Innocent Chukwuma

adminFeb 21, 2023

Chief Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma CON (born 1 October 1961) is a Nigerian businessman and investor. He is the founder and CEO of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Ltd, Nigeria’s first domestic car manufacturer. He also works as a Computer Science teacher at Haydon School in Pinner, England.

Innocent Chukwuma was born into the Chukwuma Mojekwu family. He is the youngest in a family of six.

Career

Innocent Chukwuma started his own business as a dealer in cruiser safety parts. Since then, he has grown to become a force in the car manufacturing sector in Nigeria. The innocent Chukwuma received his primary and secondary education at Uru-Umdim in Nnewi. He graduated in 1978 and applied to study engineering, but he was not selected because he failed to obtain the required passing grades for an engineering degree.

Innocent Chukwuma waited for results before he knew he wasn’t on the list, but he worked alongside his brother who assisted him as a chemist. While working with his brother, he discovered his love for sales and marketing. After being rejected from the university of his choice, his brother introduced him to Chief Romanus Ezu Onwuka, who he worked with for a year. He is the founder of the stadium, Rojenny Stadium Oba near Onitsha.

He stayed with Chief, a master bike parts salesman, and learned the basics of buying and selling big at Nnewi. A year later he left the company and returned to work with his brother. His older brother turned his business into a business that also dealt with the sale of spare parts, so he gave Innocent N3,000 to put into practice what he had learned.

Innocent Chukwuma used the money to rent a shop and started trading. A year later, Gabriel and Innocent did a business analysis and soon after closed the pharmacy to focus on his motorcycle parts business, Gabros International. In 1981, Innocent Chukuma left his brother and began replacing Honda parts. Armed with savings and money given to him by his brother, he started trading under the name Innoson Nigeria Limited. Eventually, he started bringing in his motorcycles.

He knew that individuals were buying his cruisers recycled because new cruisers were expensive. New bikes were imported in large numbers and were expensive as a 40 ft containercould only fit 40 bikes, increasing the cost of the bike. Innocent Chukwuma sought ways to reduce the cost of imported new cruisers so that Nigerians could control the cost of new bikes. He did this by bringing in dismantled bikes so more cruisers could find their way into the compartments and collect them here in Nigeria. With this groundbreaking idea, he had the opportunity to import 200 bikes in a similar 40-ft compartment and reassemble them when they appeared in Nigeria. This gave him the advantage of selling at a pace of N60,000-80,000 instead of N150,000 and cheaper than his competitors. Innocent Chukwuma, a convenient business visionary, was a key figure in bringing the Jingcheng brand to Nigeria. Thus, Innocent Chukuma organization began collecting marked cruisers such as the Leventis and Boulos Enterprise. Today, the organization is one of the most important cruiser and bicycle parts dealers, suppliers and manufacturers in Nigeria and throughout West Africa. Innocent has started trading Spare Parts, a very lucrative business in southeastern Nigeria. Later, he established the Innoson Group together with Innoson Manufacturing and Innoson Tech. & Industries Co. Ltd. became a subsidiary.

His business turned into four manufacturing companies:

Innoson Nigeria Nnewi Limited, a manufacturer of motorcycles, tricycles, parts and accessories.

Innoson Tech. & Industries Co. Ltd Enugu, manufacturer of high quality household and industrial plastics, health and safety products, storage containers, fixtures and accessories, electrical components and consumables.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) Nnewi, manufacturers of quality High Capacity City Bus, safe and cost-effective Mini & Midi Buses, Pick-Up Trucks and Garbage Collecting Vehicles.

General Tyres & Tubes Co. Ltd Enugu, manufacturers of High Quality Tyres & Tubes.

Family Life

He is happily married to Ebele Chukwuma, and together they are blessed with children.

Awards and Honors

Honorary Life Vice President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA)

Most Outstanding Indigenous Entrepreneur in the Manufacturing Sector by Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA)

Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)

In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Commander Of The Order Of The Niger (CON) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Special Merit Award, Nigerian Shippers Council South East 2009

Motorcycle Brand of the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA) 2009

MANCAP Award of Excellence by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in 2008

Best SME Africa Award by the Commonwealth Business Council in 2008

Special Presidential Merit Award by Nigerian Society of Engineers December 2011

Best Customer Award by Bank of Industry in recognition of its Excellent Loan Repayment and Contribution to Nigeria’s Economic Development December 2011

African Business of the Year 2012 by Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), London, UK. Automotive Correspondents’ Union (GMC) Local Assembler of the Year Award December 2013

In February 2014, he won the Best African Customer Award of the Year by Golden Dragon Bus Co Ltd, China

The Nigerian Centenary Award was presented in March 2014 by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in recognition of his role as Nigeria’s first indigenous local automobile manufacturer and employer.

The Hall of Fame Award by Bank of Industry was given to Innoson Technical and Industrial Company Ltd in recognition of the company’s excellent and exemplary credit record – October 17, 2014.