ABC Transport at 32: How we stayed afloat, achieved milestones, by MD Nneji

Managing Director of ABC Transport Plc, Mr. Jude Nneji, has flashed back to the road the company has travelled since inception in 1993, declaring that there have been some daunting challenges on the way.
He however disclosed that through a combination of astute management and support of loyal customers, the company was able to navigate the challenges to stay afloat and achieve some milestones that define the road transport industry today.

Nneji, who spoke on the 32nd anniversary of ABC Transport, stated “There have been challenges in the past 32 years. But we were braced for them. You know it is not easy for a company to survive three decades in Nigeria.”
He said currently, the company was focusing on rebranding and consolidating on the achievements of the past three decades.

“We are doing a lot of renewal; the logo change, the rebranding, and re-fleeting, among other things, just to move on to the next stage.

“We are consolidating the divisions we have. For now, focus is on our haulage and cargo divisions, as well as our Driver Training Academy (DTA), which is turning a lot of graduates into the professional driver market.”

The success story of ABC Transport Plc began on February 13, 1993, when five mini buses emblazoned with the ABC Transport reindeer logo departed Owerri on a maiden trip to Lagos.
Little did the observers know that the vehicles were paving the way for what is today the foremost land transport company in Nigeria.

The history-making Toyota Hiace buses were procured with a loan from Diamond Bank (now Access Bank) by a youthful and audacious entrepreneur, Mr. Frank Nneji OON, who had the dream of delivering world-class transportation services to Nigerians.

ABC Transport was not among the first generation of luxury bus transporters where a pathfinder like Ekene Dili Chukwu (founded by the late Chief Augustine Ilodobe) belongs. But with Frank Nneji in the driver’s seat, it revolutionised road transportation and set the standards for modern, long distance passenger services.

As the founder of ABC Transport, Frank Nneji recalled in a recent interview that it was the unpleasant personal experience he had during a trip from Owerri to Lagos on board a bus which finally broke down at Ore, that led to the conception of the idea of a modern transport company in 1993.

The objective then, according to him, was to set standards in luxury bus transportation with emphasis on passenger comfort, safety and strict adherence to schedules.

Today, like the oak tree, ABC Transport has not only scored many firsts in road transportation, but has also grown to become a household name in the industry, with a fleet of about 500 vehicles and a network of over 90 locations across the country and in West Africa.

Following the success recorded in the beginning, the ABC Transport fleet was sustainably expanded with the injection of more mini buses and state-of-the-art luxury coaches .

This earned for the company the travellers’ acclaim across the country as the first to introduce air-conditioned coaches with toilet facilities, as well as on-board entertainment featuring video screens and mid-journey refreshment.

One of the innovations introduced by the management in the years following that inaugural trip by the five mini buses was the ABC Customers’ Forum hitherto unknown to the country’s road transport industry.
At the event, which was sustained annually until a few years ago, the management interacted with the customers, and fielded questions, complaints and suggestions on how to improve the company’s services.

On July 16, 2004, ABC Transport scored yet another first with its Coach West Africa – the ECOWAS region’s first scheduled coach service taking off from Lagos (through Cotonou in Benin Republic, and Lome in Togo) to Accra, Ghana, and back, on board the purpose-built coaches.

Online ticket booking, which has since been embraced by most luxury bus transport operators, was first introduced by ABC Transport in 2007, making it easier for travellers to book their trips and pay from the comfort of their homes and offices.
A mobile app was subsequently introduced to enhance the self-service.
Similarly, ABC Transport was the first to establish ultramodern terminals in Nigeria and beyond, with some of them in Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Port Harcourt.

A high reputation for innovation, outstanding safety records and unique customer experience has since combined with the founder’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence as the driving force behind the company’s success.

Over the past 32 years, ABC Transport has achieved numerous milestones, including, of course, the addition of ABC Cargo Express, the logistics and warehousing division; and ABC Hauls, the haulage services arm.

With the recent deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, to boost its cement haulage capacity at Lafarge Africa Plc’s cement factory, ABC Hauls and Cargo Express account for about 50 percent of ABC Transport operations.

ABC Hauls is one of Lafarge’s major transporters for the distribution of cement around the country.

ABC Cargo Express, which commenced operations also as a division, has now grown to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent company. This was necessitated by its rapid growth and its ability to focus on the innovations going on in the logistics sector.

Through the Cargo division, the company moves hundreds of thousands of packages around West Africa, empowering many businesses with its dedicated e-commerce services.

ABC Transport also has the record of being the first, and so far, the only road transport company to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Along with a seamless succession plan which ensured that the former Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Jude Nneji, took over from Mr. Frank Nneji, as the managing director, the company has been enjoying considerable stability, liquidity and ease of management.

The older Nneji (founder and former managing director) has since moved up to higher responsibilities, including playing a role as a director of the company .

The company has also been recognised for its outstanding performance in the transport industry, winning several awards and accolades both nationally and internationally.

Driver Training Academy, another offshoot of ABC Transport, and the first of its kind in Nigeria, graduated its first set of trainees in 2004.
The Academy was founded with a mission to ‘prepare and produce’ for Nigeria’s motoring environment, law-abiding and safety-conscious drivers who appreciate the value of human life.

It admits trainees from within ABC Transport and other organisations wishing to benefit from the comprehensive training packages approved by the Federal Road Safety Corps.

In 2012, ABC Transport ventured into auto production with its 50 percent stake in Transit Support Services Ltd (TSS), which is into the assembly of heavy and light duty trucks with its flagship brands as Shacman (including fire trucks), SETRAC CNG buses, as well as Forland Trucks.

TSS also provides to the local automotive market Asiastar luxury buses and BAW mini buses and ambulances assembled at its facility in Emene, Enugu.
This is in addition to the sale of automotive parts and after-sales support services

With its DTA, Cargo Express, TSS, and ABC Hauls, ABC Transport is the most diversified transport company in the West African sub-region, having also launched a hospitality arm with City Transit Inn in the Utako area of Abuja, to serve travellers arriving the Federal Capital Territory with budget accommodation.

Looking back to 1993, the founder recalled that to succeed, his management adopted, as a matter of policy, an uncompromising focus on the quality of service ABC rendered and gradually began resetting the standards for road transport operations in Nigeria

This they did by providing a comfortable and suitable alternative road travel means for the discerning traveller who would have otherwise opted to fly.

Thus, the average customer in Nigeria’s travel space embraced the new innovative, more comfortable, timeous, customer-centric and safety-conscious services ABC Transport provided at considerably cheaper rate than what it cost to travel by air.
As the management engages top gear in its current renewal efforts, the Managing Director says he is grateful to God, “and all our customers who have kept faith with us and kept faith with the brand. We will not let them down.”