No recent updates on keeping up with Maazi Ngene?

I paid the N1,600 for the business permit moments ago. I took an okada N50 from the bank to the local government secretariat to collect my receipt. When I got there, a woman said I should return tomorrow because the man who's supposed to issue me the receipt was not around. That meant spending another N50 back to my shop. N100 wasted. Though the woman promised to visit my shop to do some shopping. Amen! Lol.

I'll be paying off my taxes little by little. Two gone. Two to go.

As for the village container, I'm yet to find a buyer. The guy who offered to buy it N65,000 before I roofed it is still offering me the same N65,000 after roofing.

Me: Ah ah! I roofed it with N23,500 o! How can you still be saying N65,000 na?

Him: I know you've suffered setting up the container. But you know that if someone buys a car and wants to sell it, the value drops.

Me: Stop talking like that. It's annoying. How can you compare a landed property to a car? Nawa o!

Him: Ok! Look for another buyer then. But if you change your mind, just call me.

Call wetin? He must think I'm desperate to sell because I told him I want to use the money I'll realise from the deal to buy a second-hand okada. N65,000 ni N65,000 ko. Instead of selling the container to him for that poor price, I'd rather dash it to that Aunty that gave me the two-months ultimatum. Lol.

The search for a buyer continues. Alternatively, I could start a business there that's non-dependent on light as I'm not ready to pay my village-NEPA N10,000. Besides, I've been selling the dvd, Nigerian movies, phone chargers and memory cards since I moved them to my Agbani shop. I even charged my neighbour N20 (twenty naira) to hire my tester/screwdriver yesterday. He didn't want to buy it for N50 (fifty naira). At least him N20 don help me drink two cold purewater. Lol.

My people, help me with suggestions. What business can I do in my village container that won't depend on light? Forget provisions and drinks business. It's already too rampant in the village. Or should I start selling my specially-cooked ginger and garlic beans there? Lol.

That reminds me. Can you all imagine that I bought a painter of beans N1,000 (ONE THOUSAND NAIRA) on Saturday? From N750 to N850 to N1,000. Nawa o! I just hope this recent "floating of the naira" by the CBN doesn't make it N2,000 when next I'm visiting the market.

Aha! I bought ginger, garlic and crayfish from my Eke Agbani mama yesterday. I told her how well the ugu she sold to me is doing and how I don't know how to go about selling it.

Mama: Are you not using it to cook?

Me: Mama, I don't cook soup o!

Mama: Only Indomie? Children of nowadays!

Me: (laughing)

Mama: Bring it. Let me help you sell it. It's just that you won't know how to harvest it.

Me: You told me before na. You said I should leave the first stalks the ugu grew and cut the other stalks, right?

Mama: Ehen! You remember! Those first stalks are what will produce the ugu pods.

Me: Mama thank you.

I'll take it to her as soon as I can.

I finally collected the business permit receipt few minutes ago. It seems Mondays are the only days these government workers are sure to be on seat. If you go on other days, na mostly ghost workers you go meet. Lol.

Check out my ugu. I took the picture yesterday. It's already growing pods. Thank God.

Happy new month to everyone. Welcome to the second half of the year. I see you're all tired of watching John nwa Nkanu Part 7. Lol.

In this episode, I'd like to introduce a boy (about 14years old) who finished his junior-WAEC and decided to start a poultry. He's my Agbani landlord's son. I knew when he started rearing the chicks under the staircase behind my container. I was surprised to see how fast the broilers were growing.

Yesterday, I noticed that the birds were no longer under the staircase. So today,

Me: What happened to your fowls? Have you sold them?
Boy: We moved them to the backyard. We'll buy more chicks and put here very soon.
Me: Can you show me?
Boy: Yes. Come and see.

I went. I saw and was impressed with his effort so far. I called him to my shop and gave him a little cash to encourage him. He was so surprised and thanked me. The money was also a kind of bribe for him to give me more information sha. Lol. Although he'd have given me the information for free.

Me: I want to start something like this in my village. How much have you spent so far on this your poultry?
Boy: Hmmm... Nineteen-thousand-something now.
Me: How many birds did you start with?
Boy: 25
Me: How many have died?
Boy: Only two
Me: How old are your broilers now?
Boy: Six weeks and three days.
Me: Wow! What inspired you to start all this?
Boy: They taught us in school.

I didn't even bother to ask him where he got his capital. I'm sure his father must have supported him with funds. Nevertheless, I'm really impressed by this boy. He's already displaying the Igbo entrepreneural spirit at such a young age. At an age when most of his agemates are still playing PS or looking for girls on 2GO. Lol.

I wish you all could come and see things with your own korokoro eyes. Lol. I'll upload the pictures of him, his poultry and me taking lectures from him as soon as I can.

1st picture: Under the staircase where he started raising the chicks

2nd picture: The backyard where he has transfered the six weeks old broilers to.

3rd picture: The boy with his broilers.

4th picture: Me taking lectures from him. Lol.

The boy told his parents about the small cash I gave him and my landlord and landlady both thanked me yesterday. It made me feel uncomfortable. Lol. I wish he could've kept it away from them but I understand that he can't at his age. It further proves that he's a good boy.

I wish somebody like Obasanjo could host this boy for about two weeks at Ota Farms during this his long vacation. Things like that will definitely motivate boys like him to keep dreaming big agricultural dreams.

my inlaw, thumbs up.. God bless ur hustle

JohnNgene, I like your writeup, you're a good story teller. This storyline will fetch you wealth in future when compiled as a "personal memoir". It gives insight to actual struggles of an Igbo youth as against popular opinions about Igbos.

As you struggle to success, your landlord child tests his hands on poultry etc. These are real stories and experiences.

Kudos

prevail23:
my inlaw, thumbs up..
God bless ur hustle

Wow! So you're on Nairaland? Hope you guys are safe there in Yola o! God has blessed and will keep blessing our hustle. Thanks.

Johnny Boy
Pls keep this your write up for future memoirs.
About the boy you connect him to all these farms through their social media accounts.
The real accounts not fraudulent ones ooooo.
God bless our hustle.

JohnNgene:


Wow! So you're on Nairaland? Hope you guys are safe there in Yola o! God has blessed and will keep blessing our hustle. Thanks.

amen ooh!!!!

Hello John,
How are the broilers? I can't figure what the flooring was, but broilers don't do well on the cold floor. My family kept 100layers and 100broilers. Cheap maintenance included:
1. Collecting wood shavings from carpenter's plane for providing warmth on the floor. This also helps if there are no heat sources as hi-watt bulbs.
2. Fortification with vet vitamins or local ones, especially if ventilation is poor. Local vitamins are mainly water-leaf, but mixed with cracked beans (slight knocking in a mortar) and a handful of rice. Usually, the broilers won't mind straight water-leaf.
3. Feeding from troughs. I cannot say why, but from my experience, broilers seem assured of food when it's in the trough and they have assumed the pecking order.

Keep working on episode 7. I'm thinking about how else I can help. You're doing good!

JohnNgene:
Hmmm... Asids55, I should've invested the whole N300,000 (three hundred thousand naira) on agriculture? No way! Abi you wan make hunger kill me? Lol.

If I had say N600,000 (six hundred thousand naira) as startup capital, I definitely would've been courageous enough to invest N300,000 on a fishery. There are so many beer parlours here in my village and none of them currently serves point-and-kill. That fishery is a goldmine waiting to be tapped here.

That reminds me. My father informed my cousin and I that he wants to sell his land that's beside Obe road. He planted palm trees there many years ago. I think he had a vision of making it a palm plantation but my old man desperately needs money now. Lol.

It's a thing of mixed feelings for me. I'm sad because as his first son, I'm supposed to inherit the land in the future and integrate it into my agricultural vision. I'm happy because if he sells it, he'll have the funds he needs to rejuvinate his struggling business and meet up with other financial demands of the family.

Nevertheless, I'll be happiest if an agricultural firm or a palm oil enthusiast buys the land. That'll be like killing two birds with one stone.

How much does he intend selling the land

Bad news:
I almost lost my diabetic little cousin last Friday. What happened was he developed a swelling on his neck about two weeks ago. His mother took him to an elderly woman (I don't know if I can call her a traditional healer) to carry out the MGBAPIA procedure on him. I heard the procedure involves the healer inserting her finger into the person's throat and bursting the swelling with her fingernail.

After the procedure, my little cousin's condition got worse. The swelling didn't go down as expected and he was still in pains. This time around they took him for ISI YARA AGBA. Another traditional procedure. There was still no improvement.

By Friday morning, he was unconscious. We had to rush him to the hospital UNTH Utuku-Ozalla. The doctors and nurses responded as quickly as they could. Drips and an oxygen tank were attached to his body. Thank God he's responding to treatment now.

Unfortunately, I can't share the picture with you all. I'm sharing the story because we almost lost my little cousin to ignorance.

One of the doctors on duty took time to warn us never to handle a diabetic patient so ignorantly. She told us that TONSILITIS (known as MGBAPIA in Igbo), which he was suffering from, is more of a symptom of sickness and not a sickness itself. That there was no need to burst it. All we needed to do was to give him antibiotics or bring him to the hospital for proper treatment. That by bursting a diabetic patient's tonsil, we had unknowingly worsened his already fragile health condition. She even scolded us for trying to save money by treating him traditionally instead of bringing him to the hospital.

Biko, unu nyere m aka reduce o the ignorance and aka-gum in rural Igbo land. Lol. Warn your friends and relations in the villages not to treat any neck-swelling (be it tonsilitis, goitre or sore-throat) with cheap crude traditional methods. Tell them to first take antibiotics and if symptoms persist after three days, to please visit and enrich the doctor abeg. Lol. It sounds funny but it's not. I'm laughing because my little cousin is still alive thanks to God and the doctors and nurses at UNTH Utuku-Ozalla.

Semi-Good news:
I bought this third-hand Carter motorcycle this morning from my neighbour at Agbani who repairs motorcycles beside my own shop.

I call it semi-good news because I've only paid N10,000 out of the N25,000 he agreed to sell it for. The okada itself cost N20,000 while the N5,000 is what it'll cost me to change the piston, chain-cover etc plus pay for his workmanship.

Well, it's still good news sha. I heard a new Carter motorcycle costs about N200,000 (two hundred thousand naira) now. That means a second-hand Carter should cost from about N80,000 to N100,000. Nawa o!

Make una no congratulate me until una see the picture abeg. Lol. I'll upload it later when I recharge and get free mb as usual.

congrats

Good to hear that your little cousin pulled through. Ignorance can be very expensive! here's wishing him a speedy recovery. Truth is, access to quality health care in the rural areas is very poor. Most deaths there are certainly avoidable.

Now, I'm not sure I've seen a Carter motorbike before. Looking forward to see the picture when you upload it. All the best!

Mr john you're a genius. Having read from the 1st to the no: 7th of this thread i think its the best thread so far on nairaland. Keep updating us bro. I will be following you up.

This is good. People will celebrate yahoo boys instead of you but don't mind them

Oga John nwanne Titus, amu ne kene oo..

Do u know this ur thread ve kept me awake all through d night
Nwanne, U go pay for this deprived sleep by bringing down some ugu to Ngwo this weekend.

Baba, if I say I am not enjoying ur "keeping up with John onye Uwa Mmebi" I will be deceiving devil that he could use Nigeria Fire service to quench oku mmuo(Hell)..

Nwanne, am encouraged by ur determination.

Chukwu Nna will pick ur call this month.

There are some lessons I've learnt and I'm still learning on this my journey to wealth. Or do I call them principles I live by?

1) Listen to God's voice

Sometimes I call it 'intuition' or 'my spirit'. It will tell me to do this or do that. To go to Igbo land and start up something. To talk to so so so person about something. To share my story on Nairaland. Lol.

2) Be IGBOtic

There is something special about being Igbo. Other nationalities respect and envy us for our intelligence, ingenuity and industriousness. I no wan fall their hand. Lol. I must live up to the Igbo golden reputation.

3) Develop yourself

I'm not just talking about school education. I develop myself by reading. I read newspapers. I read books (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich, 48 Laws of Power etc). I read novels. I read blogs. I read how-to-dos. I read everyday. You people have been asking which school I graduated from. I don dey dodge the question since. Lol. I'm not yet a graduate. I actually dropped out from university some years ago due to financial constraints. My writing skill is perhaps as a result of a mix of talent and factors such as growing up in Lagos, reading the dictionary, novels etc. Honestly I don't believe that a lack of a university certificate can/should limit me. I'll keep developing myself the new-school way.

4) Choose your friends wisely

I met the friend who lent me money to do business during our days at Unizik. I met another of my closest friends till date at King's College Lagos. I'm a very friendly guy but I have few persons I consider my friends. Getting into my Facebook friends list is easy. Getting into my real friends list hard well well. Lol. I've realised that friendship is one of the most important things in life. I always try to make good friends and be a good friend.

5) Sacrifice

I try to sacrifice some pleasures to reach my destination. The Igbo say that "ejighi akpata etufuo abu ogaranya" (let me translate it in pidgin: "them no dey use get throway become rich" If I need to eat using the ONE-ZERO-ONE formula, so be it. Lol. If I need to be girlfriendless, so be it. Lol. One day one day, when I get to where I'm going, I'll be able to afford TEN-square meals and 300 concubines like King Solomon if I like. Lol.

6) Life's hard

LG say "Life's Good". Na lie! Life no easy. Lol. Making money is not easy. Becoming a millionaire is easier said than done.

7) Be patient and persevere

The bottom line is I can never give up. I will keep knocking on the door of wealth and success until it opens. If e no gree open, I no go look for Apian way or try to break am down like a criminal. Lol. I'll ask God for the key. Then I'll seek until I find it.

JohnNgene:
There are some lessons I've learnt and I'm still learning on this my journey to wealth. Or do I call them principles I live by?

1) Listen to God's voice

Sometimes I call it 'intuition' or 'my spirit'. It will tell me to do this or do that. To go to Igbo land and start up something. To talk to so so so person about something. To share my story on Nairaland. Lol.

2) Be IGBOtic

There is something special about being Igbo. Other nationalities respect and envy us for our intelligence, ingenuity and industriousness. I no wan fall their hand. Lol. I must live up to the Igbo golden reputation.

3) Develop yourself

I'm not just talking about school education. I develop myself by reading. I read newspapers. I read books (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich, 48 Laws of Power etc). I read novels. I read blogs. I read how-to-dos. I read everyday. You people have been asking which school I graduated from. I don dey dodge the question since. Lol. I'm not yet a graduate. I actually dropped out from university some years ago due to financial constraints. My writing skill is perhaps as a result of a mix of talent and factors such as growing up in Lagos, reading the dictionary, novels etc. Honestly I don't believe that a lack of a university certificate can/should limit me. I'll keep developing myself the new-school way.

4) Choose your friends wisely

I met the friend who lent me money to do business during our days at Unizik. I met another of my closest friends till date at King's College Lagos. I'm a very friendly guy but I have few persons I consider my friends. Getting into my Facebook friends list is easy. Getting into my real friends list hard well well. Lol. I've realised that friendship is one of the most important things in life. I always try to make good friends and be a good friend.

5) Sacrifice

I try to sacrifice some pleasures to reach my destination. The Igbo say that "ejighi akpata etufuo abu ogaranya" (let me translate it in pidgin: "them no dey use get throway become rich" If I need to eat using the ONE-ZERO-ONE formula, so be it. Lol. If I need to be girlfriendless, so be it. Lol. One day one day, when I get to where I'm going, I'll be able to afford TEN-square meals and 300 concubines like King Solomon if I like. Lol.

6) Life's hard

LG say "Life's Good". Na lie! Life no easy. Lol. Making money is not easy. Becoming a millionaire is easier said than done.

7) Be patient and persevere

The bottom line is I can never give up. I will keep knocking on the door of wealth and success until it opens. If e no gree open, I no go look for Apian way or try to break am down like a criminal. Lol. I'll ask God for the key. Then I'll seek until I find it.

Dude we share a lot in common.... Reading this it's like you were writing about me. lol

Thank God for your cousin,wishing him quickest recovery.

God bless you more John for your inspiring post,you shall surely get there in Jesus mighty name...Amen

JohnNgene:
There are some lessons I've learnt and I'm still learning on this my journey to wealth. Or do I call them principles I live by?

1) Listen to God's voice

Sometimes I call it 'intuition' or 'my spirit'. It will tell me to do this or do that. To go to Igbo land and start up something. To talk to so so so person about something. To share my story on Nairaland. Lol.

2) Be IGBOtic

There is something special about being Igbo. Other nationalities respect and envy us for our intelligence, ingenuity and industriousness. I no wan fall their hand. Lol. I must live up to the Igbo golden reputation.

3) Develop yourself

I'm not just talking about school education. I develop myself by reading. I read newspapers. I read books (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich, 48 Laws of Power etc). I read novels. I read blogs. I read how-to-dos. I read everyday. You people have been asking which school I graduated from. I don dey dodge the question since. Lol. I'm not yet a graduate. I actually dropped out from university some years ago due to financial constraints. My writing skill is perhaps as a result of a mix of talent and factors such as growing up in Lagos, reading the dictionary, novels etc. Honestly I don't believe that a lack of a university certificate can/should limit me. I'll keep developing myself the new-school way.

4) Choose your friends wisely

I met the friend who lent me money to do business during our days at Unizik. I met another of my closest friends till date at King's College Lagos. I'm a very friendly guy but I have few persons I consider my friends. Getting into my Facebook friends list is easy. Getting into my real friends list hard well well. Lol. I've realised that friendship is one of the most important things in life. I always try to make good friends and be a good friend.

5) Sacrifice

I try to sacrifice some pleasures to reach my destination. The Igbo say that "ejighi akpata etufuo abu ogaranya" (let me translate it in pidgin: "them no dey use get throway become rich" If I need to eat using the ONE-ZERO-ONE formula, so be it. Lol. If I need to be girlfriendless, so be it. Lol. One day one day, when I get to where I'm going, I'll be able to afford TEN-square meals and 300 concubines like King Solomon if I like. Lol.

6) Life's hard

LG say "Life's Good". Na lie! Life no easy. Lol. Making money is not easy. Becoming a millionaire is easier said than done.

7) Be patient and persevere

The bottom line is I can never give up. I will keep knocking on the door of wealth and success until it opens. If e no gree open, I no go look for Apian way or try to break am down like a criminal. Lol. I'll ask God for the key. Then I'll seek until I find it.

That was a masterpiece u have there

Nice write up John,and thought I was hustling selling biscuits as a junior in secondary school back in the day, am impressed by the entrepreneurial skill and business acumen of this young chap.. Amazing. Biko. I will like to donate two bags of feed to this little giant, holla..

I will personally order 10 to 15 Chickens around Xmas time from him for family and friends,that is if he will have some by then..

Good to hear your cousin is recovering, diabetic mellitus patients are not to be messed around with, They need good management by a seasoned health care professional.. A combination of Painkillers, steroids and Ivabx is all you need to treat tonsils, not attempting bursting an inflammatory response caused by an infection.. lets us spread the message, there is no place for crude unproven " medical" practice in 2016..
How old is your cousin? Is he overweight / obese?
How is his condition managed, is he a type 1 or type 2 diabetic, Insulin or diet controlled?? does he have regular blood glucose monitoring..

My sister is a diabetic Nurse specialist if you need any info, you know where to find me..God bless..

Jisike, God will crown your efforts in due time..

john keep it up. I read your post a months ago and I spent hours reading it. I must say you are really good at it. I was surprised to stumbled on this thread again today. you even write more than some graduates. being a graduate is not a sure proof to success.
this your write up should be fetching you a large fan base and millions abroad, but in naija, our govt no dey reason stuff like this. but keep it going, someday this chronicle of your biz journey will yield results. you can turn it to a book and sell

A man was just killed about an hour ago by some unknown gunmen near my shop at Agbani. I was woken up from my nap by the sound of the gunshots.

The man was probably a lawyer going by the NBA sticker I saw on his windshield. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen parked, one of them came down, corked his gun, marched to the man seated in his car and ordered him to come down. The man looked at the gunman defiantly and was shot as he tried to speed off.

At first, eyewitnesses thought the man had odeshi and had escaped unhurt. Unfortunately, he crashed with his car a short distance from the scene of the shooting.

Nobody knows if the gunmen were armed robbers, kidnappers or assassins. They shot again into the air as they drove off.

Make God save us for this Agbani o! And to think that I was considering opening my shop for business today. Today's Eke and I wanted to open shop for the first time on a Sunday. Thank God I succumbed to the strange drowsiness I felt at about 2pm.

It's funny how little drops of spending make a mighty ocean of expenses. Nawa o!

My cousin called me last Saturday to give me bad news.

Him: Somebody wants to buy this your container o!

Me: How much?

Him: One million! (people laughing)

Me: You no serious. (smiling) Where you dey?

Him: I dey drink with some guys. One girl had an accident and crashed into your container today o!

Me: Are you serious? Or are you joking?

Him: Serious. She didn't injure but she really damaged the container.

Me: I hope her people have money. So that they'll repair it or better still buy it.

Him: (laughing)

After the call, I was still doubting the news because I wasn't sure if my cousin was joking. Then on Monday, the guy who wanted to buy the container N65,000 called me to report the same bad news. Oh no! When I told him to take the container now for N80,000, he told me his wife wants a bigger container. No wonder he was stubbornly offering me N65,000 before.

It's just this morning I got to see the damage by myself. I've been in Agbani since last week. I heard the girl was learning how to ride the motorcycle when the accident happened. I would've been singing "Tinubu, you don hit my car, oyibo repete..." by now if her people were rich. Lol. Unfortunately, I heard she's an orphan.

Worse still, she and her grandmother are even preparing to come and beg me for mercy. Nawa o! This one na double wahala for deadi body and the owner of deadi body. Sighs.

This my father's big house makes people think we're swimming in money. Lol. I wish they could see how I was running away from my Agbani shop last week. I narrowly dodged paying the N1,500 (or is it even N2,000?) security levy when the vigilante men where going from shop to shop seizing goods in order to force us to pay.

Today makes it exactly six months since I opened my Agbani shop on February 18th. I thank God for John's journey so far. Even though it's been so buharific these days. Lol.

Just finish readin everytin u ve got here, my bro good work ther. I wish to knw u more dan dis, im a yoruba bt gat igbo blood in vein. Cant wait 2 c ur update. God bles u.

JohnNgene:
Today makes it exactly six months since I opened my Agbani shop on February 18th. I thank God for John's journey so far. Even though it's been so buharific these days. Lol.

I am awed. This is determination at it's peak. Your success story isn't far from now. Just never say never.

I went to my village yesterday. I've been at Agbani since August 14th. No be sey I prefer to dey stay for Agbani o! It's just that this Buhari's recession dey bite person bad bad. Lol. Worst still, the motorcycle I bought is still dead and my cousin doesn't open his shop everyday anymore. That means I can't afford to shuttle from Amurri to Agbani and back to Amurri everyday.

Papa, the man that sold the motorcycle to me, is yet to repair it. My cousin convinced me not to pay him any additional money until I'm sure that the motorcycle can at least start. When I told Papa, he agreed, asked me to give him N300 (three hundred naira) to buy petrol to wash the engine and even promised to refund my N10,000 (ten thousand naira) if I'm no longer interested in the purchase. I'm still waiting for the fulfilment of his promise. Lol.

As I was saying, when I got home to my village, weeds and grasses had overtaken my farm. The blocks I'd used to create a pillar for the ugu stakes to lean on had collapsed. I suspect a heavy wind. One of my ugu pods had totally rotted while the others were scattered all over the ground. I had to harvest them this morning. Fifteen ugu pods in all. I brought three of the biggest ones to Agbani today to show the the kind Eke Agbani Mama.

Me: Mama, I told you my ugu were producing pods before abi? See some of them o!

Mama: Heeey! Yes, this is my personal ugu. Very big, heavy and fruitful. Not all those other ugu they sell in the market.

Me: Mama, this your ugu is really wonderful. Please how do I sell it?

Mama: I'll ask the seed-sellers tomorrow. Tomorrow is Eke. But if they don't price it well, you'll keep it till the end of this month. By that time, you'll sell it higher.

Me: Ok, thank you Mama.

Meanwhile, you've all been praising my writing skills abi? I entered for the Etisalat Flash Fiction prize on September 9th o! Get ready to vote for me by fire by force when voting begins. I must win the £1,000 or £500 prize. Thank you all in advance. Lol.