By Moses Nosike
Honourable Eze Onyeka is a young achiever with a success story to tell. Part of the story is that he did not allow his level of education to mar his dreams in life even though he stopped at primary four. He believes in self development and with God on his side  his  story became different.

According to Onyeka, there are great men and women in the  world today who did exploits  without  studying in the universities. He said, “You can be successful in life if you are determined to be while challenges are your stepping stone to victory”. Today he is the managing director of a company with many branches across the country. Excerpts:

My background

Onyeka: Your level of challenges determines your level in life

I’m Honourable Eze Onyeka. I hail from Anambra state. I was born in a Christian family, the third son of my parents. I grew up in the state where I attended my primary education before I joined one of my uncles who trained me in business in 1988, precisely when the journey of my destiny started. In 1995, I was settled as a man in Onitsha and after some months, I left Onitsha for Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

There I first started with the business of tiles. That I did for some years until 1998 when I had an encounter with the Lord and I began to receive a divine direction and ideas on how to do my business more professionally. That encounter helped me to strategise and I began to think differently about my business. I came to understand that  life is not just about  money but about having Jesus.

I also understood that success is not by human principle but by divine principle. The book of Matt. 6:33 said, “Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and every other thing shall be added to you”. To me, it’s all about seeking God for one to make it in business.

Today, my encounter with Him has added colour both to my life and my company and the rate at which it is growing beats my imagination.

My  philosophy of life

My philosophy of life is that change is a must. It’s a constant thing. You don’t react to change rather you respond to it. Again, part of it is that, if you want to achieve what others have not achieved, you have to do what others have not done. And if want to see far in life, stand on the shoulders of champions. Nobody grows without having a mentor. The type of mentor you have determines the level of your growth. My question to every young man is, who is your mentor? Who is your role model? These is my philosophy of life.

Trips abroad

Yes of course. The first time I travelled outside the country, it was a wonderful experience to me and other trips on business seminars and conferences. Such trips added meaning to my life and whenever I remember it, it makes me to smile because I learnt a lot.

My passion for business

I have passion for my business the same way I have passion for God’s business. Also, I see my business as God’s business because it is an avenue to preach the gospel.

 Growth and achievement in business

One thing is to grow and another thing is your source of your growth, because there are a lot of giants today that don’t have peace of mind. Before one can be on the side of growth and achievement, he must be committed and dedicated in life. He must remain focused and lean on God to crown his efforts in life and resist dubious means and evil. There is this principle that grace makes a man to function without struggle while favour makes a man to receive without asking. That is the way of growth and achievement.

My mindset while abandoning school for business

I don’t think I had much dream in my mind just like any other young man out there. But after some years when I met Christ, dreams and visions started manifesting and I began to apply them in business and today it’s tremendously what God can do.

Being M/D, CEO with  low level education

I never allowed my level of education to weigh me down in life because I know there are men even in the Bible who did exploits without being graduates. So, I didn’t allow that to discourage me since I know that God can teach you what no man can do. Also, I embarked on self-development to improve my life and business.

What exposure has taught me in business

Exposure can boost your business. It has taught me that business is all about networking, healthy relationships, commitment and dedication. Business is all about faithfulness, it’s all about seeking after the satisfaction of others because when others are satisfied, you also will be satisfied.

Your marriage life…

I’m happy and satisfied with my marriage. God has blessed us with three kids and we are expecting the fourth one.

Challenges

There are a lot of challenges. I remember years back when I traveled to Lagos to purchase some products, and on my way back, a 911 truck fully loaded with my products swerved into the bush and all the goods in that container were destroyed. None was recovered.

But thank God who gave me the understanding that challenges are part of life, that challenges are inevitable;challenges are stepping stones for champions and so, I handled it maturely and before I knew what was happening, God did it for me in His own way again, by restoring all that I lost. There are so many challenges as a business man, but I can’t recount all of them. But in all, God has been making a way of escape for me.

I also realised that the amount of challenges one faces in life determines the level one will go in life.

Therefore, if you are not expecting challenges, don’t expect to be a winner.

Woman in my success story

My wife of course. When she came into my life, there was a difference and there was understanding between the two of us and without that understanding, there wouldn’t have been any success.