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Narrative Landscape, one of Nigeria’s most respected independent publishing houses, announces the Lagos public presentation of The Challengers: The Disruptive Nigerian Entrepreneurs Creating a Billion-Naira Company.
The presentation is scheduled for 13 July 2026 and the book marks a major literary shift for acclaimed author Eghosa Imasuen.
Thirteen years after his coming-of-age novel Fine Boys became a staple of contemporary African fiction, Imasuen returns with his first major work of narrative nonfiction—the true story of how a handful of young Nigerians turned a failed real estate idea into a multi-billion-naira financial institution.
Members of the public are welcome to attend this book presentation. Tickets and seating reservations are available now at tix.africa/discover/chbook26.
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Why This Story Needed the Sensibility of a Novelist
Nigerian readers know Eghosa Imasuen for his ability to capture the raw, domestic reality of the post-Biafra generation. However, narrative nonfiction asks a writer for something entirely different. There is no inventing the ending; there is only the slow, often uncomfortable work of getting real people to open their lives to you.
Imasuen spent three years earning that access, sorting through dozens of unfiltered interviews and hundreds of pages of transcripts. He had an advantage most investigative journalists do not: he moved within many of the same professional circles as some of the VFD founders during his time in the mortgage banking industry, before they built their empire. In a corporate culture where financial institutions are notoriously guarded about their history, that existing personal trust helped make the book project possible.
The Challengers drops the reader directly into the chaos of 2008. The global financial system had buckled, markets were frozen, and secure careers vanished overnight. It was, by any measure, the worst possible time to start a business.
In Lagos, a small group of young professionals looked at the wreckage and made a radical choice. Nonso Okpala, Adeniyi Adenubi, Mobolaji Adewumi, Gbenga Omolokun, Azubike Emodi, and their co-founders began to build. The early attempts were marked by trial and error: a real estate venture that never took off, a couple of local barbershops, and a small restaurant.
A Generational Handover
The resulting book closes an unexpected historical loop. Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who authored the book’s foreword, will attend the presentation as the Special Guest of Honour, lending his support to the publication.
“The aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis created what is in retrospect a perfect environment for the rise of a new kind of Nigerian entrepreneur,” said Dr Imasuen. “The founders that I write about realised the truth in the saying, ‘You want to go far, go together.’ I look forward to presenting this story to Nigerians.”
The 13 July launch will feature a prominent lineup of literary voices, including corporate MC Isabella Adediji, who will compere the event, and Channels Book Club’s Kunle Kasumu, who will deliver the formal book review.
A central highlight of the book presentation event will be a live, unscripted conversation moderated by renowned media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, who will interview Imasuen and the VFD founders to explore and examine how the group managed to scale into a multi-billion-naira enterprise without relying on a single dominant or influential founder.
Strip away the financial figures, and The Challengers addresses a universal human question: Can people truly build something significant together without ego getting in the way? It is a dilemma that resonates from Lagos to Silicon Valley, London, and Nairobi. The book offers no tidy motivational polish; it answers with the messy, hard-won realities of what actually happened.
Due to strict capacity limits at the Lagos venue, early registration is recommended. Tickets are now available at tix.africa/discover/chbook26. Follow @narrativelandscape on social media for updates.
