Anambra-born billionaire industrialist and celebrated polymath, Prof. Poly .I. Emenike, is set to unveil seven new books to mark his 70th birthday, which is a milestone that further cements his reputation as one of Africa’s most inspiring intellectual figures and entrepreneurial icons.
Widely described as a polymath, the Benjamin Franklin of Nigeria and the Napoleon Hill of Africa, Prof. Emenike’s latest literary contribution adds to his earlier publications and distinguished body of work that reflects decades of study, enterprise, and mentorship grounded in lived experience.
The launch,which coincided with his 70th birthday on 28 November 2025, will see the presentation of a new collection of seven books spanning psychology, entrepreneurship, philosophy, community history, personal development, and the future of African socio-economic systems. For a man who completed secondary school at the age of 32 (when he was already married with two children) and later went on to bag his bachelor’s degree at 41, master’s at 43, doctorate at 59, and professorship at 66, the unveiling is being celebrated nationwide as yet another evidence of his relentless pursuit of knowledge.
Odenigbo Nanka, whose delay in secondary school education was caused by the effects of the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War, appears to have done what Napoleon Hill could not do by going further to bag a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at age 41 and a Master’s degree in Marketing at age 43, both from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He went further to receive his PhD in International Business Management from the International School of Management (ISM) at Paris, France at age 59 and became a professor at age 66. He is also an alumnus of Lagos Business School (Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria) and Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
According to information made available to this reporter, each of the seven latest books by Prof. Emenike touches on a subject area that mirrors different aspects of his intellectual, philanthropic and entrepreneurial journey.
One of them, “NANKA TIGERS AND TIGRESSES OF DEVELOPMENT: The
History of Philanthropy in Nanka, Orumba North L.G.A, of Anambra State, Nigeria”, reflects deeply on the history of philanthropy in his Nanka community and documents how charity evolved into a communal tradition that continues to shape development in Orumba North and beyond. The work also serves as a call to action for citizens and groups to contribute meaningfully to communal upliftment.
Another book, “HOW TO BE A POLYMATH: The Secrets of How to Be a Multi-Talented Person” draws from his background in entrepreneurial psychology and philosophy to encourage readers to expand their capacities and explore multi-talented living. The work lays out contemplative and practical steps for unlocking gifts, mastering diverse disciplines, and breaking the limitations individuals often place on themselves.
In “ONE MONTH OUT OF SOCIAL MEDIA: Effective Strategies on How to Achieve Your Literary & Other Important Goals”, Prof. Emenike confronts digital dependency and its effects on productivity and mental clarity. The book offers strategies for reclaiming focus and purpose in an age of distraction, urging readers to rethink their relationship with screens, reconnect with meaningful work, and rediscover the discipline required for literary and life goals.
Also in the latest collection is “IGBO APPRENTICESHIP (NWABOI) SYSTEM: Why the Scheme Might Not Continue or Endure as Expected!”, where he critically examines the celebrated wealth-creation model that originated from Igboland. The work explores the system’s strengths, challenges, and the looming threat of extinction in an age of digital transformation and globalized trade, using case studies from entrepreneurs who rose from the apprenticeship tradition to become business giants.
His book titled “ENTREPRENEURIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SUCCESSION
GROOMING: Way to Secure a Good Future for Your Business and Professional Empire” captures the necessity of early succession planning for organizations that wish to outlive their founders. It addresses generational transfer, institutional continuity, leadership grooming, and the common pitfalls that threaten business survival across Africa.
In “Wealth and Success Through the Principles of the Law of Attraction”, Prof. Emenike outlines psychological and practical steps for shaping personal outcomes through clarity of thought, mental discipline, and purposeful living. The work challenges readers to cultivate a mindset that attracts opportunities, builds resilience, and transforms setbacks into leverage.
The seventh of the new books, “Swimming Pool Approach (SPA) to Achieving Your Goals & Objectives” lays out practical principles for turning dreams into actionable achievements. Without offering shortcuts, it provides motivation and clarity for individuals who doubt the feasibility of their aspirations or shy away from bold pursuits.
These seven works add to Prof. Emenike’s impressive catalogue of twenty-one books published over the years, covering subjects ranging from entrepreneurial philosophy to mental emancipation, Igbo identity, self-development, sports, and the psychology of wealth creation.
Professor Emenike’s first book was published in 2013,by Napoleon Hill Foundation,Wise Virginia,USA and has since been translated into Spanish in 2014,and French in 2016.
His earlier books include:
(1) Entrepreneurial Spirits: Through the Seventeen Success Principles of Napoleon Hill;
(2) The Benefits of Adventures;
(3) How to Alter Your Destiny to the Direction You Want;
(4) The Daily Positive Vitamins for Entrepreneurs;
(5) Think and Grow Rich: African Perspective;
(6) 300 Years of Akwamakwa Liberation Movement in Nanka;
(7) The Principles of Entrepreneurial Psychology and Philosophy: The Catalytic Effects of Macro and Micro Books Approach in Achievement of Goals and Objectives,
(8) Innumerable Benefits of Typing Skill;
(9) Autosuggestion: The Single Most Powerful Secret to Success;
(10) The Plan Book Theorem: How to achieve your goals and Objectives through the Practical Principles of Macro and Micro Plan Books Theorem;
(11) The Economic Trajectories of the Igbos after Nigeria – Biafra Civil War: My Personal Perspectives;
(12) 15 Writing Principles on How to be a Celebrate Author;
(13) The Mental Emancipation: How to Control your Conscious and Subconscious Minds for Effective Performance; and
(14) Shrines as Arbiters: Is Reverse the Case of Christianity in Igboland?
The intellectual, Prof. Poly Emenike, born in 1955 in Nanka, stands today as the Chairman and CEO of NEROS Pharmaceuticals Limited, one of Nigeria’s largest indigenous pharmaceutical companies. His life story is one of exceptional resilience: delayed education due to the civil war; graduation from secondary school in his thirties; multiple degrees earned in his forties and fifties; and eventual global recognition as a scholar, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
Today, he holds the rare distinction of being the first person outside the United States to receive the Napoleon Hill Foundation Gold Medal Award and to sit on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. One of his published works on the African perspective of Think and Grow Rich, marks him out and stands him tall as one of the continent’s foremost interpreters of Hill’s success principles.
Prof. Emenike has also left indelible marks in community and youth development. He built a post office in Nanka, a civic centre equipped with library and internet facilities, and the monumental 10,000-capacity NEROS Sports Stadium. His long-running Nanka Champions League, Supa Copa NEROS competition, Jog for Life programme, and sponsorship of the Anambra FA Cup have shaped sports development across Anambra State.
In the education sector, aside being a pro bono part-time lecturer at the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and the Chike Okoli Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, he also, since 2009, endowed funds across ten departments of the University of Lagos including the School of Pharmacy,Management Sciences and SPGS(School of Post Graduate Studies). He has done the same for four departments at Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s School of Pharmacy, while also sponsoring over 20 undergraduates and assisting more than 100 young people to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
He is a visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship and Member of the Governing Board, UNIZIK Business School (UBS); Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Prof Poly is also a member of UNILAG and UNIZIK Advancement Boards since 2010.
To promote reading culture and self-development amongst Nigerian youths, he has gifted 37,000 copies of one of his widely read books, ‘Entrepreneurial Spirits through the Seventeen Principes of Napoleon Hill’ across Nigeria (1000 copies to each state and the FCT). He also mentors youths across Igbo communities and beyond through another of his pet projects, ‘Poly Emenike Foundation’ where he interacts with them via WhatsApp platform.
His decades of philanthropy and service have earned him numerous honours, including Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), Anambra State’s Philanthropist Extraordinaire and Business Titan Award, and the ASATU Youth Wing’s double honours for community and youth development.
As he marks his 70th birthday with the unveiling of seven new books, tributes have continued to pour in from scholars, entrepreneurs, youth groups, policymakers, and community leaders who describe him as a living compendium of diligence, perseverance, philanthropy, transformational leadership, and academic-c*m-entrepreneurial excellence.
