10042018 - Why I'm seeking a 2nd term — BUHARI

48 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018
The man, Great Ovedje Ogboru
By Henry Efe Duku
POPULARLY called
‘The Peoples General’
by his political followers
and even a great
many of his opponents
for his principled stance
against bad governance,
Chief Great OvedjeOgboru
is a business and
political leadership icon
to many. He was born on
the 10th day of April,
1958 in Port Harcourt to
the famous Ogboru Dynasty
of Abrakaof Urhobo
and the Okolocha family
of Umukuata in Anioma,
both in Delta State.
A Christian, Ogboruis
married to Stella EbiOgboru,
a virtuous Ijaw amazon.
They have four
children.
Early Life
Great Ogboru had his
elementary education at
Municipal Primary
School, Port Harcourt,
Christian Missionaries
Society (CMS) Primary
School, Abraka and Local
Authority (LA) (now Oharisi)
Primary School,
Ughelli from 1966 to
1971. He was admitted
into the prestigious Government
College, Ughelli
(GCU) in 1971 and finished
in 1975. Immediately
thereafter, he worked
for four years as a primary
school teacher at
Owodoawanre Primary
School, Ughelli. Within
this period, he obtained
his Advanced Levels result.
Business
In 1980, young Great
was faced with serious
challenges of life. Fourth
in a family of 16 children,
Great appreciated the full
financial burden on his
low-income civil servant
father. He chose therefore
to momentarily sacrifice
higher education in
the hope that decision
would in the future be a
positive turning point in
the destiny of his family.
Consequently, in January
1978, he left home, clutching
a bag that contained
only four shirts and three
trousers, and headed to
Lagos in search of ‘greatness’
– a bold step of faith
that would later transform
so many lives beyond
imagination. And so, his
sojourn in corporate Nigeriastarted
as a Marketing
Officer in Exchange
Fisheries, a small Lagos
fishing company. Exchange
Fisheries became
a “necessary apprenticeship
opportunity”.
For greater effectiveness
in his marketing
role, he enrolled into the
Chartered Institute of
Marketing, London.
Just aged 25, Ogboru
left paid employment and
started his own business
in 1983. Banking on his
rare sense of personal
integrity and divine
grace, he established Fiogret
Limited, a frozen fish
trading company. Fiogret
grew rapidly into a global
fishing conglomerate
with fishing licenses
around the world. Within
three years, Ogboruestablished
many successful
subsidiaries of
Fiogret in quick succession
including, Grato – a
foremost furniture production
company; GLE
Finance, a finance company
with bureau de
change operations; Sofimar
Fisheries – a USD 5
Million capitalised,
USD25 Million assets
base Joint Venture with
the former Union Soviet
Socialist Republic (USSR)
Government; Abraka Rubber
Industries; Ajalomi
Shipping Company; West
Coast Publicity Company;
and Fiogret Express.
He also got a banking licence
from the Central
Bank of Nigeria.
With these businesses,
Ogboru’s name became
registered in global corporate
consciousness as
arguably then Nigeria's
youngest and richest
business mogul and billionaire.
On August 10,
1989, he took the world
stage by storm as the
youngest and highest
Nigerian donor to the
Namibia Solidarity Fund
(NSF) in the ancient city
of Benin. A firm believer
in humanity and its preservation,
he stood with
the people of Namibia in
their struggle for freedom
because for him, “Humanity
is one.” His philanthropic
works are rooted
in uncommon humility.
Once asked about what
he does for society with
his wealth, he simply answered,
“Ask the people.
I am just favoured by
grace to be an instrument
in God’s hands.”
Self-Exile
It has been said that
Great Ogboru is “unapologetically
democratic”
and a “natural hater and
fighter of any form of socio-political
dictatorship,
tyranny or hegemonic
misrule.” In 1990, it was
alleged that he supported
an attempt to remove
the military dictatorship
of Ibrahim Babangida although
he was later
cleared of any wrongdoing
in the matter in 1999
by the Federal Government
of Nigeria under
then Head of State, General
Abdulsalam Abubakar.
This allegation led to
his self-exile in the United
Kingdom from 1990 to
2000. With this, his business
empire in Nigeria
suffered setbacks in the
hands of successive military
governments during
this period. Upon his return
from exile, Ogboru’s
businesses initiated bold
legal actions for wholeness
against the Federal
Government on various
grounds including assets
stripping, balkanization,
and ‘continuous violation’.
Ogboru won.
Further Education
Chief Great OvedjeOgboru
Exile afforded Great
Ogboru a break from intense
business pressures
for personal academic
development. With less
busy corporate schedules,
he returned to the
Chartered Institute of
Marketing, London and
completed his studies
there. Thereafter, he attended
Huron University
of South Dakota, London
Campus where he
obtained a Master of
Ogboru has a
marathoner’s
mindset to necessary
change.
For him it requires
courage,
endurance, vision,
and a constancy
of purpose.
He believes
real
change does not
come on a platter
of gold. For him,
obstacles are enemies
of change
that must be successfully
challenged
Business Administration
degree. He went on to
study for and obtained a
Master Degree in International
Relations at the
University of Kent in Canterbury.
His research
work at Kent on the effects
of IMF’s Structural
Adjustment Programme
(SAP) on the economies
of Ghana and Nigeria
still stands out there.
Politics
Great Ogboru is a member
of the Nigeria Policy
Group (NPG) – an august
body that financed and
supported democratic
struggles from abroad to
return Nigeria to democracy
in the heyday of military
dictatorship. He is a
respected grassroots political
leader in Delta
where he is the nemesis
of bad governance and
misrule. Convinced about
his ‘Equal Opportunities
Development Initiative
(EODI)’ – a well-articulated
governance agenda
to transform Delta State to
a modern economy and
society, he has remained
passionately consistent
about leading his people
to turn the fortunes of Delta
around. His patience
and consistency on the
Delta Project derives from
Ogboru’s core as a leader.
Ogboru has a marathoner’s
mindset to necessary
change. For him it
requires courage, endurance,
vision, and a constancy
of purpose. He believes
real change does
not come on a platter of
gold. For him, obstacles
are enemies of change
that must be successfully
challenged. As the great
writer OgMadino put it
in his bestseller ‘The
Greatest Salesman in the
World’, “… victory comes
only after many struggles
and countless defeats. Yet
each struggle, each defeat,
sharpens your skills
and strengths, your courage
and your endurance,
your ability and your confidence
and thus each obstacles
is a comrade-inarms
forcing you to become
better … or quit.” So
Ogboru knows that the
possibility of a better future
is often lost when
people fear or turn away
from challenges. For him,
they are to be confronted.
For Delta, Ogboru holds
the firm view that the state
is in a needlessly pitiable
state and this must
change for sustainable
development. For him,
“Ours is a rescue mission
for the good of all. Like
the Asian Tigers, we must
make deliberate haste to
create a modern economy
in Delta for our people.
The more time we waste,
the more harm they cause
us all – whether Urhobo,
Kwale, Ika, Aniocha,
Ndo-Oshimili, Itsekiri,
Isoko, or Ijaw. Partisan
sentiments aside, is there
any sustainable progress
in Delta? Where are the
businesses? Where are
the jobs? Do they know
the danger of ignoring
the youths? … We are
better than this mediocrity.
Something has to give
way.” This is the essential
Ogboru. Our people
overwhelmingly agree
with him that anything
other than good governance
that leads our people
on a clear visionary
path of undoubted excellence
is a waste of time.
Ogboru’s personality,
political philosophy and
governance agenda resonate
with Deltans for
good and obvious reasons.
He is a visionary
with immense capacity to
create wealth and do
things right. Principled
and incorruptible, many
rightly see in Ogboru the
much-needed answer to
Delta’s unpardonable
governance decadence.
Very kind at heart and
soft in appearance, Ogboru
is nonetheless generally
known to be very
tough against lawlessness
and whatever that is
corrupt. Also, his unique
perspective to the purpose
of wealth endears
the people to him. It is
probably to this end that
Comrade Emeka Nwaola,
Labour Party Chairman
in Delta State, recently
noted that: “If every rich
man behaves like Chief
Ogboru who sees wealth
as nothing, then the madness
of looting the treasury
will be minimal. I
commend his simplicity
to affluence. Though he
left our party LP, I still
respect and love him.”
That probably summarizes
the Ogboru persona
with regards to affluence
and public leadership
and how it connects
seamlessly with the people.
Happy Birthday!
Today is Olorogun
Great Ovedje Ogboru’s
60th birthday! How time
flies! Ever handsome like
a beauty queen and effervescent
but humble in
all his ways, this champion
whom grace raised
from the rustic village of
Ajalomi in Abraka is now
60 years in his wonderful
earthly journey. For
this wealthy captain of industry,
quiet philanthropist
and credible political
leader, life has no doubt
been both beautiful and
challenging but through
it all, God has been specially
gracious and faithful
to him. Blessed by
God with an amazingly
simple life, humane values
and with his principled
struggles for a better
society for all, Ogboru
is a “bright point of
light” shining for many to
see. For a leader who
gives his all, this is a rare
moment to give him the
best of our heart’s content.
Therefore, one must
say, ‘Happy Birthday and
Many Happy Returns’ to
the People’s General.
May the good Lord continue
to shower you with
His grace, loving kindness,
and mercies.
*Prince Efe Duku, a Senior
Legislative Aide in the
Senate and former Executive
Assistant to Chief Great Ogboru,
wrote from Abuja.
Reyenieju to
Warri youths:
Be peaceful to
attract
developmental
projects
By Jeremiah
Urowayino
THE
member
representing Warri
Federal Constituency in
the House of
Representatives, Mr.
Daniel Reyenieju has
enjoined communities
and youths in Warri to be
peaceful and law abiding
to attract government’s
developmental
programmes and
investors, noting that the
Governor Ifeanyi Okowaled
administration has
prioritised the provision of
network of roads, job
creation through the
S T E P / Y A G E P
programme, upgrade of
education
including
facilities,
technical
education, among others.
Reyenieju,who made
this disclosure in an
interview with newsmen
in Koko, headquarters of
Warri North Local
Government Area, while
in company of Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa for project
commissioning said: “No
meaningful development
can be achieved in an
environment of conflicts
and acrimony as
government and investors
cannot invest their
resources in such an
environment."
Delta launches
nonstop flight
from Lagos to
New York-JFK
By Lawani Mikairu
DELTA Airlines has
launched a new
nonstop service from
Lagos to New York-JFK,
linking the financial
capital of Nigeria to the
financial capital of the
world. The New York-JFK
route complements the
airline’s existing flight to
Atlanta, providing a daily
departure and more travel
choice to the US than ever
before.
The New York-JFK flight
will operate three times
weekly, with Delta’s
existing services to
Atlanta departing on the
other four days.
Customers flying to
Delta’s New York-JFK
hub will benefit from more
connections across the
US to destinations
including Washington DC,
Baltimore and Chicago.
Speaking about the new
route , Mr. / Corneel
Koster, Delta’s senior vice
president, Europe, Middle
East, Africa and India
said: “With the U.S. the
largest foreign investor in
Nigeria, this new route
underscores our
commitment to the
market by facilitating
trade and commerce
between our nations."