To some of us staying in Abuja, answering this kind of question will be ridiculous because this amount of money would probably be for feeding or securing a year rent for a three bedroom apartment in one of the satelite towns in Abuja....anyways that is if you are lucky or a savvy negotiator. The Nigerian Naira has lost so much value these days with the official exchange rate hovering around N155.26 as at today (see naij.com) to $1 United States of America Dollar! These are really hard times for savings accounts holders. The essence of this write up is not to look at our glasses as half-empty but to start to see them as half-full. One Million Naira is still a lot of money today. It can get you a moderately used Tokunbo car, or could give you a low key court and traditional marriage ( possibly with no papparazi and band to make the event remarkable). One Million Naira could start you a barbing and hairdressing saloon in one of the cornershops in Gwarimpa, Lugbe and well in some crammed spaces in Wuse 2 or Garki environs. One million Naira will probably start up a extra mural class business while begging for some space in a cash strapped secondary school facilities. You can be tempted to say One Million Naira would succesfully launch a 4 Kiosk based recharge card business strategically located in a surburb of Abuja city while removing costs like company registration, taxes and constant visits of AEPB or other agencies that disturb any unwaranted entrepreneurial businesses and services.

I doubt if One million Naira will succesfully launch a Brazilian and Peruvian Weave-On business if you are selling original products from the boots of your cars and already working as an employee with an already established network of friends, collaegues and customers. Lest I forget, One Million Naira will start a low level rental business comprising of plastic chairs,tables,cooling drums and locally made canopies. It will also get you some crates of plates,covers for tables and chairs but obviously without a delivery truck. So if you had One Million Naira what would you do with it? If you fixed a sum of N1,000,000.00 in a bank for a year you could be say around N45,000.00 richer by the end of the year. At least your money will have increased. You could also lose the whole sum if your business is not well thought out. In this case putting the money in the bank will be the logical thing to do.If you decide to be a loan shark you could get up to 20% on your funds in 6 months but the down side is that your debtor might default and you will be back to zero. What a tough call.[quote][/quote]

For about 80% of Nigerian workers saving that much after paying rent, school fees and settling hangers-on not to talk of other bills and commitments will take divine saving skills and no doubt a lot of deprivation.This is not because we are spendthrifts, or we are constantly catching up with new technologies and upgrading our smartphones but just because the Nigerian Naira continues to lose value everyday, no thanks to increasing oil theft and the over expanding expenditures of the government. Today an average Nigerian is his own provider of shelter,water,health care services and transportation services. Now tell me how you can raise One Million Naira before you start thinking of how to spend it. For this reason, a lot of us live in perpetual fear and worry and this is so common amongst those who work in highly volatile work environments and industries. Constantly, skills are becoming outdated or irrelevant while new ones are sought after. It takes constant self development even to become employable or productive. But do you know that you do not need One Million Naira to dream up an idea? You do not need One Million Naira to be positive about life. You do not need One Million Naira to decide that you will succeed. All you need is yourself and the convinction that with or without One Million Naira sitting in your bank account you will succeed whether you live in Abuja or in Damaturu. Without One Million Naira, you can do much and can be much more.

We live in a knowledge driven world where information carefully articulated can bring you fortune.Blogs are springing up everyday on lifestyles,technological advancement, networking and even gossips. These days gossips bloggers seem to sell more than some business bloggers. My Silicon Valley Naija boys are constantly developing softwares, websites, apps and much more. This is truely a world ruled by ideas and not money.I am a living testimony. Most of us wont have a million naira to start a business but we must start anyways. Network, develop a business plan and set realistic timelines for their achievement. Ideas are free and they become realities if followed passionately. I dont have N1,000,000.00 right now but I am going on anyways. Now tell me what will you do with a Million Naira. Feel free to comment.

Kolawole Kehinde is the Principal Consultant at Rosewindow Consulting and currently lives in Abuja. www.rosewindowconsulting.com