Mary Nnah
In light of the current situation in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer of CleanAce Limited, Mr. Eniibukun Adebayo, has re-emphasised the need for brands to align with global standards, if only the government will provide an enabling environment.
Adebayo who said there were incredible and enormous potentials in the country, noted that there was the need to give people the space to live out their dreams and ideas, while stressing that the government has not been facilitating the business process but militating against it.
“There are immense opportunities to be tapped when the Government impacts the citizens positively. The case of Nigeria is like a parent who does not nurture the children appropriately. The country should see the benefits of properly engaging and
guiding the citizens. It is unfortunate that as a nation, we only focus on the short run gains. Nigeria is greatly endowed with several potentials which are not adequately harnessed for growth and development”, Adebayo said.
He said therefore that it was important the government is run like a business enterprise with clear objectives, adding, “there should be fairness and justice. Nigeria should be fair to her citizens in all ramifications. The ripple effect of negative action by the government goes farther than we imagine. The environment should be conducive for business. There should be rewards as well as discipline in the country.”
“There is the basic need for the government to rethink the strategy for technical education. There must be a shift of focus from desiring collar jobs to embracing proper education. It is important for education to be tailored to meet people’s passion. The government should encourage SMEs and the entire citizenly to look more at Technical Education.
“The minds of the people should be disabused from the negative perception about Technical Education. The minds of the people should be more technically oriented as a nation. The government should also establish more Technical Institutions to support the growth of SMEs, the CleanAce boss noted.
Speaking further he said, “This is incumbent upon the government to provide clear direction to enhance growth. We also need data to sustain growth. When there is data of information, SME’s can adequately grow their business operations.
“The government should create platforms in terms of structure to drive growth for SMEs. However, education should play a paramount role.”
He also stressed that it was important for government agencies to do their job effectively in order to support local production.
“In a case like NAFDAC, it supports both the SME’s as well as protects the citizens from fake products. This should be the focus of the agencies of government. The onus is on the government to put structures in place to develop local contents production.
“Made-in Nigeria products should be supported through patronage by government officials. Our government must be real in terms of sustaining and keeping business organisations alive.
“China is boosting its economy already and we continue to impact goods of lesser quality. Nigeria as a nation needs to wake up and determine its objectives.
“There is a bigger framework that must govern all of us. In essence, there should be an end to impunity and lawlessness.”
For business owners, Adebayo advised that they should endeavour to assess finance options for their businesses.
“The banks play a critical role as they have a structure in place. Business owners should embrace the strenuous conditions as they are beneficial on a long term.
“I experienced this and it is one of the success factors of our organisation. Integrity pays a crucial role for business owners. The person who gave me money for my business never documented anything. There are millions of people who want to provide assistance. People should learn to do the right thing to attract help.”
“It is important for upcoming entrepreneurs to start with personal savings and be more disciplined. It has also become imperative for business owners in Nigeria to focus on creativity and quality service as key parameters to become reference points”, he said.
For the way forward in the industry, Adebayo who has
in the last 15 years worked to create harmony amongst drycleaners, revealed there was a vacuum in the industry.
“There is unhealthy competition which is very unnecessary. People import all kinds of chemicals into the country. It has reached the level of anything that goes and comes into the industry.
“There is corruption as people bribe their way to commit all kinds of unethical practices. There is the need to have a formidable association in the industry.
“For instance, during COVID-19, drycleaners were not recognised as essential service providers. Some other countries recognised them and allowed them to be opened for business.
“Dry Cleaners were the ones cleaning and washing clothing materials used during the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The biggest threat in the fabricare industry in Nigeria is the lack of an association.
“There is no recognition by the government. It is also pertinent to slate that the abuse in the drycleaning industry must stop. The importation of chemicals dangerous to the health of staff in the industry should stop”, he added.
Speaking further on the unique selling proposition of the CleanAce brand, a prominent laundry and dry cleaning firm in Nigeria and the first ISO 9001: 2015 certified drycleaning firm in Africa, which clocked 15 years
recently, the CEO said, “Our USP is threefold – Quality, speed and Price.
“We are poised to deliver professional services as the only ISO certified dry-cleaning firm in Africa. We are professionally structured to work within the framework of global standards to deliver ultimate superior service delivery.
“Our ISO 9001-2015 focuses on quality management systems. We strategise the dimension we want to participate as a notable player in the industry.
“We raise the bar of service delivery through our competent, pre-active and well trained workforce. We have exposed our staff to global training in Italy, USA and Dubai.”
Adebayo, who is a consummate professional and business strategist, said further that, “CleanAce as a brand does not see itself competing locally. We benchmark our services in line with global standards. It is pertinent to state that we align our operations and delivery in line with the quality of the fabric our clients bring to us.
“We are constantly raising the bar of creativity and excellent service delivery to sustain a strong brand pedigree. We also import all our materials to ensure adequate care and delivery.”
“One of our core values is integrity which has rubbed off positively on our corporate image. Our staff has demonstrated high level honesty and integrity to the admiration of our esteemed clients.
“Our company has a strong focus on high quality and very affordable pricing. Our internal processes are flexible in order to quickly determine bottlenecks in our operations. Our brand goal is the delivery of exceptional customer experience. In actual fact, for the year 2020, it is quality or nothing else for us”, he noted.
