Zubby Michael Says Some Executives Are Scared To Mentor Igbo Talents, Here’s Why

Zubby Michael claims some execs, even Igbo ones, avoid mentoring Igbo talents for fear the mentee will outshine them and become a rival.

So Zubby Michael just said something that’s got people talking, and honestly, it’s the kind of gist that makes you go “wait, is that actually true?”

The Nollywood actor came out and said some industry executives deliberately avoid mentoring Igbo talents. Not because they don’t like them. Not because they’re not good enough. But because they’re scared. Scared these young talents will learn fast, get good, and eventually become competition.
Sounds dramatic, right? But Zubby actually broke down his reasoning, and it kind of makes sense once you hear it.

Speaking on Broadway TV, Michael said Igbo people are naturally quick learners. His claim is that something an executive spent ten years mastering, a mentee could pick up in a year and a half. He put it plainly:

“You might decide to mentor an Igbo person and what took you 10 years to learn, he will learn it in one year and six months.”

And that’s the fear, according to him. You teach someone everything you know, and instead of staying loyal or grateful, they take that knowledge and go start their own thing. Suddenly your former student is now your rival in the market.

“If you don’t treat him well, he will leave you and start doing the same business you taught him and become your competition. So, people are scared of that,” he said.

Here’s the part that really got people talking though. Zubby didn’t just point fingers at executives from other tribes. He said some Igbo executives do this to their own people too, choosing not to invest in younger Igbo talents because they’re worried about being outshone by the very people they helped.

This isn’t happening in isolation either. Just days before, veteran actor Francis Duru had been talking about how Igbo filmmakers need to invest more in their own stories and culture, the way Yoruba filmmakers have done with their own industry. So Zubby’s comments basically add another layer to a conversation that was already building steam.

Now, to be clear, this is Zubby’s personal take. He’s not presenting evidence or naming names, just sharing what he believes happens behind the scenes.

But it does raise a real question worth sitting with: should mentors see their mentees as future rivals, or as the next generation meant to carry the industry forward? Because if talent keeps getting held back out of fear, everybody loses in the end.