Notwithstanding innate synthetic challenges, Nigeria is pretty much akin to a virgin land with a superfluity of business opportunities.

Contrasted with Nigeria, many of the Western economies are saturated or nearing saturation point because their public infrastructures are almost sorted. All the societal and infrastructural challenges in Nigeria and indeed many developing countries are business opportunities in disguise. With a population of about 170 million people, a skilled cheap manpower, abundant raw materials amongst others, there is no gainsaying the fact that investment/business opportunities abound in Nigeria. Nigeria undoubtedly ranks high in the echelon of few remaining countries where a man metaphorically goes to bed hungry and wakes up the next day owning conglomerates not because he won a lottery but because wealth mysteriously changed hands while he was asleep. Am still trying to figure out how they do it but a recent case study is how a so-called Presidential Amnesty and a multi-million (billion) dollars Crude-Oil Pipeline Surveillance Contract abruptly unveiled a consortium of nouveau-riche ex-Niger Delta militants. Ask the wheeling-dealing Lebanese, Chinese, Indians, South Africans and a potpourri of shrewd foreigners and indigenous businessmen (the Dangotes, Adenugas, Jimoh Ibrahims, Paschal Dozies, Rasaq Okoyas, Otedolas, Cosmas Madukas, Ben Murray Bruces, Ifeanyi Ubas) who have paid their dues and mastered the art, intricacies of doing business in Nigeria and they will tell you Nigeria is the in-thing. Genuine, sanguine business opportunities abound in Nigeria albeit the hostile and sometimes unpredictable political and business entropy. So also are fraudulent (419) business deals too. Interestingly, events in Nigeria are contrasting, baffling and mind-boggling. More often than not, the realities on ground defy logic. A deeply religious country, people yet there is wanton greed, fraud, desperation, corruption, kidnapping, insecurity, terrorism. Like they say, the more you look the less you see: a country with an average per capita income of plus or minus $1,500, yet Nigerians rank high in Private jet ownerships in the world; mega churches are springing up in premises formerly owned by failed enterprises and churning out stupendous proceeds; analogous to Ponzi schemes, Nigerian banks are declaring colossal profits yearly albeit poor services; a supposedly poor country (so we tell our foreign creditors and benefactors) yet the office of Nigerias President has about 10 Presidential jets in its pool where the British Prime Minister is not entitled to a single jet, the later flies British Airways. A speculated poor country yet Nigerias National Assembly is said to have guzzled N1 trillion in the last eight years with an average Senators earnings plausibly quadrupling that of President Obama. A supposed poor country yet Nigerians are said to spend N41 billion on champagne annually. With a telecom subscriber base of about 113 million, a report by FBN Capital Research estimates that Nigerians may have spent about N2.14 trillion ($13.7b) on phone calls and SMS between January 2011 and December 2012. Is it not enigmatic how companies in Nigeria are thriving despite the World Banks Ease of Doing Business index ranking Nigeria 131st out of 183 countries in 2012? Keep tabs on developments in the following orbits: Private Education (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions) - Are in an upward swing because of the wanton decay and lack of confidence in public schools. This is a long-term investment with good return on investment. A study posits that Nigerians spend as much as N1.5 trillion annually on students studying abroad. Ghana is a beneficiary of this largesse as Nigerians are said to have spent N160 billion there in 2012 alone. Security Industry-B ecause of the unprecedented security, terrorism challenges bedeviling Nigeria, the Security Industry (Provision of Private Guards, Sales of Security Gadgets) is a money-spinner. Hospitality and Entertainment Industry-The demand for quality hotels, restraints, Cinemas, Amusement Parks is far higher than its supply in Nigeria. On the area of entertainment, the past decade has witnessed an upsurge in Nigerias entertainment

industry. Many Nigerian entertainers, artistes, actor/actresses formerly based abroad have moved back to Nigeria to tap into this blossoming industry. I can bet the likes of Kenny Ogungbe, Banky W, DBanj amongst others are not regretting their relocation to Nigeria. If you are a gifted Nigerian entertainer/singer currently struggling with recession/depression or trying to carve a niche for yourself in the murky and segregated waters of Hollywood, California or any other part of the world, perhaps it is high time you think home; there is an audience for you. Hey, dont go jumping into the next flight, do your homework very well before you take the plunge. While you are at it, it may interest you to know that many drug dealers in the streets of Europe and America do not earn in a year a quarter of what Tuface, PSquare, Inyanya, DBanj et al earn from a single endorsement here in Nigeria. Mega Shopping malls, retail chains, eateries-The era of one-stop mega shopping malls, retail chains and eateries are here again. It appears the Walmarts, Argos, Tescos of this world are missing out in Nigerias scheme of things. Trust Nigerians and their entrenched culture of effizy, everybody who is anybody and everybody who is nobody, wants to be seen as shopping from any of the popular shopping malls/retail chains. Nigerians love brands! Uninterrupted Power Supply- Yes PHCN is been unbundled and privatized; there is hope that electricity supply will improve soon. Business ideas and careers entwined around uninterrupted power supply will boom. Cheaper alternative energy sources will also give privatized PHCN a run for their money. Housing (Real estate) Sector-House prices and rent in Nigeria is high because there are more people chasing fewer apartments. If the proposal of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is anything to go buy, the real estate sector in Nigeria will be a gamechanger. A revolutionary mortgage regime will boost this sector and have a spin-off effect on other moribund facets of the economy. Bad news for shylock landlords and estate agents but good news to prospective house owners and investors. Student Hostels and Event Centres Are money spinning ventures in Nigeria. There is a dearth of student accommodations in most Nigerian Tertiary institutions. Buy a piece of land around any of the schools and erect decent student accommodation preferably SelfContain apartments. Same applies to Event Centres which are increasingly springing up here and there because of the ban on street (Owambes) parties especially in Lagos and its environ. Downstream Oil & Gas Sector-According to analysts, the eventual passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), will see more Nigerians participating in the downstream sector of the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry. Similarly, the solid mineral sector in Nigeria is an untapped goldmine. Transport sector-Will increasingly witness a shift towards conglomerates such BRT, LAGBUS etc. This is the trend all over the world. In the United Kingdom for instance, a transport company known as Travel West midlands and a handful of other smaller transport companies service the entire West midlands. A time will come when Molues, Danfos will be driven out of business. Privatization of Nigerias railway sector will also give birth to business opportunities. Health Sector (Provision of world-class medical facilities) - Nigerians are said to spend a staggering N80 billion annually on medical tourism abroad. From minor ailments to lifethreatening ones, many Nigerians, especially the moneybags and those in the corridors of power, lack confidence on Nigerias medical system. It suffices that replicating such stateof-the-art medical facilities prevalent in Western countries in Nigeria will yield high return on investment. Provision of fast broadband internet service- Contrasted with other parts of the world, the cost of broadband internet, digital television subscriptions in Nigeria is astronomical. A report says, a broadband war has led to Tesco launching a super-low price of 2 (N500) a month for super-fast unlimited data broadband internet. From the foregoing, it follows that the N15,000 to N25,000 (about 100) that Nigerians are currently paying for a similar service is pretty much expensive. Foresighted Western investors that can offer a better service at a cheaper rate will surely make a kill. Construction- Infrastructure-wise, Nigeria is definitely a huge work-in-progress hence

Construction companies will continue to play pivotal roles. Agriculture and food- A growing population requires food for sustenance. To an extent, Agriculture is subsidized in most Western countries. This explains why one can afford to buy three whole hard chickens for about 5 in some parts of the United Kingdom (N1, 250). Not so in Nigeria, eating chicken, Turkey is a vestige of affluence. E-commerce (online shopping), electronic payment platforms and Business Services will continue to be in an upward swing in Nigeria.

Don Okereke, an Enterprise Security Risk Management Consultant is the CEO of Forenovate Technologies Ltd. His Expertise and Interest spans Vulnerability/Risk Assessment, Investigations, Security Awareness Workshops/Trainings, Security Surveys, Due Diligence & Background Checks, Access Controls, Feasibility Studies, Brand Protection & Business Continuity, Executive Protection, and Travel Advisory/Journey Management. He is an ex-Airman, Writer and a Passionate advocate of Nigerians Unite Against Insecurity and Terrorism. Email: donnuait@yahoo.com, Twitter: @ donokereke