INTERVIEW WITH THE OWNER OF GREAT WAYS CONCEPTS

On the 10th of October 10, 2015, I was hurrying to a café to charge my notebook because there was no power supply in my house and I needed to submit a project I was doing for a client who was on my neck to submit ASAP, I passed by Great Ways Koncepts and the place once again caught my attention as it had always done each time I passed by, I secretly fancied whoever had started this venture and had always wanted to meet him, could I afford to spare a few minutes so I could meet with this guy or lady who I considered innovative?

My legs just entered the garden before I could even advice myself; minutes later I was savoring the garden and asking about their flowers. “Where is your boss?” I asked the guy who was giving me the tour in the garden. He told me he was away. I started heading back to the café when the tour guide called me back saying his boss was around.

I looked at the time, ignored it and entered for the second time to the garden to meet with Mr Terka who is the CEO of Great Ways Concept. I introduced myself to him and he agreed to grant me an interview with him right at the spot. Here is how it went:

Shalom: Sir could you please introduce yourself to me and tell me what you do?

Mr Terka: My name is Nicholas Terka Iornem. I’m into landscaping and in some aspects flowers; the hard aspects- interlocking, designing and beautification of homes, management of orchards and farms. I also run some seminars as well.

Shalom: That’s beautiful, can you also tell us how you started this concept?

Mr Terka: Initially I started without money but God led me and I followed the path. I would go to packaged water companies to collect water sachets just to fill them up with soil and plant the flower seeds in them. I would also go to poultry farms to pack manure- though it is so smelly but is very wonderful when applied on plants. When I started people used to laugh at me, my sister who eventually came to help me out would jeer when I told her we would start selling in thousands.

But guess what? Today she doesn’t jeer at me again because from the business I have been able to expand to other farms and orchards even outside this state, travel out, been interviewed in many shows, built a duplex, bought two cars and employ others.

Shalom: Wow! For how long have you been doing this now?

Mr Terka: For over 13 years now.

Shalom: Incredible. So for 13 years now how has the business expanded?

Mr Terka: It was not easy at first but because I had a perfect passion for my plants, I watched it grow, my plants are my friends. God has been very helpful, from growing flowers it has grown to interlocking, modeling buildings, industrial cleaning, waste management and farms establishment. I didn’t start because of money but because I loved plants naturally so I persisted in it.

Shalom: That is so laudable, please what advice do you have for youths who have passion for one thing or the other but don’t know how to put it to use?

Mr Terka: Well, I may be sounding churchy but I think whatever one wants to do, one needs to seek the face of God. Personally, there are two key things in the Bible that minister to me in this regard; One: Do not despise the days of humble beginnings and two: whatever your hand findeth to do, do it well because you will stand among princes and kings.

Today it is not all about the degree someone has, I advice that aside formal education every youth needs a vocation or skill he or she could fall back upon. Pray and know the vocation God wants you to embark on, persevere in it and you’ll see.

Shalom: Okay, finally I would like to ask how much does that little orange plant over costs.

Mr Terka: Some go for N500, others for N600 depending on the variety and size.

Shalom: Thank you very much for your time, I really appreciate it.