It’s a given that great organisations need strong, visionary, and disciplined leadership to grow and progress in a highly competitive world that is increasingly buffeted and disrupted by ever more aggressive changes. Cut to the bone, this is the story of the 47-year-old construction giant, Setraco Nigeria Ltd., SNL, and its reticent, unpretentious Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Abu Inu-Umoru.
Setraco Nigeria Limited is a leading civil engineering construction company established on August 24, 1977. It set sail as a small but disciplined entity working mainly as a subcontractor. It would thereafter handle the building and rehabilitation of rural roads. Today, 47 years after, it has morphed into a civil engineering behemoth in Nigeria, specialising in construction of roads, bridges, real estate development, flood/erosion control, delivering value-added civil and infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
With a presence today in over 20 states, Setraco has played a key role in developing Nigeria’s infrastructure. Significantly, the behemoth ensures that all projects are timeously and successfully completed to specification and in line with the company’s sense of responsibility towards preservation of both the environment and the way of life of the local communities.
According to its circumspect chairman, Chief (Dr.) Abu Inu-Umoru, “We exist to meet the aspirations of our customers and respond to them creatively and competitively with modern designed construction techniques and engineering services to raise the quality of life.”
In further elaboration, Dr. Inu-Umoru posits: “We believe that success requires the highest standards of corporate behaviour towards our employees, customers, and the society in which we operate. To achieve these objectives, we depend on our resources, planning, project organisation, quality assurance, H.S.E. Policy, Community Development, and Staffing Policy.”
For emphasis, he states that their principles and policies have helped the company grow steadily over the past 40 years in Nigeria with a reputation as a leading construction company delivering any civil engineering project on schedule and with utmost quality. “Our management strives to constantly improve as our experience grows,” Setraco’s elated chairman posits.
Indisputably, this footing has undergirded their growth into one of the largest construction companies in Nigeria specialized in roads and bridges. Not surprisingly, with its apt, enduring philosophy of “Building for Tomorrow,” Setraco has set an uncommon track record of exceeding clients’ expectations by delivering completed jobs that meet specified technical, financial and time indices.
Under the nimble chairmanship of Dr. Abu Inu-Umoru, Setraco, has covered considerable grounds. This speaks to the vision and measure of the man. He is defined by his sheer, carefully governed kinetic energy and revels in pushing new frontiers. These ingrained traits remain the central portrayal of Dr. Inu-Umoru, Setraco’s inimitable chairman.
Scion of the wealthy family of the late Alhaji Inu Umoru of Warrake in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Abu Inu-Umoru’s compelling humility simply sets him apart.
No less a child of providence who wields influence and authority with alluring humility and exemplary focus, Dr. Inu-Umoru has demonstrated with his life’s trajectory that faith, philanthropy, education, and entrepreneurship fundamentally address the transformation of society and the human condition for good.
To date, he unabashedly maintains this unique footing. An unwavering sense of duty, rigorous training and professionalism, demonstrable integrity, and almost a child-like faith in his beloved God form the navigational compass of his life story.
The Setraco chairman covets knowledge-driven innovations, proactive engagement with stakeholders, policy makers, and sure-footed action. These dimensions have been boldly mirrored in his chairmanship of one of Nigeria’s most transformed engineering construction companies.
It’s a given that powerful visions attract ideas, people, and other relevant resources. They create the momentum and will to actualize changes. They inspire individuals, complementary organizations, and institutions to commit, persist, and give their best.
Keying into this enduring philosophy, unassuming Inu-Umoru has also deployed impeccable professionalism, discipline, and persistence to change the traditional narrative of the company in the context of the engineering construction sector in Nigeria
Sixty-one-year-old Inu-Umoru’s remarkable achievements are an inspiration and unambiguous attestation that hard work, diligence, industry, and humility pay. Through his relentless pursuit of excellence, Abu has built a business empire that not only stands out as a symbol of his accomplishments, but also as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all those who dare to dream.
It is worth recalling that when Setraco Nigeria Ltd (SNL), one of the companies established by his late business mogul father, was plunged into a N17 billion-debt, he deployed his good corporate practice and experience in exposing financial scams within the company.
He started plugging fiscal leakages such that the N17 billion debt portfolio he met, which was largely orchestrated through manipulations of overdrafts with the company’s bankers, was cleared within two years of his finance directorship. Today, SNL has a clean balance sheet, charting once again the trajectory of profitability; and, in fact, owing no bank anywhere in the world. This is vintage Inu-Umoru.
Through his diligence and conscientiousness, he has not only built a business empire but also fostered an environment where others could thrive. Simply put, he has since built a commonwealth that is poised to withstand the tribulations and trials of time.
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His visionary leadership, combined with an unyielding focus on innovation, has transformed the company and left an indelible mark on society. The empire he has built is not just a conglomerate of material wealth; it is a lasting testament to his deep family values and life principles; certainly, an embodiment of his unflagging spirit.
Looking back almost half a century of powerful business trajectory, what does the future hold for Setraco? The morning tells the day. Forged in the steely furnace of discipline and stern focus, the emerging consensus of industry experts is that Setraco indeed has a very bright future in Nigeria and on the African continent.
The policies flowing from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, which is vigorously addressing the engineering construction sector, certainly indicates a powerful reinvigoration of the industry, which Setraco is a big turf player. Setraco, under the capable guidance of its tireless chairman, Dr. Inu-Umoru certainly looks forward to its next century with confidence and hope.
■ Ojeifo is publisher and editor-in-chief of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper. He could be reached at ojwonderngr@yahoo.com (08034727013)
