Billionaire Ex-Gubernatorial Candidate Exposes Why Nigerian Politics Is Rigged

Tonye Cole co-founder of Sahara sit down with Eche Emole and Chika Uwazie, one of Africa's largest energy conglomerates, and a Nigerian politician who walked away from the comfort of the private sector to run for office. An architect by training who started out making models for cash in his university years, he went bankrupt overnight when a new administration cancelled every contract his young company had and rebuilt. In this episode we get into why power trumps money every single time, the trick he and his partners used to get around Nigeria's expatriate bias in the '90s, why politics in Nigeria functions like a lottery ticket, what he learned processing the 2023 election, the three reasons business partnerships collapse, 43 years of compounding and why he says he can't go broke, the difference between outward humility and inward pride, and how his wife's housemanship salary kept the family alive while he built the company. Also: mental health, grief, and the year his mother died. A long, unhurried conversation about power, faith, and building something that outlasts you. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast