Who wants to be an entrepreneur? Not me

I caught a few minutes of Frank Edoho's Who wants to be a Millionaire, on Sunday. It was quite fun like most times. He had as his guest, an erstwhile Nigerian boxer who was incapacitated due to a torn ligament in his hand that led him to quit boxing. There were two other guests who helped him to answer his questions. The guest was one Pa Ayodele Peters. I think he got about one million naira. Good for him. Hopefully, he's able to invest the money well. This brings me to the reason for this post, investment in business. Is he going to invest his money (the one million naira na) into business, which one?

Many people are born entrepreneurs. Not me. It's so easy for them to start and/or run a business. I'm not one of those lucky ones. Running a business saps my energy like akara soaks up oil. It's tasking, daunting and I might add demoralizing. Add that to living and having been raised in Aba, a largely business hub in the South east of Nigeria, and you may understand my frustration when I'm believed to be a savvy businesswoman. No, ma'am, try next door.


At the moment, I'm running cum managing a business centre, kinda what is known as a "document management" centre. Like the Konica centres of Southern USA. (I never visited a Konica in New England, so pardon my bias, but it was there in Texas.) It should be fun but it's not for me, I mean running this business. The business machines are second hand equipment (to make them affordable) and I've been battling with one bad part or the other. I would prefer them brand new, but you know how that goes, it's going to be quite expensive. So, it's either printer drum today or it's photocopier cleaning blade tomorrow. And trust Aba people, their love for cheap things or services makes it one hell of a calling to be a businessperson. They make one wonder whether it's only here that one might still find the kobo in Nigerian currency. No, my people, we shop in the same markets as you - buying ink, paper, repairing our machines paying our support staff (when we can afford one) and the list is endless.

Oh, don't even bring up power into the story because that appears to be the only aspect of the business with which they sympathize. "Petrol is expensive, I can't do your job for that amount, sir." What about repairs of the power generating sets? As I type this entry, my fan is functioning, thanks to EEDC. Hallelujah. I hope that I don't have to turn the generator on when EEDC withdraws its magnanimity and turn the complex into a noisy jamboree or a sort of generator rave and instead of a DJ just have generators give us music. It's really noisy when there are about six generators all competing to outlast one another with their noises. It's really not fun.

Therefore, when it comes to running a business or living in Aba, I find that am at the wrong place and doing the wrong thing. I don't know when this will abate. Of course, I hope the conditions of service improve and doing business would be fun at least. But until then, please pass the buck of being an entrepreneur to somebody else. I can't appear to deal well with this Konica Minolta in my office. It's bizhub, does good copy but it's making me poor. When will I join the ranks of the millionaires? NEPA please, don't interrupt this power.