Napoleon Bonaparte was absolutely right when he said that, ‘great men are born with great vision but only great people do great things’. Till date, no one has doubted this philosophy, as the saying has remained strongly unabated.
To elucidate this very point, when a great man is born in a given community, its people advance both in growth and expansion. This is so because such great individuals would lend their ideas, wealth, education, knowledge, connection, popularity, thoughts, and what have you, to the development of the community.
However, same would not be said about a foolish man who thinks only about himself and sees greatness as the ability to make wealth without giving a heck how to utilize same in service to God and humanity.
The illustration above aptly depicts the philanthropic life of a young, enterprising billionaire businessman and real estate guru of Ikeduru extraction, Hon. Chief Nwaneri Goodluck Chidera, through whom God has raised so many and given succour to thousands of less-privileged.
Chief Nwaneri Goodluck Chidera hails from Okpala community in Iho-dimeze, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo state.
Born in 1991 in Obitti Ukelele Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of estate (his maternal home), he is said to be among those who found the favour of God early in life which led to his conglomerate of businesses both in Rivers state, Imo state, Plateau state, Abuja, Lagos state and across African countries including Gold Coast, the present day Ghana.
He attended Obitti Ukwu Towns primary school Ohaji Egbema and immediately proceeded to Ohaji High school Mgbirichi for his secondary education where he passed out in flying colours. He later rounded up at Omerelu secondary school in Rivers state. Because of his business wiseness, he joined his Master, Chief George Nwachukwu (who hails from Amaigbo in Nwangele LGA) at Douglas Owerri where he learnt trading. After serving him for five years, he was settled and established his own business. But when he moved to Ghana with good business ideas, the rest became history.
Chief Nwaneri, with a dint of hardwork, ventured into many businesses including supplying of toothpaste and other detergents from Nigeria to Ghana where God showed him mercy and lifted himm up.
In 2020, he floated a helping hand foundation known a Goodluck Nwaneri Foundation (GNF) where thousands of people including the youths, grannies, widows and widowers from across the state, have been provided with financial prodding to start up businesses.
Parts of his numerous empowerment programs which shot him to limelight were the disbursement of 1.5million naira each to 20 youths to start up businesses, grading of several kilometers of roads in Iho-dimeze and creating and grading of new roads in Obitti, his maternal home, offsetting of hospital bills at an Mbaise hospital worth over 1.9million earlier in 2022. He did same in Umuaka, Okigwe and Ikeduru.
Chief Nwaneri had single-handedly sponsored the Ikeduru footfall tournament where budding talents were harvested and sent overseas to advance their footfall skills.
A couple years ago during an interview with journalists, he said, “I came back home for Christmas and noticing how dull my place was in a festive period at that, I asked why the seasonal football league was not holding, they told me that no one was willing to stake their money for the contest. I realized that football is one of the things that draw people together. I staked in millions of naira single handedly and the period was all fun.”
The Ikeduru-born master planner is the convener of Heal Imo Movement (HIM), a non-governmental, nonprofit organization which is deeply rooted in acts of humanity and bent in restoring happiness and good standard of living to Imo populace.
The philanthropist who is the Chief Executive Officer of NGC Enterprise Ltd has a conglomerate of businesses which spans from real estate investment, building materials, electrical materials, clothing among other things.
He is among a very few progressive Imolites who have registered their names in the sands of time for donating willingly and selflessly to the less-privileged in the society. He is not a politician but has in his shelve several workers who are under his enrollment and monthly emoluments. He is a powerful employer of labour. This is no mean feat.
What more can we say about a man who has carved a niche for himself in the lives of his people for making himself readily accessible and available to the people’s needs, using his hard-earned money to offsetting several bills.
He has promised to reciprocate the God’s goodness and mercies upon his life by offering many means of livelihood through his God-given wealth. It won’t be out of place to say that Chief Nwaneri Goodluck Chidera is extra-ordinarily blessed that one may not be wrong to call him a ‘young billionaire’.