By Kammonke Abam
Until he set up Hot “n” Spicy and Breadfarm bakery, investment analysts could beat their chest that Ugep does not have the marginal market to justify setting up such a venture. They would easily point to similar ventures that went under soon after taking off such as Mr. Nice brand situated in Ijiman, near the Ekokol hotel, along Ikom-Calabar Highway.
It is therefore a toast to success that Eric Ifere’s Hot n Spicy isn’t only a going concern but a study on how to run a successful restaurant business and bakery in Ugep. It has proven, more than anything that, Ugep is commercially viable for medium scale investments.
The success of Eric’s investment is likely to trigger a traffic of other mega investments including banks, real estate, and schools and colleges. It is revelatory and evident now that there is such a huge market size in Ugep, in addition to the other Yakurr and Abi communities that can offtake and profitably patronise businesses there.
It has brought to fore the unique positioning of Ugep. Its centrality of location and basic infrastructural base give it a huge advantage. The huge population of the town, with more than 70 per cent of the demographics being young people, is another huge advantage. There is an emergence of a middle class and a sprinkle of upper crust segment in the community with sartorial taste. So, it is this market, it seems that Hot n Spices tapped into. Don’t forget that Abi and Obubra local government areas as well as Adim and Akpet communities in Biase local government area are spill over markets for Ugep.
Before his foray, Ugep had a sprinkle of fairly standard restaurants and many “Mama put” outlets. Eric has gone down in history as a pathfinder of a kind. His business model is worth emulating. So what did he differently? That’s the question in the minds of curious visitors to the place who don’t seem to cease in wondering what is making the business to flourish.
What did he do differently? He not only sells food, he also dug into his journalism background (he read Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Calabar in 1983) to inspire a biopic history of the community. He has extended the frontiers of story telling with his framed pictures of statesmen, both international and local community leaders, most of whom have gone the way of mortals, thus creating a nostalgic atmosphere of history makers.
The place also serves as a rendezvous for young revellers in Ugep and its environs
He is also engaged in corporate social responsibility in the community supporting many community-based developmental initiatives.
It is in appreciation of all these that the Ugep community, through the Obol Lopon of Ugep, recently honoured Barrister Eric with a chieftaincy title of Obol Okpoke of Ugep. The conferment was part of activities to mark the 66th birthday and 10th anniversary on the throne of the Obol Lopon of Ugep and Paramount Ruler of Yakurr LGA, Obol Ofem Ubana Eteng.
Barrister Eric Ifere is Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He is also licensed to practise law in England and Wales as a solicitor.
He is a Trustee of the Ifere-Ogban Medical Foundation for Children, a charity dedicated to relieving sickness and providing free healthcare services to children under the age of 18 in Yakurr, Cross River State.
Eric was appointed as a member of the National Prosecution Coordination Committee (NPCC) in Nigeria, part of the President Buhari-led administration, in June 2016. The committee provided advisory services to the Federal Attorney General and the Minister of Justice office, ensuring the government obtained result-oriented prosecution of high-profile criminal cases in Nigeria.
He is currently the President of the Community Secondary School, Ugep, Old Students Association.
