How Cosmas Maduka, The Apprentice Wrongly Dismissed With N200, Became a Billionaire

Nigerian billionaire Cosmos Maduka began his quest for money at the young age of 17 as an apprentice for his uncle
Reports say the young Maduka was wrongly dismissed with N200 as a settlement fee with which he went into business with a fried
At the failure of his first business venture, he began Coscharis Motors with N300 in 1977 and went on to become a sole distributor of exotic vehicles in Nigeria

At 17, many teenagers are still thinking of finishing secondary school with style and getting admission into a university. But not so with Cosmas Maduka, the chairman of the conglomerate Coscharis Group who began his quest for money at the age of 17 after he was wrongly dismissed by his uncle, whom he served as an automobile apprentice.

Firs business failure

He went into business and co-created CosDave with his friend. However, the business did not survive, and Maduka started Coscharis Motors, a combination of his name and his wife, Charity, whom he married at 21. The business focused on sales of automobile spares in 1977 with just N300, reports said.

His breakthrough in business began in 1982 when the Nigerian government gave companies ten licenses to import vehicle which Coscharis was part of.

The Coscharis conglomerate is now worth over $500 million with other subsidiaries, which include manufacturing, technology, petrochemical, Agric and Agro-Allied businesses.

According to reports, the company is a leading distributor of exotic vehicle brands such as Range Rover, Ford and Jaguar.

In 2015, the company became the only distributor of BMW in Nigeria and the foremost company to build an assembly plant for Ford Ranger in Nigeria.

Business ethics and principles, the Japanese connection

The billionaire has credited his business success to his association with Japan. He said his early contact with the Japanese made him value commitment, humility, precision and hard work, which has become the ethos of his business success.

He seats on the board of several reputable companies and organizations.

Maduka served as a Director in Access Bank Plc, one of the leading banks in Nigeria, for 12 years, from 2000 to 2012.

In 2015, Maduka was featured on the Forbes Africa TV Series themed Worst Day with Peace Hyde.

The magazine pegged his net worth at $500 million the same year.

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How Cosmas Maduka, The Apprentice Wrongly Dismissed With N200, Became a Billionaire

Firs business failure

Business ethics and principles, the Japanese connection

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