We have 90% local staff – FABCOM MD

Managing Director of FABCOM, a Chinese production firm, Mr. Hu Qingwei, has disclosed that 90 percent of the company’s staff were locally sourced, saying that the remaining 10 percent are Chinese expertrates.

Qingwei, who disclosed this at the weekend, during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, said the company’s intention to localise the staff was to create employment opportunity for the teeming unemployed Nigerians.

He said when they established the company in the first place in Kuje, in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja; they decided to employ more of the local staff as one of the company’s social responsibilities to the people.

According to him, “When we came in newly, our intention was to massively employ local staff, which we did and then we later brought in some foreign staff as well.”

Qingwei, while narrating their experiences in Nigeria and the staff of the company who work for them, he explained that initially, the people were strange, but when they got familiar, they became one family.

The Managing Director asserted that the majority of the staff were trained while working in the factory as welders and electricians, which he said that, even if they resigned or retired from the company, they can be useful for themselves and the society.

Talking about the quality of their products, Qingwei stated that they do not compromise quality, adding that although, the ones people imported from China are the same as theirs, but they sometimes compromise with quality because, they are into short term business.

The Managing Director however said that the major challenge of the company is logistics and transportation, saying that sometimes when workers were on strike; it takes days for customs to clear their goods.

He said, “It is our wish to source the raw materials locally, but the problem is that, we can’t get these raw materials in large quantity that would meet our demand”

Qingwei, however called on the Government to improve on the provision of infrastructures such as power, roads, water, among others, adding that yearly increment of company tariff should also be looked into.

Speaking with one of the workers, Mr. Tyoapine Godfrey, who started working with FABCOM since 2014, said that he is satisfied with the condition of service, salaries and other remunerations.

Godfrey however pleaded with the management of the company to assist him financially to enable him complete his house before this year runs out.

Also, Mr. Augustine Ekene Maduforo, who spoke to journalists during the interaction, said he was employed in June 2017 as labourer, but was later elevated to the position of Customers Manager.

Maduforo said he has completed his house at Sabo Iddo, along Giri road, stating that one good thing about the company was that, they give opportunity to staff to obtain loans.