doveda:


If you considered Nigeria as one, you should join and hands with me to condemn the author of this article. Clearly, he is ignorant of ethnic groups' practices outside his own. As we all know it is commonplace for Igbos to remind us about how successful they are especially in the world of business which to be sincere baffles me because sincerely I still cannot figure out the correlation between Igbos and business. It makes me wonder whether it is because you consider it a new thing or something. And if you were to be sincere with yourself, you can't deny that they you deal mainly in substandard products.

Trading, apprenticeship, travelling far and wide in the interests of commerce IS NOT NEW.

Are we not talking about the same Iyalojas and Babalojas who send their wards to 1.5 mill/session secondary schools in Yorubaland or to private universities in Nigeria

Maybe if you stopped trying to differentiate yourself from other ethnic groups, you might start seeing other people in a new light and humble yourself to your weaknesses.

Till then!

doveda:

Hehehe
You don't deserve my reply
Keep deceiving yourself

omonnakoda:
Your mother certainly was delivering rubbish when she birthed you. Go and learn some manners,baboon!!

doveda:

;DD
Chest-beater

patrick89:

My Akpu face mother delivered a packaged rubbish in me! onyeofeadiromma. I am a
typical dirty brownie,

patrick89:

My Akpu face mother delivered a packaged rubbish in me! a baboon I am a
typical dirty brownie,

omonnakoda:

Dangote is a perfect example .He came from a trading family and there is no other way to describe his development other than APPRNTICESHIP. He has now evolved from trading to manufacturing.What is noteworthy is he has been backed by family and it has taken more than one family generation to arrive where he is.No doubt he has benefited from political patronage but there are many others who had similar access before him
Dangote has adopted corporate practices and employs talent from everywhere. Trying to restrict recruitment to kinsmen and unnecessary rivalry and jealousy is a bane of many Ibo traders.
In Nigeria we think we know business but we are still learners. Ultimately business is about size and traders will always be sardines in a world of sharks. What is it that Shoprite is doing that Nigerians cannot do?

patrick89:

No I do not subscribe to this! it might suspicion! you know as booyi, you are also part of the family, the business is also yours , you should be keeping the money in the counter though some people don't care what their booyi does!

patrick89:

pained!!

omonnakoda:
my name is omonnakoda I'm an idiotic brownie, dirty pig from South West, I need serious help!!

doveda:


I'm doveda I'm stupid and silly, I want to choke on igbo matter please help me!

doveda:


30 million naira from armed robbery, kidnapping and fraud

You people must be very very rich

Brugge:


The only problem I see here is that you have a deep rooted bias one which am not sure how it comes about and which am not anyway in a position to query now. You made mention of Iyalojas and Babalojas and how much money they have and this clearly shows that you suffer from the same problem you accused the writer of - not being fully informed of other ethnic groups.

To be honest the only tribe in Nigeria that have a good view on how things work in every other divide of the country are the Igbos, because they have lived and still lived in virtually in almost every community you can think of and I think that gives them a pretty robust view of the cultural differences and happenings. The Yorubas on their part travel a lot but unfortunately outside the shores of Nigeria which leaves many of them with the half-truth of how a typical Igbo tradition/community works, based on their knowledge of pseudo-igbo tradition they come across in Lagos. The worst part is they cling to that and believe that that is how it is and that is how it works down there in the East.

I have spend considerable number of years in the West, North and East and I can tell you based on first hand experience how these different people function in their natural 'habitat' which is way different from how the average Hausa community in Ama-Hausa Owerri function and also how the Yoruba community in London functions. The problem with basing your argument on the behavior of 'these' set of people in an 'alien' community is that you do not get to see them exhibit their true traits like in their original abode.

You many be aware of the people you mentioned in Lagos but you are not aware of very rich business men in ladipo and co who chose not to spend millions in sending their kids abroad or choose not to express their wealth like the Iyaloja, not brandishing their wealth in Lagos or anywhere else does not mean they are not rich just that they are not either flamboyant enough to have captured your attention or that they run in a circle different from yours.

You have never lived amongst them in Onitsha or Nnewi or those that have hundreds of millions in business in Sabo Gari or Monday market in Maiduguri and else where. I am not saying that the Igbo business men are richer than the Yoruba business women/men, but that mere conjecture without any hard figures to quantify it does not cut it for me. Your argument will make much sense if you said of all the business men surveyed that a higher percentage of a particular ethnic group seem to have more money than the others after carefully taking into account all their investment irrespective where is it.

All so on the number of people doing business you will agree with me, that if you take a head count of all the traders and business people in any particular location apart from the indigenous people in that area the next group with higher head count will be the igbos and when you factor the fact that when you go to the East their numbers will be way more bigger than any other dominating group in the business, this will in aggregate leave them at the top of the chart in terms of head count.

The issue that will call for a careful observation will be the nature of the business and the sector in questions, but in terms of wealth not flaunting your riches, not throwing parties in London, sending your kids to Unilag instead of private uni or to the UK does not prove that you are not rich neither is it a prove that you have more money than everyone else, it is just a matter of personal preference and how you value things.

doveda:


If you considered Nigeria as one, you should join and hands with me to condemn the author of this article. Clearly, he is ignorant of ethnic groups' practices outside his own. As we all know it is commonplace for Igbos to remind us about how successful they are especially in the world of business which to be sincere baffles me because sincerely I still cannot figure out the correlation between Igbos and business. It makes me wonder whether it is because you consider it a new thing or something. And if you were to be sincere with yourself, you can't deny that they you deal mainly in substandard products.

Trading, apprenticeship, travelling far and wide in the interests of commerce IS NOT NEW.

Are we not talking about the same Iyalojas and Babalojas who send their wards to 1.5 mill/session secondary schools in Yorubaland or to private universities in Nigeria

Maybe if you stopped trying to differentiate yourself from other ethnic groups, you might start seeing other people in a new light and humble yourself to your weaknesses.

Till then!

doveda:


Ehn...what stupid headcount?. More money my ass!!!

I think I know what you mean. In fact no yourba would deny the fact that you own 80% of Nigerian properties and SMEs because of your numerous shops . Oh! I think I know why all Eastern states look like Paris

You are a fool to think you can tell me how to structure my argument. They just can't do without chest-beating unnecessarily yet they wonder why other ethnic groups do not like them



Why don't you take your head that is far up your ass and COMPREHEND. Trading or apprenticeship is not new nor special and you cannot base your success on your ability to chest-beat!!!



Keep kidding yourself ehn

Clowns!!!

Brugge:


Let me point out something that might interest you, did you know that research has shown that the best way to create employment is through small scale business? The call for big manufacturing companies and industries may not necessarily be what we need in our country now. If you have time, try and look up the Israeli business model and you will realized the story behind their economic stories is not massive industrialization or the setting up of huge 'capitalist' companies.

doveda:


You are really stupid!!!

Who do you think are the founders of some of the FTSE 500? Your father?

By force by fire, you must defend the indefensible.

doveda:


Ehn...what stupid headcount?. More money my ass!!!

I think I know what you mean. In fact no yourba would deny the fact that you own 80% of Nigerian properties and SMEs because of your numerous shops . Oh! I think I know why all Eastern states look like Paris

You are a fool to think you can tell me how to structure my argument. They just can't do without chest-beating unnecessarily yet they wonder why other ethnic groups do not like them



Why don't you take your head that is far up your ass and COMPREHEND. Trading or apprenticeship is not new nor special and you cannot base your success on your ability to chest-beat!!!



Keep kidding yourself ehn

Clowns!!!

doveda:


You are really stupid!!!

Who do you think are the founders of some of the FTSE 500? Your father?

By force by fire, you must defend the indefensible.

patrick89:
my brother the thing is such a very wonderful and emotional story,
my uncle from maternal side, told me after the war, he went to onitsha with nothing, he only followed a very popular rich man in our village when he was still 12, the man then was into Beans and rice, the market was dominated by hausas then, later, igbos took over the market, my uncle then went to lagos at the age of 18 started small business around apapa port, where he sells on ordinary table along the street, he then, made, more money and started selling plumbing material, he brought forth many young boys from our village, about 4 of them,one of the those boys is now now a house hold name, he trains my uncle's children in school at all levels, my uncle is doing virtually nothing now, but the things those boys he trained bring to him make him appear like a king, .
They bought cars for him and his wife, his new home in lagos and village, they bring cows to him almost every year..
it's such a wonderful thing, though the thing is becoming very unpopular as everyone wants to go to school, it will be difficult to get someone that will be interested in that booyi again..

Brugge:


Why are you calling me silly and why did you have to involve my dad in this? You don't know me and I don't know you, I assumed we were having a seemingly harmless conversation and you are insulting me. it shows the kind of home training you got and it speaks volume of those that raised you.

The problem with we Nigerians is we like arguing without facts, you had better go check the number of employment generated by big companies like coca cola, Google, Apple etc against the employment generated my sme within same period and you will understand my point. Or you can keep flaunting your ignorance around the choice is up to you am done trying to encourage you to start thinking critical rather than making wild speculations about issues.

This is my last piece with you, do have a nice evening.

omonnakoda:
There is nothing uniquely Ibo about apprenticeship .Generally you have apprenticeships among traders and also craftsmen followng different traditions. Trading is common in Men among the Hausas and some Ibo groups while among the Yoruba trading is done mostly by women.Not all Ibo groups are traders.
Hausas trade in foreign exchange, gold,agricultural products to name a few.They too have experience of travelling with large quantities of cash across West Africa for generations.
Apprenticeship is the model used by many Yoruba craftsmen to learn their trade whether as building contractors,mechanics,tailors,fabricators of metals( local machinery truck bodies etc). This also operates among Hausas who are a large body of mechanics servicing the heavy goods trucks in Sagamu and Ibadan.
The notable issue here in this Ibo apprenticeship is this model of serving for a term and then being rewarded afterwards. The biblical story of Jacob and Rebecca comes to mind.He was asked to serve for 7 years for his bride but on completion he was given Leah the older sister because the "older must marry first" and so had to serve another 7 years for his true love. Human beings are human beings and will always try to cheat and lie if they can get away with it. We have heard so many Rebecca stories.
What is important is we are not sold this idea that somehow buying and selling is all there is to business or is the best thing a young person can or should be doing with his life.
I remain critical of the Ibo mindset of buying and selling and crying for a sea port because there is no development no moving to the next level,no manufacturing vision. No major economy has so many traders.Ultimately we need big consolidated trading companies that can negotiate with manufacturers as equals ,negotiate better deals and deliver quality to consumers. As things are most Ibo traders are not in a position to replace defective manufactured goods and this creates reputational problems often unfairly. That is the vision we need ,Nigerian Shoprites and so on in every sector from pharmaceutics,grocery,spare parts etc How is this integrated with modern technology such as the internet etc. A model where 1000 small players are each bringing in one container a month is outdated. That is the real threat to Ibo traders in the future and a challenge to Nigeria

More and more apprenticeships will not lead us anywhere as a nation. That is not a 21st century doing business.If we do not wake up we will only succumb to the Shoprites and Walmarts of the world.

The narrative of £20 somehow had to find its way into the story.Another opportunity for self affirmation.Okay.but that was then and this is now. We all want to buy quality good with our phones and have them delivered to our homes and if there are problems we want good customer service.Those are the NEW SKILLS any 21st century business needs not just buying and selling

omonnakoda:
There is nothing uniquely Ibo about apprenticeship .Generally you have apprenticeships among traders and also craftsmen followng different traditions. Trading is common in Men among the Hausas and some Ibo groups while among the Yoruba trading is done mostly by women.Not all Ibo groups are traders.
Hausas trade in foreign exchange, gold,agricultural products to name a few.They too have experience of travelling with large quantities of cash across West Africa for generations.
Apprenticeship is the model used by many Yoruba craftsmen to learn their trade whether as building contractors,mechanics,tailors,fabricators of metals( local machinery truck bodies etc). This also operates among Hausas who are a large body of mechanics servicing the heavy goods trucks in Sagamu and Ibadan.
The notable issue here in this Ibo apprenticeship is this model of serving for a term and then being rewarded afterwards. The biblical story of Jacob and Rebecca comes to mind.He was asked to serve for 7 years for his bride but on completion he was given Leah the older sister because the "older must marry first" and so had to serve another 7 years for his true love. Human beings are human beings and will always try to cheat and lie if they can get away with it. We have heard so many Rebecca stories.
What is important is we are not sold this idea that somehow buying and selling is all there is to business or is the best thing a young person can or should be doing with his life.
I remain critical of the Ibo mindset of buying and selling and crying for a sea port because there is no development no moving to the next level,no manufacturing vision. No major economy has so many traders.Ultimately we need big consolidated trading companies that can negotiate with manufacturers as equals ,negotiate better deals and deliver quality to consumers. As things are most Ibo traders are not in a position to replace defective manufactured goods and this creates reputational problems often unfairly. That is the vision we need ,Nigerian Shoprites and so on in every sector from pharmaceutics,grocery,spare parts etc How is this integrated with modern technology such as the internet etc. A model where 1000 small players are each bringing in one container a month is outdated. That is the real threat to Ibo traders in the future and a challenge to Nigeria

More and more apprenticeships will not lead us anywhere as a nation. That is not a 21st century doing business.If we do not wake up we will only succumb to the Shoprites and Walmarts of the world.

The narrative of £20 somehow had to find its way into the story.Another opportunity for self affirmation.Okay.but that was then and this is now. We all want to buy quality good with our phones and have them delivered to our homes and if there are problems we want good customer service.Those are the NEW SKILLS any 21st century business needs not just buying and selling

cecegorz:


The problem with people like you is that you'll rather be blinded by prejudice instead of seeing clearly the merits in a people's practice.
The writer was trying to show how a whole generation of people, deliberately pauperized by a wicked economic state policy, were able to lift a massive number out of debilitating poverty within a very short span.
Let me reproduce an extract here again...
"Many of the rich men in Igbo land like Mr Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Motors, Mr Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Motors, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu of Chisco Motors, Chief Alex Chika Okafor of A-Z Petroleum/Chicason Group, etc, went through this apprenticeship scheme. Many of today’s rich Igbo men came from very poor families. This apprenticeship scheme gave them the foothold to rise to wealth, for their parents would have not been able to pay their school fees or give them the money required to start a business that has prospect."

All the people he quoted above had since gone into big time manufacturing, and many more that were not mentioned by the writer. The Dangote you mentioned was handed down a cheque by his grand fatther, the same grand fathers transfer of wealth that these deprived men could not benefit from, because their grand fathers wealth had been confiscated by the Nigerian government and used to fund development in other regions of Nigeria.
Go and read 'The Jewish Phenomenon' by Steven Silbiger, he analysed how the Jews used the same principle of apprenticeship to set themselves up in New York after they ran away from Europe due to anti-semitic persecutions. Today, those small traders in New York and their newer generations owns the biggest law firms, tech companies, media empires, hollywood etc.

The stupidity of Nigerian leaders, by looting our common wealth and refusing to invest in critical infrastructure, is the ONLY reason why many more Igbo businessmen or other Nigerians for that matter, had not gone into manufacturing, not because they don't know the value in manufacturing.

I was young when Berec batteries, Dunlop tyres, Volkswagen, etc.. were being manufactured in Nigeria, where are they today?
By the way, which manufacturing company do you own currently?

doveda:


I asked you a question. I am sorry if it sounded like an insult

Who do you think founded Google? Facebook? Etc

You are very ignorant and you are trying too hard to sound smart and logical but you are not

cecegorz:


The problem with people like you is that you'll rather be blinded by prejudice instead of seeing clearly the merits in a people's practice.
The writer was trying to show how a whole generation of people, deliberately pauperized by a wicked economic state policy, were able to lift a massive number out of debilitating poverty within a very short span.
Let me reproduce an extract here again...
"Many of the rich men in Igbo land like Mr Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Motors, Mr Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Motors, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu of Chisco Motors, Chief Alex Chika Okafor of A-Z Petroleum/Chicason Group, etc, went through this apprenticeship scheme. Many of today’s rich Igbo men came from very poor families. This apprenticeship scheme gave them the foothold to rise to wealth, for their parents would have not been able to pay their school fees or give them the money required to start a business that has prospect."

All the people he quoted above had since gone into big time manufacturing, and many more that were not mentioned by the writer. The Dangote you mentioned was handed down a cheque by his grand fatther, the same grand fathers transfer of wealth that these deprived men could not benefit from, because their grand fathers wealth had been confiscated by the Nigerian government and used to fund development in other regions of Nigeria.
Go and read 'The Jewish Phenomenon' by Steven Silbiger, he analysed how the Jews used the same principle of apprenticeship to set themselves up in New York after they ran away from Europe due to anti-semitic persecutions. Today, those small traders in New York and their newer generations owns the biggest law firms, tech companies, media empires, hollywood etc.

The stupidity of Nigerian leaders, by looting our common wealth and refusing to invest in critical infrastructure, is the ONLY reason why many more Igbo businessmen or other Nigerians for that matter, had not gone into manufacturing, not because they don't know the value in manufacturing.

I was young when Berec batteries, Dunlop tyres, Volkswagen, etc.. were being manufactured in Nigeria, where are they today?

delishpot:


That is because your uncle and his wife treated them well. Some ogas and their wives can be so mean.

patrick89:


https://www.today.ng/opinion/48881/igbo-and-culture-of-apprenticeship

tonychristopher:


That meaness is part of the training ..just Luke a teacher been mean to pupil

The problem with youths is that they want it free