Felix Ohiwerei
Felix Ohiwerei: Corporate Titan
Felix Ohiwerei, chairman and chief executive officer of Nigeria Breweries Plc, has a larger -than-life image in corporate Nigeria. This is due to the perceived prudence, transparency and integrity with which he runs Nigeria's leading beverage company. It is, perhaps, a tribute to these qualities that the board of directors of Lever Brothers of Nigeria Plc late last year added its chairmanship portfolio to Ohiwerei's crowded responsibilities . Ohiwerei has achieved the enviable status of making Nigeria Breweries not only efficient, producing Nigeria's more popular drinks such as Gulder lager and Star lager beers, but has made it the most profitable company in the last few years. In the past two years, the company's profit before tax exceeded N2 billion.
As a responsible corporate citizen, it not only pays taxes promptly but strongly supports social causes. Its donations cover blood bank equipment, craft centres, park/garden, dump/deaf children and a scholarship fund. Nigeria Breweries Plc is a corporate sponsor of table and lawn tennis, cycling, chess, golf, squash and badminton. Ohiwerei, through the instrumentality of Nigerian Breweries Research and Development Centre in the late 1980s, produced a beer based on local raw materials in response to the ban on wheat and barley. He had also developed new products in response to market needs including Legend extra stout in 1992 and Amstel Malta drinks. The company also recently delivered different fruit flavouring for its Maltina drink. To control the eastern markets, the company had acquired the plants of Diamond Breweries in Enugu to strengthen its Enugu factory.
In response to enhanced consumers' demand for soft drinks, he not only increased the malt drink brands in its product portfolio but acquired the Schweppes franchise to enable it produce crush product lines. Ohiwerei joined Nigeria Breweries in 1962 soon after graduating in geography from the University of Ibadan. He became marketing director in 1977. He then had a stint in UAC group as general manager, UAC Foods and assistant regional operations manager, UAC Limited, London. On his return, he was appointed chairman in July 1989.
Ohiwerei wants government to operationalise most of its export incentives to enable companies like his fully realise their potentials by exploiting the African and world market. The recent abolition of excise duties is a response to the lobby carried out by Ohiwerei and his peers to stimulate local business activities.
Newswatch June 29, 1998
" Newswatch 1998