A few months ago, Nweze Covenant Obi Osborne Dave, famously known as Prince Osborne Nweze, the first son of Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, was in the news as he graduated from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom with a degree in civil engineering at the age of 21.
Prince Osborn Nweze has since charted his career path, doubling as the managing director of Brass Oil and Construction Company Limited and the Chief Executive Officer of Osborne La-Palm Royal Resort.
Many had thought the young man would stay back in the UK for some time rather than hurrying home.
Nweze in a recent interview with Business Day explained his rationale for not tarrying in the UK after his study.
“It has always been my passion to see Nigeria reach the level of its western counterparts, in terms of infrastructure, good health care, electricity supply, education through steady growth and installations of qualified people in key roles in certain ministries; I wanted to be part of that growth. So coming back to Nigeria has always felt like the right thing to do, for me to be a part of that growth I’ve always wanted for Nigeria,” he said.
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His education abroad, he averred, had opened his eyes to major lessons about Africa concerning the bane of Nigeria and the continent in general concerning development.
Prince Osborn Nweze said: “I strongly believe that if Nigeria has the proper institutions that have been structured around educating the youth, we would have a large population of voters who would vote for political candidates based on their qualifications, and not because of sentiment.”
He submitted further: “If we elect leaders and managers who are most qualified, irrespective of their ethnicity or place of origin, we will have a nation of qualified leadership. That’s what every country needs for proper development.”
He also spoke on measures he adopted to enhance his performance as a young CEO. “I ensure that I hire people based on their qualifications and their experience above every other thing,” he disclosed.
He continued: “There is the imperative of proper and regular monitoring of the day-to-day running of the business; therefore if your employees are well qualified, the CEO will find it easier to keep tabs on the business and ensures that customer needs are met.”
He further dispelled any speculation that he is perhaps an armchair Chief Executive in his fledgeling career: “I have been part of structural designs for certain projects taken on by my company; I also as well handle site and project management for ongoing projects,” he intoned.
Though a chip off the old block, literally and professionally, Prince Osborn Nweze is not prepared to walk in the shadow of his governor father, he claimed. “As much as I enjoy working on constructional engineering like my father, I also have created applications that I have been working on for several years. For instance, I am very interested and very much into management of hotel” he stated.
