The book title veered off my expectations, I thought Offiong Esua would write about how the Nigerian factor denied his maternal grandfather the much deserved position of First Indigenous Chief Justice or why members of the family avoid politics after their paternal grandfather supervised elections in the First Republic.

‘Trenchant Focus’, Dollar for Dollar, is Esua’s entry behaviour as he charts a new course in the field of writing as business. He offered an insight. “My book is of the self – motivational genre. My book would inspire the  prosaic and rudimentary average Joe.”

Born with a silver spoon, Esua is not only street wise. He smells money and puts much effort to attract finance around him. Here you find man who in retirement is doing more jobs without getting tired. And the dude has no business with government contracts.

His ways and means are the reason behind the book. According to Esua, “it is acmed in practical indices to acrete a financial cushion in cash, which I assume to be the ‘lifeblood of sorts’ of human existence. It’s tangential to almost everything we interface with in life.”

Background does matter anyway. His grandfather, Eyo Esua, was Headmaster of Baptist Academy, Lagos between 1928 and 1941. As a Trade Unionist, the senior Esua served the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) as General Secretary.

The teacher attended International Labour Conferences in 1944, 1945 and 1946 as Technical Adviser to the British Workers delegation. He also lectured the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Newcastle – Upon – Tune, in 1949.

Offiong Esua is using his book to teach what his grandfather taught in big classrooms. He said: “Life is not a race. In the wider schematics of human existence, there’s neither a first, second nor a third tri – level podium for the victor, runners – up. Life is not a race for primacy, preeminence or precedence.”

Emphasis is on hardwork. I think our Fourth Republic politicians need to read this book. The author’s dad, Dr. Eyo Esua, joined the Nigeria Army, served and left as a Major to fall back on his profession. He established Ada Hospital in Lagos.

The medical practitioner did not loot our commonwealth. From practice, he made enough money to buy houses in the United Kingdom. “It was all the inexorable fruits of his hard work, committed focus and sacrificial spate,” the son explained.

I must add that there’s something between the Esuas and books. Offiong’s mother, as Miss Olufemi Jibowu, will always be remembered for her time at the International Students Club, Croydon, London, in 1950. There is the famous photograph by Chris Ware, where she was caught reading.

Miss Jibowu was daughter of Justice Olumuyiwa Jibowu, the first indigenous High Court judge, 1942. Check the list of Supreme Court Justices. Jibowu was  number 2.  In 1934, he was the lone black magistrate in the country.

In what was clearly dirty politics because he chose to be clean, Justice Jibowu was denied the record of  First indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). To diminish the judge, his younger kinsman and mentee, Justice Adetokunbo Ademola was appointed.

Jibowu’s call to Bar was 1923, eleven good years before Ademola’s. The younger judge was number 11 on the Supreme Court list and he became a magistrate in 1939. I thought Esua was going to write about the problem with the Nigerian judiciary. He dodged the million dollar topic, to give us, Dollar for Dollar.

Now I understand where the man who after retiring as Senior District Parole Officer in Houston, United States is heading. With three jobs in tow, investment in Real Estate is oxygen to his soul. This is like following Dad’s footsteps.

Esua said : “A worthy legacy in name and honour, need be left behind, indelible imprints in the sand of time. It is what we are called to do. Psalm 18 (20) affirms that the gracious Lord God blesses us according to the righteousness of our hands.”

The author never gets tired of dreaming of a better Nigeria, even as he keeps running shifts in the US. And part of his earnings are sent back home to help those who are not so richly blessed. That is blood speaking. His mom diversified to help those around her. She ran a Catering outfit in Lagos. An aunt, Mrs Funsho Taiwo, is as good in banking as she is in cakes marketing.

This book business seems to be the first love of the Efik/ Ibibio elite. Grandpa Esua succeeded  Eyo Ita as Headmaster of Baptist Academy in 1928. The latter went ahead to found West African Peoples Institute, Calabar. Jimmy Etuk, Vice Principal, Methodist Boys High School, Lagos (1952 – 1960), established  Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, in 1960.

Offiong Esua  is enjoying both worlds. Egba academic pursuit and Efik literary adventurism. Trenchant Focus is all about creating wealth with available opportunities. Cash does not fall from Heaven, for God is not a banker.

Little wonder the author is better known as Coach. In pidgin English, they say, ‘ follow who know road’. It is not enough to sit idle at home waiting for miracle dollars. Esua’s book is one key that can unlock many doors of treasure, with much pleasure.

His bankers saw something in the man through his returns. Green credit balance is one way traffic to Dollar to Dollar, Pound to Pound and more Naira to Naira. All Roads lead to  House of the Lord Church, Houston Texas for the book launch on March 1, 2025.