allegations, vulnerable teens have opined that extortion reign supreme in the church in as much BBC reporter said she saw otherwise ‘when I spent a Sunday there’.
Tobi’s SPAC is another fortress with hefty looking and well dressed security men in their numbers, syrveying and parading the length and breath of the church. The measure, the church explains, is necessary because of the likelihood of persons coming in with weapons.
“We have very strong security measures in place. My first duty is to make everyone feel safe. The security we have, they are also from that background, so they know to sit certain people in separate areas.
“We’ve had arguments and near clashes but no one’s been beaten up because of our security.
“We have briefings every week. The head of our security has served in the military and one is an ex-policeman. We don’t do searches but we’re always keeping an eye out.
“People do bring weapons, but most do it to submit it to the church.”
He insisted that people come into the church with weapons only to surrender them. This sometimes is a consequence of appeals and admonitions overtime. He added that at sometime, guns were recovered as well as drugs.
“We’ve had guns once in a while. We’ve had a guy hand in four guns. He is still one of the leaders in church now. He said he wouldn’t go to the corner shop without a gun because he was so afraid people wanted to get him.”
Speaking further on recovered weapons, he said: “Most of these look like they’ve been taken from the kitchen, taken by young people who want to be able to protect themselves. Sometimes we’ve had rambos and samurai swords – professional knives, bought on the internet.”
Pastor Tobi Adegboyega summarised his destiny thus:
I grew up in the church, preached my first message in church at the age of 8 but, I grew to get into other things and I looked for solace and direction in drugs, education etc.
I felt the Lord calling me back at the age of 25 years but it wasn’t going to be into the church like I had known it. I had followed the Evangelical, Pentecostal and Orthodox “movements” all my life but I knew there was something more.
I am sent to a disenfranchised group of people. A new generation of young people, prospering on fire for God but mostly coming from difficult backgrounds.
Some years ago, we started to speak to this set of people about three of them to begin with, now these young men and women have increased to over 2000 people, in each service. Currently we operate with over 200 ordained ministers and pastors and we operate about 17 community units across London.
According to the BBC, nothing like this has ever been seen before. Young people coming to surrender to Christ and gang leaders and members coming to church to give up their weapons, drugs etc on the altar.
Financial times and many other television channels in the UK have recorded and reported what God is doing. We have created over 40 businesses as we create alternative lifestyles for young people in politics, business, finance, education etc.
In an exclusive interview with The Boss a few years ago, Pastor Tobi stated the obvious about his life. See excerpts:
Why did you you step down as head of SPAC Nation?
I did that because, I did not want to be like those elders or black politicians who in their lifetimes do not hand over but allow death to take them away. I felt it was right and I knew that those who have been with me have come of age. I believed they had to be given the chance to be leaders.
That is number 1. Number two, we have expanded so much that I needed them to take up leadership that is closer to their age. So, we needed the family circle to continue. Those where the major reasons.
So what is your new role in the church now?
I oversee the work of the church globally. I am in charge of the expansion of the work. We are presently in 168 locations worldwide so it is difficult for me to continue to pastor just one church in London city, especially since I have done it for sixteen years, day in, day out.
I pastor the church globally and also train the leaders. We have over 300 leaders just in London alone. My job is to gather those 300 and give them constant training, an overview of their duties and the building of families in a church setting.
A lot of people do not understand how SPAC Nation works. What is the format? You know it is not a regular church and people quarrel with what they don’t understand?
Before I explain the format, people must understand that we are a response to something. SPAC Nation birthed as a response to something that affected young people.
There were so many young people who were going astray; who were getting into all kinds of fraud and things like that.
I grew up in the church and I know what it was like as a youth to be disconnected from the church because most young people will say church was boring.
It does not create jobs for them, it doesn’t give them any hope in the future, other than just spirituality and the hope that God will do something in their lives in the future, which may not be. Our format in a nutshell is that we are consistently responding to the situation of these youths and we have created a path for their prosperity.
Therefore, we responded to that situation first from Queen’s Road, Peckham. Queen’s Road at the time was very notorious, police couldn’t deal with it. I started to gather young people in that area until the crime rate reduced.
The efficient way we reduced crime led us to the structure. It was the same way we reduced crime in Peckham, that we reduced crime in Benton and Croydon.
I knew that if young people can find hope, practical hope, then crime will reduce in those areas. Our format in a nutshell is that we are consistently responding to the situation of these youths, and we have created a path for their prosperity.
You bring few young people together, some of them had just come out of jail, the reoffending rate in London is the highest in the entire western world. So, it means that when they come out of jail, they would keep going back again and again, so we had to find a way to break that circle.
We had to reduce or break that by giving them businesses by coming together as a community.
I started by borrowing money for the top three business ideas of our people here. I gave it to them, and they invested in business, when they did that, they did not go back into crime.
We got those people out of crime, and we repeated that template over and over again in the past sixteen years.
In the beginning, I borrowed 1,000 pounds or 2000 pounds but now, they have grown it to millions of pounds. The pastor I handed over to; I started his business; it is called Zuriel UK; it is a recruitment business, he built that from whatever amount we started with at the time, now it is worth millions. The company was featured by Financial Times in 2017.
They did a piece titled, “Streetwise Approach For young people” or something like that. The three people who started with me as part of the SPAC Nation family then included one politician that we raised, the Zuriel founder and another major gang leader that had a Chauffeuring company.
The format is that we have many Senior Pastors, we have many houses in the UK, the houses are Economic Development Centres.
I give you an example, we have a house called the House of Medics. It is led by a lady Surgeon who graduated First Class in the UK. That House is to encourage young people that are interested in the medical field to get mentored.
Like I said, we came as a response to something. We have girls who got pregnant at 14, 15; their boyfriends would have been or is in jail. So we found out that instead of just preaching to these kinds of people alone, which is what the regular churches do, we create alternatives for them.
If they say they want to be medical doctors or any part of the medical field, we lead them to the House of Medics. There, they see people who look like them, they are black, the are Africans; Nigerians, Congolese, they see them active, working in the church and also studying. They will realize that if these people’s lives can change, theirs can too.
Essentially, what you do is give hope to people who are in a state of hopelessness?
Absolutely. In practical terms that is what we do. Churches too move people from hopelessness to hope, they preach and pray. But what we do is apart from the praying and preaching, we have created systems that can practically launch and lead them to a different path.
I also have to add that the Home Office has asked us for our format and we have given them, they seem willing to adopt it. I have spoken at Number 10. From the Prime Minister, to senior officials, I have discussed what we do.
A whole documentary was done about our strategy on Sky TV and it is online, it is public. I was educating them about the House Structure. The Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard, have led delegations to our church to learn the format for many many weeks.
So ours is a format that is tested and trusted and it has been on for sixteen years and counting.
From what you have said, SPAC Nation has indeed achieved laudable feats. How come, Pastor Tobi Adegboyega is trailed by so much controversies?
What I have done in this city, there is no single black person that has ever done it. All the offices here, they would always say there is no one person that is able to gather all these youths like I have done. The police used to say that everybody we want to talk to are with you.
I will say that I am black in a very difficult country. I am not naïve to think that good works will always lead to good accolades. There were over 1000 youths in Chelsea yesterday (November 11, 2021) for my birthday. All the major people in this country were there. But I also understand that every movement has controversies.
Everything that is unusual is controversial. We have been doing our work for years but it was 2016 that we grew very exponentially and the work became very obvious with all the barrage of accusations and rumours.
BBC came and did 5 to 6 positive documentaries on SPAC Nation, then they decided to do one negative one.
All those who took part in the first five wrote to the BBC when they discovered their motive that they were not going to part of this one, but BBC decided to do it all the same.
And of course, as humans, we then had some people from the church who said this and that happened. We have been very open, we have been investigated many times and since that 2017 not one charge, not one allegation proven. Not one.
And I am sure you know how the British media operates, not one person has been charged for any wrongdoing. So these are just rumours, we are not perfect but if it was a white person’s charity, gathering thousands of youths and turning their lives around, they would not be treated this way.
Are you saying there is a tinge of racism in the allegations and accusations that has been levelled against you and SPAC Nation? That you are being hounded because you are black?
Oh yes! Definitely. There is no question about that. We have saved the British government 210 million Pounds since 2019. We have given the government ammunitions and weapons, knives, guns etc (160). We have situations where people will not surrender their guns unless I am there.
The Police would have to call me before they will surrender. That is a lot of power. I have announced at a rally where we had thousands of young people that things will come against us.
I study movements, I have studied movements all my life, there is no way in the world that you are going to do what we are doing in a strange country that is not your country of birth and not have things come up against or thrown at you.
There was a lady who used to live with me and she got pregnant at the age of 15, you can imagine how heartbroken she was. She was able to overcome that situation, and in 2019, we encouraged her to take to politics and she later decided to stand for an election.
When she went for the office in Croydon. I went with her to the Conservative Party Convention, and I was sitting right behind Boris Johnson, the video is online. The Labour Party then believed that I was Conservative and they started all the rumours.
The Labour politician put it clearly, that he felt I wanted to expand our evangelical zeal in Croydon. Many people from his party did not support his position and I told him.
Look, Labour Party members have been to the SPAC Nation, Conservative Party members have been to the SPAC Nation and other parties too, apart from the current one, there is no serious candidate aspiring for Mayor of London that has not been to the SPAC Nation.
We usually give the opportunity to everybody but he is the one that led the charge against me and against the Nation as we call ourselves because he thinks I want to get involved in politics.
Is it the MP Steve Reed that you are referring to?
Yes.
Ok, what of the stories that you Pastor Tobi are hypnotizing these youths? What medicine are you using on them?
I am not using any medicine. It looks strange to them and they are all surprised at how far we have come because they just cannot connect with these young people.
And I can tell you why they can’t. I will start with our churches. They cannot connect with them because they do not care. When you have a church filled with young people there is no money.
So what church will spend its time on young people that can’t bring money, young people that look like they have no future.
Secondly, I went to Number 10 and we had a talk about helping young people and reducing crime. When I walked out of the door of Number 10, I was with three Special Advisers for Theresa May and one Adviser of Boris Johnson, this again is online, I realized in the course of that talk that many do not understand that before you can change a person’s life you have to connect with that person.
What I have is that I can connect with the youths. If you can connect with someone, he or she will love you. I have just been plain.
All my life in the UK, even when I was a kitchen porter here in London, washing plates and sleeping on the floor, young people have always flocked around me because of how I relate with them.
These same young people who were on the floor, some of them have graduated First Class in Computer Engineering, some of them have become millionaires, so why would they not love me?
I live my life with them. If you can be open and plain with people, especially young people, they will love you.
At the moment I live in my house with about 20 people. If you are with them you will understand them, you will connect. That is what we have done, young people figure things out quickly, they are rebels naturally.
I love young people and I know how to connect with them. Maybe that is my medicine.
People say your lifestyle is ostentatious, that you are lavish and flashy, you ride expensive sports cars etc. How did you go from washing plates to riding a Lamborghini and living like a super star?
Let me first explain to you the philosophy behind it all. Rappers rap about all kinds of things, especially in UK and US. There is a genre of music here called Drill, which talks about killing people, doing all kinds of terrible things and a lot of crime is incited through the music.
These guys drive the best cars, they are flashy and people follow them because of these things, so we thought we should do what they do and even be better, while also spreading the right message. So instead of people trooping to them, they will come to us.
Have you seen the marlian movement in Nigeria?
It is huge
Exactly, they have their own lifestyle. But the church, we lock our selves in the room, we would not reckon with them. I know many Pastor-friends in Nigeria, who have Bentleys and Rolls Royces, but hide them. I cannot do that.
We were lucky early enough to understand the language of these youths, whatever people criticize, I do not care, I go for it if it fits my purpose.
Let me tell you, before 2016, we started investing in Crypto currency, again as a result of my association with these youths, everybody was laughing at us. I said guys lets focus, at the end, we ended up taking so many people off the streets, and set them up in business with what was made from that investment. Now we have our own internal loan system that I launched yesterday.
Anyone that wants to start a business, we would give a loan without any interest. We are doing this with Knightshield which is one of the businesses started by one of the Pastors.
The ostentatious lifestyle like you call it is all about me, but trust me, I am not materialistic. I have never cared about material things.
There are people around me that we have raised over the years, I promote stuff for people, all the luxury items for example. I have never bought a car.
Really, this is shocking to hear?
That is the truth. I have never bought a car and I have never owned a car, I don’t have a car, that should be on record. But people will see you with cars and speculate. There are people in the Nation family who own these things.
Cuts: So all those Porsche, Lamborghini, and others that you cruise around town are gifts?
No they are not gifts. They are owned by businesses or people in the church. If I drive them, I speak about them or their businesses and people will patronize them, that is what has been happening.
For example, the guy who designs for Louis Vuitton, he sends me stuff all the time and say “just wear it” and talk about it.
Earlier you said you don’t have a car, how does a man of your status move around?
Like I said earlier, I have got people. I want to prove it to the world that when you have done things for people, helped people, you will have no problem. I don’t have a house anywhere else in the world except the UK. And that is the house I said I live with about 20 people, but when I get to anywhere in the world, I have people who are ready to offer all kinds of things to make me comfortable.
I don’t leave my house and go all about. If I wake up today and say I want 10 Louis Vuitton shoes, I will get 150, but I don’t need it because I have more than enough. That is my formula.
Happy 44th birthday dear Pastor Tobi!
By Eric Elezuo
Men of timbre and calibre, like dynamites, come in very small packages, saying very few words, and churning out gigantic achievements that stand the test of time, and last for ages. The Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Ajagunnla Olubiyi Fadeyi, royally known as the Bafoyin, is a man of timbre and calibre; a man of many parts; a complete gentleman, and more importantly, a go-getter.
In just 16 months as his people’s representative in the Senate, Ajagunnla has demystified governance, making every step, hour, minute and seconds count admirably for the interest and benefit of the people, whose mandate he is riding on at the Red Chamber.
His avalanche of deliverables has become a case study for colleagues, who wish to know how he has been able to achieve so much within a short space of time, and with inadequate funds.
The personality of the working Senator is captured by as many as know him in and out, and presented below:
Ajagunnla Olubiyi Fadeyi was born to the family of Dagilogba Baba Ayodeji Fadeyi, of Eran’s Compound, Oke-Ede, Ila Orangun in Osun State and Mama Esther Tinuola Fadeyi of Odu’s Compound of Oke Ejigbo also in Osun State.
His father, while alive, was an astute and respected Administrator, who served at the then University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-ife, while his mother rose through the ranks to become a Matron in nursing before becoming the owner of Oduduwa Hospital in Ile-Ife.
Buoyed by parent’s conviction that education is a non-negotiable ingredient for a meaningful and purposeful life, the young Biyi, as he is popularly called, started his illustrious educational career at Seventh Day Primary School, Ile-Ife, and thereafter, proceeded to Moremi High School also in Ile-Ife, for his Secondary School education, This was immediately followed with a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours at the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. For his postgraduate honours, he obtained a LL.M in International Business Law at the University of Cumbria, Carliste in the United Kingdom.
Growing up in Ife, he developed a penchant for academic pursuit, so it’s not a surprise that he attended Ivy League colleges in the US, specializing in Business Management, International Relations, PPP Risk Analysis and Political Economy. He also took Senior Executive Courses in International Relations and Political Economy from the renowned London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) London, United Kingdom.
Ajagunnla Olubiyi Fadeyi is a member of Senior Executive Course in National and International Security at Harvard’s John Kennedy School, Boston, USA.
Olubiyi also has gone through some executive courses in Leadership and Block Chain strategy at the said business school, Oxford University, United Kingdom. As a Public Private Partnership (PPP) expert, who facilitated many PPP projects in and outside Nigeria, he has participated in PPP Executive Courses at the International Law Institute (ILI) in Washington D.C, USA.
Biyi has also been to the prestigious Harvard Business School (HBS) in Boston, United States where he attended Senior Executive Management courses in Creating Shared Value, Competitive Advantage Through Social Impact as well as other courses at the Harvard Law School, specializing in Negotiation. It is worthy of note that while at Harvard, Biyi attended three major faculties, the Business School, The Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Law School where he became a Senior Executive Fellow.
He also has a Honorary Doctorate Degree in Infrastructure, Planning and Management, from the Esfam-Benin University, and Honorary Doctorate Degree in Administration, Policy, and Leadership, from the Commonwealth University in UK.
As a PPP Consultant and expert, he has partnered with state and Federal Governments on Public and Private Partnerships (PPP) on infrastructure projects mainly on Road, Bridges and Seaports in Nigeria, which has attracted over 7 Billion USD Foreign Direct Investment through his core International partners to Nigeria in the last 15 years.
Ajagunnla Obubiyi Fadeyi is the Executive Chairman of Fane Group, a Group of Companies with subsidiaries in Consultancy, Real Esate.
He is an expert in Road and Sea Port Infrastructures, Energy Services, Hospitality and Sport Betting. He is also the Chairman of Harvard Continental Hotels, Luckia-fane Gaming Company Ltd and Chairman Dubia Free Trade Zone, A Multi-Billion Naira Company with well over 500 employees in its payroll.
He is a strategic Partner to the Economic European Development Council (EEDC), Partner to European Market Research Centre, Energy Partner to Luckia Gaming South Africa, and Infrastructure development partner to China Harbour Construction Engineering Company, China.
In his desire to give back to the society, he forayed into politics, and contested for the Senatorial seat of Osun Central Senatorial District in 2019. Ajagunnla came with a bigger wave in the 2023 Election, and presented a robust issue based campaign with which he defeated then the serving Senator from Osun Central in a hard fought election, winning with a wide margin.
Ajagunnla Olubiyi Fadeyi is a member of the 10th Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Communication, and also the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Trade & Investment.
A Senior Executive Fellow of Harvard, a proven guru and philanthropist, Ajagunnla is happily married with children.
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