Laka driving himself to success

By ENAMYRA ANI
UPNG Journalism student
LAKA Kevin Iga was disappointed when he could not continue on to Grade 11 in school.
But Laka, 27, and known to his family and friends as Jayboe, did not lose hope.
He knew that there would be other opportunities presenting themselves to pursue.
Today he owns a garage in the National Capital District where vehicles are repaired, refurbished, re-painted or given a general makeover. He calls his repair shop BG Performance.
“I started my own repair shop because I have all the experience and knowledge from my previous jobs. I also thank my friends for their support.”

He hails from Irupara village in Rigo, Central. He is the eldest in a family of three born to Kila Pat and Kevin Iga. His two sisters are Shamar and Keisha.
Laka is married with two children, and is still working out how to divide his time between his role as a father, eldest brother and businessman.
He attended Kopkop College doing grades one to three from 2001 to 2003. In 2004 he joined the Carr Memorial Adventist School for grades four to eight.
In 2009 and 2010, he attended Mount Diamond Secondary School for grades nine and 10.
He knew he was not returning to complete grades 11 and 12. So in 2010, he found a job as a cleaner at Gobe Freight Services.
“After six months as a cleaner, the bosses told me to be a tanker driver. So I was a driver for a year. Then I became a handyman.”
His bosses noticed his commitment and dedication to work and sent him to the Australian Pacific Technical College to pursue a two-year diesel fitter course.
He returned to become a workshop supervisor for six years.
In 2017, he joined his dad’s company called JSK Logistics. Laka then started thinking about setting up his own company.
“I was motivated to set up an automotive repair shop.”
So in 2018, with the support his friends, he set up BG Performance.
He faced a lot of challenges but managed to overcome them.
“The biggest challenge is repairing the customer’s vehicle within a given time.
“I would work hard so that I do not let my customer down.”
He employs two mechanics to help him at the workshop at Six-Mile. They make sure that they complete all their work on time and to the satisfaction of the customer.
If customers cannot bring their vehicles to the garage for some reason, he send his boys to repair the vehicle on the spot, or bring it to the workshop.
They also carry out vehicle servicing and maintenance.
Laka is happy that he has found something useful to involve himself in after failing to continue his education past Grade 10.

“ Start believing (in yourselves). Anything is possible.”

He urges young people not to lose hope when confronted with difficulties early in life.
“Start believing (in yourselves). Anything is possible.”