The Chairman of Amaecom Group of Companies and the Global Mentorship Chairman of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Dr Amaechi Ofomata has advised the students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to take their destinies into their hands as the era of white-collar jobs has long gone.
The Amaecom Chairman gave the advice on Tuesday while speaking as a Guest Speaker at the 2019 Students’ Entrepreneurship Day organized by the UNN’s Center For Entrepreneurship and Development Research, CEDR.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Graduate Self Employment: a veritable tool for nation-building’, Mr Ofomata stressed that recent research has positioned Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world with scores of people living in abject poverty, mortality, malnutrition, insecurity, depression/suicide, among others.
He, however, expressed optimism that entrepreneurs are the ones to rescue Nigeria from this economic doldrums.
The Harvard trained entrepreneur lamented that every year, Nigerian higher institutions keep churning out graduates into the labour market with little or no provisions for their immediate engagement towards a sustainable livelihood.
According to him, such practice is only endangering the different indices of development in the country.
Mr Ofomata advised that as the population of Nigerian youths increases, there is a need for an increment in the number of employers of labour who will absorb the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
He added that since the government cannot do it alone, the students needed to make business decisions that would salvage the economic fortunes of the country.
Mr Ofomata, who is the immediate past president of Entrepreneurs Organization, Abuja, charged the students to learn practical skills, commit to their passion, start little businesses in order to have a base after graduation.
He admonished the students to create value instead of pursuing money.
The Amaecom founder observed that when you create value for society, the money will follow you naturally.
Mr Ofomata, while sharing his business journey with the students, said that he started his business by hawking spare parts of old motorcycles in a low-scale before making profits to the point of buying new Motorcycles from Innoson Motorcycle at Nnewi for his customers.
He recounted how the business grew to the point that he needed to rent a single store and thereafter went into the manufacturing of most of the products his company is offering the Nigerian and International market.
In his testimony to motivate the students, Mr Ofomata stated that as at today his company has created over 500 direct employment within and outside Nigeria and numerous downstream opportunities.
He added that the brand has manufactured many products on it brand name including Amaecom Motorcycles, Generators, Refrigerators, Gas Cookers, Tricycles, Pressing Iron, Water Dispensers, Mattress/Pillows, Roofing Sheets, Crystals, Steel Doors.
According to him, the company currently has 31 branches in Nigeria with a branch at Ghana, Cameroon and offshore factory at China.
He added that the company has evolved from ONE brand to a conglomerate having 6 companies and still counting.
“These including: Amaecom Asset Finance; Fabric Mobility and Logistics; Royal Citadel Housing Homes; Mitchell and Michelle Business School/Enterprise Hub; Trading Company; Marcel Ofomata Foundation as a Corporate Social Responsibility and Special Purpose Vehicle for Community/ National development,” he disclosed.
DAILY NIGRERIAN reports that after his presentation, the Chairman of Amaecom Group was later presented with a ‘Distinguished Entrepreneur Award’ by the CEDR, in recognition for his outstanding entrepreneurship achievements.
