Ike Chilaka, founder of Antwork Services, had to resign from his superintendent engineer job to establish his business, which recycles waste across dumps in Lagos metropolitan.
With little financial assistance, sheer determination and Chilaka’s vision of achieving financial freedom inspired him to start his recycling business in 2006.
Before then, he had collaborated with Kim, his Korean friend, to establish a plastic manufacturing company. However, in 2003, he registered his company, because he wanted to start something on his own.
“I registered Antwork Services in 2003, but I didn’t start working with the company then. I started in 2006 by going from one place to another picking waste by myself,” he explained.
The engineer-turned-entrepreneur was processing waste materials for industrial use for plastic manufacturing.
His innovative approach to the recycling business soon began to attract a lot of manufacturers who now depended on his products for their raw materials.
With his engineering background, he went into producing equipment that could process that waste into another round of materials for further manufacturing purposes.
“With this experience, I started producing chips from grounded nylon, I would pick waste materials, wash them, grind them and then they are up for purchase from the manufacturers of the plastic industries all across the country,” he noted.
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Like every other venture, the business faced some challenges. The marine engineer said his initial challenge was funding. However, he said that besides inadequate capital, he had a problem with getting honest employees.
“I had funding challenges, moreover, the first time I tried to hire three Hausa (Aboki) vendors, they stole all that I had,” he said.
He explained that he was able to navigate through the challenges based on self-determination and a spirit of persistence.
“I was able to weather the challenges because of my inner strength, never-give-up spirit, and zeal to chart a new course in Nigeria’s recycling business space.
He described the recycling business space in Nigeria as a lucrative venture that offers huge economic opportunities for people to exploit.
Chilaka reiterated that currently in Nigeria, few people are exploiting the advantages of Nigeria’s recycling space.
“It’s even better now than when we started. It’s now more valuable because of the surging exchange rate. Many companies are relying on recycled materials.
“Because by the time you go and buy the dollar, you know what it means. You’re not talking about importation fees and all of those clearing charges. So it’s something difficult; most people are in the plastic industry now relying on recycled material,” he explained.
Chilaka reiterated the need for the various governments and authorities to support the recycling business in the country because according to him that is one of the avenues to make the economy robust.
“Recycling is the only way to go, in developed countries everything is produced through recycled products. In advanced countries, people don’t litter the streets with waste, everything is channelled to the recycling industries,” he said.
He advised young entrepreneurs in recycling businesses to be determined, persistent, patient, and certain of what they want to do.
He urged them also to learn to be focused, and not compare themselves with others.
“I wasn’t comparing myself with others, I didn’t try to look at my classmates on board ship making dollars and pounds. No, I said I must do this whatever happens,” he said.
