Amidst Recession, Nigerian Billionaire Launches Airline in Swaziland

-- Names it Aghalieaku Airways

-- Why should a man name his airline Aghalieaku Airways? What does "agha lie aku" mean?

Chief Benjamin Aghalieaku Arinze, from Ozubulu, Anambra State, has chosen to launch his airline in Swaziland rather than Nigeria.

When the local environment stifles businesses, people would seek other climes to site their businesses.

But the interesting part is that he used his long Igbo name "Aghalieaku" as the name of the airline, not worrying himself that it may be hard for many non-Igbos to pronounce. But do Russians, Chinese, etc care about us when they choose names?

That name Aghalieaku is deep. His pictures show he should be under 50. He must have been born during the Nigerian Civil War or shortly after it.

Aghalieaku literally means: Let war eat wealth (war can take all the wealth for all I care).

His father must have lost his life sweat to that war but defiantly told the war to go with the wealth, for he would make more wealth as long as there is life.

I don't know how the man fared afterwards, but the son he gave that defiant name has grown up to become a billionaire.

Life happens.

That is why I am not a fan of the fad among young Igbo couples of giving Igbo children names that sound alike and funky because everybody is doing it. Today every Igbo child is Chiziterem, Chizara, Chimzara, Chimdindu, Chikaima, Chikaigeto, Chikaigeso, Chikamso, Chimamanda, etc - which are shortened as Chizy, Chimzy, Geto, Keto, Kosy, Kamsy, Kamto, etc. It is difficult to remember the names of Igbo children these days because they all sound alike.