In this exclusive interview with News Emperor Magazine Online, the Chief Executive Officer of Portable Cool Garden, Chief Lucky Nnadozie, popularly called Ezeakonaobi, spoke about his upbringing, education, and business. Chief Nnadozie also shared how the former Lagos State Governor and now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, helped change his life story.
Q: Tell us about yourself.
Ans: My name is Chief Lucky Nnadozie, Ezeakonaobi, the Chief Executive Officer of Portable Cool Garden and its subsidiaries.
Q: Tell us about your upbringing.
Ans: My upbringing was good. I come from a very strong family, though my family background was poor. Many people depend on their parents, but I decided to face the streets to get what my parents couldn’t provide for me. By the grace of God, today my children can be proud of me.
Sometimes life shows you its difficult side, but you have to make do with whatever is available. Because when the preferable is not available, the available becomes the preferable.
At one point in my life, I hawked pure water at Iyan-Oba Market just to make ends meet.
Q: You mean you once sold pure water?
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*Ans:* Yes.
Q: Were you carrying it on your head or selling it with a vehicle?
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Ans: I hawked pure water. I carried it on my head and moved around selling it. Not the modern sealed pure water people sell now. Back then, we tied water in nylon and hawked it around. It was just to make a living. But today, I bless the name of the Lord because everything is now history.
Q: Chief Ezeakonaobi, which part of Nigeria are you from?
Ans: I am from Abia State in the eastern part of the country, precisely from Oguba in Isiala Ngwa North.
Q: Tell us about your educational background?
Ans: I had my nursery, primary, and secondary education as I was supposed to. I stopped at secondary school and later traveled abroad. I was able to travel abroad through the help of our now President, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when he was Governor of Lagos State. It was as a result of playing football that I traveled to South Africa to play professionally.
Q: Are you a footballer?
Ans: Yes, I am also a footballer.
Q: Did you play for Nigeria?
Ans: No, I have not played for Nigeria. This was when I was still living in the Ojo area of Lagos, around 1999, when Tinubu was elected Governor of Lagos State. He hosted a tournament then called the ‘Governor’s Cup’. I was among those who represented Ojo Local Government Area.
During that period, there was a man we called Solomon, but we shortened it to “Solo.” I don’t know his surname. He was the Chairman of Ojo LGA in 1999 and a great lover of sports.
Our team managed to defeat the Mainland Local Government Area football team — Tinubu’s own LGA. The tournament was played at Onikan Stadium, and Ojo Local Government Council won and came first. Because we came first, the Governor presented a medal to us. Afterward, we represented Lagos State. That was where my football career started, and it took me up to South Africa and other countries. Today, I had to retire from active football due to an injury.
Q: Which clubs did you play for?
*Ans:* After that Governor’s Cup tournament, a certain amount of money was awarded to Ojo Local Government Council as the winner. The LGA chairman, also a sports lover, and a man we called “Super,”one of the Supervisory Councilors at the time, decided to build a council football team.
One day, a man came and said he had scouted me during that tournament and would sponsor me. I told him I had no one to help me and that my father couldn’t afford it because we were from a poor family. He said he would make it easier for me.
Lucky for me, I explained everything to our elder brothers who used to send us on errands then — one was Chinedu Ekwosa and the other was Okechukwu Alia, Ohamadike 1 of Mbaise. They decided to assist me. That’s how I went to South Africa to play football. From South Africa, I went to Egypt, and from Egypt, I began touring the world through my football career.
That’s how my football journey started, and that’s why I will always be grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the then Governor of Lagos State. In fact, anytime Tinubu becomes governor or president, it seems to favor me personally.
Q: You mean anything about him favors you?
Ans: Yes. His era always favors me. I am and will remain his fan.
Q: Does he know you personally?
Ans: No, he doesn’t know me.
Q: Have you ever met him one-on-one?
Ans: No. But I have observed that his tenure always brings me favor — even now that he is President. I am still experiencing that favor.
Q: Have you tried to meet him one-on-one?
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Ans: I have tried several times, but it’s not easy to get access to someone of his caliber. In Nigeria today, it’s about who you know. But I believe one day I will meet him one-on-one.
Even when he was campaigning for the 2023 presidential election, I campaigned for him, though I couldn’t get in touch with him then. I am still campaigning for him as he seeks a second term.
Q: You can write to the Presidency or use the media to get your message across.*
Ans: Yes, I believe God will connect us one day through those channels. Even now, I am the Chairman of the Lagos State Beverage and Drinks Association of Nigeria.
Q: Did you continue your education later?
Ans: Yes. When I started my professional football career in Egypt, I began to further my education through it.
Q: You stayed in Egypt for a long time?
Ans: I stayed in Egypt for four years and in South Africa for two years, from 2008 to 2012, if I’m not mistaken. I sponsored my education myself. I studied Physical Therapy under Sports Science. That’s how I became what I am today by the grace of God.
Q: Which year did you finally return to Nigeria?*
Ans: I finally returned to Nigeria in 2012 after I sustained an injury during my football career in Ukraine. Before that, I had played in Egypt, then Lusaka, and then Ukraine.
Q: Was it when you returned to Nigeria that you got married?
Ans: Yes. After that, I became a football agent — an intermediary between foreign clubs and local football players.
Q: Are you involved in sports talent scouting within the Magbon area?*
*A:* Yes. I am the Chairman of Supreme All Stars Football Club, which plays at the Salvation Army Mini-Sports Ground in Magbon, Badagry, Lagos.
I am also the Chairman of the Lagos State Food and Drink Association, LASFADA, Iba Unit.
Q: Why Iba Unit instead of Magbon Unit?*
*A:* Because of my popularity there. They elected me and still want me to continue leading them.
Q: You said you are a philanthropist and businessman. Tell us more about your business and philanthropic work.*
Ans: I’m into sports business — I take players abroad and also source scholarships for Nigerian students who want to study overseas. I also host national sports events across athletics, football, javelin, boxing, and more.
Q: What is the name of your company for all these activities?*
Ans: Nagoz Tour and Travel Agency Limited. That’s the company I use for these operations.
As a businessman, I also do buying and selling. Sometimes I import clothes, shoes, and wear for men and women. I also deal in gold jewelry. I’m like a general merchant, but I’m especially focused on sports.
Q: You’re also into hospitality. Tell us more about that.
Ans:* Yes. Portable Cool Garden is a business I opened for my wife, Chioma Princess Lucky, because she was trained in the drinks business and is good at it. It’s a relaxation joint, cool spot, and football viewing center.
I didn’t want her to forget her roots, so I encouraged her to do what she knows best so it can also serve as a reference point for our children. That way, we can tell them this is where we started. While I continue with sports and travel, this gives us something to fall back on.
She agreed, and I decided to make it unique for her. I’ve been to many cafés and drinking joints, so I wanted hers to stand out.
Q: Is your wife the one managing it?*
Ans: Yes. She was brought up doing this kind of business. She has been a good wife, a supporter, and my backbone. That’s why I didn’t want her to abandon her skills.
Portable Cool Garden is a registered business name. I also have a Global Empire in the works, which will include fashion, a hotel, and an event center — things that will make people feel relaxed.
The football viewing side of Portable Cool Garden has been a blessing to the community. I offer free viewing. Others charge, but I said no — let me give them free access.
Q: Is the snooker spot also part of Portable Cool Garden?*
Ans: Yes. Someone is managing it for me now, but I’m working to get a bigger space where all these businesses will be under one roof, a children’s playground, a cool spot for adults, a tennis court, and a football viewing ground. That’s the plan, and I know we’ll get there.
Q: What are your future plans?
Ans: As someone in the hospitality industry, I plan to open branches outside Nigeria. I’ve traveled to about 18 countries, so I don’t want to limit myself to Nigeria alone. I want Portable Cool Garden to have a fully registered global presence.
For Nagoz Travel and Tour Agency, we’re planning to go for courses abroad and build both local and international partnerships.
Q: We heard you also have a sports academy. Tell us more.
Ans: Yes, we do. It’s called Nagoz Sports, and it’s the arm of Nagoz Travel and Tour Agency that handles our sports activities and academy.
Q: What are the requirements for admission into the sports academy?*
Ans: The academy is called Shaldiv Football Club International. We have categories for under-10, under-12, under-15, and 19 and above.
We have a meeting place now, but we’re planning to build our own sports ground and stadium. That way, foreign scouts can come to Nigeria to see and recruit the players themselves instead of us sending them abroad.
Q: From what you’re doing, it seems you’re grooming youths and Building capacity.
Ans: Beyond capacity building, I’m a role model to them. That’s why you see them shouting my name and flocking around me at inter-house sports events. I always advise them not to just drift through life. Start something small and build gradually.
I tell them to share their future plans or skills with me, and I’ll assist in whatever little way I can. I have friends who can help too. The most important thing is: what are you interested in?
I’ve helped some travel abroad, some for work, some for education. I ask what their parents can do, then see where I can step in. Even if I don’t have much, I have connections who can sponsor them, and they can pay back later. I’ve done this for two or three people already.
Q: There’s a saying that in Nigeria, you can “pick money from the ground.” How true is that?*
Ans: It’s a proverb, and in some ways, it’s true. I’ve traveled to about 18 countries since 1999, and I’ll keep thanking President Tinubu for that opportunity.
In Nigeria, nothing is a waste. What others call trash abroad is valuable here. Nigeria is blessed with natural resources and human capital. And when it comes to natural resources, oil is actually the least of them. Nigeria has many resources that are more valuable than oil. So yes, Nigeria is a place where you can easily make something out of nothing.
Q: What is your view of President Tinubu’s government at the moment?*
Ans: I won’t be sentimental. Tinubu is a true politician — a thoroughbred mobilizer and motivator. If he promises you something, he fulfills it, even when he’s not in office. If he says he’ll give you something at a certain time, go and sleep — when the time comes, he’ll remember you.
Such a person deserves our encouragement. He’s not our problem. Remember, he’s the head, but he has people around him who are given responsibilities. If something goes wrong, people blame the head and forget the cabinet members in charge of those areas.
Let’s give him one more chance in 2027. I believe he will do well. Let’s try him again, I assure you, he will.