That was his response, Innocent Onwubiko, when asked how he got his hands into so many businesses: tech, daycare, government contracting, food service, entertainment, healthcare, real estate, and more.
“You need to meet him,” a Nigerian here in the US had told me, saying words like down-to-earth, extremely smart and accomplished. Many Nigerians in the country reap from Onwubiko’s support, and his example vindicates hard work as a route to wealth overseas.
As the pandemic has put the world on hold, we meet on Zoom for this interview. Onwubiko appears in a red shirt behind a digital beach backdrop. We begin with how tech is shaping our current times, with a long digression into software. “I love tech,” he cheers, before sharing his screen with me on Zoom to show me the software he’s using to monitor his businesses.
The software not only tracks every click but animates user behaviour on the site: the user scrolling up or down, hesitating on a page, jumping to another page, not to mention user demographics like interests, gender, device used, age, etc. Call it Google Analytics on steroids.
By converting money, Onwubiko means sending capital on an errand to reproduce its kind. It was the secret of his wealth, Arkad, main character in The Richest Man in Babylon. Arkad had told his audience that each penny earned must be put to work, else it would perish. A book lover, Onwubiko might have read of Arkad.
“I enjoy the process of investing in a mere idea and seeing it blossom. The risk is high and sometimes you lose, which is why succeeding in a venture gives me great joy.”
Onwubiko arrived America in 2000 a Philosophy graduate and soon earned two master’s degrees: in Gerontology and Health Administration. The first helped him understand old people, the other, how to manage healthcare business.
Choosing a career path abroad can be difficult. The Nigerian-American had seen a future in geriatric health, and his choice of those courses was deliberate—the years that followed later proved him right.
“While studying, I worked in protective services, you know, taking care of the emotional and financial abuse of the elderly.”https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1724430840905480&output=html&h=280&adk=362713515&adf=554030921&w=854&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1599335946&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=3689043609&psa=1&guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&ad_type=text_image&format=854×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnigeriabroad.com%2Flife-abroad%2Finterviews%2Finterview–how-onwubiko–man-building-stadium-in-imo–conquered-america&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=200&rw=854&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChAI8O7M-gUQjtDY_YyuiPB4EkwA7m0QzMTz5mU0ONx1OfS4zR5wlMMf7f-gR0D4sLhbQFdL3Tw1npofJyPxJ19HPeCu3PmfPywAKhVOh-l33LIpwNJQNII3kpk7AWkK&dt=1599335946753&bpp=7&bdt=2432&idt=-M&shv=r20200831&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Dfdc185a1aa5dcf6b%3AT%3D1599273929%3AS%3DALNI_MbuzJ61dq1CBeZkyHM3RJ3Dizr2aw&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1200x280%2C854x280&nras=3&correlator=5137101632737&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1072462014.1599273927&ga_sid=1599335946&ga_hid=1947439829&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=10771008682&dssz=22&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=60&u_his=7&u_java=0&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=738&u_aw=1366&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=91&ady=2793&biw=1349&bih=618&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21067105&oid=3&pvsid=386672391063868&pem=475&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fnigeriabroad.com%2Flife-abroad%2Fnews&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1366%2C0%2C1366%2C738%2C1366%2C618&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=8320&bc=31&jar=2020-09-05-19&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=2&fsb=1&xpc=MYZozpxv4W&p=https%3A//nigeriabroad.com&dtd=149
That job opened his eyes to how much home healthcare providers were needed in Delaware, his base in the US at the time. Government needed healthcare providers to take care of the aged in their homes, so Onwubiko registered a company and bid for state contracts.
“I got the first contract. Hired and dispatched nursing staff to homes. Then another contract. And another—up to 5. It was overwhelming,” he tells Nigeria Abroad.
“I like to look at the whole value chain and how I can fill it.”
But soon there weren’t enough nursing staff to hire even as the contracts increased. In fact, one of his nurses abandoned a patient and fled, and Onwubiko realized he needed not depend on others for a key resource of his business. He therefore set up his own nursing training school. Nurses would graduate and be offered jobs in his company and, in time, he started posting them to other firms too.
“I like to look at the whole value chain and how I can fill it.”
Though already a health expert in his field, Onwubiko wanted to understand the full spectrum of his business. He went back to school and got a degree in Nursing, among other certifications. He also set up a daycare business, prising money out of every opening.
“That’s what I love doing, converting money,” he notes again.
Indeed. From healthcare, Onwubiko leapt miles across to entertainment. SA Café, events center where most Nigerian musicians hold shows in Philadelphia, includes a posh bar and a restaurant. Timaya, TuFace, MC Galaxy, Chief Obi, and P-Square have all graced the place. A show by Naira Marley was suspended this March over the pandemic.
From owning the sprawling property housing SA Cafe, Onwubiko saw a beckoning in real estate: buying and selling property—or leasing them out. Again, he set up his own real estate company to manage the business. Talk about occupying the value chain. But how is he giving back to society?
“Football. I set up the Okpala International Soccer Academy in my hometown in Ngor-Okpala. We hold soccer competitions every December. I want to keep the youth focused through sports and entertainment and lead them to a growth path, some to higher education.”
The Academy is building a 40,000-capacity stadium at an estimated cost of N100 billion. The construction involves expensive soil layering and artificial grassing. Proposed around the stadium are a cafeteria, a modern laundry room, a gym house, swimming pools, and hotels.
“I want to build the best soccer academy in Africa,” he enthuses. The project was started in 2017 with P-Square performing at the event that reportedly had Kanu Nwankwo and other soccer veterans in attendance. Does he have political ambitions?
Onwubiko carefully maneuvers out of the question though he admits some connections to Nigerian power. Concluding, he shares his philosophy in life: “Do good and more good will follow. Help those who cannot help themselves.”
“And convert money,” I add, as the diminutive entrepreneur blasts a big throaty laughter.