2016 has been a heck of year for many Nigerian, especially for the entrepreneurs. There has been a lot of Ups and Downs with the latter been the major. The economic recession in Nigeria has left no stone unturned as, as both the corporate workers and the entrepreneurs received their own share from the unstable economy. Irrespective of the state of the economy, a quite number of entrepreneurs distinguished themselves from the crowd and such actions cannot go unnoticed.

Today, the Cresthub staffs have decided to compile a list of Top 10 Influential Entrepreneurs in Nigeria for the year 2016. Our standards for ranking them include;

• The impact they make through their self created platforms or other available platform.
• Social Media Presence: since the inception of Dot Com rush, internet credibility has become one of the necessary things an individual should possess.
• The influence they wield in their respective sectors.

NB:  it should be noted that this is not a list of the richest entrepreneurs in Nigeria, as our standard of ranking does not include their net worth.

10. SEUN OSEWA:

Seun is one of the top internet entrepreneurs in Nigeria. He is the founder of Nairaland, an online forum, which is considered the biggest forum in Africa. The influence his platform has over Nigeria, has earned him a spot on our list as the 10^th most influential entrepreneur in Nigeria for the year 2016.

9. IFEANYI UBAH

   

Ifeanyi Ubah is a business tycoon who hails from the commercial city of Nnewi, in Anambra state. He is the founder of Capital oil and gas which has its slogan as “The Nation’s Oil Giant”. He is no new name in Nigeria as his contribution to the football sector and oil sector in Nigeria has made headlines over the time. He is also the owner of the Authority News Paper.

8. STELLA CHINYERE OKOLI

Even the least person in Nigeria, when sick can afford N30 to purchase an Emzor paracetamol. This is made possible by the entrepreneurial nature of Stella who is the founder of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, a well known pharmaceutical company in Nigeria. She is among the few female in Nigeria that promotes entrepreneurship. Her program “Chike Okoli Centre for entrepreneurial studies, has presence in different universities in Nigeria including the famous Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

7. MR. RASHEED ADEJARE OLAOLUWA

Mr Olaoluwa is the current CEO/MD of the bank of industries. After graduating with first class in civil engineering from a Nigerian university, he went on to acquire an MBA degree from International Graduate School of Management Spain. The bank of industries under his administration launched a N10 billion youth entrepreneurship support scheme, aimed at boosting the entrepreneurship sector in Nigeria.

6. INNOSON CHUKWUMA

Little cannot be said about the founder of Innoson Vehicle Motors. His company is regarded as the first indigenous motor manufacturing company in Nigeria. His company, the Innoson group has presence in different business sectors including ICT sector. The company  is also regarded as the largest producer of plastics in West Africa. On 25^th October 2016, the Innoson Group signed a Billion dollar deal with Chinese Investors, a deal which will foster the introduction of smart city in different cities in Nigeria.

5. Jason Chukwuma Njoku

A British Born Nigerian entrepreneur and a film magnate, Jason is the founder of iROKO Tv, which is the best Video-On-Demand movie platform for Nigerian Movies. He is also a startup investor. Iroko tv is his 11^th attempt to startup a business. His has been awarded one of the “Fast company Top 1000 most creative people in Business. The influence and impact of his company in the distribution of Nollywood movies around Africa and the world at large earns a place on our list.

4. Mike Adeniyi Ishola Adenuga Jr

Mike Adenuga as he is popularly called is the second richest person in Nigeria. He is the founder of Globacom, the 2^nd largest telecom operator in Nigeria. He also owns stakes in Equitorial Trust Bank and the oil exploration from conoil. His influence in the telecom sector has gotten our attention.

3. Linda Ikeji

Who doesn’t know the highest paid blogger in Nigeria? The former model is the owner of lindaikejis blog. She recently extended her entrepreneurial  tentacles by launching her own social network named Linda Ikeji’s social, a social network which is rumored to have 50,000 sign ups on the first day of its launch. She also runs a nonprofit project themed “I do rather be self made; No thanks”, where she gave out the sum 10 million naira in the first phase of the project.

2. Benedict Bruce Murray

Ben Bruce is the founder of Silverbird Group. He is an active projector of made in Nigeria products. He is always seen showing off the pictures of Made in Nigeria Product in his social media account. He wields much influence in the media sector. He was once the director of NTA from 1999 to 2003 and also the host of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Pageant which he began in 1986. His Philanthropic Nature, active support of made in Nigeria Product and his influence in the media makes him worthy to be our second influential entrepreneur in Nigeria.

1. Tony Onyemachi Elumelu

Tony Elumelu is the founder of Heir Holdings, the chairman of United Bank for Africa and the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria where he is a major shareholder. He has two degrees from a Nigerian university, a bachelor degree from Ambrose Ali University and a Master Degree from University of Lagos. He is also an Alumnus of Harvard Business School. After, he retired from UBA bank. He went on to open Tony Elumelu Foundation, an organization that aims to promote entrepreneurship in Nigeria and Africa at large. His foundation also empowers entrepreneurs who demonstrate leadership potential and credible business ideas. Tony Elumelu serves as a member of the Global Advisory Board of United Sustainable Energy for all Initiative and USAID’s private capital group for African Partners Forum. He is also the vice chairman of the national competitiveness council of Nigeria. Tony Elumelu’s  influence in the business sector in Nigeria, the impact he renders through his Non Profit Organization has made him the  Cresthub  Number One Influential Entrepreneur in Nigeria 2016.

We at Cresthub nicknamed him “The Entrepreneur of Entrepreneurs”