By N.T.A. Efo
Thanks to his resolute leadership style as a private sector operator, foremost gubernatorial aspirant and Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources, Pastor Umo Eno has become an example of success in business, entrepreneurship and wealth creation.
Like most successful businessmen, he came from nothing at all. Through extraordinary grit, guts, perseverance, courage and determination, Pastor Eno turned an idea he was commissioned to work on for the expansion programme of the last employer he ever worked for, into a mega business enterprise.
It was in 1997. Business was getting monotonous for Norman Holdings, as smaller players had started making inroads into the market it had held sway as leader over the years. Diversification was the only way out and the company needed a shift in business focus. As Group General Manager in charge of Commercial Services, the lot fell on Pastor Eno to prepare a feasible blueprint for the diversification programme.
To Pastor Eno, the hospitality business was a gold mine, especially, if it were to be done in a virgin location with a great need for such service. To him, circumstances around Eket were perfect for the rise of such a business, especially as the oil giant, Mobil Producing Nigeria, as it then was, had a booming ‘market’ for the proposal. There were not many standard hotels and catering outlets in Eket to handle Mobil.
Armed with a beautiful, sound and articulate feasibility report, Pastor Eno was all glad to present to the board his golden findings. After presentation, there were no applauses. He was certainly the only one impressed with the report. The board was not. What was it with a hotel and where was Eket on the map of Nigeria, the Board may have thought. The idea was a No for them. To pay back for his time and energy, and for the fact that he was one of the company’s strategic leads, he was told to go to work again, and produce another feasibility, this time, for a ‘workable’ investment.
But Pastor Eno would have nothing of that. He believed in the report that was rejected. He had a foresight that the Board didn’t have and a vision they couldn’t see. He resigned his appointment, to the chagrin of the Board. Convinced that the plan was feasible, he left Lagos for Eket to pursue the vision embedded in the report.
Aside from his luggage, only determination, ambition, courage and self-awareness followed him to Eket.
With resilience and tenacity, Pastor Eno turned the rejected blueprint into wealth. Starting out little, and by another little, and then another little, he grew Royalty Group into a top player in the nation’s hospitality service sector, making it an industry leader in Eket and Akwa Ibom State.
There are several characteristics wealth creators must possess. A wealth creator like Pastor Eno must be ambitious. An ambitious fellow thinks out of the box and sees an ordinary situation as exceptional. He is also fearless, bold and a risk-taker.
Wealth creators are also prudent. They hardly spend more than their income except for philanthropy. A wealth creator spends less than he earns and invests the surplus wisely. They are also very patient. For a fact, if Pastor Eno wasn’t patient, the success story of today would have folded up way before yesterday.
Wealth creators surround themselves with high quality advisers and knowledgeable folks. In all of his strides, Pastor Eno has always had knowledgeable people work with him either as employees or as advisers.
Today, Royalty Group which started as a 5 room hotel, owns 6 subsidiaries with interests in hotels, eateries, water bottling and investments in other commercial outfits. With a monthly wage bill of over N25m, and a staff strength of over 500 workers, Pastor Eno has been a regular contributor to the wealth and economy of Akwa Ibom State over the years.
The famed Adam Smith was among the first philosophers to declare that “wealth is created through productive labour.” Not only has Pastor Eno created this sort of wealth, he has also distributed it through the incomes of the workers, suppliers and other service providers linked to his various businesses, to the betterment and growth of society.
• Efo, a senior journalist, wrote from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.