The World Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria did not just pick Systemspecs for the task of installing electronic payment system in all the government ministries and parastatals in the country. The achievements it had recorded in the software sector, especially the launch of Human Manager and Remita were part of the factors. Mr. John Obaro, Managing Director, Systemspecs, spoke with OLUWASEUN AYANTOKUN, on how the company has been able to provide organisations in the country with remarkable payment software. Excerpts:

HOW do you feel clocking 50 with this level of achievements you have recorded?
I have cause to thank God for His goodness and faithfulness. Life is a gift much undeserved. So, I thank God for what he has done for me. I’m 50 today, yes I have had challenges in life but He’s helped me to be happy.

Seeing you with a T-Shirt and this pair of trousers today would be a surprise to some people. Is this your style?
In the first place, the whole celebration was a coup, because I didn’t know my staff were planning this for me. My driver came to pick me. I was supposed to go for a breakfast and here I’ve found myself. I like to dress casually on Saturdays and Sundays, not suit and tie which I wear everyday of the week.

If you call this a coup, it could be how much your staff appreciate you and the impact you and Systemspecs have made in their lives. How did you come to start Systemspecs then?
Well, the story of Systemspec is simple. I was in the banking industry, and I was being promoted every one or two years. I was essentially doing the same job and I got tired of doing the samething though the pay was good. So, I thought of doing some thing else. Then, I started thinking of setting up Systemspecs. It was a bold move, but looking back now, it was a very reckless move. But I thank God that even in our recklessness, His mercy and grace have continued to take us through. You can see now that Systemspecs has become a household name, especially in the software industry in Nigeria, and God has blessed me with very good people, very loving staff who believed in the vision. They are very hard working and have positive dispositions to life. We work together, we play together and God has really blessed our decisions. That is the story of Systemspecs.

Human Manager is one of the products that have made your company popular. Why was it so named?
Well, we started with a simple payroll package, and you know for your pay roll processes to be complete, you need a human resources pack. So, we started developing something for HR function. And with Human Manager, you really don’t need another software to manage your biggest resources, your staff. So, that was how we came about Human Manager to help you manage your staff. It is like a very intelligent human being. Human Manager is a very intelligent software that helps you to manage human being working in your office.

How did you come by the idea of Remita?
Let me put it this way: God is the source of all creative ideas. Sometimes, they don’t come directly. They come as problems, they come as challenges. And then taking you through that resolution process, they become an idea you can share with other people. Remita, for instance, started as a problem we were having in Sysemspecs. Every month, we would have to write cheques for a number of banks and attach different schedules for our staff that we wanted to pay salaries. Then as an organisation with about 100 staff strength, we were going through that challenge. And the traditional way to solve that kind of problem was to open accounts with some designated banks. But I didn’t think that was proper, I didn’t think it was fair to force staff to open accounts with a particular bank.

I tried to imagine what will be happening in larger organisations with thousands of staff. Will they continue to force their staff members to open accounts with some particular banks? They have a big problem on their hands, that was my thought. When the Pension Reform Act was created, it became clear that the problem would even be multiplied because at the end of each pay day, staff that have chosen different pension funds administrators would have their organisations submitting different schedules to them, (the PFAs).

It was obvious that the problem was getting bigger. That was how, by God’s grace, we started thinking in-house. And I told you I have excellent team backing me up. So, we brainstormed on this issue, and that was the beginning of Remita’s birth. We were more concerned with creating a solution, a remittance solution and here we are with testimonies from lots and lots of organisations that have acquired and deployed it. And what other name could have been given a remittance solution than Remita?

There are still many problems to be solved in business and everybody’s life of this country. Aren’t you thinking of going beyond your present achievements to get more problems solved?
One thing at a time. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. This is where God has led me today. I’ll wait on Him for the next direction. But don’t forget, there are many very good software developers in Nigeria, I mean increasing numbers of software developers. My prayer is that God will continue to bless them with loads of ideas because there are lots of problems in this country to solve.

Your life is not limited to coding and coding in the office. I’m aware that you play chess, what other things do you do for relaxation?
I love walking. It has become a time of inspiration for me when I walk, especially in a very calm environment. It is a time to connect with nature. And like you said, I enjoy playing chess.