FERGUSON UZOMAH
Living in the nation’s capital, Abuja, has been a journey of almost 25 years for Ferguson Uzomah. It started after his mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps, which was in Abuja. As a graduate of Project Management Technology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri with a master’s degree in Finance, it does not come as a surprise that he spent 18 years in the banking sector’s most coveted and hardest roles as an investment banker.
It is no surprise that the average day in an investment banker’s life is long and stressful. Those who manage to survive the adjustment period often go on to have long and financially rewarding careers. However, what separates Uzomah from the pack in the tourism sector is the skills garnered as an investment banker, requiring excellent social skills. Aside from the skills to perform the job’s technical functions, he has the stamina, social grace, and the right personality to deal effectively with clients.
When he left in 2011, he set up a project management consultancy firm, QPMC Consultants.
Ferguson held many fun memories: boating, travel, and adventure, things he feels are absent today, especially amongst the lower-income families. Is there a region in the country he has not stepped foot? Growing up in coastal Lagos opened him up to experience the peace, quiet, spirit, and serenity of the waters and beaches.
“Leisure, however, minute, is a part of life,” he says, smiling. This seed germinated into Jabi Boat Club, which has surpassed its threshold in the last four years.
This he believes is just a gateway to tourism in Nigeria as a whole. Uzomah, a lover of novelty, likes to sail in the blue ocean. This he has achieved with the Jabi Boat Club.
With many regions untapped, he believes tourism and the face of business will change if the government dredges the water of the Niger Delta, starting from the delta. This makes Asaba in Delta his next point of call. With the strategic alliance and involvement of the Delta government in providing infrastructure, partnerships, and concession between the government and private owners, he would generate revenues and employment to cater to the needs of Nigeria’s young teeming population.
At Jabi Boat Club, inclusivity is the key factor.
“Everyone should be able to afford our service. Our model is the people. Driving the people to the point they have a reason to come again or tell a family or friend about Jabi Lake. We hope to revolutionise the perception of the average Nigerian on the street,” he enthuses.
There are several ways to have safe, pocket-friendly pleasures without the heat of keep-me-coming-keep-me-going.”
He adds, “With our pocket-friendly family fusion, Jabi Boat Club is home to a range of water sports. From Kayaking, Jet skiing to mundane swimming, boat cruising, and other indoor games like volleyball and basketball are already finding a home with us.”
With the hindsight that some of these sports were already a norm in southern cities like Lagos, Warri, and Calabar, The enterprising businessman made it a mission to bring it to Abuja. There was a lot of re-education on cost and rendered services provided—many with the intention of a one-off experience having been converted to staple customers.
Now, they have come to the point of managing the surging expectations and numbers of newcomers and recurring customers. Wanting to run an exclusively privately-owned club, Uzomah found out early doing that in the capital city would lead to running at a loss. With his insight, business model, and experience in investment banking, a re-modelling is in the works to combat that.
With the dawn of a new day is the rise of variance birthing change. With that said, there is the inculcation of the types of boats most of the customers demand.
“The need to go above and beyond for our customers makes it impossible to ignore all their requests,” said Uzomah.
At this point, he will need a lot to protect the lake. Being at the city centre calls for a lot of attention thus maintenance. This would be a great medium to reach out to the UNDP, Ministry of Environment, and other stakeholders to come to their aid. The government as a regulatory body would profoundly affect introducing measures and possibly investors to create a healthy balance amongst competitors.
Jabi Boat Club prefers the surface for storage on its 4km lake. The revellers are encouraged to fish. Pontoon boats’ choice, a flattish boat that relies on floats to remain buoyant, is making Jabi Boat Club visitors burst at the seams. A pricing review now gives more time for the boat cruise of an hour that was N150,000 for family and friends with food and drinks and music and games.
On the part of the job he loves the most, Uzomah says, “I like the whole part. I’m the chief executive officer, and I have an executive director who is in charge of the food and beverages. I oversee the business, stakeholder management, and government relations. I like the cruise because the experience is beautiful.
“I used to travel to Lagos to experience some of these things in Lagos, but in the last five years, not seen myself on a Jet Ski in Lagos. Ever since the business took off, I’ve said no to Lagos and indeed the whole world.”
Playing host to Femi Kuti, Burna Boy, Tuface, Teni, Mayorkun, amongst others, must have seemed like gathering new steam, but COVID-19 did a number on Jabi Boat Club like any other business enterprise of such nature. With relaxed restrictions, business is picking up. Patronage is on the rise without the music or the internationally acclaimed stars. COVID-19 has forced Jabi Boat Club, like every other business, to work more on enforcing regulations, both old and new, and its protocols within their business premises.
With the current trend of the boating industry locally, Jabi Boat Club has concluded they may never make money from that section going by their N20,000/hr rate, but this loss can be made up for by the other services they provide. Boating is a new venture at Abuja compared to the southern states of Cross-river, Delta, and Rivers. In Lagos, revellers can go far into the lagoon or sea.
With the limitation in growth, Uzomah believes only the government’s involvement can turn the nation’s eye, perhaps the world, to Jabi Boat Club with water sports tournament, which will bring boating associations across the country to come up with the right product for the right event.
Signing a new project with the Delta government with the provision of the River Niger waterfront, Jabi Boat Club is elevating the existing Lander Brothers museum into a modern heritage with breathtaking architecture that will house restaurants, bars, event centres, and beachfront locations. The company is in talks with neighbouring Rivers, Bayelsa and Cross River.
Taking a walk down memory lane, Uzomah adds, “The government understands, but at the same time, the same government is not doing much to get ready for business. Look at Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Seychelles-these are smaller countries getting it right.
“A lot of factors affect us here. I grew up in Lagos, knowing that we made two road trips in a year. I looked forward to these road trips during Easter and Christmas when my father would drive us to the village, and we would spend a week or two. Now, no one would want to go on a road trip for a holiday when bandits are everywhere. Security is a major issue and downfall of tourism. There is no safe place. These are things the government needs to take care of for certain industries to thrive.”
He believes the Asaba endeavour would be funded by one of the government’s interventions.
