‘As a woman, you have to put in extra effort in this Industry’ – Bukola Adubi
– By majorwavesen

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Mrs Bukola Adubi is the Chief Operating Officer of MicCom Cables and Wires Ltd, In this interview with JEROME ONOJA, she extols the Nigerian Content law and couldn’t hide her excitement particularly as she narrates the level of support from the NCDMB. Excerpts:

Tell us about MicCom.

MicCom is the first fully indigenous Nigerian cable manufacturer and it has been in existence since 1978. We are 40 years and counting. We have harnessed our strength in the industry and have grown to be one of the biggest manufacturers in Nigeria today. Michael and Comfort Ponnle, who are also my parents, started MicCom at the time and they are very much retired now. I am second generation carrying the mantle with the hope of continuing to cement the name “MicCom” in the minds of all as it pertains to all things power.

What’s your engineering background and where did you study?

I am not an Engineer by profession; I am actually a Pharmacist, with a Masters degree. However, over the last 20 years I have worn several hats and been involved in several businesses, equipping myself along the way. I have a degree from the University of Manchester and also a diploma from Cornell University, USA. This is also a family business and so I have been in an engineering domain by default from birth I would say and so I am well versed about the systems and process to allow me stand alongside any professional engineer as well as run the factory.

Do you sometimes feel intimidated being in a male dominated sector?

Absolutely not, instead I feel that my colleagues are very much intrigued by me and also very supportive. Unfortunately, it is a male-dominated industry and you have to be seen and so you have to put in that extra effort but apart from that, to manage this type of business as a woman is not impossible. I am currently the only female chief operating officer in the industry today and this makes me stand out quite a bit. When you have a full grasp of the business, it is very easy to add value to the process and people tend to listen to you. It’s definitely been a very interesting journey.

How has the company been faring?

We have done pretty well over the last few decades. We’ve grown from humble beginnings to become one of the biggest manufacturers today. Up until about two years ago we functioned very strongly only in the Power sector servicing segments like the government, corporate entities, construction companies and major M& E companies. We have deliberately removed ourselves from the retail market because we realised very quickly this is where the challenges of adulteration begins. We do not have distributors in the major markets like Alaba, but we do have locations outside of our factory that we control to be sure the customer is getting the right product. We believe the integrity of our brand is more important to us than any promise of revenue and we take extra care to ensure that brand equity we have garnered over the years is not eroded in any way.

What is your take on the Nigerian Local Content law?

The Local Content Act is probably one of the best decisions our legislation has taken on behalf of the country in the last few years. It would appear like that tiny piece of law was enacted for companies such as ours to help us garner in-road into an otherwise very difficult industry to enter into. Today, the advantage and leverage we have through this law has been immeasurable. The team at the NCDMB has been very supportive. They are quick to assist and are always carrying us on their shoulders. They do so because we are fully indigenous, we have a name associated with quality and we seemed to have arrived late for the party and so they are very eager to encourage us get to where we should be. And for this, we are eternally grateful.

Our only prayer is that the law should be expanded to cover not just the oil & gas industry but the other sectors as well, especially construction and power industries where at the moment there is no control over importation of cables. Players in that sector willfully import cables that the local industry should be manufacturing and supplying. It is a well known fact that made in Nigeria cables is one of the best in the world due to the quality assurances they offer, encouraging us manufacturers can only lead to better infrastructure, more employment and higher leverage across board for all parties. When this law is allowed to cover all industries, Nigeria is the only one that will benefit and profit from it in the long run.

Has it substantially impacted the bottom line?

For me, it is not so much of the revenue, but the kind of people that are suddenly interested in knowing more about us. That’s the exciting part. Talking to the heavy players in the industry and sitting at the table to discuss possible impacts and value addition – that’s the most important thing for me at this time. Money would always follow. People get confused when I tell them; I’m not into this for the money. I don’t think it should be about money anymore but value addition. Everything else will follow. We are already thinking expansion. There are a few companies that have approached us and want to invest in us. These are signs of big things to come.

How do you train your engineers?

Naturally, Nigerians are very intelligent people and over the years we, as a country, have under-estimated our capabilities.
Our people are trained locally and in-house and sometimes, some of them go outside the country for special trainings. We have people who have worked with us for 20 to 30 years in the system. They transfer their skill set through internal trainings. But in keeping abreast with evolving specifications and standards we also organise retraining and in-house updating of processes.
Our factory is very hands-on and what we insist on is that whenever we acquire new machinery, our engineers learn virtually everything about it. This comes handy as they are then able to provide in-house solutions if there’s a major machine breakdown. They learn to think outside the box.

What’s the next big thing from MicCom?

We are continuous work in progress at this time. We are talking on a few big projects on the horizon and we have positioned ourselves for some of them. We are also vested towards upgrading and investing in major infrastructure overhaul. So all I can say is ‘watch this space!!!”

“The NCDMB have been very supportive. The Executive Secretary, his team is quick to assist and is always carrying us on their shoulders.” Bukola Adubi

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