A former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has advocated for a shift in national focus toward celebrating practical on-the-ground knowledge apprenticeship and successful non-formally educated entrepreneurs.
He made the call in Lagos at the launch of a book titled, “Just Go Further: Become the Total Entrepreneur”, a debut edition authored by Mrs Ebele Obi, a renowned entrepreneur, mentor, and business leader.
Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, said that the publication was a call to action for innovators, dreamers and builders who refuse to stop at the starting line.
He noted that lack of support for practical successes such as apprenticeships was hindering the nation’s economic growth.
The former governor said that the reason the country was not thriving was because of the limited support for apprenticeships and informal form of entrepreneurship.
Obi underscored the need for national policies that formally recognises, encourages and leverages the wisdom of successful, non-formally educated business figures to drive mentorship and economic expansion.
The author, Mrs Ebele Obi, said that the book was not just another business manual but an urgent call to action for innovators who are ready to move beyond the start-up phase and build lasting legacies.
Ebele said that the book would empower readers to embrace the courage, creativity, and consistency needed to navigate and thrive in an ever-changing economic landscape.
She said that the journey of building a business required deep personal commitment, adding that entrepreneurship was about mindset, courage, and consistency.
“This book encourages people not just to start, but to go further, to become total entrepreneurs who can thrive anywhere and build enduring businesses.
“Apprenticeship gives aspiring entrepreneurs a solid foundation, it is through guided experience and mentorship that we gain the confidence, wisdom, and grit to truly go further,’’ she said.
The author stressed that the core theme of the book was the power of guided experience and mentorship, reminding readers that foundational growth often began with learning from those who had successfully paved the way.
She urged the education sector to inculcate money matters in school curriculum and to encourage apprenticeships, which helped to grow economies, adding that, unfortunately, the practice was dying in Nigeria.
The author noted that apprenticeships had helped countries like the UK and Germany to thrive and had also empowered people.
According to her, apprenticeship is a win-win case.
The Book Reviewer, Mr Oseloka Obaze, former UN Senior diplomat, said that the book was a motivational book to motivate others to be successful.
Obaze said that the book was written by an entrepreneur for budding entrepreneurs.
According to him, the book is not the first on entrepreneurship, neither will it be the last in Nigeria.
He stressed that what made the book unique was the knowledge being disseminated by someone who grew up in the commercial city of Onitsha.
Obaze said that the co-mingling of the author’s experience in business and apprenticeship was brought to bear in the book.
He noted that the book was a fit-for-all-purpose book with three vital strands – why, how to and the gateways to entrepreneurship.
“This book targets dreamers, those who think they can become viable and trailblazing entrepreneurs but are hobbled by self-doubt as well as aspiring entrepreneurs.
“Seasoned professionals and entrepreneurs who have long transcended the rudiments of what it means to start a company, will also benefit from the book,” he said.
NAN