The rhythm of Imperial Holdings had changed. No longer was every decision funnelled through Chinedu's desk. Now, the empire had arms, each reaching outward, guided by capable hands.
For the north, that hand was Ireti.
She had wasted no time after the Abuja meeting. With Dangote's resources and her own scientific bent, she drew up a blueprint for glasshouse farming across select northern states. Wheat in Kano. Tomatoes in Kaduna. Vegetables in Plateau. Each location chosen with surgical precision, backed by data and local insight.
On the ground, she spoke with farmers and community leaders, assuring them this was not a conquest but a partnership. With Dangote's gravitas behind her, even skeptical chiefs began to nod. The threat of insurgents still loomed, but security details and discreet negotiations promised a fragile shield.
One evening, she sent Chinedu a brief update. "We planted the first test crop in Kano today. It feels right. This land will answer if we treat it with respect."
Chinedu smiled when he read it. He had no doubt she would make the north sing.
But his own battleground lay elsewhere.
In Lagos, Imperial Holdings was beginning to stake its claim. Chinedu walked through a stretch of land not far from Lekki, flanked by Tunde and a cluster of advisors. This was to be the site of the first Imperial Mall in the west — a sprawling complex of shops, food courts, and anchor tenants that would give Lagosians a taste of the empire.
The oil stations would follow, dotting major routes, sleekly branded as Imperial Oil. Behind them, a modest but strategic office tower would serve as Imperial's western headquarters, a symbol to the media and competitors alike that the east-born company was now a national force.
"Competition here is cutthroat," Tunde warned as they surveyed the site. "Old names won't welcome us."
"They don't have to," Chinedu replied calmly. "We don't need welcome. We need foothold."
Meetings with local officials, real estate brokers, and financial backers filled his Lagos days. At night, in his temporary apartment overlooking the lagoon, he studied charts and market reports, ensuring his stock and futures plays still generated the cash to fuel this aggressive expansion.
It was grueling, but necessary. Imperial Holdings could not remain an eastern giant. Lagos was the beating heart of Nigeria's economy — and soon, it would feel Imperial's pulse too.
By month's end, both fronts were moving.
In the north, seedlings sprouted inside shimmering glasshouses. In the west, bulldozers cleared land for malls and stations.
And at the center of it all, Chinedu began to realize: this was no longer about business alone. It was about power, presence, and permanence.
Imperial Holdings was no longer expanding. It was embedding itself into the very map of Nigeria.