The Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Uwechue-Mbanefo, is a woman on a mission. Since she was appointed into that position in May, the former Executive Director, Nigerian Bottling Company has embarked on vigorous campaigns aimed at rekindling the interest of the Nigerian public in tourism. She took time off her busy schedule to tell SEGUN AJIBOYE about her dream for the tourism industry. She also spoke about her career, family and fashion sense. Excerpts:
You are a beautiful woman. How often do people tell you this?
I’m hardly told. People always see me at a work environment, so they dare not tell me that.
Where were you before your appointment as the Director-General of NTDC?
I started my carrier in 1987 with Abacus Merchant Bank. I moved to International Merchant Bank (IMB) after two years. I worked with IMB for 15 years and rose to become the Company Secretary. I was there till I became the Director of Business Development. I did three major restructuring exercises for IMB. After 15 years, I moved to Lafarge Cement. I was the most senior female executive, supervising general managers. My job was to restructure for them and to stabilise the company. I took Lafarge to the market to restructure their debt profile. That made Lafarge to soar.
What year was this?
I was with Lafarge between 2004 and 2005.
That was rather brief…
I had just finished the restructuring for Lafarge. Just as I was finishing it, Coca-Cola desperately wanted me, but I didn’t want to go. Chief Oshunkeye was my boss at the time. I admire him so much, so I do go to him for advice. When I went to him for advice, he was surprised that I said I was not going. He said his daughter wanted the job and that I should go ahead and take it.
How come your boss would allow you to go like that?
I think he knew the value of the job more than I did. He said his daughter had been chasing the job for about three years, and that they had not chosen anybody. He said it was a fantastic opportunity for me. It was indeed a big job because I was to supervise 10 countries. But I think they have streamlined now and become a bit leaner. But Chief Oshunkeye was instrumental to my taking the job.
What was your position at Coca-Cola?
I was the Executive Director, Public Affairs and Communications. It involved public relations, government relations and public affairs.
How tasking was it?
It was not as tasking as Lafarge. It was not as challenging as it was at Lafarge because there was nothing to clean up. There was much to be done at Lafarge. Coca-Cola was already made, so there was no big challenge to pursue.
What made the difference between these two companies?
At Lafarge, I had to relate with the community, the grassroots, the staff and all that. They had a lot of issues at the time. The pension funds and the staff, there were lots of problems. Lafarge was borrowing to survive at the time, so most of the money that they made went into servicing bank loans. They could not pay their staff the world-class salaries they had promised them. So there were lots of issues.
So, when I came in, I suggested the public offer. I said I did it three times for IMB and the results were great. So we did it and the public put money into Lafarge, taking the pressure off the Oodua Group. They were able to pay off their debts to the banks and also pay the staff world-class salaries. Lafarge was a fantastic experience for me. It was like a natural movement because IMB was like a training school for me.
I was exposed to leadership at a very early stage of my life. At the age of 32, when much older women were company secretaries, I became a company secretary. As a matter of fact, I was the youngest in the country at that time. I saw a lot of restructuring. At IMB, we had seven managing directors in 15 years. IMB was the best bank in Nigeria in the 80s, and you know that it was partly government-owned. So, any government in power wanted its man to be the MD.
Anybody that came there tossed people around. So I ended up working in almost all the departments. It made me to learn a lot in every department. I think another thing that was wonderful about IMB is the culture. We had a family culture that I tried to recreate everywhere I went. It was same at Lafarge.
For how long were you with Coca-Cola?
I was not there for long. My children needed to go abroad, and there were some personal issues I needed to attend to. But I achieved quite a few things while I was there. But shortly after that, I was approached again by an oil and gas company, but I said I was not ready, that I needed more time. After six months, they took me on.
You seem to have been everywhere. You are a trained lawyer and you have worked in banks and other blue chip companies. How did you acquire all these?
I am also an artist. That is the fundamental of everything. Being an artist makes you versatile. It gives you a broader view of issues. Your mind is able to absorb issues, and whatever happens doesn’t really trouble you.
Let us look back at your time at Lafarge. The monarch of the community honoured you with the chieftaincy title of Yeye Oge, which literally translates to queen of fashion. How fashionable are you?
I try to be traditionally fashionable. I want my fashion to reflect my culture. I am very proud to be a Nigerian, so I use fabrics that reflect my identity as a Nigerian.
Six months on the job as the DG of NTTDC. How has it been?
It has been a fantastic experience; an eye-opening one. It has also been partly a baptism of fire. But it has been fantastic because there is much to be done. Tourism is a very wide topic. The sky is the limit if you are focused and you have a clear picture of what you want to do.
You have been going round meeting with stakeholders. Why this?
In the six months that I’ve been here, I have been to Yenagoa, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Calabar. I will be going to Kogi and Ekiti states soon. In all these places, I preach domestic tourism. I mean Nigerians need to be proud to tour their countries. We need to take leisure in Nigeria. Why would I travel to another man’s country if I can get good sites in my own country? So we are trying to see the tourists’ sites in these states.
Also, we are preaching grassroots tourism. We want everybody to be involved in tourism. It should not be for the rich alone. We already entered into partnership with ABC Transport to take Nigerians at reduced charges. We are also partnering with Arik Air to take Nigerians at subsidised rates. We want to authenticate these sites and see how we can partner with the states. We can even work with financiers to develop them. But the important thing is that we want to ensure that we have at least one tourists’ site in each geo-political zone in the next one year.
Where do you see Nigerian tourism in next few years?
Nigeria would be the destination of choice in Africa. I have met and signed MOUs with tourism ministers of Ghana, Gambia and Sierra-Leone. We agreed that there is going to be a West African tourism brand. The sort of thing we are looking at is that if somebody wants to travel round West Africa, you can buy one ticket that would take you round the countries and end up in Nigeria. And if Gambia has too many tourists during their peak period, they can send them to us. But we have to make sure that it would a pleasurable experience for those non-Nigerians.
Where is all this passion and optimism coming from?
It is from loving my country and my people.
What was growing up like?
Growing up, I lived all over Nigeria. Though I was not born here, I came home young. I come from a family that is very close and warm, so I grew up living mostly in Warri, Sapele and Benin.
Let us go a bit into your background.
My father is from Delta State. He is a former Chairman of Body of Benchers. Very recently, books were written about him as a very senior citizen in the legal profession. The head of my family is Ambassador Ralph Nwuche, who is the immediate elder brother of my dad. He was the first person to write a book to make every African proud. So, what I’m doing is not new to my family.
You have kids. How easy is it combining your job with managing the home front?
I think you just have to prioritise. I know I don’t have to go to owambe parties or some other stuffs so that I can spend quality time with my family.
You mean you no longer attend parties?
I never really did. I have always been a kind of serious person. I think one thing I enjoy most is the beauty of motherhood. It was something I looked forward to, so I ‘m really close to my children.
You are banker, lawyer and artist. What else can we ascribe to you?
I’m also a child of God (laughs). I give a lot to my community. I am also actively involved in church activities.
Are you a pastor?
If I wasn’t a Catholic, I might call myself a pastor. I love working for God because it is very rewarding.
What is your daily beauty routine like?
I don’t have any routine. I am dressed in ten minutes. I only wear powder and lipsticks. Moreover, the type of jobs that I have done would not allow me the luxury of any beauty routine, because I just jump into the car and run off to work.
What is your favourite Nigerian dish?
I eat three times a day. It keeps me strong. I enjoy Amala with okro and stew. It is my favourite meal.
Your life as an artist, was it something you learnt?
It is pure talent.
How often do you draw these days?
I have not drawn anything in the last six months. But I think I would go back in the new year.
What inspires your artworks?
My state of mind inspires me. I draw well when I have peace of mind. I have been drawing since the 80s, and I have almost a hundred paintings.
Which schools did you attend?
I went to Mary Mount Convent School in Delta State.
A convent school? That means you had plans to become a nun. What happened?
Probably it wasn’t my destiny at the time. But I have aunties who are reverend sisters.
Would you have loved to be one?
I have always loved to work for the church. After, I went abroad to do my A/Levels, then came back to read Law at the University of Lagos.
I also gathered that you are a police officer. Is this true?
I love discipline a lot. So each time I see policemen, I wished to know the type of training they receive. So I registered to be trained as a spy policewoman. It was the same training that we received. It made me to have a sense of camaraderie with the police.
