Passion and determination, when properly channelled, have propelled many people to greatness and success. This is apparent in the case of Mr Tunde Onakoya, the Managing Director of Ednutalo Automotive Services whose passion for vehicles influenced his decision to venture into the automotive industry.

Speaking at an exclusive interview on ‘Meet your African CEO’, an online television programme on CEOAfrica, the MD of Ednutalo Automotive Services explained that his interest in the automotive industry stemmed from the need to provide world class car repair and maintenance services at reasonable prices.  

While noting that he had spent 10 years in the Banking, Telecommunications and Teaching sectors prior to his establishment of an automotive business, Mr Onokoya, who described himself as a professional nomad, stated that he had always had acute interest in automobiles which prompted him to acquire more knowledge about vehicles.

Explaining his reason for building a career in auto-mechanics, Mr Onakoya observed that mechanics as a profession has been stereotyped as a trade for miscreants and unsuccessful people, adding that no university graduate would want to venture into vehicle repairs, as it is considered a trade for school drop-outs and never do wells.  

He said “Many people have condemned some trades, especially mechanics, to the lackeys and never-do-wells in the society and this is where we have gotten it all wrong. How come the educated, literate and more successful people own cars and then leave the repair and maintenance to less educated and less literate people?”     

This stereotype, according to Mr Onakoya, results in a huge knowledge gap between vehicle owners and vehicle repairers which accounts for poor repairs and maintenance of vehicles. “A lot of people buy 10 years old cars and after using it for only two years, the cars fall into terrible disrepair. If cars can’t be maintained for two years everywhere in the world, we wouldn’t be able to purchase 10-year old cars,” he said.

“This inability to maintain cars for a long time is as a result of the poor services and repairs given to vehicles by random roadside mechanics, who most of the time, lack the adequate professional knowledge to fix cars properly. This dearth of knowledge in proper automobile diagnosis, adequate maintenance and effective repair was what encouraged me to start-up my own automotive services. I wanted to fix cars and fix them well,” he stressed.

* Mr Tunde Onakoya (R), Mr Cletus Ilobanafor (L) during an interview on 'Meet your African CEO'

Sharing some challenges he encountered as an entrepreneur, Mr Onokoya said “Being a CEO is not a day’s job and being an entrepreneur is hard. There have been trying times, especially when we were trying to break into the market. Another challenge is getting manpower and labour. It’s daunting finding people who are passionate about the job and I look out for passion when I’m hiring. None of these challenges however, has ever given me any reason to quit the business.”

Speaking about government’s involvement in the automotive industry, Mr Onakoya observed that government’s interest and investment in the automotive industry has been non-existent. He however stated that it would be of tremendous benefit to the nation’s economy if the government can beam its search light and invest in the automotive industry.

He proposed that government should encourage the production of vehicle spare parts which is in high demand by countries that manufacture vehicles, adding that it would increase the country’s exportation and reduce importation. He said, “Making cars in Nigeria is not very economical because we would have to import all the parts that would be needed to assemble these cars. However, we can develop car parts like; car batteries, car plugs, car seats and many others that can be exported which will be another method of revenue generation for the country.”

While noting that Germany invested a lot in technical knowledge and development, Mr Onakoya further urged the government to take a cue from Germany and engage in sustainable developments as well as to rehabilitate technical colleges around the country to help train young people to develop technical expertise.

Mr Onakoya also encouraged youths interested in establishing an automotive business to first dedicate time and effort into learning about the business. “It is important for whoever wants to venture into automotive industry to learn about the business. They have to do internship in automotive industry and acquire the relevant skills needed. Also, such person must have a bankable and realistic business plan. Entrepreneurship is hard, if you want to go into it, you must do it for the long haul,” he advised.