Tracing the Genesis of Genesis Brand
Today, one hears of Genesis Restaurant, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Genesis Fillup, Genesis Bread, Genesis Sojourner, and more. The Genesis brand has gradually but steadily become a conglomerate that has spread across the federation, employing about 2,500 people. Interestingly, the Genesis brand – which currently spans restaurants, hotels, catering, cinemas, real estate, bakery/confectioneries, facilities management and lifestyle centres - was started by a 21 year old young man just fresh from the university.
What led to the birth of the brand? Upon graduation from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1990 and completing his National Youth Service Corps scheme in 1991, young Nnaeto Orazulike started work in a bank. On a certain day, he took a female friend out on a date but was disappointed that he could not find a fine-dining restaurant in Enugu that met his taste. Because he did not find satisfaction in his banking work or practising the accountancy that he studied, and because the entrepreneurship drive in him was pushing him to do something new and creative, he decided to provide Enugu with an upscale restaurant that same 1991.
He started the Genesis Restaurant in Enugu even without knowing how to cook or how to manage a business. The situation was not helped by the fact that Enugu was seen as a city of civil servants, lecturers and students, which made everybody assume that the restaurant would not be well patronised. But Genesis Restaurant was an instant success. A brand was born. So Genesis brand was created to fill a gap and solve a need.
Nigeria is a typical example of a glass of water that can be seen as half full or half empty. The mindset of the person who is looking at it will determine what the person sees. Those who see only doom always see it half empty, while those who see the great opportunities in Nigeria usually see it as half full.
Unfortunately most Nigerians prefer to see the negative side of Nigeria and concentrate on that side, which has led to the lack of faith and constant spread of negative stories about Nigeria.
Recently he was honoured by the University of Port Harcourt with Doctor of Science (honoris causa) for his contribution to national development. Dr Nnaeto Orazulike, who is the Group Managing Director of the Genesis Group, urged that Nigerians to change their negative thinking about Nigeria. Speaking on behalf of other recipients of honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Orazulike noted that the fact that foreigners continue to establish new businesses or expand existing ones in Nigeria is a testimony that they see what we don’t see in our economy.
His words: “We need to change our perception about our country and start looking at the opportunities and how to harness them. I am not saying that the challenges are not real, but beneath every challenge lies legitimate business opportunities. It was this desire that inspired the Genesis Group.”
Orazulike frowned at some people’s penchant for focusing on the negatives about Nigeria and hyping them without looking at the positives. “We are inundated daily with a lot of negative news and feelings about our great nation. News about Nigeria both within and outside the country is awash mainly with the difficulties and challenges of doing business in the country. The list of the challenges is endless, ranging from infrastructural deficit to near absence of power, insecurity, low ranking on some global indices like ease of doing business and transparency issues etc. These, unfortunately have impacted negatively on the psyche and perception of many of our young people such that many of them have accepted defeat even before graduation.
“On the other hand, many fail to see, from the same media, that the multinationals in the country are increasing their investments and deepening their shareholdings in their various business interests in the same Nigeria.
The graduate of accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka said that even though there is a need to reduce the poverty level in Nigeria, Nigeria’s population and the size of the economy are great assets.