Chief M.K.O. Abiola, a popular Nigerian politician and
businessman had before his untimely death in 1998 banished poverty from his
life. His story makes an interesting reading. At a very young age, he is
reported to have watched his dear mother pass away because his father could not
afford 8 pence for her medical bills. The extreme poverty of his father created
so much fear in him at that early age that he vowed never to be poor in his
life. He started by taking any and every job that came his way including being
a back-up singer. He built on his strengths so much that at a stage, his
businesses spanned Newspaper Publishing, Oil and Gas, Real Estate, Bookshops,
Bakeries, Telecoms and many others which spread through many
continents of the world. History records that at the time of his tragic passing
in 1998, he had accumulated so much wealth that the media started referring to
him as a “billionaire business mogul.” His rabid fear of poverty and his clear
choice to beat it were largely responsible for this feat not because of his
black color or his being a Nigerian.
Statistics indicate that a new millionaire is created every fifty-eight minutes in the United States. In that land of opportunity, people make money successfully by taking advantage of the abundant opportunities. The success rate of these people has nothing to do with the color of their skins or their nationalities. The contents of their character play a major role in how much service they are able to render to enable them to make money. Money is therefore not in short supply. The ability to make it is what is in short in supply. Among the many millionaires made every few minutes in the United States, are predominantly immigrant Japanese, Chinese, Hispanics or Latinos, Arabs, Jews, African Americans and many others. They make it faster than Native Americans because they seize any and every opportunity that comes their way. This attitude is usually a fall-out from the deprivations they suffered back in their native countries before they decided to emigrate. This land of opportunity provides a fairly level field for all persons irrespective of their nationalities. Those who make it work hard to make it as a matter of deliberate choice not because of their nationalities or ethnic stock.
