Unveiling Awwal Garba, An Indigenous Genius With Global Capacity

Alhaji Awwal Garba A. D. is a Nigerian and British-trained Economist and Business Economist of a rare breed.  He attended the Bayero University Kano, Nigeria and the City University, London, UK, from which institutions he meritoriously obtained his first and second university degrees.  

Awwal is a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Business Management UK.  Since gaining his Masters in Business Economics from the Queen’s land, he has in practice majored in the oil and gas sector of the global business environment, with particular in Nigeria.

He has, without any doubt carved a sizable niche for himself and all the organizations he represents within this very important global sector, oil and gas and particularly for Nigeria, which rely heavily on oil related revenues for its survival and development as a nation.  He has developed a proclivity for discovering the untapped resources within the sector and has successfully over the years tapped from those to the benefit of his chain of business interests, nationally and globally.

Awwal is a rare kind of Entrepreneur with peculiar kind of business instincts which have enabled him to discern uncommon opportunities that are not often apparent in orthodox feasibility studies.  This rare disposition has enabled him to excel in countless ventures and investments, especially within the sector under consideration. His major areas of focus cuts across sectors like, finance, management consulting, marine, oil and gas exploration and production (OEP), oil refinery and real estate development amongst others.  He is a consummate professional with strong interpersonal and effective communication skills, reasonable level of integrity, tenacity and strength of character.

Awwal, in his commitment towards achieving efficiency of organizational goals and objectives, has been courted and is enjoying the confidence of plethora of business organizations, especially within the oil and gas sector.   He seats comfortably on the management position of numerous companies.  These include: Magma Petroleum Investment Limited; Magma Exploration Production Limited; Magma Agro-Allied Limited; Magma Logistics Limited; Magma Gas and Power Spectrum Limited; Magma Pipe and Coating Limited.   Others include: Vaja Group of Companies Nigeria Limited; Kannous Projects Limited; Britannica HDD Refinery Limited and its Branch of Nigeria Limited.  Also, he sits on the board of several companies as Director.  This include: Augusta Energy Nigeria Limited; Blue Strip Consult Limited; Anglo-Africa Energy Limited; Aquashield Marine Global Limited; Afri Allied Services Limited; Rhone Petroleum Limited; and H. Oil Limited.

Awwal is vastly traveled and has in the course of his quest for excellence availed himself of several national, regional and global Professional, Executive Management Training Programmes on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Oil and Gas Economic Management, etc.

Awwal is a great Philanthropist and a man in tune with his people.  Deservedly, he is honoured with the prestigious traditional titles of Galadima Talban, and Talban Dan Hausa Daura.  He is happily married and blessed with children.

One of the interesting things about Galadiman Talban is his genuine concern about the development and growth of his fatherland, Nigeria.  He has demonstrated this in so many ways, and at any given opportunity.  He is a firm believer that though many Nigerians are qualified, and sometimes, more qualified than many of the Expatriates that come to do business in the nation’s most valuable and possibly the most lucrative oil and gas sector, the successive leadership of the country have always preferred to patronize foreign corporations and organizations against their own equally qualified and versatile players within the sector.

According to Awwal, Nigeria and its people would benefit more when they are given the desired opportunity to operate in the important sectors of the nation.  For instance, while Nigeria has oil as its mainstay of revenue and resources for existence and development, other countries like United States of America may have nuclear power, science and technological structures and resources as their mainstay.  Awwal argues how often do the developed countries of the world allow foreigners to come into their countries, and grant them unhindered access to understand, and actively participate in those areas?  That is very rare, or even impossible.

In the same vein, Awwal who has had the privilege of traveling around the world, has come to appreciate that most progressive nations protect the interests of their citizens and their expertise first.

According to him, although it is a known fact that some foreign experts on the oil and gas sector in Nigeria may be better than some of the indigenous players, the truth still remains that in other climes, the leadership of the country ensure that its citizens and experts are placed in a position where they can easily measure up with the expatriates. This situation is not meant to last forever, rather they leaders of most nation would find a way of empowering its citizens until they are able to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.  For instance, United States of America would not say because China is ahead of the US in any particular area of interest, that the Chinese companies should come and become leaders in any such sector in the US. No. Rather, the US government would keep encouraging their own, until they would become as good or even better their major competitors.

He is a firm believer that Nigerian leadership, especially those who are saddled with the management of the oil and gas sector, should, as matter of deliberate and effective national policy ensure that Nigerians and Nigerian companies are evenly involved in the management, operation and development of the oil and gas sectors of the nation’s economy.

Still reflecting on current happenings around the world, the United States of America’s leadership, has in the last two years maintained a policy of ‘America First’, and rightly so.  Even though their President insists that America First does not mean ‘America Alone’ the truth is simple.  He wants to protect the interests of Americans, American Companies and Institutions first, before looking outside the world, and many Americans love their president’s disposition. Also, the British last year left the European Union for good.  In a nationwide Referendum, the British voted to exit EU.  It is not because they hate their hitherto age long Allies, no, but there is growing need for people to reassess the benefits of major world preoccupations to see how it affects their people.

Awwal is of the conviction that when expatriates and foreign companies come to Nigeria and make huge profits, they simply send the profits back to their country, many times without paying the right taxes, but in sharp contrasts, when indigenous companies have the privilege of executing multi-million dollar contracts and possibly make huge profits, they naturally give it back to the Nigerian society.  They pay correct taxes, invest in their country and as a result give employment to teeming Nigerian youths, and by extension contributing more to the development of the society in general.  It is simple, because for the foreign companies, it is all about the gain and profit to their companies, but for the indigenous companies, it is for the gain and for the love of the country, Nigeria.  Foreigners would never come to love or show love to the country.  They simply come to make profit, and then go to their own country to show love to their people.

There are indeed so many competent and expert Nigerian companies in virtually all the critical sectors of Nigeria across sectors like construction, oil and gas, telecommunication, management, marine and military hardware procurement, agriculture and allied products and equipment, etc. These indigenous companies rely heavily on Nigerians for most levels of involvements in their operations. They understand the people and the operational environment better, and are likely to contribute more committedly towards the overall development of the society besides their particular area of interest.

One of such companies is Britanica Horizontal Directional Drilling Limited, an indigenous oil and gas company with particular interest on drilling, exploration, pipe construction and laying, oil pipeline maintenance services.  The company is a true national and global player within the oil and gas sector.  Ranging from exploration, drilling, construction of oil and gas pipes and other related materials, and equipment needed within the oil and gas sector, including training Nigerians in various fields of the sector. The company has several collaborative agreements, memorandum of understanding and strategic partnership agreements with many nationally and globally acclaimed expert organizations, which are very active and current within the global oil and gas environment.  It is equally proficient in the maintenance of the various oil and gas machines, equipment and pipe. Its experience in the management, maintenance and security of the various oil and gas equipment has given the company an age over most competitors in the sector.

In its almost ten years of operation across the oil and gas sector, Britanica Horizontal Directional Drilling Limited, has made it a duty to empower smaller Nigerian oil and gas players, with the requisite skills from the beginning to finish in any given field.  It is on record that at the end of every project which the company has executed, many Nigerians, especially the youths within the locality would not only benefit from the money paid for their labour, but they would always be taken into confidence in the nitty-gritty of the oil and gas sector, which most non-indigenous companies always try to keep them in the dark. Infact, to the surprise of most Community Leaders of where the company has operated, many of the youths are trained on the operation of most of the oil and gas equipment.  As a result, the company has never recorded any incidence of disturbance or disruption of its operation, because of the understanding and respect of the management towards the community, including the Traditional and Opinion Leaders within the community in question.

Also, for any contracts or services rendered in any part Nigeria, the company always insists on giving the opportunities to the indigenes, within the skill and unskilled levels of its operations.  Besides, the company always use every of such opportunity to educate many of the indigenes of the areas on the ways to cope with whatever effect of the operations of national and multi-national oil and gas corporations operating within their environment.

Many opinion leaders and traditional rulers of most communities, including the youths and women have on several occasions voiced their feelings that they were more appreciated, treated better and with more respect, and assisted more by the management and officials of Britanica Horizontal Directional Drilling Limited than many other companies that have executed projects around them.

Indeed, the testimony of the operations of Britanica Horizontal Directional Drilling Limited is also a testimony of the character, personality and integrity of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Awwal, Talban Dan Hausa Daura.  This British trained Business Economists appreciates the natural connection between people and environment.  There is need to foster a strong synergy between the two.  The people must benefit from the operation of what is happening in their environment and vice versa.  He has maintained this ideology all through his professional and business career.  He is an amazing Ambassador of indigenous players within the nation’s all important oil and gas sector.

It would be appropriate for the federal government through its regulators, managers and operators of the oil and gas sector to seek out Nigerians, who are qualified, and who have demonstrated unquestionable performance and requisite professional and personal integrity within the sector to involve them more as a way of keeping the nation’s treasured resources within the nation and its good people.

In this regard, I can state without any fear that Alhaji Awwal Garba A. D., indeed represents such Nigerians, who are indeed scattered across the country.

He is truly an Indigenous Genius with a Global Capacity.