By BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA
She came to Nigeria 28 years ago to find a woman that had escaped with her money. But Pamela Wu got hooked after seeing some amazing business opportunities. Today, she is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Big Treat Plc. In this interview with BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA, Wu narrates her 28-year sojourn in Nigeria and her unique selling points.
You are fast building a business empire in what some call a man’s world. Has being a woman made it easier or harder for you to succeed?
I am happy that I am a woman. It has not really put me at a disadvantage. I do not see any difference between a man and a woman when it comes to achieving business goals.
But speaking honestly, the challenges that business people face in Nigeria are common whether as a man or a woman. Government has to intervene in the power challenge, because it is really disturbing that diesel takes at least 10 per cent of the overhead cost of production. These are a few of so many other impediments to business growth.
Has being a Chinese contributed in any way to your success story?
Yes, in some way, it has. I discovered that in doing business, people are able to trust me better because I am a non-Nigerian than they would trust my Nigerian counterparts. As far as Big Treat is concerned, I have an edge, because I am able to introduce new recipes in pastries and cooking . I don’t see myself as a foreigner. I am so used to this country that whenever I travelled out for a week or two, I would fall ill before returning to the country. But I have never fallen sick since I have been living in Nigeria. As for me, I am fully a Nigerian. I love everything about Nigeria, especially the dishes. I love to eat Amala with Gbegiri or with any other local soup.
I particularly love the way the mama put joints prepare the dishes. So, when my cooks have to do the local dishes for me at home, I always prescribed the formula and ingredients that mama put applies to give me the same feel when I am eating it. I feel more at home being in Nigeria.
How has your tight work schedule affected your family life?
My habit is work. When I am at work, I have no needs and I remember nothing else. That is why I don’t really like public holidays or weekends when I may not come to work. They make me feel sick. I love work and work for long hours. Usually I get to the office at seven o’clock in the morning and at times leave at 10 p.m.
Let us into your family background and growing up
Hum! (She hesitates for a while). Na long story o. Except I write a book on the story of my growing up years. If I start talking about it, you won’t leave here today.
I am interested. Can you do a summary?
I don’t really know what you want me to say, because I am not the type that likes being in the public glare. (She requests that the reporter does not roll the tape, but write.)
I have really suffered in life o. I grew up in a family with a humble background financially, but my father was very educated. He is now late. My parents got divorced when my two siblings and I were still very young and we had to fend for ourselves. I, however, enjoyed scholarship all through my school days. There was no kind of odd job that we did not do then for our upkeep. I am the second child and the only female child. I started working at age seven. I worked as house help. Then, I worked as a vendor selling newspapers on the streets in my country.
I also worked as a bus-ticketing steward and later as a restaurant attendant. I also worked in an insurance firm, among others. I struggled until I began to make some good savings. I was in business partnership with a fellow Chinese woman. We gathered some money, which was then equivalent to $400,000 to ship some goods to Nigeria. The woman said she had found a link that would make everything easier for us. But when I waited long and heard nothing from her, I decided to come to Nigeria to look for her. But I had to wait to have my baby first, since I was then pregnant. Fourteen days after delivering my baby I decided to come down here, but I had a gall bladder problem for about two months at Hong Kong. I eventually did not see the woman, came to Nigeria as I had proposed to search for the woman and my money.
I was 22 years old then. Although I did not see the woman, I saw that there were opportunities for me here in Nigeria and I decided to stay back. My child is now here with me, but I lost my husband to that adventure. He had married another woman before I could return home. I thank God that it was worth the trouble. I have since invited my brothers to join me in the business and it is a different story now. I wish to encourage people who appear to be at their wit’s end today to uphold the virtue of honesty, hard work and kindness, no matter how poor they may be.
Do you wish to remarry?
No, I am too old to remarry.
How do you unwind?
I love to cook. But I only cook for special people. You know I am in the food industry. So, I have very sensitive taste buds, very good nose to perceive nice scent and very sharp eyes. I play golf. I also eat good food and work very hard too.
What’s your take on fashion, style, and dress sense?
I wear English and native but I am told that I look better in native wears. I love Nigerians prints because of their colour blends. One gets tired of the one colour style of English wears at times. My house helps usually help me tie the headgear. The principle that guides my fashion is that I must look mature in whatever I am wearing. I don’t mean looking old because I work with young people and I usually try to look like them (laughs).
You will be 50 this year but you look younger than your age. What is the secret of your good looks?
I will actually be 51. I hear people say they put on excess weight because they eat confectionaries. As you can see, I have sweets all over the place. I eat them a lot when I am really busy at work. The only difference is that I also exercise daily. In my opinion, lack of adequate exercise is the reason people look older than their age. Each night, I make sure I burn some fat by getting on the treadmill for at least 20 minutes before going to bed. Besides, I don’t eat evening meals once it is five or six o’clock in the evening, except I am out on a dinner party.
How does your company see corporate social responsibility?
It is a key secret of our company. We have the privilege of reaching out to schools and motherless babies’ homes with funds and our products such as bread, pastries and drinks. This is both at festive periods and out of the festive periods. We are also major sponsors of university events, among others. We believe in giving back to our community.
How did you surmount the initial challenge of building your brands?
One key thing that has helped us is that as a policy, we have stuck to a particular recipe for our baking. The only problem we have had in sticking to our class of quality has been flour, in terms of supply and quality. This, I believe, has endeared our customers to our brand for over 18 years of Big Treat Plc. I think the right word to use here is to say we have earned public trust for quality over time.
Eighteen years back, did you see the shares of Big Treat becoming publicly quoted?
The answer is a practical no. Then, we did not see anything. All we set out to do was to try our hands on one thing, then another. When we got the first thing right, then we tried another. That was how we finally arrived here. Yes, we see things quite clearer now, but then, we saw nothing. I want to thank God greatly for the Big Treat team of management and staff for helping us to get to this stage. It has been a strong team. Some of them may see me as tough, at times, in the course of doing my job, but I honestly appreciate their part in all of this. Here we still have staff that started with from the inception.
Did you study anything in school that relates to what you do now?
I did accounting at school. I did not study anything that related to catering. But more importantly is that in school, I learnt to work hard and be honest, and those qualities have not left me. In fact, they have brightened my chances in the business world.
How would you describe the role of the banks in getting your company to where it is today?
Yes, our banks have done quite well. The only thing that is killing us are interest rates. That makes it appear as if we are only working for the banks. Overseas, it is quite low at about five per cent. The government has to intervene by some kind of policy to encourage the entrepreneurs.
News -- I started life as a house help at age 7 –Pamela Wu (Chinese-Nigerian), MD/CEO, Big Treat Plc
Very pretty lady.
Bubbels Champion!
Blox Deluxe! Champion!
SOMETIMES IT IS HARD TO SEE THE PLACE,GOD HAS CALLED YOU AS A PLACE OF BLESSING, BUT THATS WHEN YOU'VE GOT TO HOLD ON AND TRUST THE PROCESS
My God!!! I don't know what to say!! What an incredible story! I feel very challenged! 
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