By Chikezie Chiedu
“With a good perspective on history, we can have a better understanding of the past and present, and thus a clear vision of the future.” Carlos Slim Helú.
It isn’t usually that one encounters a person whose influence on a specific sector of the financial system is critical sufficient to encourage a whole technology. In the United States, the story of funding and the inventory market can’t be instructed with out mentioning Warren Buffett, popularly often known as the Oracle of Omaha. Although the American inventory market existed for greater than a century earlier than his beginning, Buffett’s funding philosophy and enterprise ideas have turn into an everlasting half of its historical past. His legacy will proceed to encourage generations of traders lengthy after his departure.
Nigeria, too, has entrepreneurs whose journeys should be documented, studied and handed on to future generations. One such particular person is Nonso Okpala, Group Chief Executive Officer of VFD Group, one of Nigeria’s rising funding and holding firms.
Founded with an preliminary capital of simply N2.5 million about 17 years in the past in a Lagos car parking zone, VFD Group has grown right into a diversified funding conglomerate with belongings valued at over N500 billion. Its journey is especially outstanding in an financial setting the place companies face appreciable challenges starting from coverage uncertainty to macroeconomic instability.
Nonso Okpala is an unusual entrepreneur. His readability of imaginative and prescient, dedication and sense of objective have helped rework what started as a modest enterprise enterprise into a major funding ecosystem.
Like Warren Buffett, Okpala locations appreciable emphasis on worth investing fairly than market hype. His funding philosophy revolves round figuring out companies with robust fundamentals however untapped potential, injecting capital, strengthening their company governance buildings and positioning them for sustainable profitability.
For him, buying a stake in a enterprise is just one half of the funding course of. The actual work lies in constructing the institutional buildings, administration capability and company tradition required to make that enterprise profitable over the long run.
One of the distinguishing options of his strategy is the significance he attaches to human capital. Over almost twenty years in the company world, he has developed an appreciation for the function of competent management and the skill to establish and assemble the proper workforce.
He understands that capital alone can not rework a struggling enterprise. Without succesful folks, sound administration and efficient company governance, even companies with huge potential can fail.
Indeed, Okpala believes that many enterprise founders lose management of the enterprises they set up as a result of they fail to institutionalise correct governance buildings. For him, constructing a profitable enterprise isn’t merely about creating wealth but in addition about establishing techniques that protect that wealth, maintain development and create alternatives for others.
This philosophy displays a broader understanding of how economies develop. Strong establishments and well-governed companies are important to constructing sustainable enterprises succesful of surviving past their founders and contributing meaningfully to nationwide financial development.
Fairness is one other necessary precept in his strategy to enterprise. He recognises that firms exist inside an ecosystem of stakeholders, together with traders, staff, clients, regulators and enterprise companions. Treating these stakeholders pretty, in his view, is prime to constructing belief, strengthening company governance and creating enduring establishments.
Beyond enterprise, Okpala is captivated with mentorship and data switch. He believes that younger entrepreneurs can considerably enhance their possibilities of success by studying from the experiences of those that have travelled the path earlier than them.
As he places it, “If you have the opportunity to stand on someone else’s shoulders, you will discover that your horizon is greatly expanded.”
This perception displays his conviction that have shouldn’t be hoarded however shared. By encouraging younger folks to study from established professionals and entrepreneurs, he hopes to assist them keep away from some of the errors that usually undermine promising companies.
Today, VFD Group has advanced right into a diversified funding ecosystem with pursuits and operations spanning a number of sectors. Its portfolio contains VFD Microfinance Bank, VFD Tech, Anchoria Asset Management, Anchoria Securities, Boardroom Apartments, NGX, Product Studio, FirstStone, Bundle and Abbey Mortgage Bank, amongst others.
The group’s monetary efficiency additionally gives a sign of its development trajectory. At the finish of October 2026, its nine-month monetary outcomes confirmed a 96 per cent improve in revenue after tax, whereas revenue earlier than tax stood at N91.9 per cent larger. Earnings per share additionally elevated to 75 kobo from 38 kobo.
These figures symbolize a major monetary milestone for the group and underscore the significance of its funding technique and enterprise growth.
However, Okpala’s ambitions seem to increase past the pursuit of monetary returns. He is equally dedicated to giving again to society and investing in the future of the subsequent technology.
Through the Chude and Ego Foundation, he helps initiatives centered on training and healthcare. He has additionally established the Osnon Academy, a free faculty in his hometown of Uga, Anambra State, offering instructional alternatives for youngsters.
For Okpala, philanthropy is one other type of funding. Unlike investments in the cash market, the place monetary returns are the main consideration, social funding is about creating alternatives, bettering lives and contributing to the improvement of society.
This perspective is especially necessary in a rustic the place entry to high quality training and healthcare stays a significant problem for a lot of households.
Ultimately, the story of Nonso Okpala is about greater than the development of an organization or the accumulation of wealth. It is about the prospects that emerge when imaginative and prescient is matched with self-discipline, sound funding ideas, succesful management and a dedication to constructing establishments.
Warren Buffett grew to become an everlasting reference level in international funding historical past not merely as a result of of the wealth he amassed however as a result of of the ideas, self-discipline and funding philosophy he demonstrated over a number of a long time.
Nigeria wants entrepreneurs who perceive that constructing lasting companies goes past earning profits. It requires creating establishments, growing folks, strengthening governance and investing in the future.
If the story of VFD Group is something to go by, Nonso Okpala’s entrepreneurial journey is one price documenting. The Oracle of Uga might be constructing a legacy that can encourage generations of Nigerian entrepreneurs.
