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Sunday 5 October 2014

The Proprietor Of BIMS African Foods Peckham, London Says She Started Business ‘With £1,000 Capital, & Now Export Food To 20 Countries’


Mrs Bola Amole is the proprietor of BIMS African Foods Limited based in the United Kingdom and BIMS Afro Continental located in Lagos. Amole, who is also the national president of the Association of Food and Vegetable Exporters of Nigeria ferrying African food to more than 20 countries, is also into real estate business. She also speaks on her business and why cancer is on the increase in Nigeria, among other issues. 
Excerpts below:

After more than two decades abroad, you are frequent in Nigeria these days. Are you finally back?
I am back home in Nigeria and I still have my business flourishing in the United Kingdom, where I am into real estate or property investment as well as food business. I am back to contribute my quota to the political development of my community. But this time around, I am offering myself to represent Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency. However, I will not say because I am in politics, I will fold my hands. No! I am setting up my factory because I am never going to be a political jobber.
Could you tell us how you began the food business?
I started this business in 1992 and to God be the glory my business names are household names worldwide. I started with practically nothing. I started with 1,000 Pounds in the UK and was supporting the business with four nights of work every week. To the glory of God, this business has grown well today and I have received several international awards for this, some of such awards include: the Nigerian Business Woman of Award (1994); African Business Woman Award (1997); African Personality Award (1998); among others. When I look back today, I always thank God.
Food export business is time-consuming and needs total dedication. Don’t forget we deal in a lot of perishable items. The philosophy which I have always applied is God first and then hard work. My experience internationally has been that people need to really wake up and change the orientation of pursuing white collar jobs. I have encouraged lawyers, doctors and also trained them on how to start and manage the business. Today, if you tell me about professionals like doctors, lawyers, the question I always ask is, how much are they earning? Those into paid employment in Nigeria should try something else and they will get better result and earn more than what they are currently relying on as income. The mentality of most Nigerians is largely about white collar jobs. But do you know that farmers in Nigeria of today are so rich? Do you know how much we purchase a bag of ogbono (African wild mango) sometimes? We buy it for N70, 000 and I am talking of a weight of 40 kilogrammes. There are so many agriculture produce from Nigeria in high demand globally.
I work with the United Nations (UN) and I supply worldwide to more than 20 countries. Recently, I sent food to Israel and Syria. A layman on the street will say, what do Israel and Syria want from Nigeria? They want our melon seeds. I am highly experienced in this food business, though it posed a serious challenge in the past, with determination and training and exposure to global best practices, I have overcome most of the challenges. I get so many invitations from many countries, but I resolved that I should not be helping other countries while my own country is not getting it right. So, I’m home to advise policy makers about what I have seen globally and how Nigeria can make money from the opportunity.
Mrs Abimbola Amola
How do you get your products approved before they are taken abroad?
The business is not for jokers at all. You need to equip yourself educationally. Do you know as a food exporter and seller in the UK, I still train? For you to be able to import gaari and beans into the UK, you will write examinations. There are so many courses I have taken as far as food exportation and importation business is concerned abroad. I just did HACCP level two course, level four course on Food and Health Hygiene. You have to meet international standards before you can make headway in the business and call yourself a food exporter. I wake up every 4 a.m. to read, to network and to strategise.
Have you had situation where your shipments from Nigeria were intercepted and confiscated by the Western countries for not meeting certain standards?
Right now, we are having problem with the UK authorities about beans from Nigeria. Any beans entering the UK now from Nigeria will be intercepted and re-analysed, irrespective of any certificate such product carries. And for the past one year, 80 per cent of our brown beans have been intercepted and destroyed. Last year alone, I lost about 40, 000 Pounds on beans. In the UK now, they just don’t want our beans and melon seeds.
Why?
With beans, they are querying the fumigants used to treat our beans. Fumigants like dichloforous which is poisonous and considered highly cancerous. But nobody seems to care in Nigeria about this but the British authorities care. For the melon seed, they are querying presence of aflatoxin in the product. A lot is going on here in Nigeria that is gradually killing our people. Unfortunately, we don’t believe in carrying out post-mortem on the dead. We believe whoever dies is killed by the woman or man next door. But the person might have been consuming poison here and there. So, accumulation of toxicities in the body system kills. Over there, they will screen, analyse and re-analyse. They don’t believe in our certificate. Before we can take food out of Nigeria, we need to obtain what is called the phytosanitary certificate, but unfortunately nobody has respect for this certificate in other countries. This is because they believe it can be bought in the market in Nigeria. My goods have been impounded as a result of this and I have lost so much money. But I keep forging ahead because I believe I can overcome the challenges.
So you saying the more Nigerians continue to consume brown beans, the more they expose themselves to cancer?
It is not only the brown beans, even maize and kolanut.
What do we consume then if all these agriculture produce contain poisonous elements?
Government needs to do a lot by educating the farmers on what to do after harvesting. The farmers spray maize and beans with chemicals after these produce are harvested. Has the government been checking the level of chemicals the farmers use on the products that we are consuming? Government needs to educate the farmers on the storage process. For example, after harvesting melon seeds, instead of shelling them immediately, the farmers put them somewhere and the moment they become moist or rain touches them, aflactoxin will grow in them in the mould that is seen on them where they are kept. So, the seeds produced through this procedure become aflactoxin-contaminated and this is cancerous. The level of carbon dioxide in the smoked fish we consume in this country is quite high. Abroad, smoking with firewood has been discouraged. But here nobody cares. If we believe in conducting post-mortem on the dead, our government will easily identify what is killing our people.
Your advice for government in Nigeria about the challenges you face in this business.
I belong to different chains of food supplier in the world. I attend global conferences on food export and import.
My experience has shown that people want Nigerian food and products worldwide. But nobody is supporting the exporters and the farmers as well. But things have begun to change positively with the present dispensation of President Goodluck Jonathan which is changing the orientation of farmers and supporting them. I give kudos to President Jonathan in this area. He is doing well and I respect him a lot for this. Things are changing and gradually we shall get there. Since Nigerian products are in hot demand abroad, all we need now is what is presently happening: education, orientation, seminars, conferences and exposure to the global community. Soon, we will be hearing the name of Nigeria more in the world market more than ever before.

What is your advice for women?
Many Nigerian women need exposure. Without sounding immodest, I am an achiever from London. I have been in different fields. I read about a woman who is digging well, which is a male-dominated field. Our women should not fold their hands and complain; they should engage in productive ventures that will not make them dependent solely on their husbands.
Women should not forget Margaret Thatcher’s era in England. They need to go and see what Helen John-Sirleaf is doing in Liberia. Go round the world and you will see that the in-thing now is that women are doing it better than men. The relegation of women to the farm or kitchen has gone for good. The whole world is changing. Look at what the women of the past achieved. I give kudos to Queen Amina of Zaria, Kaduna; Hadjia Sawaba Gambo; Margaret Ekpo and even to Madam Efunsetan Aniwura from Oyo State and many others. They didn’t see themselves as women, but as people who could make and actually made a change. It is when a woman is lazy that she has the time to do all manner of negative things.
After more than two decades abroad, you are frequent in Nigeria these days. Are you finally back?
I am back home in Nigeria and I still have my business flourishing in the United Kingdom, where I am into real estate or property investment as well as food business. I am back to contribute my quota to the political development of my community. But this time around, I am offering myself to represent Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency. However, I will not say because I am in politics, I will fold my hands. No! I am setting up my factory because I am never going to be a political jobber.

Could you tell us how you began the food business?
I started this business in 1992 and to God be the glory my business names are household names worldwide. I started with practically nothing. I started with 1,000 Pounds in the UK and was supporting the business with four nights of work every week. To the glory of God, this business has grown well today and I have received several international awards for this, some of such awards include: the Nigerian Business Woman of Award (1994); African Business Woman Award (1997); African Personality Award (1998); among others. When I look back today, I always thank God.
Food export business is time-consuming and needs total dedication. Don’t forget we deal in a lot of perishable items. The philosophy which I have always applied is God first and then hard work. My experience internationally has been that people need to really wake up and change the orientation of pursuing white collar jobs. I have encouraged lawyers, doctors and also trained them on how to start and manage the business. Today, if you tell me about professionals like doctors, lawyers, the question I always ask is, how much are they earning? Those into paid employment in Nigeria should try something else and they will get better result and earn more than what they are currently relying on as income. The mentality of most Nigerians is largely about white collar jobs. But do you know that farmers in Nigeria of today are so rich? Do you know how much we purchase a bag of ogbono (African wild mango) sometimes? We buy it for N70, 000 and I am talking of a weight of 40 kilogrammes. There are so many agriculture produce from Nigeria in high demand globally.
I work with the United Nations (UN) and I supply worldwide to more than 20 countries. Recently, I sent food to Israel and Syria. A layman on the street will say, what do Israel and Syria want from Nigeria? They want our melon seeds. I am highly experienced in this food business, though it posed a serious challenge in the past, with determination and training and exposure to global best practices, I have overcome most of the challenges. I get so many invitations from many countries, but I resolved that I should not be helping other countries while my own country is not getting it right. So, I’m home to advise policy makers about what I have seen globally and how Nigeria can make money from the opportunity.

How do you get your products approved before they are taken abroad?
The business is not for jokers at all. You need to equip yourself educationally. Do you know as a food exporter and seller in the UK, I still train? For you to be able to import gaari and beans into the UK, you will write examinations. There are so many courses I have taken as far as food exportation and importation business is concerned abroad. I just did HACCP level two course, level four course on Food and Health Hygiene. You have to meet international standards before you can make headway in the business and call yourself a food exporter. I wake up every 4 a.m. to read, to network and to strategise.

Have you had situation where your shipments from Nigeria were intercepted and confiscated by the Western countries for not meeting certain standards?
Right now, we are having problem with the UK authorities about beans from Nigeria. Any beans entering the UK now from Nigeria will be intercepted and re-analysed, irrespective of any certificate such product carries. And for the past one year, 80 per cent of our brown beans have been intercepted and destroyed. Last year alone, I lost about 40, 000 Pounds on beans. In the UK now, they just don’t want our beans and melon seeds.

Why?
With beans, they are querying the fumigants used to treat our beans. Fumigants like dichloforous which is poisonous and considered highly cancerous. But nobody seems to care in Nigeria about this but the British authorities care. For the melon seed, they are querying presence of aflatoxin in the product. A lot is going on here in Nigeria that is gradually killing our people. Unfortunately, we don’t believe in carrying out post-mortem on the dead. We believe whoever dies is killed by the woman or man next door. But the person might have been consuming poison here and there. So, accumulation of toxicities in the body system kills. Over there, they will screen, analyse and re-analyse. They don’t believe in our certificate. Before we can take food out of Nigeria, we need to obtain what is called the phytosanitary certificate, but unfortunately nobody has respect for this certificate in other countries. This is because they believe it can be bought in the market in Nigeria. My goods have been impounded as a result of this and I have lost so much money. But I keep forging ahead because I believe I can overcome the challenges.

So you saying the more Nigerians continue to consume brown beans, the more they expose themselves to cancer?
It is not only the brown beans, even maize and kolanut.

What do we consume then if all these agriculture produce contain poisonous elements?
Government needs to do a lot by educating the farmers on what to do after harvesting. The farmers spray maize and beans with chemicals after these produce are harvested. Has the government been checking the level of chemicals the farmers use on the products that we are consuming? Government needs to educate the farmers on the storage process. For example, after harvesting melon seeds, instead of shelling them immediately, the farmers put them somewhere and the moment they become moist or rain touches them, aflactoxin will grow in them in the mould that is seen on them where they are kept. So, the seeds produced through this procedure become aflactoxin-contaminated and this is cancerous. The level of carbon dioxide in the smoked fish we consume in this country is quite high. Abroad, smoking with firewood has been discouraged. But here nobody cares. If we believe in conducting post-mortem on the dead, our government will easily identify what is killing our people.

Your advice for government in Nigeria about the challenges you face in this business.
I belong to different chains of food supplier in the world. I attend global conferences on food export and import.
My experience has shown that people want Nigerian food and products worldwide. But nobody is supporting the exporters and the farmers as well. But things have begun to change positively with the present dispensation of President Goodluck Jonathan which is changing the orientation of farmers and supporting them. I give kudos to President Jonathan in this area. He is doing well and I respect him a lot for this. Things are changing and gradually we shall get there. Since Nigerian products are in hot demand abroad, all we need now is what is presently happening: education, orientation, seminars, conferences and exposure to the global community. Soon, we will be hearing the name of Nigeria more in the world market more than ever before.

What is your advice for women?
Many Nigerian women need exposure. Without sounding immodest, I am an achiever from London. I have been in different fields. I read about a woman who is digging well, which is a male-dominated field.  Our women should not fold their hands and complain; they should engage in productive ventures that will not make them dependent solely on their husbands.
Women should not forget Margaret Thatcher’s era in England. They need to go and see what Helen John-Sirleaf is doing in Liberia. Go round the world and you will see that the in-thing now is that women are doing it better than men. The relegation of women to the farm or kitchen has gone for good. The whole world is changing. Look at what the women of the past achieved. I give kudos to Queen Amina of Zaria, Kaduna; Hadjia Sawaba Gambo; Margaret Ekpo and even to Madam Efunsetan Aniwura from Oyo State and many others. They didn’t see themselves as women, but as people who could make and actually made a change. It is when a woman is lazy that she has the time to do all manner of negative things.

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