By Henry Akubuiro
In April, 2025, prominent, young Nigerian businessman and entertainer, Obinna Iyegbu, popularly called Obi Cubana, turned 50. One of his admirers, Christopher Ekwelem, who has been following his speeches, advice and writeups, has compiled his wise sayings into a book as a birthday gift. Modificated here and there, the author says the book represents 70 percent of the businessman’s actions, thoughts and ideas. Little wonder, he dedicates the book to Obi Cubana.
Obi Cubana: Thinking Out of the Box is a book that treats 18 topics, which the author believes is a blueprint for success for Nigerian youths. It also serves as a precept for a positive lifestyle as opposed to living a carefree life with limited goals. It is a book that echoes Obi Cubana as a remarkable thinker. This offering highlights that wealth acquisition without an intellectual spice is incomplete. It is also surprising that the author wrote this book on his own, without receiving any gratification from anyone. This is a departure from the new normal, where individuals wait to be commissioned before writing a book on important personalities and newsmakers.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
The eighteen topics in the book address issues ranging from humility, focus, integrity, consistency, values, patience, compassion, and motivation. The author also discusses love, growth, appreciation, wisdom, peer pressure, forgiveness, resistance, attitude, self love, and entrepreneurship. In the first chapter, the author enlightens that humility is to behave without airs and freedom from pride. Quoting Cubana’s writeup via social media in 2021, humility is presented as a virtue, “a great weapon of success and door opener.”
Writing on “Focus” in the second chapter, the author echoes Cubana’s thoughts on focus, which is paying attention to improving on your drive to get things done in what one is doing, and avoiding distractions. The author echoes that there is profitability in business as long as there is focus. The bottom line is: “Learn to starve distraction and feed your focus” (p. 29).
The book defines integrity as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It is the foundation on which you build relationships and trust. Iyegbu is disturbed that, in our world today, the majority of people in our society lacked integrity in their life; dishonesty, trustworthiness, values that will help positively. So, ‘it’s about doing the right thing at the right time, regardless of the situation and any personal interest” (p.34).
This motivational book, based on Iyegbu’s wisdom, teaches Nigerian youths the need to be consistent in what they do. This, he says, is a sure banker to overcome all the odds. The power of consistency, as outlined by Iyegbu in this book, means the ability of targeted personal property plan, deeply emotionally committed to a plan and consistent action towards implementing the plan for and to improve sales and business performance, use the value of quiet time ritual” (p.41).
The book treats values and patience in the fourth and fifth chapters, emphasising that empires are built on values and one has to be patient for their solid plans to materialise. This is important, considering what we experience daily among Nigerian youths who are sold to get-rich-quick syndrome, which has led to the many untimely deaths and avoidable harsh jail sentences capable of ruining their lives on the long term.
Iyegbu also talks about compassion – that wish to share in the burden of others going down hill. The book says: having compassion can be difficult in a world where we are daily bombarded with bad news. Therefore, a little act of kindness will go a long way to change the world, according to Iyegbu.
Readers of this book will also find useful nuggets in the chapters on Motivation/Inspiration. The book teaches us the need to strive towards the next level in “Growth”. It makes us aware that growth is sometimes painful, but Iyegbu advises youths to be disciplined and keep exploring until they get there. The eleventh chapter stresses the need for appreciation for favours received. The book tells us that, showing appreciation brings out the best in us. This may be a tonic for your benefactor to do more.
The subject of peer pressure comes up on the thirteenth chapter. Here, Iyegbu preaches on the need to create your own identity and never bow to pressure to be another person’s clone. We are taught that we must resist distraction in the fifteenth chapter. The seventeenth chapter dwells on the turbulent journey of an entrepreneur. Iyegbu also has candid advice for us on expanding and diversification.
The contents of this book are basically derived from social media posts and speeches made by Iyegbu. Thanks to smart thinking, they have been turned into a book by Ekwelem. The book shows Obinna Iyegbu as an entrepreneur whose growth and way of life are guided by principles. This book, as well, enjoins Nigerian youths to emulate these morals, judging by how successful Obi Cubana has become.
The post Obi Cubana’s wisdom inspires Ekwelem’s Man of the People appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
