Mr Adeniyi Adenuga is passionate about Security business. He is the Chief Operations Officer of Brisk security Limited. The business manager turned Security Analyst ventured into the security industry several years ago but started his own security outfit 4 years ago has created a name for his brand in the security business. He was at the City People media office where he spoke to City People Assistant Editor SUNDAY ADIGUN and ADEOTAN OSUNYOSADE. He spoke on different aspect of security business in Nigeria and how we can be security conscious.
Let us into your background, sir?
My name is Adeniyi Samuel Adenuga. I am a business manager now a security analyst. I was born and brought up in Lagos. Originated from Ijebu and after my education I left Lagos to Ijebu to complete my secondary school education, thereafter I moved to University of Calabar to do my first degree and came back to serve in Lagos. I started with corona school then I moved to project vision actualizers, they are into project management in Ogun state.
They were actually running a project for Ogun state under Governor Ggenga Daniels, I was the personal assistant and the protocol head then. And thereafter, being a contract given to us by government, after the tenure of Gbenga Daniels we lost the deal so I came back to Lagos. Then I joined a marketing agency in Lagos and I was actually on top of one of their biggest multinational account which was Guinness Nigeria account and I was their project manager. I was there for some years before I decided to partner with my big brother in-law who was there in the US.
He wanted to start a security operation in Nigeria so we started together. That was where my security career actually started. I started as the director of locations with Konif security limited. I was in Konif for over 26 months and it was a successful tenure. I started with a zero client base and I started the entire Konif and to the glory of God we were able to make some milestone. Thereafter, I decided to step out of Konif to float my own outfit.
What was the experience like when you started your outfit?
One, I give God the glory but it has been very challenging and with the fact that in Nigeria, if you are running any services you need to be very financially buoyant and that is just the major challenge. Fund has been the major challenge and I personally I am scared of banks, I am scared of their issues. I have so many friends and brothers in the banking industry but nevertheless when they want to sell their services to you, they will package it well and say no cause for alarm but I have seen so many otherwise cases.
I want to run on our own, taking our own personal savings to move on. Though the pace at which we are moving is very slow but at least we are moving. When I left Konif, I floated AD security but then it was not well structured so we had to go back to the drawing table to re-strategize and bring in some other team members into our board. So thereafter we went back to CAC to restructure our board and came back with Brisk Security. That was what gave birth to Brisk security. Now Brisk security is not just myself or my own idea, it is a collective idea and that’s what we have been doing.
How long have you been running Brisk security?
Brisk security was established in 2015. Before brisk we had been running AD swift but on a very skeletal pace so we took off brisk security in 2015 and we actually commenced business fully in March 2016.
What are the risk factors you face in security business?
Let me go back to the other question. So if you are picking up a service provider and you know what you are actually looking for before asking for a service provider. We have so many homes that doesn’t even have a security personnel and some still engage Ninjey to secure them.
They are not Nigerians, they are illegal immigrants, they can’t speak English well and can actually instigate themselves against you the owner of the house. And this is part of the risk. You know initially I told you that most Nigerian like cheap services. Because those ones are cheap, they won’t claim their right and they are not well trained so when you ask them to go and grind pepper a security man to leave his post to go and grind pepper. You know corporate security personnel like Brisk security would not do that for you because they are trained. They will tell you I can’t leave this beat without getting someone else to hand over to.
But you can send a mallam to go and buy you noodles from the next street while you are exposing yourself to a lot of risk and danger. For us to prove our competence to our potential and existing client it is just doing the right thing at the right time. We have a training academy where we train our personnel very well. It is all about approach. By the time you see a well trained personnel you will definitely respect him or her even from the way he is being kit up. Virtually most of the security outfits in Nigeria don’t believe in kitting their personnel.
And the only thing they do is to train, uniform them and that’s all. But we don’t do that, we give you thorough training on the job. We train you based on where you are going to be posted to work. Most of the security operators are after the income they are not passion oriented. If you are passion oriented in your services you will want to do it best even if you are making minor from the operations.
You mentioned you train and equip your security personnel, how do handle chaos bearing in mind that whatever happens at an event goes to you personnel first before those that are being secured?
We are not only into events we have so many units. In terms of the event if we are actually in charge of coverage of an event, no matter the chaos at the access point or inside the premises. The first thing for us is to actually get to the root of the cause, who is raising the cause and get rid the person. No matter how bid the person is, you know when an event is going on we have so many people and it’s going to be rowdy.
The first target is to know who is actually raising the issue. Not in terms of verbal abuse because that can still be controlled but when it comes to exchanging blows, throwing bottles then we need to get to who is doing the throwing. Having said that, as long as we have arrested the person we hand over to the nearest police. We try as much to even avert issues happening. Most of the issues that happen in events are being caused by miscreant so as long the access control is tight from the point of entry then you will be in charge of who enters the venue. You don’t expect a well to do person to come to an event with his G wagon to come and throw bottles. Even if some miscreant come wearing the aso ebi, we know how to identify them. In most events I have done for your organization I don’t seat on the high table or seat at home. I move around and identify these people based on my suspicion.
You guys are paramilitary, how do you unite with the policemen in any event. In a situation when a miscreant comes in with a gun, how do you tackle that?
If we are covering your event, there is no way a non-police officer will come in with fire arms because we are going to scan everybody coming in. and on several occasions I have actually challenged attaché to some high personality people. Seeing their fire arms and they are not wearing uniform I assume they can’t be here. I do all my events with my men so in some cases when they skip something, I don’t skip and when I skip they don’t skip. Most of the time we synergize with Nigerian police force and we advise our clients to engage us and at the same time engage mobile police. We can’t arrest we can only pick up and disarm to some extent so most of the time we tell our clients we need some back up.
How do we handle the issue of security in Nigeria?
You see, it’s just for us to be security conscious. If you are stepping into your vehicle be conscious that your glass are well rolled up. Don’t give these pocket pickers the avenue to come let them see that there is no more business. As long as you and I can be security conscious you will discourage them. If you are leaving your house make sure your burglary proof is well secured and lighten up your environment.
That is why the Lagos state government has been lighting up the entire Lagos. Most of the red spot in Lagos has been lightened up now. Most of us we complain about government not giving us power, good road then we complain less about security. It is until when it gets to the next compound that we take it as a serious issue. I don’t believe as a Lagosian you should go to bed with your two eyes closed. I still don’t believe that because Lagos is relatively peaceful, you should be driving with your glass wind down with your gold ring on. You need to be security conscious and we need to tell people this all hands need to be on deck. Let’s not give room for these hoodlums.
