NIGERIANS ARE SKEPTICAL OF TRYING NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Being born with a silver spoon and in a royal family has not deterred some people from been hard working and determined to make something worthwhile out of life. While many in their shoes are generally perceived as lazy, complacent and unrealistic about the demands of life, some few of these royal bloods have risen to enviable statuses in their various careers.

One of such very distinguished noble men is Prince (Dr.) Olusegun Aderemi JP. Born into the royal family of Oba Okunola Osefaja Atayero and Olori Felicia Atayero, perhaps Aderemi’s royal background is a motivation for his determination to succeed and also build an empire for himself.

His desire to be a massive employer of labour rather than join the bandwagon of job seekers propelled him to establish Segmat Springs Limited (Segmat Systems and Secretarial Institute) as early as 1996. According to him, ‘Segmat was born out of my love for new technology, solving challenges and empowering people to succeed in life’.

Aderemi’s entrepreneurial drive did not stop with the establishment of Segmat. In 2007, he established the popular Automatic Fit and Energy Limited (similar to Quick Fit and Fast Fit in Europe). The company is an auto care company that provides auto express services at very affordable price. The company is in partnership with Total France and is expanding to other leading multi-national oil companies.

Reacting to the need for the partnership, the seasoned auto expert responded: ‘The partnership with Total is to provide trainings and lube bay operations across major Total Nigeria Service Stations. In addition to this, we are also in franchise deal with Super Tracker (United Kingdom), Fasep (Italy) as the sole representative in West Africa and GUD Filters (South Africa) as the sole distributor of GUD Filters in Nigeria. We are also in partnership with leading automobile companies in Nigeria like Cosharis Motors and several others. We are also a major distributor of Michelin Tyres in Nigeria’.

Speaking on some of the challenges facing players in the industry, the amiable prince noted: ‘We face series of challenges but we have put some techniques in place to surmount these challenges. Our major problem in the country and this sector in particular is that we are skeptical of trying new technology. My love and admiration for technology is what drives most of my businesses. Technology holds a very important solution to most of the problems we are faced with in this country if we are willing to embrace it. We can’t count the number of lives that the embracement of technology has helped us saved on the highways’.

Comparing our indigenous professionals to their foreign counterparts, the very passionate entrepreneur averred: ‘Nigerian professionals are the best and most versatile that you can find anywhere in the world. This is because we are very rugged and can fit almost into any circumstances without complaining. Most Nigerian professionals rose to the peak of their career on their own. Unlike in those countries where you have so many incentives made available to different cadre of students, nothing is obtainable here. You want to succeed, then you must achieve it yourself. That’s the spirit and we are so used to it. Nigerian professionals have what it takes to compete competently anywhere in the world’.

Advising transporters and other people who deal in the auto business, the quintessential CEO said: ‘Our transporters should always seek information about their wheels. Aside this, the Ministries of Transportation should let us go back to the era of MOT testing. With it, we can actually test and certify that a vehicle is fit and road worthy. That alone can save us the unnecessary loss of lives on the highway’.

Aderemi is not just a business freak. He is also a seasoned academic who have tons of local and international certifications and trainings to his credit.

He has a certificate in Executive Team Leadership (Lagos Business School), Business Management (National University of Singapore), Entrepreneurial Management (Pan Atlantic University) Advance Certificate in Oil and Gas (University of Lagos) to mention just a few.

Aderemi belongs to quite a number of professional and social groups. He is a member of Society for Corporate Governance of Nigeria, American Embassy Commercial Department and Ekiti Elite Club E11.