Engineer Charles Osezuwa is the Chairman and group Chief Executive Officer at Owel-Linkso Group, an energy, gas and agro-allied services company. Prior to his foray into the world of business, he served as a special assistant on gas and industry to the Head of State in the transitionary government of General Abdusalami Abubakar and was a member of the board of the organisation that created the Lagos Business School. In this interview with Rita Ohai, he gives insight on principles that guides his business growth and the saga that rocked NNPC in his time.
When asked to describe himself, Charles Osezua who has been a big player in the oil and gas industry for nearly 30 years, defines himself as a man who creates businesses and promote projects.
That’s basically what he gets a kick from.
As a well-versed business developer and manufacturer of vital commodities ranging from food merchandise to oil and gas products, mastering the dynamics of the industries he seeks to dominate is a skill that has opened doors and built him tangible relationships across board.
Yet while Charles has recorded many notable accomplishments, top on the list which includes creating Nigeria’s first gas utility company called Gaslink, for the greater Lagos industrial area that covers Ikeja – Apapa motor road, as well as, recently acquiring the Egbaoma plant in partnership with Africa Capital Alliance; his journey to success has had its fair share of challenges.
After serving with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Osezua was embroiled in a national saga that made headlines and led to the sack of five directors in his organisation.
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On the heels of the drama that ensued, he was forced to transition from a heavily paying, stable job to a sector where sacrifice and selfless living is modus operandi.
Explaining his side of the story as well as the changes he had made to protect himself, his family and his vision, Osezua said, “NNPC was a very interesting and exciting place to work because I was challenged.
“As a gas engineer, there were not many of us and I had the opportunity to serve on the LNG development efforts as a member of the technical advisory committee but I felt that we could do better and that our choices must be consistent with a desire for excellence. And so, I think that is what drove me to writing, then a minority report.
“Eventually government took a decision based on that minority report and five directors were fired and if you were me, a small engineer in what I would say almost a mega-national corporation or the biggest company in Africa, your safety becomes something you question,” he said.
Articles were written about him and the media was awash with tales of a young engineer who had ruffled the hornet’s nest. Before long, it became a wise choice to quit his job and move on. Only this time, he did not resume his next position as an architect and developer of natural resources rather the highly respected gas engineer decided to take a job offer from a church priest.
He was assigned to head a non-governmental organisation.
That decision changed his life and it gave him peace. Reflecting on that period in his life, he said, “I always joke about it but it was very interesting because I knew it was going to be a tough change, but I like challenges. It became an opportunity I was glad to take because I saw peace.”
Being a very busy man, managing the work-life balance can be a tough challenge but the grandfather of five has been able to find a balance by creating adequate time for his family and maintaining some structure at the office. He tells us how.
“Well it is about priority,” he says, “I tell my colleagues in the business world that; what works for the business works for the family.
“Whatever is important to you, find time for it. For me, I felt very fortunate that I got clarity at some point in my life on the importance of the family and therefore my wife and I have to plan and agree. Some time for her, some time for the kids and, of course, it is clear also what time for the business. I see it as an integration, my life is one life. I go on dates with my wife.”
This reporter, shocked and excited to the marrow half-yelled, “At this age?!”
“Of course!” he replied, “I have to court my wife. I have to love her and show her I love her. It is a continuum; it is a way of life. If I stop showing it then there is a problem.
“So we go out on dates, she comes to the office to pick me and we go for lunch. I go to lunch with my business partners so often. In the same way, my wife and I go to lunch and I tell my colleagues I have a date.
“You have to give time to the important things. My family is very important. So when I say I go out on dates with my wife, yes it is important for me to spend some quality time with my wife. Yes, we are going to have lunch today. Does that stop me from working? No!” he said.
Having had a career that has spanned over 30 years, Osezua who thinks of himself as an activist has been blessed with many heart-warming moments.
As a result, while others are committed to accumulating as much as they can without the thought of giving back to their communities taking premium on the scale of priorities, Osezua, whose ultimate goal for the future is to live a life of service as he helps groom the next generation of leaders from his wealth of experiences, has a different focus.
Highlighting his greatest achievement is so far and sharing his personal outlook for the next phase of his life, he posited, “My biggest ambition is to be able to teach.
“I have been blessed, I have had the opportunity to learn, I have had very good teachers and bosses who have painstakingly taught me and I am hoping that God will also give me the opportunity and that I will correspond in sharing the knowledge that I have gained with others be it in the family space or in my professional space.
“I’m hoping someday we’ll be able to structure it, then we can say yes, we have passed on to the next generation the little improvement or the addition plus the knowledge we have accumulated so that the world may be a little bit better that we met it,” he concluded.
