The sudden death of Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah on July 27, 2024, shocked and saddened many Nigerians. Ubah, who reportedly slumped and went into a coma, died in London at the age of 52. His death came barely 48 hours after the demise of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
Ubah, who hailed from Umuanuka, Otolo Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, was born on September 3, 1971. He was the first son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonsus Ubah who were unable to cater for the educational and material needs of their seven children. Ifeanyi later dropped out of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, in Abuja to learn trade. Fondly called ‘Ebube Chukwu Uzo’ (Putting God first) he attended different courses and seminars in leadership and business management both in Nigeria and abroad.
As a businessman, Ubah had his tentacles in many business endeavours. They included oil and gas, media, jetty development, sports development, construction, telecommunications, real estate, truck park facilities, and bonded terminal. He was the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, Authority newspaper and many other companies. He also owned a football club named Ifeanyi Ubah FC. He purchased the club from Gabros International Football Club.
Ubah’s hard work and vision saw him expanding Capital Oil & Gas Industries Limited to becoming one of the leading companies in the downstream sector of the oil industry in Nigeria. The company invested heavily in tank farm for petroleum storage and distribution, a jetty, fleet of trucks for distributing petroleum products nationwide, among others. Prior to his founding of Capital Oil in 2001, Ubah had exported tyres and spare parts to Ghana, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and Liberia. He went into the publishing business with the establishment of The Authority newspaper, which went daily in October 2015.
The founder of Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation was a man of the people who desired peace and development in Igbo land. He expressed love for his people in different ways. For instance, he was known to have intervened on some issues affecting the Igbo, including appealing to the relevant authorities to halt the demolition of houses of some Igbo landlords in some parts of Lagos last year.
As a politician, Ubah bestrode Nigerian political terrain like a colossus. Though he lost the Anambra governorship election, which he contested on the platform of the Labour Party in 2014, he gave a relatively unknown party, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) some clout in Anambra a few years later. It was on the platform of that party that he won the election to represent Anambra South Senatorial District in the Senate in 2019. He won re-election in 2023 on the same YPP platform. He recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on whose platform he intended to contest for the governorship election of Anambra State in 2025. His health reportedly deteriorated due to the intense preparations for the campaign for that governorship election.
Before his eventual demise, Ubah had had some brushes with death. In September 2022, gunmen attacked his convoy in Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra, killing five people, including two police operatives. He came within a whisker of being killed. What saved him was that his vehicle was bulletproof.
Life is not about how long but about how impactful. Ifeanyi Ubah was an amiable philanthropist who was well admired and hated by many of his people. He empowered some indigent citizens and helped a lot in community development. Like every human being, he had his flaws which brought him into conflict with some of his business associates.
Following his demise, many prominent Nigerians paid tributes to him. President Bola Tinubu described his death as a sad loss to his family. He commiserated with his friends, colleagues, the National Assembly and the government and people of Anambra State and prayed for the repose of his soul. Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, said Ubah’s untimely demise was a significant loss to the Senate, his community and the nation at large. Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, described him as a hard-working and dependable lawmaker who believed in equity, fairness and justice and was committed to serving his constituents and the nation.
Former Anambra State governor and Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi; the incumbent governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo; and the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, all extolled the virtues of Ubah. Obi said he respected him despite their party differences. Soludo said Ubah was an outstanding Nigerian whose impact on the polity and business sphere was quite significant. We commiserate with his family, friends, political and business associates. May his soul rest in peace.