By Judith Ufford
The story of the Executive Chairman of Chisco Transport Nig.Ltd, Dr. Chidi Anyaegbu, one of the leading transport companies in the country, is an individual who is determined to establish a reputation grounded on hard work, vision and ambition.
By dint of remarkable commitment, hard work and pronounced astuteness in the industry, the company has indeed expanded its scope of operation from one bus bought from Leventis Nigeria to a fleet plying the west coast of Africa namely, Ghana, Lome, Cotonou and Togo daily.
Anyaegbu has also delved into courier service, haulage, oil and gas, hospitality, importation and exportation and real estate business as well as the FOREX market. In the process, he has provided gainful employment to more than 4,000 skilled and unskilled people. In a chance encounter, he spoke on road transportation in the country and the positive changes the Jonathan administration is making in the sector. The chat began with his views on the economic policies of the Jonathan administration which he said would have far reaching effects in the long run.
“Over the years, the Nigerian economy has depended solely on crude oil. This has limited the growth of the economy to a very large extent. But since the entry of the Jonathan administration, the emphasis has shifted to other sectors of the economy such as tourism, entertainment, transportation and other non-oil sectors. The way things are at the moment, the poor are really hard hit by the harsh economic realities, but I can confidently say this wouldn’t be for long because, in the long run, the policies that have been set in motion by this administration would pay off as they would impact the economy positively”.
Recently, the Luxurious Bus Owners Association of Nigeria, LUBAN, commended the Federal Government for making our roads now motorable. This does not sound like popular opinion. What’s his view?
The effect of good roads on the nation’s economy cannot be over emphasized, he said. “It is a very good policy and a credit to this administration to put our roads in good shape. As a transporter and member of LUBAN, I have to say that good roads are most desirable for us because it makes the business easy by reducing the cost of spare parts and repairs as well as reduction in fuel consumption of these vehicles. I therefore salute this administration for the efforts that have been made on our roads”.
Just as he saluted this aspect of government’s transformation agenda, I was quick to remind him of the government’s effort in reviving our morbid rail system and how this will impact ‘negatively’ on the patronage enjoyed by LUBAN.
Responding, he said that is a very narrow way of looking at the issue. There is no way a good and functional rail system will impact negatively on road transportation. According to him, the rail system is only an arm of the transport sector. “Its patronage is quite different from the patronage of road transport, because they have different classes of customers. However, I would like to say that the Federal Government has even indicated in some fora that the rail system would be handed over to the private sector to manage after the transformation. So, in the long run, it is the same private transporters that would manage it. So, as it is, the railway system cannot be a threat to road transport because they have different classes of patronage and routes.”
As a leading transport company in Nigeria, he noted that the main challenges facing the industry are lack of professional personnel such as drivers, transport administrators and technical staff, high cost of spare parts, high cost of importation of vehicles, decay of infrastructure and other related facilities. The transporter therefore hinged the scarcity of luxury buses in the country on these factors. Adding the high cost of purchase to the list, Anyaegbu disclosed: “One luxury bus is about N65 million. Add the high cost of import duty and other government charges to that and you will understand the disappearance of luxury buses from inter state travel”.
Proffering solutions to ease the problem and bring ours to internationally acceptable standard, he said the first step in this direction is the right infrastructure. “Government should encourage practitioners with grants with none interest loans, low duties on import charges and bailout facility”.
Known for his philantropic activities which has earned him several traditional titles, Anyaegbu has contributed tremendously to the socio-economic and human advancement and development of the people of Amichi in particular and Nigeria in general using his financial and material resources.
For example, the transporter built a 3.6km asphalt road with a complete drainage system and donated same to his home community, Amichi, in Nnewi local government area, Anambra State.
Presently, he is constructing a state of the art hospital in his home town, the first of its kind throughout the federation, to help deliver quality health care to his community.This will be donated to the Nigerian Red Cross Society when completed.
Anyaegbu has also completed and donated a multi-purpose civic centre to the same community.
He funded the building of a Cathedral for his home town to the tune of N78million.
Through a foundation, he has provided scholarship assistance for indigent students in Amichi.
In furtherance of his commitment to ensuring that education is within the reach of his kinsmen and other deserving indigent Nigerian youths, he has attracted a campus of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka to his hometown. He is single handedly funding the construction of the building for the campus which has reached an advanced stage.
In addition, he single-handedly built and equipped the department of transport studies at the University.
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