Sam Oti
THE recurrent insecurity crisis in the country remains a great hindrance to foreign direct investment (FDI), Frank Ewuzie, CEO of Swank Integrated Concept, has said.
Speaking in an interview with The Nation, the Okija-born entrepreneur said Nigeria stands to lose a lot of foreign investments if the insecurity crisis remains intractable.
According to him, “Any government who doesn’t care about security will not attract business internationally. I think government should be proactive enough about our security issues. There are lots of younger Nigerians with great ideals that will benefit the country but they are looking for opportunity to sell the idea outside Nigeria and bring it into the country. Most Nigeria businessmen get discouraged with Nigeria security issues and that’s why they prefer going to Dubai to do business.”
Ewuzie, who runs a conglomerate with interest in real estate management, business development, manufacturing and hospitality industry, recalled that when he set up shop in 2014, it was a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.
Going down memory lane, the bubbly fellow, who grew up in the backstreet of Okija, in Anambra State, said, he had always being drawn to someone like Bill Gate.
“I always believe there are lots of people locally that are equally rich but don’t have that big name like Bill Gate. Going into business has always been my dream and not only to be a businessman but to be a successful business man like various top business mogul in Nigeria and the world as a whole. I took interest in door manufacturing business from watching my father, during my secondary school days. It was an initiative that I kept to myself and yielding much for me now. And having travelled to some countries to make some research on how I can hit a breakthrough in the Nigeria market, I went to Turkey to study and monitor lots of things and discovered it was a moment for me to start making process of becoming the boss of myself. And also business man like CEO Dozzy Oil and Gas, Sir Daniel Chukwudozie really inspired me locally.”
Pressed further, he said, “I started this company which specialised in manufacturing of luxury doors and furniture to fill what I saw as a void in the door and furniture market. I’m also the owner of Swank Supermarket which quenches the need of varieties of household products. The local made doors and the imported are different so many ways, by touching both doors you can feel the real quality and ruggedness, the finishing part of it, is great advantage and that have been the edge over the years. Most local made doors structured are the ideas of the imported doors. I have seen many instances like that but the finishing aspect of it will make the difference.”
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