I STARTED MY BUSINESS WITH JUST
50,000 BUT TODAY WE ARE EVERY WHERE AROUND THE WORLD
- CHIEF JOHN
CHIGOZIE MOMAH
Kindly introduce yourself sir?
Yes welcome,
am Chief John Chigozie Momah, the MD, Johngate industrial company, a renowned
international businessman a native of Anambra state from nnewi local government,
I was born in the year 1966, I went to primary school, in my village, from
there my high school then to the university of Nigeria, Nsuka.
How long have you been in this tyre,
batteries, brake fluid and other business, because what we see on ground is
very huge?
Well I can
says decades, I have been managing this business for years though it was not
like this when we started but today to God be the glory ,when we are growing up
I saw lot of different business people do, but God directed my feet towards
this particular one, today it’s a success story.
Tell me in particular, which kind of
business you do?
Well been a
business man, we are into the importation of good from Switzerland, Germany,
USA, china and south-Korea to mentioned but few, we import mainly automobile
products, batteries,tyres and other spare parts.
Sir Looking backwards sir, can we say
this business you are doing is what you really wanted to do as a growing up
boy; in reaching this stature can we say there are no challenges along the way?
Laugh!!!well nothing is smooth, but because of
the determination in me to make end meet, I was ready to make things happen in
my side, but by the grace of God things work out the way I plan it, but really
at the beginning it was not too smooth looking at my background that my father
did not even has a bicycle not to talk of anything so you can see that it’s
tough, I try all my possible best to be what I am today.
Can we say you are a fulfilled
businessman now or not?
Well I will
say yes and the other side says No, when I say yes, God has really blessed me
so much that as of today I can fit in to the elite class but at the same time I
did not want to lose my focus, because I believe I can still torch life’s more
than what we have been able to do, because it is good to assist the less privileges,
God bless you to be a blessing to others so that is why I said No, with God
always on my side I know he will give me wisdom to do more to the society.
You are nominated for a legendary
award in Benin Edo State, sir such award come with a lot of responsibility, how
prepared are you towards any challenge that come your way as a result of the
award?
I can says
God is the only one that can scale one through in any challenges, it is by the
grace of God, so I believe that with God all things are possible, also to me I
know am ready to face any challenges that comes my way with God on my side,
really I was surprised when I was told have been nominated for such an award,
this tells me that where ever you are or doing people are watching you. I so
much give thanks to God for that honor.
Lots of youth outside there will want
to be like you, looking at the achievement you have made in your business, what
are your words to them?
To achieve
once desire is very easy, most importantly you first put everything in the hand
of God, and you will be focus and plan very well at what you are looking at,
some people believe that you need somebody hand to pull you up before you can
get there, I use to tell people that will listen that it’s a lair, sometime you
might not need anybody but your determination to make your dreams come true, you
are not created to be servant to others, so you can achieve what you want to
achieve without anybody pulling you up, like me I started very little but today
the result is everywhere around the world now.
As a businessman when was your
turning point, can you share with us?
Good question,
well I will say my turning point was when everything that I has was not up to
50.000, and I was able to meet some business guy that usually come for
business, they are native of shaki in Oyo state, one day they came for
business, they met with me saying that they heard a lot about me, i.e., am very
focused and determined to work, that they were told that if they support me by
giving me cash to do business I will do it well and returned their money to
them fast, so after they have change the money they gave me 12million,I
collected it and inside me I said to myself I must not disappoint them which I
did, few days later they came back and their money is ready including the
little I made as profit, so I started from there, with the money I was able to
import bicycle, batteries and other goods ,so from there I sell and send their
money back to them, so I can say that was my turning point.
Who can we say what your mentor in
business, the person actually look unto as a role model?
My major
mentor is GOD, the almighty, also Cosmas maduka, chairman coscharis motors, we
are from the same places, like we started together, so I said to myself if he
can make it, I also will make it, and God has been on my side.
Let’s look at the role of your better
half your wife in this achievement process, what has been her role?
Yes I thank
God that he gave me the bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh and the person that
understand me the more, I thank God for giving me my better half, she is all
and all, she gives me lot of encouragement and support even when the going was
rough after God there is no any other person except my wife.
As a businessman are you satisfy with
the level of governance today in the country?
I will say
no, the reason why I said so is that if you look at the Nigeria of yester years
while I was in school, then we never know that education can will be so
expensive like this, then if we want to drink water, we just go to the tap open
our hand water falls into it and we drink. Some of our leaders disappointed us,
we are really bless with enough mineral resources, but still we are leaving in
poverty, so I think the government can do more, and at this junction I will
like to advices the youth to be more alive in their responsibility. I will want
them to come out with ideal that will help them come up with policy not to rely
on government to survive. I believe there is nothing God cannot do, we should
seek him all the time and Nigeria will return to its glory.
What did life taught you as a young
man while you are growing, or can we say your earlier is just like the ordinary
boy on the street?
I came up
like the ordinary boy on the street, I was born into a polygamous home, it
happen that my father first wife’s daughter is older than my mother, my father
married four wife, so you will know where am coming from. My father is a
disciplinary person and he taught us to be disciplined that is what we are
enjoying today.thanks
