From humble beginnings, Alafaa Kariboye-Igbo rises to stardom

Born in Buguma, Rivers State, south-south Nigeria on 21 May 1981, Alafaa Kariboye-Igbo always wanted to become a successful businessman in life. That was why he set out his life from childhood knowing full well that he must work hard to fulfil his heart’s desire. So it comes as no surprise to see him being ranked among Nigeria’s top billionaires.

To get to this height, Kariboye-Igbo, popularly known as ‘Oil Money’, diversified his business interests to many fields, including real estate, oil and gas, auto dealership, entertainment and philanthropy.

The 40-year-old is one of the Nigerians in the diaspora who have come through thick and thin to become successful and accomplished through hard work and perseverance. From a very humble beginning, he has been able to develop himself into a result-oriented entrepreneur with a clear and defined mind-set to actualize his dreams.

His love for the empowerment of Nigerian youths prompted him to set up Oil Money Records with the mandate to bring young artistes into the global limelight.

Without a doubt, Oil Money is now a renowned figure in the music and recording industry, and is reputed for his wide expertise in the creative sector that has taken the Nigerian brand to the forefront of the global scene. This informed his decision to make Oil Money Records bigger and more influential while churning out talented stars.

“Our desired goal is to operate with a high standard of excellence in business organization and effectively manage music licensing and copyright processes, song promotion, royalty collection, and key partnerships around the world,” Kariboye-Igbo said in a recent interview with The Guardian.

Oil Money has grown to be one of Africa’s most exquisite personalities and a young man with vast connection which cuts across status, religious and ethnic backgrounds. In addition, his philanthropic activities have redefined humanitarian works among Nigeria’s rich as he is known to be a man whose love for the underprivileged knows no bounds.

A passionate giver, he set up Oil Money Foundation in November 202o and, to date, the foundation has impacted positively on many poor Nigerians.

Kariboye-Igbo believes that “philanthropy is truly complex, but I am aware that people face difficult choices and obstacles along the way, so I try to lend a hand and assist them to scale those hurdles of life and give impetus to their dreams.

“As a public figure, I receive thousands of messages daily. I do a lot of giveaways on Instagram and also privately respond to people who reach out to me for help. Still, I can hardly reply to everyone. I am focused on providing empowerment for young people, anything that will give young people leverages in life.

“I believe that any assistance I render to any person improves the lot of humanity in general,” said Oil Money, who studied and graduated from London University and is currently living in the United Kingdom with his family.

As a fulfilled businessman, he has cause to thank God today for his rise to the stardom. “I thank God because He solely responsible for my success and made me what I am today, where others failed, I survived. It is God’s doing, not my power,” he added.