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| Engr. Akak answering questions from newsmen |
Engr. Akak, who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bengies Group of Companies, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday during the opening ceremony of the Bengies Bakery and JossyClean Bridal shop.
Akak pointed out that he wants to contribute to the development of the state through provision of service that will take people off the street while offering them opportunities that will better their lives through employment and partnerships that will provide a means of livelihood to Cross Riverians.
Stating that this will go a long way in assisting government achieve it's vision of changing Cross River from a civil service to an entrepreneurial state, he appreciated the efforts of Governor Ben Ayade in easing the stress of doing business in the state, stating that the concept of taxation is misunderstood, that any right thinking business man should know he owes the state a duty to pay his tax.
He added that the tax waiver by the governor is a good initiative to encourage businesses.
“The products of this bakery are borne out of careful and meticulous investigation. What we have here is not just the regular bread and confectioneries but something different.
“Our motivation has always been God and the desire to see people employed, taken off the street, provided with the means of livelihood and given something to hold on to. We all understand the unemployment rate in Nigeria which is extremely high.
"As a responsible citizen, tax is one of the things you must do. But having said that I think the governor has been wonderful, he's been gracious. He's given waivers to a lot of businesses not to pay tax. And I think we should fall within that category, but even if we don't, our emphasis and interest is that no matter how little we can contribute to the economy of this state, we will gladly do, that is the motivation."
“We need to help Government as they can’t do everything alone, our complementary effort will help reduce the level of unemployment. Our products are people-oriented. We carried out the needs assessment and came out with the Bengies Bakery, and in this launch, we didn’t send out invitation but with the crowd we all are seeing here, it tells us that Bengies Bread is the people’s bread. When you see the people, you see Bengies bread and when you see Bengies Bread, you see the people”.
Engr. Ben Akak further advanced that the Bengies Group which also houses the Ben Akak Foundation operates on the principle of service to God and humanity.
"We need to touch the lives of people, change the narratives and make life meaningful. If you look around, insecurity and other social vices are all products of unemployment, we need to provide employment to our teeming youth population. We will be in Ikom very soon, we will move to Uyo and to other places. When people don’t have what to do, they resort to all forms of things to make ends meet."
He revealed that he needed to overcome fear while delving into business.
"Fear was one of the challenges we needed to overcome; taxation and the civil service mentality. We need to take our minds from over dependence on government. Right from the time of Donald Duke to the present administration, there has always been that conscious effort to change this dependency. We have over 700 staff in the Bengies Group and all we do to create that discipline, focus and paradigm shift.
While declaring the business enterprise open, Bar. Mrs. Elizabeth Ayade, wife of Dr. Frank Ayade appreciated Engr. Akak for his untiring effort in assisting Cross Riverians out of poverty and for his consistent efforts in increasing the economic fortunes of Cross Riverians and the state.
She said Bengies Bakery is quite different and unique.
"I sincerely love the fact that I am associated with what is happing here. This is different because God is here." She said.
In her remark, Mrs. Roslyne Akak, wife of Engr. Ben Akak said the dynamics of business in Cross River State is changing as the state is gradually turning into an entrepreneural state.
"The success we celebrate today is a product of hardwork, commitment and discipline. We encourage all to imbibe these characteristics to earn a living”.
She also used the medium to inform the public about the Jossyclean Event Management outfit which is also part of the Bengies Group of Companies which delves into events planning, management, catering services, gift items and the likes.
The State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was full of kind words to the Chairman and CEO of the Bengies Group. “I can’t appreciate him well enough. He has given the state a new lease of life by this effort. The future he is building should be encouraged and I join with all well meaning Cross Riverians, Nigerians etc to celebrate him. Our Federal allocation is very small, sometimes a little above a billion and other times lesser. This commitment shown by Engr. Ben Akak is what the state needs at this moment and we are grateful for his vision and passion."
The Chairman of Calabar Municipality, Hon. Efeffiong Nta also commended the giant strides of the Bengies Groups. He counted himself as one of the beneficiaries of the Akak’s magnanimity which he said cannot be repaid. “Engr. Ben Akak is a good man and a leader par excellence. He is a cheerful giver; he handles people’s challenges without looking back. He is a man I look up and indeed a model worthy of emulation."
The event which was well attended by members of the public had great personalities in attendance.
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