Only An Igbo Man Can Do This. Seriously

This man built, Peter Ngwu, a house, raised 2 graduates selling chewing sticks (PICTURE)
From TUNDE RAHEEM Akure

Friday, October 2, 2009

It sounds incredible that somebody could build a house and train children up to the university level, selling common chewing stick {pako}. But, this is true of a popular chewing stick seller in Akure ,Ondo State, Peter Ngwu, who has been in the business for over 30 years.


Ngwu, 63, said despite meagre returns, he has trained two of his children to university level.

The Ebonyi State- born father of five children said in an interview with Daily Sun that contrary to the view that whoever was dealing in his kind of business was a wretched man, he has been in the business for over three decades and made a success of it.


Baba pako as he is popularly called by his teeming customers said he had built his own house and trained his children to university level adding that : “I am still training the remaining three, I give glory to God”


On how he became a chewing stick seller, Ngwu said he was a successful business man dealing in kitchen utensils with a store at Arakale area. “I was doing fine in the business until I was robbed by an armed robbery syndicate at upper Uwenka in Onitsha many years back, Baba pako said, saying that the robbers carted away all his money meant to purchase goods to replenish his store at gun point in Onitsha. The development ruined him financially.


He was jobless for a long time, before a friend came to introduce the chewing stick business to him. “When he mentioned the business, I felt bad and I thought in my mind that how come somebody who was dealing in kitchen utensils in a big form would suddenly become a chewing stick seller. But, when there was no hope of getting money to continue the business, I didn’t have option than to accept the offer”


He said his friend gave him some money to start the business and after sometime the business gradually boomed. Ngwu said at a stage he used to make between N700 and N1000 profit per day.

Baba pako gets his bulk supplies from Calabar for both whole and retail sales in Akure.


He explained this : “It is very scarce to get the sticks here in Ondo State, but in Calabar, they plant them in large quantities, because they take it as a big time business, unlike in Ondo State.

Ngwu advised jobless youths to embark on cottage business that could keep them busy rather than engaging on unwholesome acts capable of ruining their lives.








 

@Poster,what exactly is your point,i am igbo but i don't necessarily agree with your assertion that only an igbo can do it,there's nothing exceptional about it,it's not an unattainable fit, so relax with labelling before U arouse ppl towards tribal war.The topic would have been more worthy if U had used anything else but this,U took a lot from the praise that would gone to the man with the headline.
Anyway my opinion!

The original poster in his infinite 'wisdom' has done a survey on all Nigerians and has found out that ONLY men from a certain tribe are diligent enough to work odd jobs to ensure their children have a better life.

What you have done is not only insult diligent hard-working Nigerian men who do not belong to the Igbo tribe but you have contrived to introduce yourself as one that sees tribal affiliation as a reason for people's actions. How sad!

Rosabelle,

Ms u must be thinking this is 1800 when British arrived in Yoruba land and introduced education. Please don't ever group Igbo and Hausa together again. I no blame u coz u don't know any better but em Igbos have long surpassed Yoruba in education. The whole East don surpass and are rated to be the most educated in Nigeria with highest or only middle class population. Please tell me how on earth are my highly educated ppl now in the same league with some moronic aboki people trailing Yoruba slowly in education? We Igbos n particular and non Igbo of the East are so far ahead u are the one trailing us. Aboki ppl are so far far behind they are the last. Don't forget there is middlebelt.

Arent we ever tired?
@tOPIC,hardwork and determination pays.

am proud of Baba Pako!

The kind of topics that make it to front page these days  Anyway na traffic.

Ok I wasn't going to reply to this but, are you for real? Come on now, this statement is definitely delusional. You need to look up the stats of university entrants and graduates in Nigeria. I think the problem is the Igbos have as many successful graduates as there are successful "illiterates" like many will like to call them. In other words, the probability that you'll come accross a successful igbo man/woman who is either educated or "illiterate" is almost 50/50.
Note: I'm just speaking for the Igbo tribe, I don't know about others. Also, my comment has nothing to do with the Original post.

so much noise from an empty barrel!!

you must be very sick in the head to say this