Hey, My name is Ikenga.

For the past few years, or at least for as long as I remember i've always envisioned my future in Nigeria. As I stand here in America, my mind has always been set back home as a part of a 15+ year nostolgic homesickness. I lived in Nigeria when I was a small boy and have visited several times after moving to the US during the December season.

Where people see poverty and dispair i see adventure and oppurtunity if you're willing to struggle make it work!



My mission is to repatriate to nigeria and build a state of the art entertainment brand oriented around a state of the art Nightclub that will rival competitors in Europe and the US. Based on the miami mega-club structure, this venture will be the beginning of an aggressive expansion into franchising the brand and venturing into entertainment related industries in the country





The Reason?


In Nigeria the youth aren't only the future, they're the present. Over 45% of Nigeria's population is young and it's one of the leading contributors to the worlds growing population. On top of the Nigerian middle class is ever expanding and the boom in youth and entertainment related industries (entertainment, shopping/retail, fastfood, telecoms/cellphones, fashion, nollywood, cinemas ect, ) show this venture will pin point the core of the youth spirit and wave of growth. Recent voter registration also show the undeniable forcé and size of the Nigerian youth. The market CAN’T be ignored!


Nigerian youths first and foremost like to party. On top of liking to party we love to 'showform' and a nightclub is the mecca of both aspects of our nature. Also, my close following of the Nigerian stock market has revealed to me the alcoholic beverage sector is a steady and constant source of immense growth, and often captials the tiger industries in the market. This coupled with the culure disposition of Nigerians and their never ending search for a reason to celebrate make will make my nightclub a guranteed success! The reason I write this so to bring you guys along my journey to my dream! I’ll be keeping you updated regularly. I feel that my faith in my strength, vision and preserverence will grant me a victory in this adventure! Wish me luck!

As I sit here in America, in a fairly isolated state I'm becoming more and more anxious to get things started! I know that in Nigeria, first and foremost all things are done with cement, so the purchase of cement has become my first actual dive into the adventure. Of course i've been formulating a through and full proof business plan over the past year and have been networking with people in photography, advertisizing, and promotion.

PS If you're in the promotions, construction, real estate, choreography, filming, beverage, and interior design industries CONTACT ME HERE ASAP!

Anyways, cement, cement, cement!

http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2010/06/18/12015-cement-worker.jpg


The problem I'm facing is trust! I know as well as any other Nigerian that sending money to someone in Nigeria to buy ANYTHING for you is financial suicide! Sadly people are more concerned with taking advantage of situations then they are being a positive part of it. The first four people I contacted all told me crazy stories. Two jacked the price of cement of 3 fold when I asked them the price (I already researched the price and asked a more reliable source in Nigeria, I just wanted to test these guys lol). The other one told me it was impossible to transport cement which I'm going to stock pile in Imo State to Lagos or Calabar (my two candidate locations) because "there's no road”.

I understand and have witness the road condititions in Nigeria (Damn!),




nd have suffered the 8 hour drive from Lagos to Imo State, but to say it’s imposible when people go from Imo State to Lagos and Imo State to Calabar (including the person i was talking to) is foolish. I have no time to deal with people that don’t live in the world of facts, go exaggerate to someone else! Hell the guy did Youth Service in Kano. How can you get from Imo to Kano but its imposible to get to Calabar and Lagos?!

Anyways i’ve decided to state saving money from cement in a Western Union account until I am physicially in Nigeria to buy the cement or find someone RELIABLE (good luck right?) to do it for me at a fair price over a long period of time.

Entry 2











I spoke with a friend of mine whom is becoming a closer friend with each phone call about my aspirations. She said it was a good idea and told me something that further motivated me. I was vaguely aware of the fact that in Lagos, people pay up to $25-35 dollars USD just to ENTER a club! Many of my projections were based on very conservative $5-15 dollar figures but it looks like I have A LOT to learn! She put me through to Facebook page of the guy that throws the “All Black Everything” party in Lagos. The guy lives in Atlanta and goes to Lagos once a year for this event, but his pictures feature every star in Nigeria and their mother! I was amazed that someone based in Atlanta could reach out to so many Nigerian stars and organize a major nigerian party event! Seems like someone I need to get to know without seeming like a stalker or fan-boy lol!

All-Black Everything Party











Anyways, my friend is a model and photographer. She told me that when she lived in Lagos she was a part of a dance squad and knows the woman in Nigeria that set the world record for the longest continuous dancing by any human being. The record setter I also the countries most popular choreographer! This is awesome news because I want my club to orient around an elite squad of model dancers that will be the primary driver of grassroots advertisement, brand visibility, and modeling.

I’m going to build a dance squad of dancers so confident, talented, bold, beautiful and edgy that every girl in the country will want to be a part! I want them to be more then dancers. They’ll do photoshoots, interviews, appearances, maintain fan sites, and i’ll strive to help each and everyone become an independent business powerhouse in her own right like Stephanie and Genevive, anywhere they want to take their talent i’ll be there to support as long as they willing to give our brand their ALL.

[center]TEAM BUILDING [/center]





















Hey everyone,




Cement buying is still difficult. Life in the US as a student is very expensive and I'm in a situation where I'm paying for school out of hand until this spring! Bills are therefore KILLING ME! I figured that since capital isn't my strong suit at the moment I can focus on the team building aspect of my venture.



My best friend for a few years now has been briefed on my idea and ambition and he seems 100% into it. This is great news because he's incredibly loyal to his friends, and is generous to a fault. He has lived in the US for 2 years and understands Nigeria far better then I do. He and I have been organizing parties here and there and combined have a strong talent for convincing people to do things/jump aboard our far flung ideas. And to date all of our parties have been a blast. The problem is between the two of us there isn't one iota of organizational skill. We're both pretty disorganized, and it has hindered our events in the past. My friend also has a very hard time being honest. I think it's his people pleasing instinct that causes him to sugar coat bad situations with a lie as opposed to being honest about it from the get go. I hope with age he gets over this because it seems to be a very crippling social weakness. I have my faults as well, and for this reason I haven't cancelled him out because everyone has their yin and yang. Either way you’re not going to find a better friend or partner anywhere else in the world. He’s a guy that would break his back to make sure yours remains intact and he’s in touch with the average modern Nigerian youth because he’s one of them, more so than I. On top of all that, he gets it.


[img]http://foem.info/images/stories/space_ibiza/carl_cox_space_ibiza.jpg[/img]
Another best friend of mine (I’m a collector) recently told me she wants to go to Nigeria with me and do this. I'm having a hard time accepting her willingness because 1. She’s Ethiopian 2. This was after 1 night of me telling her my idea. I've known she since I was 15 and she's always been a HUGE risk taker, more of a risk taker then I think she knows she is but it’s a VERY admirable trait. Remembering this has helped me realize how serious she could possibly be. Nigeria is no bed of roses for anyone, so to take such a leap into that terrain without prior experience could be overwhelming. (I guess Ethiopia shouldn’t be that far of a stretch as far as quality of life though). I’ve decided i’m just going to shut up and accept her compliance though because I’m over think it. She's a very intelligent practical thinker and has the organizational skill I severely lack. She has been telling me my price estimates have been very low as far as what I wish to charge people, and giving me other reality based feedback on my ideas which I NEED! Though I've taken all of her considerations in mind prior to her mentioning them except a smart few, I play dumb so that she can keep the assessments rolling. It’s a method I’ve learned over the years  because I’ve seen the extent by which over-sabi and stubbornness can kill. My ideas aren’t perfect my considerations can always improve and having someone reaffirm doubts can help strengthen the end result. Anyways, she and I had a brainstorming session before going out to a concert for drinks. Anyways I need smart, analytical, adventurous and helpful people like her so I’m going to keep her close.

My goal is to build two initial teams. A working corp and a finance corp. My working corp will handle the grassroots of the project as far as planning, organizing, logistics, and execution will my financial wing will be a partnership of investors and parties tied to the project monetarily. I’ve got ideas in my head as for who’s going to be on what based on the people I know, I just have to finalize this business proposal, get a strong collection of brand marketing artwork (I have a model in mind!), and get graphic layouts of what’s too be built. This strong body of work will make it easier to convince my team that the movement is moving!