Jibola Akinwale is a young, vibrant Nigerian businessman with a big vision and an even bigger appetite for growth. With over 25 years of experience in the FMCG sector, he rose steadily through the ranks to become a General Manager—a position earned through discipline, competence, and consistency.
At the peak of his corporate career, Jibola made a bold decision: he resigned to start his own business. What he didn’t realize at the time was that the walls of a corporate office often serve as a shield—protecting executives from the many unhealthy mental, emotional, and psychological pressures that come with building, growing, and scaling a business from scratch. Outside those walls, reality hits differently.
Jibola soon learned a hard truth: you cannot build a service-based business alone. In search of collaboration, he was introduced by a trusted friend to John, a man presented as a professional in his field—someone with whom Jibola could partner to execute projects and grow sustainably. That introduction would become the beginning of his hardest business lesson.
John, a Benue-born Nigerian who studied Geology at the University of Port Harcourt, had completed his NYSC and relocated to Lagos, where he got married and began building a life. On the surface, he appeared driven and knowledgeable, but contentment was not part of John’s character.
What Jibola did not know was that John’s true interest was not partnership or value creation. His goal was simple: to operate under the umbrella of a structured company and use manipulation to drain it of resources. John thrived wherever systems existed to exploit.
Every opportunity he encountered became a channel for personal enrichment. He mastered the art of emotional manipulation, half-truths, and calculated loyalty—just enough to gain trust, never enough to add lasting value. Slowly but steadily, he milked organizations dry while positioning himself as indispensable. Jibola, focused on growth and execution, failed to see the signs early enough.
What began as collaboration soon became control. What looked like partnership slowly turned into dependency. Decisions were questioned. Resources were stretched. Trust was abused. By the time Jibola realized what was happening, the damage—financial, emotional, and psychological—had already taken its toll.
The lesson was painful but invaluable. Experience does not immunize you against betrayal. Titles do not prepare you for human greed and trust, once abused, is the most expensive currency in business.
This experience reshaped Jibola’s understanding of partnerships, governance, and due diligence. It taught him that while vision builds companies, character sustains them.
And most importantly, it reinforced a truth every entrepreneur must learn early—or painfully late:
Not everyone who wants to do business with you wants to build with you. Some only want access.
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Blessing Anolaba
Editorial & Creative Correspondent
A storyteller and journalist passionate about telling stories for policy change and impact.
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