Onoja: Degree, Million Naira Food-Retail Business Against all Odds

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Emmanuel Onoja, graduate of PanAtlantic University, Lagos


Can people graduate as millionaires in Nigeria? Emmanuel Onoja did. He rose from a five-time failure in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination to earn a degree in Business Administration and the Albert Alos Award for Entrepreneurship, for his food-retail business.

Emmanuel Onoja, while in school, became the Chief Executive Officer of Onojaz Foods, which makes over N1million in revenue.

Onoja had waited long, dauntless in the face of failure, to finally get a letter of admission in 2015 to the prestigious Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos (PAU).

Though he lacked the financial resources to pay his fees, ambition drove Onoja to secure a scholarship worth N6million from the institution; and when in school, he proved to be the genius he is.

In an interview on his graduation day, Onoja explained that the constant motivation as he pursued his degree, was to work towards strongly impacting society for the better. It was based on this determination that he, following a course he took in Entrepreneurship, started Onojaz Foods.

The target of the business was to address the need he identified in his school mates, for a variety of wholesome meal choices daily.

This idea has now flourished into an enterprise with revenue of over a million naira, and three employees. It was for this business, that Emmanuel was awarded the Albert Alos Award for Entrepreneurship.

The young man expressed that he would most certainly not going to rest on his laurels. Soon, Onoja hopes to enter the outdoor catering and confectionary scene, thus becoming the CEO of two businesses with at least ten employees.

Taking in the scene of scholars around him, Onoja said he has "a great vision for himself" and will be planning to enroll for an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) at Lagos Business School (LBS), a postgraduate section of PAU.

Although he is open to other options, he recognizes that LBS possesses a culture of excellence that has made it one of the 50 best business schools in the world, according to The Economist (2019).

The name, Emmanuel Onoja, may not have meant much to many Nigerians like you yesterday; but now, his name seems a sound of hope for the future of our country's economy.

The increased involvement of young people, especially through entrepreneurship, has been hammered by as necessary by many economic experts.

In a public lecture delievered at Usmanu Danfodiyo Univesity Sokoto, Tony Elumelu, founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation stated:

"The truth is that the current unemployment concerns cannot be solved by more government jobs – we need to democratize job creation! And the surest way to achieve this is by creating and empowering more entrepreneurs."

The philantropist, also made reference to the importance of education, as is relevant in the case of Mr Onoja, to helping make great entrepreneurs:

When people are knowledgeable, they become good entrepreneurs, they do great things for mankind but when people are not informed and do not have knowledge, they go astray.

-Iyare Esohe Ewaenosa


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