Daily Independent Online.
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Friday, July 02, 2004.
Linking Lagos to Accra by road
In the next couple of weeks, Associated Bus
Company(ABC) Transport is set to flag off its international route across the
West Coast. In this piece, Maximums Uba who has been following the activities of the company
since inception in 1993 , chronicles the journey so far.
Ordinarily entering into the arena of
long distance luxury business where the likes of Ekene Dili Chukwu, Young Shall
Grow, Chisco and Izuchukwu have established not only a name but also appropriated a sizeable chunk of the
traveling public is akin to a Volkswagen beetle attempting to square up with a
B.M.W or a Mercedes Benz on third Mainland bridge. Francis Nneji, the ABC boss,
who is not a man of competition but that of ideas must have had a lion heart
when he took the decision to plunge into the world of Luxurious transport
business in 1993 not to compete but to succeed and if possible to sanitize the
entire industry, which has been described as lacking in focus and unfriendly.
With his brand Name, A.B.C. transport, Nneji introduced services which many
industry analysts as well as the discerning public say although novel would be
difficult to sustain. These services include on time departure, entertainment
on board, regulated speeding, and no attachment. The above is in addition to
special travel services
like executive express, super sleeper which practically provides bed in an air
condition environment. There were also other ancillary services like charter
services, bulk cargo shipment as well as cash transfer services. Ten years
after the same clique of critics who saw his vision as unsustainable agree that
not only has A.B.C sustained its services, it has extended its tentacles in the
area of building terminals as seen in Abuja, Owerri, Lagos.
However the news today is no on its services but its
flag off of the West Coast route that will see the bus company operate Lagos, -
Cotonou- Togo-Accras route. Scheduled to commence in the first week of July,
the service is targeted to boost tourism potentials as well as increase the
volume of economic activities between Nigeria and its West Coast Neighbours. Expectedly
man businessmen including Nationals of Togo and Ghana have been making inquires
on the take off date of the project which will enable them transact their
business in an atmosphere of peace, comfort and safety. Said a Ghananian
National who sent a mail to A.B.C. transport “we look forward to the flag
off of your activities as it will enable us travel without the usual attendant
problems associated with cross border ravels especially as it concerns safety
and comfort. Already the maiden flag off to Ghana is expected to have men of
the NTDC, customs, immigration as well as other stakeholders on board.
Indeed Mr. Frank Nneji the Managing Director of
A.B.C. has some positive antecedents trailing him. As a college student, Nneji
would hire pick vans each time his school, Mbaise Secondary School would be
playing football match or engaged in debating society activities with other
neighbouring schools and charge students money despite his comfortable
background. At the University of Nigeria Nsukka from which he took a degree in
Zoology in 1982, Nneji was its transport officer, a period which students would
remember with passion.
But the man who many see as dreamer believes he is
yet to get to his dream land. he has promised to continuously ensure that
“our strategy, people and structure including processes are focused and
harnessed to achieve our dream which is to deliver superior services to our
clients especially because the future belongs to organizations that are focused
and energized to take the advantages of opportunities in ever changing and
challenging environment like our. While believing that the success of A.B.C is
not his making alone but that of group effort of customers, supplies, staff and
other stakeholders, Nneji opined that the above sums up reasons why A.B.C. does
not joke with continuing education and training as well as career development
of its staff as well as safety and comfort of its passengers.
As A.B.C. flags off this giant stride in the coming
weeks, it is likely that many including its competitors are asking what will be
the next line of dream of Mr. Nneji. The answer lies in the fact that the trick
to see the future before it arrives is always with the man who sleeps and wakes
with dreams.
Maximums
Uba lives in Lagos.
