INTERVIEW PRINCE ENGR., CHARLES NEBE, PMP, MPM, BSEE (USA)
1. Kindly give us a
proper introduction of yourself, upbringing, education and present status?
Let me answer the last question
first - My name is Prince, Engr., Charles Nebe. I left Nigeria over 30 years
ago to The United States to further my education. I am presently the CEO of
CurrentWave Global Services Limited, a subsidiary of CurrentWave Entertainment.
My upbringing was quite exciting. I
grew up in a royal family with my father late H.R.H Igwe C.O. Nebe, The Ichie
of Awka town in Anambra state as the king. You see my father ruled Awka town
for 25 years. My father believed that children are a source of strength and
that was why my brother and I stood by his side in every occasion. Then, I was
conscious and I watched this man, my father display unblemished wise judgments
throughout his reign as king. I watched him fight for his people. He made sure
that some form of basic infrastructure was in place at Awka town. For example:
Eke Awka market was built by him, Awka Post Office, and among others Nnamdi
Azikiwe University were accomplishments of my father. So, I learned a lot from
him.
I studied in the United States of
America. I achieved my first degree in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Texas in Dallas. Then I went to Keller Graduate School of Management
and obtained my Masters in Project Management. I am also a world recognized and
certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by Project Management
Institute. I received several awards for high scholastic achievements from
several establishments in the United States.
2. Tell us about
Current Wave Entertainment.
CurrentWave is an
entertainment company, which is based in America. The company decided to venture to Africa – especially Nigeria to
change the face of entertainment in Africa. We started with Nigeria
because:
·
The
CEO of CurrentWave Engr., Prince Nebe, PMP, MPM, BSEE (USA) is from Nigeria and
he believes that, “charity begins at home”.
·
Nigeria
– especially Lagos is a symbol of entertainment where the country lead Africa
as a whole during the festival in “FESTAC 1977”. Since then the country
continues to mark history with many performers, but a lot of work needs to be
done to bring the talents of Nigeria up to international standards.
Therefore,
we shall help change the face of entertainment in Africa.
Bringing Jobs To Nigeria
As we strive to fulfill our strategic objectives, many jobs would be created in Nigeria. We estimate that we would create about 250 jobs during the 2014 to 2015 fiscal year. Currentwave would also like to encourage companies from all over the world to come home and also create jobs, which would ultimately boost Nigerian economy.
As we strive to fulfill our strategic objectives, many jobs would be created in Nigeria. We estimate that we would create about 250 jobs during the 2014 to 2015 fiscal year. Currentwave would also like to encourage companies from all over the world to come home and also create jobs, which would ultimately boost Nigerian economy.
How
Does CurrentWave Want to Change the Face of Entertainment in Nigeria and Africa,
one might ask.
I have been able to study the African Entertainment Industry including film and music and I’ve seen that we, Africans and Nigerians in particular, have a plethora of talents. What we want to do is showcase these talents internationally. However, we first have to fish out these talents by probing the market through diligent talent search platforms.
I have been able to study the African Entertainment Industry including film and music and I’ve seen that we, Africans and Nigerians in particular, have a plethora of talents. What we want to do is showcase these talents internationally. However, we first have to fish out these talents by probing the market through diligent talent search platforms.
After we have uncovered these colorful artists, our team
in the US and in Africa will come together to groom and mentor these talents
before we showcase them to the world. This process will enable them to compete
internationally.
Here, we are talking about people who sing with angelic
voices, whose skills at acting are untapped, professional DJs who have just the
right dose of every tune in their music toolkit, and models of stunning beauty.
Our team will gather talents from all of these categories and grow their
talents with our team of professional artists.
We will be performing talent searches in Nigeria.
We will sign the best musicians, actors, and models onto the
world stage. The winners will be groomed and showcased.
As an added bonus, we will bring in Hollywood actors,
singers and music maker, and models. These Hollywood entertainers, and even
friends who are interested in helping to build the entertainment industry in
Africa, will come to aide in mentoring, coaching and developing the artists
further with their professional experience and skills.
CONCERTS and LIVE SOUND-AND-LIGHT PRODUCTIONS
CurrentWave will be embarking on different types of concerts both locally and internationally. We have International Standard Equipment that we brought into Nigeria from America. We have full sets of complete live audio production equipment. In addition, we will be renting these equipments to help uplift African standard of music production.
CurrentWave will be embarking on different types of concerts both locally and internationally. We have International Standard Equipment that we brought into Nigeria from America. We have full sets of complete live audio production equipment. In addition, we will be renting these equipments to help uplift African standard of music production.
Our audio production speaker reinforcement is capable of
a stadium size audience with more than 100,000 people.
We have retained the best Audio Engineers and will
seek more to learn the international standard of live audio productions.
Finally, we will partner with big companies on concerts and shows. CurrentWave
is also involved with sound provisioning for weddings, child dedication, and
all type of events.
3. How long have you been in business?
CurrentWave has been operating in America for more than 5 years. I
personally have been in business for a long time. I have worked as a program
manager in telecommunication engineering with the biggest wireless provider in
USA. I have also worked in entertainment industry for over 20 years.
4. What new do you think Current Wave has brought to the Nigerian
business cum entertainment space?
As I said before, CurrentWave would bring international
recognition to Nigeria talented entertainers. The upcoming artist would be
given a chance to prove themselves both locally and internationally. So knowing
that all Nigerians like quality things, we shall operate with American
standards of customer services.
Unlike others in the industry, CurrentWave looks at every event as
a project and our expertise in project management would guarantee a successful
outcome.
5. How can you access the Nigerian economy with regards to effect on
business?
What some people don’t understand is that developing a country like
Nigeria offers a great deal of opportunities for businesses because it is
“developing”. Just think about this for a minute. Developed countries are
already developed. Therefore, in a developing country like Nigeria, greater
opportunities exist for business people to help develop economic growth.
Conversely, according to world economic analysis by CNN, Nigeria’s
economy is growing at the rate of six percent a year. Compared to the United
States, for example, which is only growing at the rate of less than one percent
a year. I am only stressing that businesses have a great deal of opportunities
here in Nigeria.
6. How well has Current Wave Entertainment fared so far?
CurrentWave Entertainment is making waves in all of Nigeria.
People are beginning to have name recognition for this company. In addition, we
are being associated with quality. Our aim is to provide quality sound to each
event we host, and that we do best, because we know what good sound should
sound like. We are involved with live audio engineering productions. You can view
some of our productions on our website www.currentwavegsl.com or our facebook page at
www.facebook.com/currentwavegsl.
7. What in your analysis can you say militates against business
growth in Nigeria?
Some Nigeria businesses need to improve their business strategies.
One of the biggest problems I have seen is that some businesses do not
understand the concept of “customer requirement gathering” and “requirement
fulfillment”. These two concepts are very crucial in any business anywhere in
the world. Whereas the former is how to understand exactly what the customer
needs, the latter is actual fulfillment of the customers’ needs. So in doing business in Nigeria, one thing
you must understand is that every Nigerian wants a quality product and/or
services for the money they spend. In order for a business to deliver quality, it
must understand and deliver the concept of requirements as I have mentioned
above.
I will be teaching business strategies in the future in several
locations in Nigeria. The details will be forthcoming as the timeframes
approach.
8. Having sojourned abroad for over 30 years, what can you say about
Nigeria?
Nigeria is a place you could live and do business and no one judges
you. Nigerian people are very industrious and kind people. Nigerian people are
heartfelt people and do things with feelings. We always invite God almighty in
everything we do, whereas abroad it is more inclined towards law and rights.
Nigerians have rich culture. This culture is what defines who we
are. There is absolutely no reason for us to try to be what we are not. We are
African and African we shall remain. Just so you know, there are millions of
people in American that values African culture and heritage. Although subdued,
Africa has made great contributions to the development of this world that we
all live in.
Thanks for your disposition to the success of CAMA 2014, we pray
that God will continue to lift you from strength to strength in Jesus' name.
Amen
Dave Agwazim
publisher, Classic Magazine
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