When 934 individuals glittering in red and blue colours as doctorate degree graduands filed past the convocation arena at the University of Port Harcourt last weekend, the proudest of them all seemed to be one Ofon Udofia, who said he began life as a newspaper vendor in Aba, Abia State.
According to the middle-aged man, who today is the Executive Secretary of the Institute of Export Operations & Management (IEOM), the first thing he learnt while a vendor after secondary school was avid reading.
While many others would hide their past or remember only the ugly days, Udofia rather finds pride in his past, and recalls good things. For instance, it was the vendor in those days that first flipped through all newspapers in his custody to know what was headline news of the day. He used this quick knowledge to arrange his papers and cultivate customers. Often, readers asked him to guide them on what was headline. Gradually, Udofia became a kind of an encyclopedia. From there, he became a hot reader and seeker of news as well as source of correct hot gist in the area.
Also, he took pride in being the one that sold newspapers to the likes of Tony Elumelu (of the All States Trust Bank), Martins Ugorji of Intercontinental Merchant Bank, and most other bankers of those days that worked in or visited Aba.
Now, as 363 students graduated in First Class last weekend out of a total of 14,861 that graduated at the topmost university in the south-south, Udofia said he felt his heart racing and tightening as he looked back to his days as a newspaper vendor where he said he trekked from Ogbor Hill in one part of the town to Eke-Akpara in the other end every morning around 1987.
Talking with BusinessDay soon after wearing his crown of academic glory on Saturday, July 26, 2025, Udofia said he was very happy to be awarded a doctorate degree (PhD) in ‘International Trade and Development Finance’.
He said: “The journey started when I left secondary school many years ago. Ever since, I’ve been desiring and willing to develop a career in international trade, mainly in Export. As you know, I run the Institute of Export Operations and Management. So, it becomes pertinent that I needed to at least become an authority. I needed more knowledge to operate at the apex of international trade.
“That is what drove me to the tertiary institutions. My first degree was in Marketing; my second degree was in International Trade and Development Studies, while I decided to do this third one in International Trade and Development Finance.”
Explaining further, the Akwa Ibom-born scholar and entrepreneur said: “Development in international trade is in the sense that the Institute is a non-governmental organization (NGO), and limited by guaranty. So, the world is going towards development studies. So, I combined Development with Finance, and that has really been my heartbeat. I have deep gratitude to God for the opportunity given me.”
I started as a newspaper vendor:
He reflected: “At a time like this, I have taken a look at where I started my journey after my secondary school career. I actually started as a newspaper vendor far back in 1987 when I left school. It’s a milestone that I once sold newspapers in Aba, Abia State. I can tell you that even sometimes when Tony Elumelu visited all Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branches then, I supplied him papers when he visited Aba, just like I supplied to the likes of Martins Ugorji who was a one-time Managing Director of African Continental Bank (ACB). Ugorji was also with the International Merchant Bank (IMB).
“I had so many of such highwire customers, the likes that were working in International Merchant Bank in Aba then. I use to trek all the way from Ogbor Hill to Eke-Akpara. I never once knew I would get to this height. When I look back at where I’m coming from, it really gives me joy that a newspaper boy can turn to a PhD holder, and head an establishment like the Institute of Export Operations and Management.”
The lesson….
The executive secretary went on: “One particular thing I learnt that I also want others to learn is that on one of my international trips, in Korea in particular, I visited Daewoo Motors. There, I discovered that the Daewoo founder, Kim Woo Choong, was once a newspaper vendor. I learnt how at the age of 14 during the Korean war he was also selling newspapers to support his family. It was the foundation of his business knowledge until he borrowed $10,000 to start a formal business, which grew to a very large conglomerate when a new government came to power and rebuilt the economy by launching a pro-production economic agenda.
“So, that gave me courage and this is to tell the young people that no matter where you see yourself today, it doesn’t mean that you cannot go beyond that. What matters is; be focused, increase your tenacity. Anything you do, do it with all your heart, and remain focused until you arrive your targeted destination.”
A dissertation for solution:
Udofia said: “My dissertation was on ‘Cross Border Trade and Sustainable Development in Selected West African Countries’. Because of my vast knowledge in International Trade, having been using the Seme Border, the Aflao Border, the Lakonj Border, I discovered that there were lots of issues with proliferation of small arms and the case of carbon emission. I learnt that these are to do with articulators.
“There is also issue of trade openness. So, I tried to look at these to see how they affect sustainable development. I looked at the connection between out-of-school children and the hordes of underaged children selling or hawking at the borders.
“Those were things that I actually looked at. Of a truth I’ve come up with a document to show that some of those problems could be solved; that we can actually trade in a way that will bring sustainable development to the West African sub region.
“I will actually use the knowledge to improve the industry I found myself in (international trade) because the findings reveal so much. One of the things I recommended in my paper is a single window and we understand the present government is about putting it in place. If this is done, it’ll really help us, and it’ll reduce informal trade. It will reduce lack of documentation. It will do a lot to the State and help it to earn more.” Most countries are practising this.
Single window in international trade is the creation of only one desk for all matters pertaining to either export or import of a commodity. The result is that all requirements from all government regulatory agencies that have anything to do at a port are treated at one desk (Customs, Immigration, NAFDAC, NDLEA, etc) after which the commodity leaves.
