Learning from successful Nigerian entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship has been a part of human existence because of its essence as a means of production. Thus over time, it gained recognition as a critical factor in economic growth and the development of society. From most available evidence, societies where there are many entrepreneurial individuals, growth and development are more rapid than societies where there is entrepreneurial deficit especially of individuals.

The fact is that such societies have for long recognised individual entrepreneurs as partners in development and nation building. This realisation has taken almost forever to be embraced by a lot of developing societies, and part of the problem has been the impact of colonisation. In most developing countries education was basically designed to produce a literate workforce that would enhance the extraction of resources by the coloniser even after independence.

Frantz Fanon, the French West Indian psychiatrist, political philosopher, revolutionary, and writer from the French colony of Martinique, whose works are influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and Marxism, argued that Africans were overwhelmed by colonialism. Consequently a slave mentality has been entrenched.

Nigeria’s Chinua Achebe, in his collection of essays, The Education of a British-Protected Child, adds clarity from the perspective of national development: “I do recognise, of course, that there are broadly three components  to the equation for national development: system, leader and followers. In an ideal world, each would mesh nicely and efficiently with the other. But quite clearly Nigeria is not in such a world, not even on the road to it. She seems in fact to be going in the opposite direction towards a world of bad systems, bad leadership, and bad followership.”

Adamawa Varsity Students call for more funding, recruitment of…

All of the above are reflected quite instructively in the new book, ‘Successful Nigerian Entrepreneurs: How They Started’. Curiously the book does not mention the authors even though it is obviously a sponsored project. Written in simple and sometimes lively prose, the book seeks to document “homemade inspirational entrepreneurial stories”. This seemingly simple objective is commendable when considered against the background of the poor culture of documentation across board.

In 12 chapters, the book shows us within a limited space a number of fairly young contemporary businessmen and women, spanning enterprises from broadcasting to construction through couture, dairy production, public relations, innovative digital platforms, health products and cosmetology. Some are well-known, others are not. So there is a John Momoh and his Channels story which opens the book, and at the other extreme, the Okunoren Twins, whose fashion label is globally recognised, yet the owners consciously avoid courting publicity.

Several strands run through the book which could easily serve as some kind of primer for entrepreneurship.  The standard belief is that an enterprise should start by identifying a niche. The stories in this book serve as a basic reminder, even though a realisation of such an opportunity can come in different ways. For Nkiru Emordi, it came from what is now an endemic situation in the country, lack of employment. Although a graduate, she could not get a job after a couple of interviews. She faced not just the obstacle of the large number of applicants vying for   highly limited positions, but also the daunting ‘job experience.’ She was quick to realise that a Plan B would be her lifeline and it turned out to be something she had an inclination for – shoes. That marked the beginning of her enterprise now known as Home of Theresa.

For others lack of job satisfaction and the desire to break staid standards led to seeking a new terrain of self-expression. Muhammad Abubakar left a comfortable banking job to start an agribusiness L&Z Farms. Bukky George followed a similar route in the pharmaceutical industry to set up HealthPlus.

*Dr Shehu is a Nigerian activist, public intellectual and writer who has received education in literature and communication.