By Beifoh Osewele, Tony Osauzo and Ighomuaye Lucky
Benin City, the Edo State capital, literally stood still, in honour of Sir (Dr.) Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, as he marked his 90. It was a befitting climax to weeks of intense preparations.
Born on September 11, 1934 to Josiah Agharagbon Oviawe Igbinedion and Madam Okunozee (Nee Ihaza) of the Royal House of Usen Town in present day Ovia North East Local Government Area, he is a successful man by any means. No, doubt, Chief Igbinedion’s majestic carriage and gait, reflects his royal lineage.
As part of activities to mark his birthday, Chief Igbinedion, popularly known as “Exemption” because of his distinct way of doing things, speaks to Daily Sun revealing his guiding principles and philosophy, sources of his strength and how he has been able to overcome the obstacles along his path to greatness:
The House of Igbinedion, a global brand, is a testament to his success. He began his academic pursuit at the Benin Baptist Primary School, Benin City and proceeded to the Eko Boys High School, Lagos. But the demise of his father truncated his education.
From digging pit latrines to eke out a living, he later worked as a teacher and sales representative and distributor for Leventis Motors before he resigned to set up Mid Motors in 1968. A world renowned business mogul, the Esama owns companies in the industrial, commercial, aviation and education sectors and sub-sectors of the country’s economy.
The Esama was the first Nigerian to set up an indigenous motor distribution company in 1968 to market Japanese made vehicles such as Hino trucks, buses and Mazda cars as well as Polish manufactured Nedion Fiat vehicles in Nigeria. He was also the first Nigerian to establish trade links with the British Chrysler Company for the importation and sale of Chrysler vehicles.
His chains of firsts include the establishment of a vehicle assembly plant in 1972 and the Okada Airlines Limited, the largest private airline in the continent of Africa in 1983.
He is a pioneer Nigerian indigenous prospector in the oil industry having been granted rights over OPL 471.
He is also the founder/chairman of the Board of Igbinedion Education Centre, comprising nursery, primary and secondary Schools in addition to the Igbinedion Montessori Teacher Training Centre, Benin City. He is the founder/chairman, Board of Regents and Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada.
No fewer than 10 universities in Nigeria and abroad have conferred honorary doctorate degrees on him in recognition of his achievements. Besides his numerous honorary awards, the Esama holds several chieftaincy titles across the country, including the Gwang Taruk of Jos.
Reflecting on his longevity, he attributed it to God’s grace and urged against bringing others down for personal gains. “Build, don’t destroy. Be good to others, avoid tribalism, and treat people the way you want to be treated.” I
He also emphasised the importance of having clear goals from a young age and diligently working towards them to attain greatness. “Youths should remain focused, avoid crime so that you will benefit from God’s plan. You should work hard and have a plan for your life.”
A philanthropist and humanist par excellence, his rags to riches story is both intriguing and inspiring.
Excerpts:
It is interesting that at 90, you are still exceptionally strong. We were even shocked to find you reading newspapers without using eyeglasses. In a clime where the average lifespan for men is put at 54, how does it feel to be 90 and what are your survival tips?
My body still feels like I am in my 80s. Everything I was doing at 70, 80, I am still doing now. I still work from 8am to 8pm. The time of my waking up is still the same. I don’t know how I manage to be fit at my age but I do know that God has been very favourable to me. God has been kind to me. And that is why I fear God. There are hurdles I have passed through that He saved me from. The only thing I can tell you is that the grace of God, who is the maker of heaven and the earth, has been strongly on me. I will always be grateful to Him. I give all the glory to Him. I feel sound, I feel okay, I feel the same way I was 80 even now that I am 90. My medical conditions and everything is perfect. I don’t have any illness.
Did it ever cross your mind that you may not make 90 years?
I never thought I could make 90 years but I have made it and I thank God for it.
What is your routine like?
My greatest hobby is to walk around. My other hobby is building. If I wake up and there is no building going on, I am not happy. There must be construction going on.
You have made a mark in virtually every business and other endeavours. You have ventured into soft drinks, airlines, the media…
I have put my hands into so many things, some succeeded and some fell off on the way but I do know that my pass marks are more than my failures. I owe everything to God Almighty.
Before you go into any business, what do you do?
Anything I do, I see it in the night. God came to wake me up one day and told me to build two churches for Him. I have not been stubborn to my Lord. I asked God, where? He told me one in Sapele Road and the other inside my compound. I said God, I have built more than 40 churches and He said, do these ones. He told me, ‘the one in Sapele Road, build it, but don’t have a hand in its administration.’ When I disobeyed the order, within three months, my business went down. Even to go to Lagos one day became a Herculean task. I was so broke that I had to borrow money from one of my tenants at Mission Road.
But as soon as I obeyed, my business bounced back. I then realised that God wanted to tell me who He is. How many can I say? For instance, the university (Igbinedion University, Okada). It started like a mere joke. One day, Ibrahim Babangida sent Alhaji Kabo to tell me that he was lonely in Aso Rock. Kabo came with his plane from Kano and said I should join him. I said if I join you, it means you have to come back to Benin to drop me off. So, we went to Aso Rock. As we were discussing, a telephone came in. Babangida took the call and after speaking for a while, he said, ‘Oh my God!’ I asked what happened? He said ASUU has started their strike again. I said allow private people to enter to dwarf them. That was my English. Here we are today, there are more private universities than the government’s own.
Certainly, your success stories are not without hurdles. Can you share some of them?
Oh, there are many hiccups including jealousy and hatred. Somebody just hates you because God blessed you. They don’t know that they are fighting God and not you. So, there have been many hurdles.
For instance, like the airline. Four of my pilots were used to sabotage me. Forty six aircrafts were sabotaged but those who did it confessed to their crimes and they all died because God is there.
But all that the pilots did to me did not discourage me from venturing into other things. I will tell you a story. When I wanted to set up the airline, I chose HS125-300. The ministry did not know about HS125-300. They threw it away. That is why the Bible says in the book of Hosea 4:6 that my people perish because of lack of knowledge. They did not even know that there is HS125-300. So, I suffered.
The other one; when my university was established, I used marble – N15, 000 per square metre then. They disqualified it and denied us accreditation. They said I should use carpet and carpet was only N600 per square metre. This is to tell you how tough it was. I had to go and buy carpet to lay on top of the marble.
I called the examiner and asked, ‘why are you doing this?’ He told me it was not his fault but that he was only obeying GO (General Order.) He said you cannot put marble in government offices. I had no choice but to comply. Just imagine, marble N15, 000 and carpet N600. You can see the difference.
In every sphere of human endeavours you ventured, you have conquered. How come you have not ventured into partisan politics?
Politics is not in my blood. My children are in politics. My son has been the governor of Edo State twice, my son has been a Commissioner and my daughter has been in the House of Representatives. So, whatever I could not do, my children can do it better. I will not go into politics. Politics is dirty.
What are some of the abiding lessons you learnt from your parents that shaped your life?
When I started my Mid Motors, my own illiterate mother told me: ‘My son, don’t say this is your brother or this is your sister, look for people who can move your job forward because if you employ a fool, he will do the job of a fool and yours together. That was my own illiterate mother.
She would tell me, money that you do have, never put value to it or you will be tempted to go and steal. It is only the money in your pocket you can call your own. Till this day, I have not forgotten that advice
You built several churches that you said God told you to build. So, what is your favorite portion of the bible?
Well, there are so many aspects of the Bible. I love the portion that says, “Build and don’t destroy.” And if you don’t destroy, nobody can destroy you.
Looking back 50 years if you want to do a review, what are those things you would have loved to do differently?
I am somebody who believes that where you are and where you are going is the act of God. I don’t wallow in self regret
Some people have said you hardly do more than one business at a time. They observed that you kind of crash one business . . . whenever you move to another…
Let me tell you one thing. My Canadian Peace Corps friend in 1963 shaped my life. When he saw the way I was spending money, there was a mango by the side of my office in Urubi, that mango just produced. He came one day, cut a branch with mango on it. He bought a drum and put them in it. I was coming to the office. I was very furious with him. The following year, the mango produced again.
He said, come, the one I cut down last year did not produce again. What I want you to do, cut your profits into three places, save one, don’t put it among your capital. Let it represent your capital. The other 30 percent, you can use it to enjoy yourself. So that the tree that produces that fruit can still be there. If your business collapses, you have 30 percent to live on. He was doing it for me for the period and it helped me very well.
Which of your several business ventures gives you the greatest satisfaction?
It is Mid Motors. When I started Mid Motors, there were 15 motor companies in this country. Check record, Mid Motors was number 16 and the only 100 percent indigenous motor company in the country. A Benin man was the Permanent Secretary.
Among all my peers, I am one of the few ones who have never been to the police station. I have never been to the court one day.
But you were a policeman at one point. Did you not enjoy your sojourn as a law officer?
I enjoyed it. Let me tell you about the police. In the police then, even Commissioners of police used to come to my room to take me out.
You once told us about a near death experience you had as a young man, can you share that story again?
I was in primary school then. Three of us, Matthew Izevbijie, Andrew and the other person. All of us stayed in one room. We were not having enough to live on. I lost my father then and my mother lived in the village, struggling. We have to find a way of making money and without digging a pit latrine, 15 feet, we will not have money. We dug all the latrines in Ogbe. One day, we were digging a latrine, I came out, and as Matthew Izevbijie was going in, the soak-away collapsed on him. From that day, I never went near a pit latrine again. I will tell you, God has saved me so many times.
At 90, is anything going to change about you, that is, the way you do things and the way you look at life?
When you are 90, you look at life differently than when you were young. You have more patience, you learn to overlook certain things. You will not be able to do things like when you were young, nature will calm you down itself.
What are your eating habits that keep you healthy?
I eat normally. I eat anything. I eat pounded yam and others. My stomach still remains the same.
How many times do you eat a day?
Three times.
What are your sleeping positions?
I sleep on my left hand
What is your favourite mode of dressing?
My mood determines that because I have so many clothes and I don’t even know where to put them.
Where are your favourable holiday destinations?
London and South Africa.
What is unique about London and South Africa?
I don’t like America much but I like London because it is like an extension of Nigeria. I also like South Africa because of its neatness and quietness. South Africa is like Italy.
You took to digging pit latrines to survive as a child. Now, you’re so rich, what is your worth?
I will not value myself. But I thank God Almighty that I don’t bother where the next meal will come from. That is the greatest gift God can give you, financial stability, financial independence. I have enough to eat and to take care of my children. I trained all my children. The minimum educational qualification any of them attained is MBA. I tell them if you don’t get an MBA, don’t come home. When I started it, my children wanted to say that they would like to work and I said no. I paid them a federal government salary scale. That is what I did for all of them. I am very comfortable. Like this birthday (90), my children are the ones doing it.
What is your last word, sir?
I thank God Almighty for how He has created me and my eyes have seen 90 and I am very grateful to God.
