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Tribute to Ifeanyi Ubah @ 49

It is with great honour and privilege that I write this special tribute in honour of my extraordinary friend, a gentleman and Prince of the Senate, Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah who clocked 49 this September 3rd.

 

Turning 49 is a huge milestone especially to someone with big dreams and incredible energy who never gets tired of doing great things in many great ways, someone who is an inspiration and a blessing to his generation. I encountered this unique personality some years ago in Lagos when he took me on a tour of his humongous oil and gas business empire, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd.

 

Then he was in his late 30s or thereabout. At that meeting, we talked excitedly like we have always known each other. We talked about the economy, politics, culture, religion, leadership, the Igbo question, his vision of Nigeria, Africa and the world. He was vivacious and ever ready to share his ideas on different issues, including speaking freely about his controversies.

 

As a host he entertained to impress and lavishly too. It was at that meeting that he took the decision to add an ‘h’ to his last name so as to differentiate him from the other ‘famous’ Uba brothers. When we eventually departed at the wee hours, we have struck a friendship that has become mutually beneficial and has lasted for over 10 years. I must confess that he left me with deep impression about himself as a potential leader and a man larger than life; he is young, hard-working, rich beyond his billions, kind and generous, smart, wise, intelligent, brave and courageous, feisty, enlightened and exposed, independent minded, practical, full of ideas and controversial.

 

At all times, he is himself, honest and remarkable. He never give up on things he believes in without a fight. The Ifeanyi Ubah that I came to know, is a man blessed with uncommon wisdom, wonderfully tenacious and methodical.

 

Whenever he sets his mind to get what he wants, he put in everything to get it done. That he gets what he wants, done, doesn’t surprise me, but how does it. He sinks his whole teeth in the world of possibilities. As senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, he has shown capacity and proven his mettle as a born leader, a great achiever and a visionary leader.

 

Though, a first timer and coming from the minority of minority political party, he has successfully moved several motions and sponsored couple of bills that captured national attention. One of his bills was so important to the administration that it had to be ferried to the United Kingdom for the assent of the president who was then on medical tourism. Ifeanyi singular ambition today is to be governor of Anambra State.

 

He had made one unsuccessful attempt in the past. Maybe this one more shot will be a defining moment and he could be governor to fulfil his dream to give a new face to the state. Having followed his politics and his commitment to democracy, I believe he can be governor. He has what it takes to achieve his ambition and will make a successful governor if given the opportunity.

 

Who is Ifeanyi Ubah? Wikipedia described him as Nigerian entrepreneur, business mogul and a philanthropist. He is the chief executive of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, one of the major players in the Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria operating in downstream operations. Ubah is also the owner of Ifeanyi Ubah F.C., a Nigerian football club.

 

He was born the first son of seven children on the 3rd of September, 1971 in Anambra to the family of Alphonsus and Patty Ubah who were school teachers. He hails from Umuanuka village in Otolo town of Nnewi, the highly industrialised city of Anambra State. Ifeanyi is married to Uchenna Ubah, an Executive Director at Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited. They are blessed with five children. Ifeanyi didn’t just become an emergency billionaire neither did he inherit any fortune from his father. The mother who played an important role in his life was an elementary school teacher. He is a product of Igbo apprenticeship which has produced thousands of self-made billionaires in pounds and dollars across the globe. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship he started trading in auto spare parts and tyre supplies. Barely three years into this business, he began exporting tyres from Nigeria to Ghana and later expanded to Sierra Leone and Liberia. At this point, business was booming and life was good for young Ifeanyi so he decided to settle in Liberia. Unfortunately, the civil war in Liberia affected his business and made him relocate back to Nigeria. Back in Nigeria, Ubah expanded his auto spare parts business and started supplying to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In DRC, his business thrived making him one of the major importers of auto spare parts in the country where he developed a close relationship with the government in Congo. He later expanded his business to other parts of the world including South Africa, Dubai, and Belgium One key success factor for Ifeanyi is that he continued to pursue knowledge in his chosen field by attending international workshops and business exhibitions including Automechanika in Messe, Germany, world’s leading trade fair for the automotive service industry. Having built the needed capacity, Ifeanyi ventured into oil and gas business by establishing Capital Oil SPRL in DRC, through which he imported oil and gas from Ibeto Petrochemicals Nigeria. His major customers were transporters and industrial establishments. When civil war broke out in DRC, he returned to Nigeria and commenced his business operations having established his flagship, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd. Within few years he led his company to a vantage position of becoming a dominant leader in downstream sector of oil and gas industry in Nigeria. Ubah founded the Authority Newspaper in 2015. The Authority is a multicultural community paper that covers national and international news. He also founded Ifeanyi Ubah F.C., a Nigerian football club in 2015. This he did following the acquisition of Gabros International Football Club and within one year of its acquisition Ifeanyi Ubah F.C. won Nigeria FA Cup.

 

Driven by the desire to give back to the society, he established Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation through which he has touched many lives in several ways. Words fall short when one want to describe a man like Ifeanyi Ubah.

 

He is one in a million, a rare personality and a man whose faith means so much to. From him, I learnt there are no limits to success and the candle losses nothing by lightening up other candles. He will always be a gift and inspiration to all the lives he has touched and will touch.

 

Ebubechukwuuzo, as we celebrate your 49th birthday, I want to let you know that I admire you sincerely from the heart. I am proud of your achievements and I thank God for making you the type of leader that you are. I pray God that you continue to enjoy good health, vitality and many more successes in your pursuits.

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