–Dr. Sam Maduka; Chairman/MD, Peace Mass Transit Limited

By AYO ALONGE

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Enugu State-born business mogul, Sam Onyishi Maduka, believes that safety measures are a panacea for growth in the transport sector. In this interview, Maduka also discusses the success and prospects of his company, while lamenting the competitive challenges, among which are “social media campaign” against his company.

As a popular businessman running a big transport company, what don’t people know Sam Maduka? 
I am the chairman/managing director of Peace Mass Transit Limited. I would like to say that I am a hard working Nigerian who likes working for every kobo that I earn. I don’t play lottery, I don’t play gamble, I don’t play pool, and I am not planning to start tomorrow. I am not a contractor. I am just a man that works under the sun 24/7 and God has been blessing my efforts. I believe in Nigeria, I believe in spending my money here in Nigeria and I don’t own any house elsewhere, apart from Nigeria. Everything I have is in Nigeria. I believe using my money here to develop my country. I believe in creating jobs and by the grace of God, I have over 4,000 jobs in my different businesses. It is not because Nigeria is the safest but because this is my country and if I can’t use my money to develop Nigeria, who am I expecting to do that for me?
How have you been able to create 4,000 jobs?
I started business the moment I left secondary school, although I did some apprenticeship after leaving school. I am 31 years old in my own business. I am a professional. I started as a bus conductor, bus driver, a labourer in a company and a motor spare part dealer, and today, a bus operator by God’s grace. You know a bus has one driver, so when you have 3,000 buses that is 3,000 drivers and 3000 jobs. We also have workers who are on the field at the bus terminals and I have other businesses that I employed quite a number of people, making it over 4,000 jobs.
What drives you as a businessman or as an entrepreneur? 
Well, as a road transporter by divine guidance, it is not like I sat down and wrote a business plan or said I wanted to go into road transport. I came into road transport out of hardship. I was a bus operator, bus driver, motor part dealer, but didn’t know God was preparing me for a big operation. I thought I was undergoing hardship. I thought I was working to help my mother because I am the first out of seven children and my father died early when I was in class one. After secondary school, I couldn’t go to the university immediately so I went into business to support my mother and I didn’t know God had a project for me. I came into this business by divine guidance and since I realised that it was a calling from God, I see it as a ministry and I approached it from the point of view of service to God and humanity. I see transport as my ministry and I use it for service delivery.
How old is Peace Mass Transit?
Peace Mass Transit is 21 years now.
So, for the past 21 years now that you have been plying your trade as a transport company, what would you say commuters know your company for?
For us, our passengers see and, I think, know us as a transport company that uses the best of buses, the newest buses, all the time; the best quality brand new tyres and we give fares at encouraging tags. We are among the best because we take safety very seriously and I am proud of what I am doing.
How do you manage the competitive nature of the sector? 
I am an ethical operator in the sense that I mind my business. I don’t do anything to undermine other people’s businesses. I do my competition by working on the roadworthiness of my vehicles by making my firm friendly and I believe in making money through turnover. That is when my profit is low and my turnover is high. I do my competition on the road while some people do theirs on the social media. When your vehicle is involved in an accident, they go and edit it ten times and use it as breaking news. Every day, they post our vehicles as being involved in accidents. We have suffered a lot of social media campaigns.
Are you saying all the accidents we often see posted on social media platforms carrying your company’s name are unfounded? 
I didn’t know that was happening all along. I only found out on WhatsApp. I am telling you that I found out on 7th of July 2016, just about a month ago. It is a sponsored social media campaigns. I saw our bus that had an accident, over eight months ago, posted on 7th of July, 2016; whereas, that accident occurred months back. Let me tell you something, a vehicle owned by a different company had an accident in Enugu and another person cut off the name of the company and put Peace Mass Transit and posted as Peace Mass Transit again but luckily for us, somebody who saw that accident replied that the accident was not Peace Mass Transit and people followed up from there. We have suffered from such things. It was a campaign to bring down our business and despite all that, God saw us to a greater height. I know at the end of this social media campaign, Peace Mass Transit is coming out stronger and better. If this company was instituted by man, they would have brought us down but because it was instituted by God, no social media campaign can bring us down.
What edge do you have above others in the transport sector?
The edge I have is that my customers believe in us, despite all this social media campaign. It is because these people have tested our service for many years and they know who we are. We are not going to join them in this social media campaign because if we do, we are going to kill this sector. By the time you start posting my pictures and I start posting yours, this will kill the business and that means our passengers will leave all of us. We are the largest flight operator in Nigeria. It can be investigated. By the time you check Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, then you know who is who in Nigeria. All this while, they have been lashing us and I just kept quiet because I have so much respect for my colleagues in this business. That is why I am encouraging the Federal Road Safety Corps to come up with a clear term of assessing safety of transport companies and publish it yearly.
What do you think the FRSC should do to curb incessant road accidents? 
The road safety officials are trying but I want them to do more by coming out with a clear way of assessing transport companies. Let’s know who is safer and who is not. I delivered 30,000 passengers safely everyday and out of our 30,000 buses, we have over 2,000 everyday on the highway. Each bus carries 15 passengers and 15 passengers times 2,000 buses gives you 30, 000. That is simple arithmetic. I deliver 60, 000 trips every month and we are still the safest. There are ways that these things can be checked. Anybody that cannot guarantee safety should leave the business.
What else do you find very challenging about running the company, aside the media hate campaign against you, as you put it?
I have told you I have respect for transporters, especially the ones that were before the coming of GSM, like Ekenedilichukwu, Ifesinachi, The Young Shall Grow, and the rest. We cannot import drivers from London or Germany. We have to use our local drivers and the effect of inflation is affecting everybody. It is even difficult recovering your investment in the country today. If the condition of the roads should continue, I tell you, there is no road transporter in this country that would be able to buy just one bus. The prices of vehicles have doubled and depreciation has increased due to the bad roads. Cost of spare parts has also doubled.
Would you call that your fairshare of the looming economic crisis?
That is what I am talking about. There are contributing factors. I think I am in the best position to tell you what is happening in this country and you cannot talk about anything in the sector without mentioning my name.
How much of your set goals and aspirations have you achieved?
I have made a success out of the opportunity God has given me. One is that I have run road transport business for 21 years and I have never slept in any hospital in any part of the world. That tells me God is running the business for me. I took my first holiday about six years ago. What other achievement are my looking for? I am not owing anybody.
Are you saying you don’t get loans from banks?
I don’t believe in getting loans.
So, how did you acquire 3,000 buses without loans?
I have people that give me buses without any interest. Chief Mike in Victoria Island discovered us over 17 years ago and has been supplying us buses. His post-dated cheques have never bounced for once. Yes, another name for Sam Maduka is integrity.
What are your long term goals?
I want to have a minimum of 10,000 workers before I retire.
Who do you hope to take up the business from you, at retirement?
My children and staff are there. God willing, I will like to take the business to the Stock Exchange.
In what areas should government intervene in the transport business sector of the country?
They just have to come in immediately. Government should make roads available and that is killing the business. We are contributing to the economy of Nigeria and government should not forget us. Another major challenge for us is electricity.
What do you need that for?
We run a workshop and an assembling plant licensed by the Federal Government. I find it difficult to accept that a country that prides herself as one of the oil producing countries in the world is still importing petroleum products. That is one area we also need to work on. When we import everything, we are breeding unemployment and that, in turn, breeds militancy.
Why did you choose to dabble into politics, in recent times?
Because I know that I have something to offer. I have enough businesses that give me the money I want.
But won’t you rather mind your businesses and let alone the game of politics?
If I don’t dabble at politics, it means I am not a successful businessman. A businessman without a successive plan is an unsuccessful businessman. I am ready to serve Nigeria to the best of my ability. My interest is in creating jobs.
What lessons can the younger generations draw from your success story?
I believe that is hardwork, but success does not come from hardwork alone. I have always believed in God. Through the social media, people wished that we pack up in business. The accident they keep peddling happened when a truck left its lane and killed our driver and about eight passengers. The facts are there and even the police and FRSC exonerated us. My drivers have all been good, if not, how did they grow the business from two buses to 3,000 buses? How come they grew the business to make us the best in the country? Accidents must be treated individually.
As a company, what measures are you putting in place to minimise road hazards?
As at today, we remain the first to bring in the speed limiter into this country and we took it to the FRSC. They adopted it. The former corps marshal, Osita Chidoka, came to commission it for us then. PMT remains the first transport company to train over 2,000 drivers in the Road Safety Academy. I always tell my drivers that a driver is more important than a doctor who would work on one patient at a time, together with other nurses, but a driver has the lives of many people in his hands. Passengers should also respect the drivers. If passengers see a driver as a friend, the driver would assume he is carrying his family. Very soon, we are going to start a campaign that would educate passengers on safety measures.
How do you unwind?
It would be difficult to answer because, like I told you, I had my first holiday six years ago. I love spending my time with my wife and children. I also like table tennis. I am not a very sociable person that goes out to dirnk. Talking about what I like, I would say I like thinking. Once in a while. I talk about God.
What message do you have for your teeming passengers, across the country?
The message is that Peace Mass Transit has not changed. Our 21 years experience should only help us change for the better. Profit or no profit, I will continue to give the best. The price of a buses has increased. A bus which used to sell for N7.2 million now sells for N15 million. The price of tyre has increased from N13,000 to N27,000. We didn’t know that the campaigns against us had been ongoing online but with time, Nigerians would know better. I want to be one that would give Nigeria a safety standardisation process. If Peace Mass Transit is not among first two in this country, I will close tomorrow. I look beyond Nigeria because I travel a lot. If you are number one in Nigeria, then you are number one in Africa. I don’t compete locally. I believe in ethical competition. I am not going to be a party to a job that goes about killing Nigerians in the name of making money. To do what with the money?