Tony Manuaka
On March 21, 2020, Sir Emeka Offor will be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate degree in Business Administration (Honoris Causa) by the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State at the convocation ceremony of the university.
Emeka Offor, Executive Vice Chairman, Chrome Group of Companies is a Nigerian businessman with uncommon entrepreneurial skills. He is dynamic, astute and adventurous in business. Born in Kafanchan, Kaduna State on the 10th of February, 1959, he is the first of the ten children of his parents, Late Chief Benneth Offor (Nnakaibeya) and Mrs. Comfort Offor of Nkalafia, Oraifite in Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra State.
He had his early education at Eziukwu Primary School, Aba and St. Michael’s Primary School, Ogbete, Enugu. He proceeded to Merchant of Light Secondary School Oba and later Abbott Boys High School, Ihiala. Being the son of a police officer, young Emeka’s early life was characterized by moving from one part of the country to another, just as his father kept moving in the course of duty. That took him to places like Kafanchan, Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, Abakaliki, Ihiala and Oraifite among others.
Sir Emeka Offor began life as a teacher at Abbott Boys High School, Ihiala where he worked briefly for three months before his father’s former colleague, one Mr. Geoffrey Abadi employed him as a Transport Clerk in Rivways Lines Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian Company engaged in importation of Packed/Bulk bitumen in Warri. He rose from being an employee to a small scale trader in bitumen. But after two years of operating as a small scale businessman, he broke barriers and began to supply bitumen to major construction companies including Hardel & Enic, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Ozigbo Engineering Company, Guffanti Nigeria Limited, Feugerole Nigeria Limited etc. Between 1981 and 1982, the young Emeka supplied all the bitumen used by Alden Volker Nigeria Limited in the construction of Onne Port in Rivers State.
His business blossomed through the years and in 1985, Chrome Oil Services Limited was born. Within the last 35 years, this company has grown into a vast business empire with interests in Oil & Gas, Insurance & Finance, the Power Sector, Telecommunications, Logistics, Travels and Hospitality both in Nigeria and Overseas under Chrome Group of Companies.
Guided by the principles of hard work, commitment and passion for success, Sir Emeka Offor engineered the Turn Around Maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Today, the subsidiaries of Chrome Group include Kaztec Engineering Limited, Nimek Investments Limited, Niger Insurance Plc., Guinea Insurance Plc., Global Scansystems Nigeria Limited, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Elcrest Exploration and Production Company Limited, Chrome Insurance Brokers Limited, Inland Containers Nigeria Limited, among others.
There are indeed over 20 active companies operating both in Nigeria and overseas under Chrome Group. Until recently, Sir Emeka Offor was the Chairman Board of ERHC Energy Inc., a United States of America based independent oil and gas company with a focus on exploration and production in the Gulf of Guinea.
Motivated by the desire to give back to the society that produced him, Sir Emeka Offor, in 1993, established the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF), a nonprofit, charitable organization with a vision to reduce poverty and create life-improving economic opportunities for those residing in Nigeria’s most marginalised communities through education, healthcare services, Widows’ Cooperative, Youth Empowerment/Employment as well as Infrastructure Development.
From 2003 when it was incorporated till date, the foundation has dispensed many philanthropic gestures including the donation of over $30 million worth of books, computers and other educational materials to schools and educational institutions in Nigeria and about 18 other African Countries in collaboration with Books for Africa (BFA). As one of the beneficiaries, the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University has received over 18,000 volumes of books covering E-Library, Geology, Law, Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science and other disciplines.
In continuation of its nationwide book distribution policy, the foundation has just a few days ago, embarked on another nationwide exercise. Over 1.4 million books and educational materials covering various disciplines were distributed to 80 universities, 22 polytechnics, 37 Colleges of Education, seven public libraries (One from each of the six geo-political zones of the country and the FCT), 180 primary and secondary schools each. It has also distributed fourteen 40 feet containers of medical equipment/supplies to designated federal, state, special hospitals and health institutions.
The Foundation, through its scholarship programmes established since 2007, has awarded scholarships to over 150 pupils for primary education, 200 students for secondary education and 300 students for undergraduate/graduate programmes as well as over 400 beneficiaries for vocational/skill acquisition. In monetary terms, well over N150 million has been spent in the provision of scholarship and scholarly support to a broad spectrum of students desirous of acquiring education.
Sir Emeka Offor Foundation endowed a Professorial Chair worth N20 million in the Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In August 2019, it donated a sum of N8.52 million to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for the equipping of the Digital Anatomy Laboratory of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. It also embarked on the renovation and furnishing of the Daura Public Library in Katsina State, which has been re-named Waziri Al-hassan Public Library.
The Foundation has evaluated for rehabilitation, the Sir Emeka Offor Senior Secondary School Kambarawa – Katsina State. This school was named after Sir Offor in appreciation of the laudable support he has given to educational development in Katsina State. It also offers automatic employment in the companies of its founder and a brand new car to graduates of tertiary institutions who graduated with first class honours.
The Foundation built Amenity Ward at the Enugu Orthopedic Hospital at the cost of N45.574 million to alleviate the sufferings of orthopedic patients. Others include the establishment of health centres, free medical consultations, treatment and drugs to the less privileged, yearly 250,000 Euros Glaucoma Research Grant at the Department of Ophthamology, University of Mainz, Germany, established a Nigerian Fellowship for Cataract Surgery and Glaucoma Management at the same University.
It further established a Widows’ Cooperative Society to empower widows physically and psychologically, to enable them remain largely independent. The Successes the Widows’ Cooperative recorded, has made it a reference point in modern empowerment models. The Cooperative that started off with start-up stipends to widows has grown to a point where they can lend money to empower others.
In 2014, the Foundation awarded an empowerment Contract to a polio survivor, who had requisite skill and competence to manufacture/ produce Tricycles/Clutches in aid of his disabled colleagues, worth N44 million. Similarly, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation sponsored the Nigerian contingent to the International Wheel Chair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) tournament in United Kingdom, where they won Gold medal.
Sir Emeka Offor through his Foundation has constantly reminded the world that the very poor and needy can become active and productive members of society, if properly empowered and mentored. The Foundation is currently in active collaboration and cooperation with the Carter Centre in the area of eradication of River Blindness in five states in the Southeast – Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia. Also included are Delta and Edo states. SEOF pledged $10 million at the inception of this partnership and has made modest commitments in fulfillment of the obligation. It is also in collaboration with the Andrew Young Foundation in support of their global ideals, the Rotary International in the area of Polio eradication, Peace and Conflict Management, Maternal and Child Health, basic Education and Literacy.
Sir Emeka Offor is a member of the Rotary International, and was recently elevated to the status of the Foundation Circle of the Arch C Klumph Society (AKS) of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. His Singular donation of one million to Rotary Foundation, spread across the four cardinalendeavors of Rotary, elevated him to this status. These endeavors include Peace and Conflict Management, Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education and Literacy as well as Polio Eradication.
Sir Emeka Offor is currently the Rotary International Polio Ambassador to Nigeria. He has cumulatively contributed over $4 Million towards the eradication of polio scourge in Nigeria. This contribution also singles him out as the highest donor in the African Continent. In addition to his numerous notable legacies through Rotary International, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation is building a Rotary Hall within the Rotary Centre Complex Abuja, worth over N70 million. The conference hall has a 1,600 sitting capacity and is expected to be unveiled on the 20th of June, 2020.
His Oraifite community has benefitted in road construction and rehabilitation, building of town hall, building of All Saints Anglican Church, medical outreach and empowerment programmes. Among several other countries, national and global institutions, he has been honoured by the Romanian Consulate in Nigeria for his invaluable contribution towards the development and enhancement of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Romania.
Sir Emeka was honoured with an Honourary Doctorate degree (Honoris Causa) in Entrepreneurship by Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka during the Convocation Ceremony of May 10, 2019. He is a recipient of many national and international awards.
•Manuaka is Editor, Special Projects, The Sun Publishing Limited, Lagos