The path to greater entrepreneurial exploits and industrialization in this state is one grossly neglected and ignored. Our people even the new breed of self branded "entrepreneurs and CEOs" are so concerned about today. Hardly do many think of tomorrow, putting 10-20 years of their lives and engagement in perspective.
Politically, it's a calculated and well mapped out planning that covers the next 10, 20 to even 50 years dispensation. The rotation of power from one zone to the other is carefully mapped out and penned down. Who will be the next possible political leader to take over from the present is guessed and penned down. Even as they aren't certain who the next successor will be, the planning is not neglected. In their political and caucus meetings, they know the anointed ones but may keep quiet for years. That secret is too dear to them to let it out before time.
In Akwa Ibom State for instance, the calculation is done and zoning of powers are mapped out straight. The Ibibio knows when the political wheel is turning to their axis under the popular party in the State. The Annang knows in the next 14 years or so, they shouldn't dream of the Governor's seat in the state by political arrangements of the ruling party. So they will have to wait for more than 10years to nurse such dreams and ambitions. This is a serious calculation, planning and structuring in view of the future politically.
Every young man or woman who eyes the political environment is planning on how to grow bigger and step in too. They have their big dreams and aspirations and can serve their principal for years just to have their ways into the dream political cycle. Some even go as far as getting initiated into some occults to gain acceptance as they awaits their appointed time. They network themselves with those around power and are ready to be slaves, errand boys, and touts for years, for they know what they want. Call it whatever, to them it's a season of service, mentorship and learning in preparation for their "TIME"
Looking at the business community of the same state, especially that of our "Young Starters", it's sad to realize we are all just doing business to survive without a clear cut and collective vision for ourselves, businesses and our State. You don't find the synergy, cooperation, networking and a collective dream or Vision that will make us stand out uniquely in 10-20years time.
Ask an average Akwa Ibom young in business his dream for the next 10 years, you many be surprised that all he wants is to be successful, own a mighty office in Uyo (alone), build a house, marry, have children and have some latest feet of cars in his compound. These are good things to wish for, but isn't this too limiting for an entrepreneur?
While politicians are busy mentoring those boys and ladies who they will hand over power to and continue to rule in proxy (As God fathers), our entrepreneurs are busying stealing business ideas from young starters who go close to them to share their dreams. Not like they will even do the business they stole better, nope, they just wanna mess it up for the original owner. Some are discouraged from embarking on their dream businesses as they tag such unrealistic and unpopular and encourage them to think small, think Uyo, think what others are already doing around and will still make it in life.
Today, we can't point at one successful Akwa Ibom Entrepreneur who has come out to truly mentor the next breed of his kind, knowing too well sometime tomorrow he will no longer be there. Nope! Everyone is successful for himself. We are easily threatened by the strives of other and when we can't match up to them, we craft unusual mean to pull them down (Our bad). We lack mentors who are ready to groom the young ones to succeed. As proud as of some of us can be, we don't even need anyone's mentorship. We have a monopoly of entrepreneurial wisdom and aren't ready to learn new things or unlearn old trash. Who mentorship epp? They ask. Because we feel we know all that makes a business successful even when we fail and goof daily.
I have studied some platforms, businesses and ideas and also watch them fade out too soon but no one ask a simple question like why? No one cares. Currently, there is a massive Exodus of some of our homemade brands to Lagos, Abuja, PH etc, and no one is perturbed. We are all on our own. Here you get up, struggle and crack down, no one really cares and we hope to get bigger with our individualism style in business? Even when you have a bight business idea, some people will prefer to lock up their millions instead of helping you grow it by way of investment, loan or financial support. Here we can't imagine giving someone a ladder to climb up higher than us but we talk of an expected season for entrepreneurial and industrial Renaissance in the State. How?
The sad side is that no one is really planning. Who will be the next big entrepreneurial names and figures in the next 20years from today? Or will we continue to have foreigners lord over our economy? How many jobs will we create? How many investors will we attract to the state? How many industries will we come together to establish and create more jobs here? How much internal revenue will we generate for the State? And how will we do all these? Infact, when will we stop this dependency on Government for everything?
It goes beyond organizing some noisy annual conferences where some theorists mount the podiums to recount what they read in the last best seller's entrepreneurial masterpieces. People who haven't grown a business from dust to gold telling you to do what they themselves haven't done. Conference for entrepreneurs without a workshop to evaluate individual business, audit financial statements, and have such folks share their little stories of pains, struggles, and glories for others to advise, suggest and learn together. Platforms who forget the participants all year long only to remember them during the next conference. No follow up? How do you give a child a home Work without checking out for assessment?
I don't even want to talk about our government's nonchalant attitude toward the young entrepreneurial spirit in the state. My believe is with the right mindset, orientations, network and synergy, we can become even more influential and influence their policies and activities in future, not to the negative but to the benefit of all of us just like Dagote and the Nigerian Government.
My question today is, is this how we will build this dream entrepreneurial hub in Uyo in future? Who are those with our business master plan for this State? Who are doing the business thinking for the State. Because, we can't continue to remain a civic service and political state in the next 20 years. Can we come together and set a Vision before us and run with it? We may be small today, but with one heart and shared dream and vision , we can do even greater things tomorrow! How many of our young brands of today will survive the next 5-10 years and still be relevant? How many will grow into multinationals and multi-million naira companies with branches across the country and outside?
The politicians are planning for the future, are we (entrepreneurs) also planning ours?
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