Adekoya: Businesses Must Collaborate with Private Security

Managing Director of PR 24, a category ‘A’ licensed security company in Nigeria, Onyekachi Adekoya, in this interview with Eromosele Abiodun, spoke on the security private sector in Nigeria and the value proposition that sets his firm apart from others

Can you tell us about your company and the business you do?

PR 24 Nigeria, means ‘Protection Round The Clock’. Basically, we are a category ‘A’ licensed security company and in our approach to the business, we see ourselves more as a professional services provider. We believe that the service we render should impact on the customer to whom we serve, so, security service can either be an enabler of business, a promoter of business or at least, should give some level of strategic advantage to people who have right emphasis on security.

In the new paradigm where we are now, we are going into a space where you can now begin to see more strategic importance of security. If we look at Lagos State, for example, you will see the level of investment the government is making in the area of security, because of its strategy to make Lagos a tourism destination. You cannot do tourism without security and so you cannot achieve some level of security without the right investment.

So, in strategic investment, security is not the end point. Security is just an enabler that is why you see the repositioning of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). You have seen lightening of parts of Lagos, you are seeing heavy investments, now you have seen LASEMA and other groups. It’s targeting an environment where people can work day and night and not feel threatened. So, I think we are looking at security in that perspective. About the company, like I said, we are a category ‘A’ licensed security company. Our vision statement is very clear, we want to become the foremost and preferred solutions provider in our space; our mission is to provide active services to our customers and to support their profitability. So, we value everything we do as a company, with the customer in mind, not just security only, but how to partner with clients to enable them take advantage of opportunities in their business and also have some advantage over your competitors. Security is quite verse, our industry don’t really focus on it as we should, and sadly in this part of the world, we don’t really find companies with a security director, instead what you find is the chief security officer (CSO), who doesn’t talk strategy, who doesn’t talk about this whole thing, who doesn’t have the best idea on how the business works and see where security is important. I think this is part of the issue we set out to try and address, and also change the paradigm when it comes to security.

How can businesses take advantage of your expertise or knowledge of security to provide the kind of steps you highlighted?

I think it is partnership and interestingly, security is everybody’s business. Firstly, companies must have a collaborative approach to security, not a servant –master approach, as a matter of fact. The chief executive officer (CEO) must know the truth about their roles, they are the chief security officer of the company, and they are the chief safety officer. The law holds them responsible for the life and property of the people who work within their space, so it starts from the CEO. They must understand that they cannot do without security and they must begin to look for where security can give them advantage in their business, and that mindset must be there. Once the emphasis is right, then you can talk about collaboration. How do you get the right partners?, not just the right partners, but the partners who understand the language of the business, and who can show you where the advantage is. For example, a company is coming to Nigeria for oil in the North East and there is Boko Haram there. A particular CEO will say, there is insurgency there, don’t let us go, another CEO who understands will ask the right question, how can we go to the North East, come out securely, safely and profitably. That question is where a true security partner will come in. Collaboration is the answer. You asked, how companies can get value from our services, it’s through collaboration. If I am not dwelling too far, the problem with our sector and industry is that the curriculum of the present industry players does not really afford them the exposure of how business works, so whether you need an army or the police or any of those paramilitary or military institutions, their curriculum is tinted so much toward state function. Community police is even an issue in the country. We have not even started talking about the state police, yes the discussion is going on now, even when we begin to implement it, it will also take us a phase at one time to get to Eldorado. So, the curriculum itself is a problem. If you don’t have currently a wealth of knowledge of that understanding of how business works and how security can support the pursuit of business, then, something is missing. But there are some very few companies and some very few professionals who understand how this things work and how we can take advantage of proper partnership and collaboration, but the emphasis must start with the company seeking value to know that yes, there is this need for collaboration or partnership.

What is your industry not doing right that makes it difficult for the federal government to look at you as a partner for security? The United States government, for example, gives a lot of security contracts to Blackwater Security Company owned by a former CIA agent

You asked a very tough question, with a very simple answer. You talk about Blackwater, they also have their own down side. You have a government contractor whose is licensed to carry arms, and is working under his licence but for the interest of his principal, and since the principal is a mining company in a community and there is tendency for security breakdown. Those agents in pursuit of the interest of their principal, they must protect the life of their principal and in the process shoot down 15 people because he has been contracted to save life and protect the properties of his client, he has no commitment obligation whatsoever to the community. However, it is agreed, there is a principle of force continuous, you must apply force when it became complex, but when there is clear danger to life and property, these contractors will lose this opportunity first, which is also why Blackwater has a lot of cases to answer. But that said, we will not throw away the baby with the bath water. There are enormous advantages to private security, and that is collaboration and partnership. I have colleagues who are strong proponents of private security carrying arms. I am also a proponent of it but we are also saying that there will have to be a lot of control. Sadly, our regular police and army are still struggling with arms they are bearing and how to comport themselves with arms. Not that, it cannot be managed, but it has to be properly structured. There is clear need for security because we are grossly under policed. I think somebody said almost 60 per cent of the police force has been assigned to class of individuals and V.I.P’s, so what we then have to contain a population between 180-200 million people are a small fraction. Yes, there is a need, and there is opportunity for private arm guards.

Do you think you are not doing right as an industry presently?

I don’t think there is anybody to blame. The market is a problem; the industry is also a problem. Remember, we have come from a long history of military rule where brute force was the other of the day. We are now in a nascent democracy, talking about 4th-5th republics, and some of the processes have not been entrenched because it is still evolving. There are lots of pushes now from the association of licensed security practitioners, working hand in hand with our regulators, where private companies that reach a certain criteria can begin to play a critical role in intelligence and support services. A lot of discussion is coming up, just like state policing. You know we started with community policing, so there is a lot to talk about it.

When was PR 24 established, and who are your major clients?

You know we work in a sensitive space, so we may not be able to divulge details of our clients. The company was incorporated in 2010 and we commenced operations in 2012, so I can say that we have been in operation for about six years. Our areas of focus are financial services, hospitality sector, oil and gas, construction and then foreign missions.We currently have a number of clients, discerning client as we call them. Except you ask me how do I qualify my customers like that. There are some services you can provide for everybody, and there are some services that need specific requirement, so we were set out really not to provide a general sense of service as it were, we are specialist providers of security, be it physical or electronic. When we say solution, it means that a service or innovation must provide a need and solve a problem in such a way that it must create an enablement of some sought. So, that is where we take service from and we have discerning customers and those are the people we serve in our business.

Why should a company engage you, and what sets you apart from competitors?

You asked a very good question. I was in another press parley where they asked how we are coping with competition in Nigeria. The answer is simple. Competition is good, very good. Once upon a time, we had NITEL and of course you know how service was. Since Airtel, MTN, GLO and the rest came you know how it has changed. You can now port from one provider to another provider if you are not happy in a general sense of service. Don’t forget that we are the most populist black country on earth with very robust and dynamic huge population. So, Nigeria is green space and everything is growing, so the many the merrier. Competition can only help you improve and bring out the best in you and it will get to a point where we move beyond competition to co-epitation, which is a now, the catch phrase where we now compete for common good. As an industry, what we should be thinking is how we move the industry forward. So, let’s collaborate and there I will like to commend the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the body that regulates all private security companies. The NSCDC, I think in line with the strategy of government, is seeking to enable businesses really work. So, what set us apart from competition, I think is our value proposition.

What we stand for, like I said earlier is to provide decent services. We are bespoke provider of services, and our approach starts with us understanding your business, understanding what sets you apart from your competitors, understanding your long term strategy, then, we can come in to say this is how security can partner with you and enable you achieve your objectives.

As a security company, how has the environment impacted your business and what would you be expecting government to do in terms of supporting the industry?

I think that the problem that we face really is not unique or peculiar to security industry. Doing business in Nigeria has been interesting generally. Fortunately for us, we have moved up in world ranking of ease of doing business and I can tell you that we are feeling the positive impact. What we would like to see is more support. Whatever government is trying to do or put in place to support business, they should do it quickly. Like Oliver Twist, we will continue to ask for more. I think the greatest challenge any business faces really in Nigeria is that of stable power and then cost of funds.