My Background: I come from the Creek Town, Cross River State, Nigeria – the first son of the family bears the father’s name. That is why my name is Esiet Esien Esiet. My father’s name is Ita Esien Esiet. Most people from Cross River State would spell their Esiet and Esien with a single ’s’ while those from Akwa Ibom State add another ‘s’ – Essiet and Essien. I was not just the first son; I was also the first of six children – four sons and two daughters. I was born (in 1965) and bred in Ibadan, Nigeria.

My father worked as a secretary at the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training (IAR&T), Moor Plantation, Apata, Ibadan. Therefore, my early life revolved around Apata and Odo Ona, a contiguous area in one of the largest cities in Nigeria.

I attended St Paul’s Anglican Primary school, at Odo Ona, and then finished at ICC (Ibadan City Council) Primary School. I wanted to enrol at ICC because my father felt it was a better school. Back then, if the fingers of your right hand did not touch your left ear, you did not qualify for primary school.

In 1981, I took admission in agriculture at the College of Agriculture, Akure for a national diploma (ND). I applied for the post of assistant-agricultural superintendent-in-training. That is primarily how my career in the College of Agriculture began. After bagging the ND in 1983, I had to work for three years. I went for the higher national diploma (HND) being offered at Moor Plantation, Ibadan. I wished to continue with ‘Study Leave with Pay’, but it was not approved. I applied again in 1986 without pay; however, it was also turned down.’

I had the option to resign or continue with my job as an agriculture superintendent but, I was also my family’s breadwinner, so I could not choose to leave. I settled for a degree course, while still working. I opted for economics at Ondo State University. After obtaining my degree, I converted from technical staff to the lecturer cadre. Soon it hit me that for me to be relevant, I needed to have a postgraduate degree. So, I went for a master’s (M Tech) in economics at the Federal University of Technology. I officially graduated in 1987.

How I began selling fish: I have always been entrepreneurial with whatever limited resources I have. Before I left for my UK training, I moved to the building owned by now late Rev (Johnson Olajide) Fagboyegun, which is now an office of some political party. I utilized the backyard for my various cultivations. Much later, I had ponds in my residence where I raised fish.

I had two outlets with cold rooms for my frozen fish business. I had to travel to Benin, Warri, Lagos, and Port Harcourt to source the fish. That was indeed pretty stressful. Then there was the issue of epileptic power supply which means that I suffered much spoilage. What finally did it for me was when one day returning from Lagos to source for fish, my Ford bus ran into a ditch. It took us over an hour to fix the damage. By then, it had gone far into the night. There was also a robbery incident. Hence, I made up my mind to stop the business.

I decided to have fishponds in my residence, thus, giving way to another start-up i.e. fish culture. The returns were not encouraging. Having done it from my house meant a lot of ‘encroachment’ – giving away to people who came on visits, cooking, and all that.

I thought of turning the leased building where I ran my cold room business into a joint where people could come for grilled fish and drinks. Except, nearby was a beer parlour run by an old man. I did not want to cause any trouble with him. So, I hoped and prayed that I find a decent location to execute my plan. My prayer was answered; a friend linked me with an assistant commissioner of police, Mr. Sanni Magaji. That was around 2010.

I got an invitation from this police officer to bring samples of my barbecue fish. Fortunately, I had some fish at home. I prepared ten pieces. Little did I know that there were many testers involved. He asked me all the questions including how much each one would cost. It was around one thousand, five hundred nairas ($3) back then. Anyway, I passed the test.

I was to start selling barbecue fish here at the Police Officer’s Mess on Igbatoro Road. I started from one spot pointing southward and later moved to the present location. I was conditioned to not sell drinks in competition with the Mess. Apart from selling here at the Mess, we also go to parties around Nigeria to prepare barbecue fish. 

Here is the number I can be reached on in case anyone wants to experience what delights our customers: 08035701062.

I have come up to a conclusion that, instead of going for a PhD, which could take me more or less five years to obtain, I would stick to my business and bring my macroeconomic qualifications into practice.