From journalism to agripreneur: How Apollos traded pen for plough

For Emmanuel Apollos, an alumni of the University of Nigeria (UNN), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Pan African University, the newsroom was once a second home, a place where stories were chased, deadlines met, and headlines crafted.

But today, instead of chasing scoops, he is cultivating crops and managing a thriving agribusiness. In a bold career pivot driven by passion, resilience, and a vision for self-reliance, Apollos traded his pen for a plough and discovered purpose in the soil.

His journey from journalist to agripreneur offers a compelling look at what it means to redefine success, and why more Nigerians are rethinking conventional career paths in search of something deeper.

Before venturing into business, Apollos had work experience that spanned AC Nielsen (now the Nielsen Company) and Zenith Media, among others.

However, in 2018, he ventured into entrepreneurship such as; consulting, agripreneur, and manufacturing. According to the veteran journalist, “Legitimate business has been an innate part of me because I watched my mother switch businesses growing up.”

Moreover, he said that the quest to broaden his source of income was instrumental to his establishing his firms which got momentum through the opportunity provided by his friend that gave him his first million naira breakthrough.

“My great friend Banks Adigwe provided an opportunity for me to render consultancy services to his company back then. It gave me my first N1million. And like they say, the rest is history,”

Speaking about the challenges in his business space, he said; “Growth is subjective depending on the perspective of evaluation. The most important thing is that none of my business interests has been swallowed by raging economic uncertainty and the unfriendly business environment that characterises our country.”

In addition, Apollos maintained that going by a report from MAN that 767 companies went under in 2023. Another report in Punch claims that 30 percent out of the 24 million registered SME in Nigeria have been shot down.

This implies that any small-scale business that is still surviving is doing well.

A combination of things cuts the ice for us. I have an excellent team ready to go the extra mile. Coupled with differentiation, consumerism, and value driven orientation. Without neglecting low OPEX policy that keeps overheads very minimal.

Be intentional in keeping OPEX under check. Buy raw materials in large quantity

The business terrain in Nigeria is quite challenging. It’s NOT for the soft- hearted. The statistics are scary. You may have heard that Kimberly Clark may be exiting Nigeria after injecting $100 million. I’m sure you are aware that P&G, GSK, Sanofi and several other multinationals have already left Nigeria. This is a testament that the business environment is hostile.

Having said that, the enormous population is a major advantage, even though inflation weakens purchasing power. The food industry, especially the agricultural sub sector may continue to thrive because people will eat. The pharmaceutical industry will do well because health is a priority for a lot of people.

Expansion drive in the Agric business is backwards integration. The focus for the manufacturing is distribution drive.

Bad government policies. Multiple taxation. Inflation affects the cost of raw materials. Rising MPR, thus making access to loan a difficult call to make.