- ‘Why I desire to return home’
His name is Chris – that is what business associates and friends call him. But his brand name is Chris Aire. He has decked necklines, wrists and fingers, and accessorised the big, the bold and the beautiful in Hollywood as well as the sport scene in the United States of America from very small beginnings. His gradual return to his fatherland started when he honoured an invitation by the Nigerian government to its people and foreigners to take advantage of investment opportunities in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
His decision to heed the call changed his story. He accepted the invitation, returned to Nigeria and refused to seek government sponsorship for his ‘trade missions’ while spending his hard-earned income to expand the frontiers of business for his fatherland.
Today, Christopher Airemiokhai Iluobe, popularly known as Chris Aire, who shunned the oil business, which his father and pioneer oil marketer, the late Chief Joseph Agimenlen Iluobe, had introduced him to, has made a name for himself in the United States. Chris, who had to contend with daily existential odds in the US, has found himself living, working and impacting society in such a manner that his instincts now tell him it’s time to take the plunge and make Nigeria, or a segment of it, better.
His sojourn in America, which has spanned close to three decades, was not as rosy as many would want to believe. Only raw courage and determination to excel pushed him through the barriers. In one of his many interviews, he said: “(America) wasn’t as I had imagined when I arrived, partly because I went to Memphis, Tennessee in the south, which was still pretty segregated. It was not what I expected and I told myself that I would rather return home than stay there.” Rather than return home, he took another risk and moved to California where he had no one to fall back on. He was all by himself in a world that did not reckon with his skin colour or accent.
Why did he make the move? “Determination,” he would say in answer. He was determined to survive and worked hard at it. “I started by flipping burgers to put myself through college. I met other Nigerians who told me that the best jobs Nigerians could get were guard jobs or fast food jobs,” he said.
If he accepted the jobs, however, it was for a while. “That was how I started working in a fast food restaurant, but I soon decided it was not for me and that I could do better.”
He moved on as the enterprising Ishan spirit helped him avoid the fate of other Nigerians. His perseverance also helped him cope with an alien culture en route to earning his first academic degree.
In Nigeria, Aire had attended Immaculate Conception College, Benin, where he graduated with distinction, and went into the oil business under his father’s influence. For more than a year after leaving college, he worked in his father’s company, Iluobe Oil, managing about 100 trailer trucks transporting diesel, kerosene and petrol. But the desire to do much more overwhelmed him, despite having a large business that comprised a manufacturing plant and others. Of his father, Aire said: “He gave me my first lessons in business.”
Aire wore many hats successfully. He noted that his refusal to live under his father’s shadow prepared him for future endeavours. he managed to turn the name Aire into a brand that world entertainment superstars and the international business community respect and appreciate. He created his business by learning from those who did it better.
His interest in the jewellery business developed out of his creative abilities and love for the magic and beauty of gold and gemstones. At first, his interest was drawn to Hollywood, and he was deeply interested. The vagaries of getting involved in the sector pushed him towards other quests.
He settled for music. “When I finished college, it was impossible for me to go into acting. If you were not connected, you could not get into the acting business at the time and I was not connected,” he said.
But he was not discouraged. “When I realised that I could not break into it, I put a group together and started making music.” The decision to break-even saw him creating a music group. It was called Raw Silk. “We did that for a few years and then broke up, and I went solo and started doing my own thing,” he said. “One of my songs got up to Number 8 on the American street chart once and had a music video on BET.”
But for a young man who wanted to make a significant impact and positively affect lives, Number 8 on the American street chart was not inspiring enough. The lure of jewellery was stronger. “I talked to a friend of mine about my interest in the jewellery business and his father happened to be a jeweller. This was during my foray into music. One day, his father called me and asked me if I was really serious about pursuing a career in music because it was not taking me anywhere, and I wasn’t getting any younger.
“He invited me to learn about the jewellery business since I was always yapping about investing in one. He said at least I would have a job and be earning some money while waiting for my big break.”
The idea clicked, and Aire’s transformation began. He was quick to learn and even add value to his master’s job by creating exquisite designs that earned more money for his boss. The job he had learnt tasked his creative abilities and distinguished him in the trade. Aire started out with $5, 000 which he saved working for his boss. With that, he rented an office space “where I was my own secretary, designer, salesman, manufacturer and everything rolled into one. I started in 1996 with that small amount of money but the goodwill I had built was what pushed me beyond the edge”.
Reflecting on his journey into jewellery, Aire said: “That amount in starting a jewellery company was absolutely nothing. But what happened in those six years (of apprenticeship) was that I met a lot of high net-worth individuals within the jewellery community. We all go to the same shows; hang out together. So, working for my boss gave me a platform, which catapulted me into the game. Unknown to me, they had watched me for six years and had an insight into my character. They knew I could be trusted and that I was a serious-minded person. This made it easier for them to give a chance”.
Aire sold his designs directly and struggled to satisfy his clients with exotic designs. His big break came when a celebrity basketballer, Gary Paton, who played for the then Seattle Supersonics, handed him a $50,000 pay pack for jewellery. “It was unbelievable,” Aire said of the fortunate turn which fuelled his ambition.
He was becoming a success story and his designs were known all over the entertainment and sporting communities in the US. The orders poured in. With the orders came the need for him to expand his supply base. He looked all around the world for the best of precious stones to enhance his business chain. He sought blood-free diamonds and got them. His business grew exponentially and he started getting orders in six figures. Aire had made it big.
He would diversify and include wristwatches in his designs. He said: “I created my own brand of wristwatches and put it out and it sold out within two weeks and people were sending me their Rolex watches to trade for Chris Aire watches.”
Chris Aire is, however, not satisfied. There is a hunger in him to make change happen in his home environment. He sees a great deal of possibilities in Nigeria. Having refused to succumb where others did, he believes that Nigeria holds promises with millions of budding entrepreneurs waiting to be nurtured. He also believes that the best is yet to come out of Nigeria. For this reason, he thinks about home earnestly.
“As I got older, I started rethinking because most of the raw materials I use come from Africa and most Africans are exploited and are never really given the opportunity to add value to our raw materials. I decided it would be good to come back and set up something that would start to change that,” he said. He had been to Sierra Leone, Guinea and back in Nigeria to “share the knowledge I had accumulated in the United States”.
Knowledge is a liberating force. Aire wants to share the liberation that had lifted him from poverty circles. He wants to get involved and have direct impact on the people. Described in many circles as an African pride, Aire is also a Nigerian patriot who has hoisted Nigeria’s name and flag in the international community. He is known for adding value to lives – a feat that has propelled him. While his peers took to other forms to eke a living, Aire burnt candles and kept his degree aside to become an apprentice.
With his skills, he attracted Hollywood to Nigeria and brought indigenous music sensation, D’Banj, into a collaboration with American star, Snoop Dog. He also created paths to music partnerships for other Nigerian acts, including Duncan Mighty. Always looking for ways of sharing his wealth with the underprivileged and the vulnerable in society, Aire built a computer classroom to improve the quality of education for underprivileged Nigerian primary school children. He also donates his time to orphanages to support and inspire motherless and fatherless children as philanthropic gestures.
Today, the international jewellery business community reckons with Aire as a man of integrity who delivers on his promises. He has much goodwill that could help attract investments in Nigeria and Africa, even if only in the solid mineral sector. The country would be the winner when the benefits pour in.
There is no doubt that Aire has made a name for himself, a name that Nigeria can tap from, especially with the ace jeweller’s worldwide connections in an era of change.
- Yusuf is a freelance journalist from Abuja
