By Amaechi Ogbonna
High Chief Peter Obih, is a frontline and renowned freight forwarder, with almost three decades of practice in maritime and shipping administration. He stands atop a booming and vibrant organization that has done well and serving as role model for many aspiring businessmen. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sea Maps Group of Companies.
Born on November 22, 1954 in Awka-Etiti, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Obih has been at the fore-front of campaign for positive change and transformation of the Nigerian freight forwarding industry. His education was disrupted by the Nigerian civil war, but he remained resolute and undeterred in his desire to attain greatness.
That determination however, informed his decision to move to the oil rich city of Warri in Delta State, to start off his business, first, as a commodities trader. Amid the challenges of trying to grow his business, Obih still had this hunger for quality education and went further and successfully completed his education at the Institute of Continuing Education (I.C.E.) in Warri.
A man of immense courage and perseverance, he had remained stable in the roughest of tides, having weathered a lot of business storms and challenges that came his way while in Warri to become a successful entrepreneur. Having tested the murky waters in different spheres of business and general commerce, he later courted the desire to delve into more professional fields in order to develop and stabilise himself. Consequently, in 1990, he ventured into the Freight Forwarding and Shipping business and eventually moved to Lagos.
Over these years, he has remained the beacon that has nurtured Sea Map Group to stardom, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Nigerian youths from different parts of the country. A highly detribalised and patriotic Nigerian, his commitment and contributions to national economic development have been unprecedented to say the least. Under his tutelage, the Sea Map Group has become a registered corporate member of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
Obih has, through Sea Map Nigeria, birthed several globally competitive subsidiaries that are fully indigenous and 100 per cent Nigerian companies, including Bond Shipping Nigeria Limited, which has made remarkable impact in the maritime and shipping industry by providing services tailored to client precision in Freight Forwarding, Shipping Agency, Bonded Terminal Operations and International Trade support services.
Other companies are Sky Sail Nigeria Limited, which is equipped for service delivery in both the maritime and aviation departments of shipping and transportation. Also in the group is Best Ultimate Industries Limited, renowned for development of consumer goods, local and international manufacturers’ representation and local distribution; Sea Map Properties Limited, which handles all real estate components and businesses of the group; POP Industries Limited, a manufacturing company that runs bottling companies, manufactures soaps, detergents and sundry cosmetics.
In all, Obih has done well for himself and for Nigeria. He has created jobs for thousands of Nigerians. He is contributing to the country’s GDP. And he is immensely striving for bigger businesses. He is The Sun Businessman of the Year, 2023.