By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
An Oxford-trained entrepreneur and a Chieftain of the Labour Party in Ebonyi state, Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has described entrepreneurship as a substantial freeway for self-sustenance both now and in the future.
Dr Ezeh made this observation yesterday during the 19th anniversary of the Regina Pacis Foundation at Okpoduma Agbaja community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
He urged the Nigerian youth to acquire meaningful skills that would make them self-reliant, noting that those who venture into entrepreneurship have distinguished themselves in wealth and job creation around the globe.
Ezeh recalled that he was the 2023 Labour Party Candidate for the Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency in the last general election.
The election, according to the business magnate, earned him numerous supporters, but the real soul of democracy was allegedly murdered by the electoral umpire and political rivals.
He, however, advocated for self-sustenance and self-actualization through entrepreneurship to become financial freedom, saying that politics should be considered as the game of prepared minds, not varmints in this contemporary age.
His words: "This is the first time of our meeting after our election. I'm happy that people voted for us, and the most important thing is that we have a good governor in Ebonyi.
"Why is it important that at a point we try to collapse our structure? It is because we don't want what is happening in Imo to happen in Ebonyi. Ebonyi is too small to get to that level of political confrontation in Imo State.
"So, I'm happy that we maintain the zoning arrangement and formula. Any other thing that happened, we know is how God Almighty wants it.
"Now, for me, I don't consider myself to be a politician. I don't even consider myself to be a businessman or a trader. I consider myself as an entrepreneur. The difference between a businessman or trader and an entrepreneur is that we are business owners.
"We do business and build them to run to touch others. I spent three years on my campaign, but I later fell back to my structures. It even allowed me to look back at my structures to know if they were working well or not.
"For me, entrepreneurship is all about freedom and that freedom is glorious. I'm here today to chair this event by giving these people capacity, and opportunities, and what I have been doing all my life, is all about mentoring others.
"If you know those of us who studied at Cambridge and Oxford Harvard Business School, apprenticeship is already studied all over the world. This will be a modern way to reduce poverty. What we are saying today is that entrepreneurial skills, apprenticeship and mentorship should be encouraged.
"If you are into skills development, you have to know that the future belongs to those who have the power to acquire skills. Politics is like a vocation, where you will go when you have everything and when you have prepared yourself for life.
"But unfortunately, people see politics as a shortcut to amass wealth. It is all about process, you must sow before you reap. The current government should focus on human aspects of life.
"When I was contesting, my manifesto was anchored on the Ebonyi people first. Life of Ebonyi people are more important. I'm an opposition politician but I'm the kind of politician that helps build the government because without opposition you won't know when you are right or wrong. My kind of opposition is a supportive opposition, and I thank God the current state government has taken a good step to touch humanity."
