Sunday Omokunmi holds B.sc Economics & MMP (Master in Managerial Psychology) opens up to OASESNEWS how he achieved his feats through hard work, dedication, experience and training he received from CAKASA NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED which propelled him to become a Project Manager at Energy Group.

A Business Development Manager in the Oil and Gas industry, Mr. Omokunmi worked in CAKASA (Nig.) Company Limited, a notable indigenous Oil Service Engineering Company for over a decade. He also worked for almost a decade with the Energy Group, a conglomerate which is into Oil and Gas, Aviation, Banking, Print media, insurance, Education, Construction and Hotel & Tourism. Mr. Omokunmi has acquired Engineering and Project Management skills without being an engineer.

He helped in the management of human and material resources and also handled logistics that facilitated successful completion of the various projects by the engineers. CAKASA specialises in Engineering, Procurement and Construction services (EPC) in the downstream sector of the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector and has handled many multi-million Naira projects successfully.

According to Omokunmi “There is no doubt that we have great Engineers but not all of them are good managers and this is where we come in to manage the work process. The Engineers design and construct but we provide the logistics, materials and manage the human capital”. It was a whole lot of work to manage the workforce at the Headquarters and also manage the human and material resources of six branches scattered all over the country. One was always on his toe to manage what each of the branch managers was handling at the various Strategic Business Units. I was actively involved in all the various projects the company executed while I was in its employ and with the experience gained, I have almost become an engineer”.

Omokunmi did not forget to add this remarkable sentence about CAKASA’S Manpower Development and Training which according to him was the source of his present opportunity. ‘’It is a company that does not joke with staff training and manpower development and I must confess that I gained immensely from the various trainings and courses” Omokunmi stated.

OASES NEWS was able to track down this man of many parts called Omokunmi and it took OASES News over three months to be able to get his approval for this interview. Please read on:

OASES NEWS: How long have you been in the Oil and Gas Industry and how did you work your way up?

ANSWER: Let me start by saying that my knowledge about Oil and Gas dated back to when I was in the University. I studied Economics Statistics and one of our major courses was Petroleum Economics. Through this course, I had the knowledge of oil growth prospects and trading in the international market. The knowledge aroused my interest to work in the oil and gas sector after leaving the school. Therefore, my employment in CAKASA in 1992 provided me the opportunity to get deeply involved in this important sector of the Nigerian Economy. So, I have since been working to manage Managers, Project Managers, Branch Managers and also engage in the recruitment of engineers and other categories of employees for over twenty years now.

OASES NEWS: How many projects have you handled or participated in?

ANSWER: I have handled and participated in many projects. Without sounding immodest, I want to say that I have almost lost count of projects I have engaged in. Permit me to mention but a few of them.

In CAKASA, I participated in big projects such as the construction of tank farm for Texaco Nigeria, Lube blending plant for Mobil Oil Nigeria, tank farm for Obat Petroleum Limited (reputed to be one of the biggest in the West coast of Africa), the Kaduna Refinery Cooling Tower Project and the various turnaround projects for the refineries.

At Disc Communications Limited, a telephone and satellite television outfit where I worked briefly after leaving CAKASA, I participated actively in all of our major projects. We rendered a whole range of communication services such as community wired phone, paging services, Internet services, satellite television and television production. These range of services involved a lot of activities such as laying of cables, mounting telephone exchanges and many more which I coordinated in terms of providing logistics, materials and human resources.

At the Energy Group also, I handled and participated in so many projects. When I joined the Energy Group in 2004, the major business focus was in oil and gas before the promoter ventured into buying many more companies in other industries.

We built our depot and established over three hundred (300) gas station in all parts of the country. Some of the stations, majority of which are mega, were acquired, that is, outright purchase while some others were built from the scratch by the company. I was directly involved in the building of some of the stations and also in the acquisition and renovation of those that were acquired. I was also involved in the construction and running of the depot.

One other major project I got involved in was the Turnaround exercise for the various companies acquired by the group. The group acquired companies in the aviation, print media, hotels & tourism, construction, banking and insurance. Many of these companies were either underperforming, moribund or dead at the time of acquisition. I was a team leader on Fact Finding exercise to all these companies for the purpose of turning them around. The turn-around exercises in many of the companies were successful.

OASES NEWS: Give me an example of your biggest success in CAKASA and other places you have worked?

ANSWER: Thank you. Whenever I look back at my period in CAKASA, I always cherish the memory of what I was able to achieve for the company. The biggest was when CAKASA was awarded ISO 9001. I considered it the biggest because of my deep involvement in the certification process. We worked on defining and redefining of work processes and procedures and the responsibility of coordinating the whole activities fell on me. I was a trained internal quality auditor who had to train others and audit our work processes before the auditors Bureau Veritas conducted their audit that led to the award of the certification. It was a lot of work having to ensure that everything was in order at the company Head office, branches and the various project sites.

The certification, no doubt, opened up many more business opportunities for the company. In the Energy group, I would like to consider my supervision of construction of a mega station from inception to commissioning as a major achievement.

OASES NEWS: What are the business opportunities you see in the Oil and Gas industry especially with non-engineering staff?

ANSWER: opportunities abound for everyone in the Oil and Gas industry irrespective of whether you are an engineer or not. The industry requires the services of various categories of professionals and so it is not an exclusive preserve of the engineers. Again, what matters most is the interest and readiness to develop one's knowledge in order to be relevant in the industry. Hard work and the knack for learning cannot be overemphasized. Many of the thriving oil companies are owned and managed by non-engineering professionals.

There are many untapped areas in the Nigerian oil and gas industry that many more people can engage in once they have the required information, skill and knowledge. There are many opportunities available especially in the downstream sector of the industry. The population of people that require the use of petroleum products increases by the day and unfortunately, the power sector remains largely unstable and the refineries are becoming almost moribund. We require, more than ever before, investors for the refining of petroleum products in Nigeria for local consumption and possibly for exportation. So, the cake, I believe, is big enough for everyone interested to get a bit to bite.

Materials procurement and supply management, which happen to be another area of my specialisation, also create windows of opportunity especially for those who have the know-how. As the industry opens up, there is increased need for materials and equipment supply. The local content policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria has equally helped in expanding the scope of opportunities for the citizens. There are also vast opportunities in the gas sector which are largely untapped.

OASES NEWS: What are your strengths and future targets?

ANSWER: My ambition is to successfully run my company to become one of the leading oil and gas companies in the world. I believe it is achievable going by my strong interest and the accumulated experience in the industry.

When talking about strength, we can talk about the education and experience I have acquired in the industry for over twenty years, coupled with the strong network of the industry players I have established over the years. I have colleagues who are successful players in the industry, so getting things done would not pose any problem. I have also acquired adequate trainings especially in leadership to be able to manage my company(ies) successfully.

OASES NEWS: From your experience and based on the positions you have occupied , which section of the oil and gas industry would you consider underperforming?

ANSWER: The section I can consider as performing most poorly is the downstream sector - from product refining to distribution to the ultimate consumers. Due to the inefficiencies built into the system, the products do not get to the consumers as expected thus creating scarcity of Petroleum products most of the time with the attendant hardship to the citizens.

Our low refining capacity and the incessant menace of pipeline vandalism have all combined to contribute to the disruption that is always experienced in the product distribution channel. This has led us with no other option than resorting to importation of refined Petroleum products. So, there is a large room for improvement in the sector.

There are also opportunities in the gas sector waiting to be tapped as we currently loose a lot of revenue through gas flaring.

OASES NEWS: what do you specialise in now and how do you want others in developed countries like the U.S.A, Canada etc to assist in making your business buoyant?

ANSWER: We currently do equipment and material supplies to the Oil companies, carry out installation and maintenance work on their facilities. We also do petroleum product supplies to companies and other categories of consumers. At the moment and because we are just starting off, our equipment and material are sourced locally and this has not helped us much. We have the capacity, in terms of knowledge, to undertake big projects and do the procurement of our materials internationally but we are being limited by finance and other forms of support that can be got from abroad. We are open to doing business with reputable companies abroad.

We are looking at issues such as Agency Agreement and other partnership arrangements that are mutually beneficial. There is a whole range of products such as hose and fittings, valves, pumps, flow meters, fuel and gas dispensers, fire equipment to mention but a few that are in hot demand in the country.

On the aspect of petroleum product marketing, we are working on how to expand our business horizon by having our complete distribution channel from depot establishment to product refining/importation and retail outlets for fuel and gas. We are also desirous of working in partnership with foreign companies to realise this vision.

OASES NEWS: What did you gain from the companies you worked for and what impact do they have on your work now?

ANSWER: I gained a lot from my working experience. Foremost, all the companies I worked for embraced staff training and manpower development. So I benefitted immensely from their training programmes. I have developed and emerged from the greenhorn I used to be before embarking on my working career. I have been moulded to become a leader in the corporate world. The entrepreneurial spirit in me is now very high.

I have learnt that technical competence alone do not make great managers, values and good personal ethics are also fundamental. I have learnt the rudiment of corporation turnaround. I have learnt that integrity is the bedrock of success and that the world is full of boundless opportunities and platforms to create and make a difference.

I have learnt about managing people, even difficult people and what it takes to manage an organization through the turbulent times. I have learnt to always render quality services to the customer and the enduring principle of loyalty, a principle that has taken many organizations to their pinnacles. Above all, I have learnt that POWER BELONGS TO GOD.

OASES NEWS: What are the effects of the on-going crisis in Nigeria on the oil and gas business and how would you advise the government to handle it to avoid having negative effects on the oil and gas business?

ANSWER: I guess the crisis you are referring to has to do with the problem of terrorism and insecurity in the country. It is unfortunate that we are witnessing this kind of ugly situation now that we are just making efforts to settle the country down to proper democracy. There is no doubt that the development has created a setback for our country as we have lost and still losing human and material resources to the insurgency. The issue of terrorism which used to be alien to us is now a serious source of tension in our country.

We are a country of loving people living together in harmony before the current problem. I believe it is a passing phase for the country and I hope we shall soon get out of it.

The problem of terrorism in Nigeria has been condemned worldwide and the Nigerian government, with the assistance of foreign countries has been doing everything possible to solve the problem. Firstly, to secure the release of the abducted school girls and stamp out every form of terrorism and insecurity in the country.

The government needs to, more than ever before, provide adequate security for the citizens and foreigners alike in order to encourage inflow of investment to the country. The government is also advised to create enabling environment for the teeming unemployed youths to be meaningfully engaged in order to reduce available hands for crime. The government should do everything possible to curtail the activities of the terrorists and provide adequate security cover for our oil installations and facilities.

Mr. Sunday Omokunmi is the Operational Director of Beeline Services Limited, a company engaged in procurement, supply, installation and Petroleum products marketing.