Nigeria must be nuanced as it executes whatever it is doing to clean the nation of the paralysis of corruption. On Nkwo days in Ovim, as elders gather to enjoy the free palm wine which the brewers are expected by tradition to provide, unpaid, once in a while, they will remind young people of Diochi.
Diochi is the representative palm wine tapper who is expected NEVER to say everything he sees while on top of the palm tree. Yes, there are powers you have or things you can say, but sometimes, not saying or exercising that power will serve the society better. Diochi on top of the palm tree sees the whole village – women giving birth, people showering in the village stream, etc. The village expects him to hold those secrets!
Diochi, despite being a palm wine tapper, has a date with destiny. Every wine harvested on Nkwo day is delivered to his kinsmen free. Why? Statistically, most palm wine tappers fall at work, and most times, villagers have to miss work, looking across the farmlands on rescue missions. So, that free wine is pre-paying for the lost wages his kinsmen will burn for those rescue operations! (that is an ancient Igbo tradition which remains till today).
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 17 (June 9 – Sept 6, 2025) today for early bird discounts. Do annual for access to Blucera.com.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register to become a better CEO or Director with Tekedia CEO & Director Program.
So, for EFCC, learn from Diochi. You could have done everything you did in Dangote Group without the media buzz. In the village, the Diochis who tell everything they see are regarded as fools. I expect EFCC to be wise: do your job and remove the theatrics because Nigeria needs the economy to grow, and the optics of non-strategic raiding companies cannot be positive as we look for foreign direct investments!
This is a fearful one. According to Premium Times, on Thursday, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives raided the headquarters of Dangote Group, as the special investigator continues its work on allegations of corrupt forex allocations and playbooks in Nigeria.
Nigeria is a special place. When the news broke that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives raided the headquarters of Dangote Group, as part of investigations into possible misuse of foreign currency, I had expected that during the next trading day, the… pic.twitter.com/ciNtOfulwk
— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) January 5, 2024
---
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (June 9 – Sept 6, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.