Former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar has revealed how he made his first business decision as far back as 1971.

The former Vice President made the revelation after receiving the Honourary Achiever Award, at the Africa’s Youth Entrepreneurs Conference and Award titled “A Stand With The Giants”, at InterContinental Hotel in Lagos on Thursday night.

Atiku dedicated his award as Honourary African Outstanding Entrepreneur to Nigerian youths, and urged the youth to have more drive towards entrepreneurship.

Hear him: “I came to Lagos on June 29, 1969 and after my two years training (with the Nigeria Customs Service); I was posted to the border station of Idi-Iroko. At that time, the Badagry Road had not been constructed and the only means of transportation to the rest of the West African corridor was through the Idi-Iroko border to what used to be called Dahomey and what is now known as Benin Republic.

“On getting to Idi-Iroko, my first posting, I was not married and what I discovered was that the most promising business was transportation. Many pickup vans were transporting women traders from Ajase (Port Novo) to Lagos every morning, and every evening from Lagos back to Port Novo.

“So I asked myself, how I can seize the opportunity of this moving business. I came over to Lagos and in those days SCOA were the sole distributors of Peugeot, so I went to SCOA and I signed a hire-purchase agreement and bought four of those pickups and gave them to four different drivers and every day they will bring their returns to me and at the end of the month, I will go to SCOA and pay them.
“I wasn’t married, so my salary was intact and in addition I was saving from what I was getting from my transport business. So, sometime, to be an entrepreneur you must have the ingenuity to be an entrepreneur.”

Atiku noted that the country’s education system in the early 1960s provided the Nigerian youths the opportunities to make diverse carrier choice.

According to the former Vice President, “the educational system we operated in the First Republic provided our students then the opportunity to either go to universities or go to technical colleges or to go to crafts schools. There was never a dropout in that kind of educational system. The dullest was trained on a skill and given the capital to start a business.”

Atiku Abubakar however regrets that “suddenly, Nigeria moved away from that to a system of education where you train only job seekers.”

He pointed out that the products of this educational system don’t know how to do anything else other than to seek for jobs, adding that they cannot self-employ themselves. “So, what I am trying to say is that my Nigeria is possible and your own Nigeria is possible”, he said.

The former Vice President urged the youth to take advantage of the rebound in railway infrastructure that was built by the last administration to start a business initiative of transportation of goods across the country and reduce the reliance on heavy duty trucks to convey those goods.

He paid glowing tributes to music art youngster, Wizkid for his besting some of the greatest in the industry to clinch the Best International Act at the MOBO awards.
“Wizkid’s international award is a victory for Nigeria. Art is important not only for the revenue it brings and the business around it but for the image of our country. A good image has the capacity to trigger investments. The investments will generate much needed jobs. The jobs will not only ensure the security of families but the security of our nation and engender progress and development”, he said.

You where running a small scale enterprise until you added stolen funds to it.......

biacan:
g

h

Atiku, if you like, start your business since 1532, the boss of bosses has spoken, na only s/east you go get some votes.

biacan:
You where running a small scale enterprise until you added stolen funds to it.......

DaBillionnaire:


h

Did he steal your money?

python1:
Atiku, if you like, start your business since 1532, the boss of bosses has spoken, na only s/east you go get some votes.

Rubbish as usual. Do you ever type anything sensible? Surprise nairlanders na!!!

That is my President talking

.

Atiku is the reason we don't have electricity. Atiku undermined Obasanjo's electricity project and Obasanjo will never forgive him. "With what I know about Atiku, if I had put Atiku forward, God would not have forgiven me" - Obasanjo.

Horlufemi:
Atiku is the reason we don't have electricity. Atiku undermined Obasanjo's electricity project and Obasanjo will never forgive him. With what I know about Atiku, God will not forgive me if I allow Atiku become president - Obasanjo.

You are very correct. The issue of bureau of public procurement is still fresh in our memories. Anyway, let him spend those stolen wealth, if I get opportunity sef, I fit join to campaign for the ole, me sef get my own cut, and he will not win.

how Tinubu and buhari take make money?

.... and they're busy shouting corruption

even if Atiku dey.. make bubu also lie give us..

... as we Atikulate

DLondonboiy:

Did he steal your money?

Nah he stole your future

DLondonboiy:

Did he steal your money?

Nah he stole your future

biacan:
Nah he stole your future

Is it your future? It's Buhari that has not stolen your future and the future of every member of your family?

DLondonboiy:


Rubbish as usual. Do you ever type anything sensible? Surprise nairlanders na!!!

Lol, the "redeemed one", you are here again? Their concept of "sense" is supporting their dead and buried propaganda, abeg, make una no kee me with laff.

I never thought I would say this because I have never been a fan of Atiku but of recent I have found out he might be Nigerias best president if given a chance ...its time to disregard Obasanjos campaign of calumny against Atiku and do the right thing

python1:

Lol, the "redeemed one", you are here again? Their concept of "sense" is supporting their dead and buried propaganda, abeg, make una no kee me with laff.

LMAO. Everything you go dey laugh like who dey weed. Wetin funny here now?

DLondonboiy:


LMAO. Everything you go dey laugh like who dey weed. Wetin funny here now?

Na the "redeem" dey funny na. . All IPOB terrorists are "redeemed" and anyone not in support of their empty useless failed propaganda is "irredeemable"

DLondonboiy:

Is it your future? It's Buhari that has not stolen your future and the future of every member of your family?

Why sound pain the both of them stole the future of your generations

The task of running the complex economy like ours should no longer be left in the hands of incompetent hands like we are currently witnessing.


Now is the time to run Nigeria like a business. Atiku is tested and trusted!

Think a better tomorrow!
Think Atiku!

Let's ATIKULATE for a prosperous tomorrow

His big break came with 'the suitcases.'

python1:

Na the "redeem" dey funny na. . All IPOB terrorists are "redeemed" and anyone not in support of their empty useless failed propaganda is "irredeemable"

But you know you are irredeemable na....You might pretend to be saved, but you can't be delivered.

I'd be here laughing at you at the end of the day...

biacan:
Why sound pain the both of them stole the future of your generations

They stole our future and the future of our generations...