The first episode produced four winners, who, although had initially taken a shot at a one million naira prize money, were given sums ranging from N200,000 to N250,000 each after a careful review of their business plans by the panel of judges. The winners include; Kenneth Onuegbe, a fish seller at Aba Main Market who won N250,000; Manna Omo Momodu, an Ex-policeman, now into milling and food production in Kano, N200, 000; Peter Ezefunnamba, a laundry man from Lagos, N250,000 and Idrees Bn Abdullah, an inventor of a fuel-less generator from Kano, N250, 000.
In the second episode which produced two winners, Valentine Nnamdi, a 41 year old Engine Reconditioner in Sapele, Delta State went home with N600,000, while Evelyn Nwajei, an Aba Manufacturer of perfumes, Bleach and Air Fresheners won N400,000.
Announcing the winners, the judges expressed satisfaction with the candidates’ presentations and highlights, but however pointed out some flaws in the business plans that denied some of them the ultimate sum that they asked for.
The Judges at episode one included Dr. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, Founder/President, Growing Businesses Foundation; Mrs. Bunmi Lawson, MD/CEO, Accion Microfinance Bank and Dr. Ebenezer Meshida, MD/CEO, Terra Geotechnical Engineering Company Ltd and winner of this year's Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Science Award. Dr. Doyin Abiola, Chairman, Integrated Microfinance Bank joined the team in episode two.
The Entrepreneur TV Series, a 13 weeks TV reality show and the first of its kind in Nigeria parades 16 judges comprising of highly experienced personalities, who in their own rights have made their marks in growing various businesses. There are three judges in each episode of the programme. The programme is offering opportunities to Nigerian micro entrepreneurs to have access to an interest free funding of up to N1m. The programmes air on two national television channels, African Independent Television, AIT (5-6pm on Sundays) and Channels Television (7-8pm also on Sundays). Sixty four finalists were selected from thousands of enterprise-driven who registered to be part of the show during regional auditioning held in Kano , Aba and Lagos .
Commenting on the choice of the judges, Executive Director of Inspire Media, Producers of the programme, Mr. Goke Dokun, commended the judges for their dispassionate assessment of the participants, saying that the purpose of the programme to reach out to the ordinary man with bankable business ideas have been established in the firs two episodes.
Mr. Dokun said the programme is a “must watch” for every aspiring entrepreneur as it is a unique way of not only growing business enterprises in Nigeria, but also as a platform to educate people on ways of pitching for businesses and be gainfully self employed.
For him the Entrepreneur TV Series recognises the need to further empower the Nigerian Entrepreneur whom the world has acknowledged as being innovative but lacking opportunity to change his world.
The Entrepreneur TV Series has Ecobank Nigeria as the lead sponsor, Vitamalt, world’s number one malt drink as associate sponsor, while Visafone, one of Nigeria ’s fast rising telecomm operators, is the telecoms sponsor. Other partners are Financial Standard Newspaper, Growing Business Foundation and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
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Entrepreneur TV Series Announces First Set of Winners
