In Nigeria, the Igbo ethnic group tends to prosper in business more than other groups.
If you give an Igbo man ₦5,000 (five thousand naira) to start a business, he will immediately change his lifestyle.
He will stop frequenting expensive restaurants for meals. He will likely switch to "Mama Put" restaurants, which offer some of the most affordable food in most parts of Nigeria. Alternatively, he might "soak garri" (a cassava flour product) with or without sugar.
He might appear stingy to his neighbors at first.
He won't be bothered by wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops to his shop.
Secretly, he will be saving to expand his business. He will maintain his simple lifestyle even when he has a few million naira in his account.
You'll only notice he has become a millionaire when he orders a meal at a restaurant. During lunch or dinner, he will spend enough to satisfy himself, but cautiously so as not to negatively impact his business.
The next thing you might hear from him is, "Nna (Igbo for "brother"), I want to buy a car, a house, and get married."
The next step will be to open a branch of his business in Abuja, Port Harcourt, or Lagos.
Before all these later developments, he will train his younger ones in the business.
Our next discussion will explore another reason why Igbos prosper in business.
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