WHO IS NZE OFODUM IFEANYI ( IKE-OBI)
MANAGING DIRECTOR UZUGUZU BEAREU DE CHANGE LIMITED, A DIVISION OF DBIC SERVICES LIMITED.
Once in every generation, and to a particular people, God sends that one person who comes along with refreshing energy, impacts us so affectionately; uplifts our spirits, energizes our bones and inspires us to grander ideals beyond ourselves before bowing out at the given moment, quietly, but with grace just like the saints marching on to glory!
The life and times of Nze Ofodum Ifeanyichukwu , ( Ike-obi of Mbosi ) Managing Director Uzuguzu Beareu De change limited, of Umuzu Kingdom the very essence of divine mandate, the core and call of true humanity, the priceless worth of celestial benevolence and the sheer beauty of purified compassion etched in unfailing love to all and sundry, crested with abiding devotion to God Almighty and furnished with unfettered flow of abundance; not just of earthly wealth and splendor but of enduring values and life itself. He came, he saw and conquered. He had it all.
Uzuguzu , as he is fondly called, meant so many things to so many people. To some, he was the quintessential Mbosi chief, entrepreneur and a national statesman. To others, he was a repository of prodigious resources and a philanthropist per excellence. And yet to others, he was a citizen of the world. But in all, he epitomized hard work, love and enduring service to humanity.
In 1999, God in His benevolence bequeathed to mankind a unique gift in the person of young Ike-Obi . His earthly life started like an epic drama. He was the only man whose parent has his blessings. He found succor under the prayerful and steady guidance of his grandmother, Epuaka and his mother, the elegant Madam Eucharia Ofodum , a matriarch, whose life of resourcefulness and generosity influenced young OFODUM IFEANYI immensely.
High Chief’s humble beginning belied his descent from the royal lineage of UMUZU , His pedigree manifested in his towering physique, pleasant handsomeness, imposing appearance and a regal gait that never failed to command attention wherever he went.
In pursuit of the Golden Fleece, young IFEANYI started his primary school in Delta State. Education would later take him to Lagos. UZUGUZU strong determination to succeed in life and his motivation to acquire qualitative education and exposure galvanized him to focus on private learning to get his academic qualifications and later went to the INDIA for advanced studies in metaphysis. This strong will to succeed marked him out and elevated him even among his contemporaries.
UZUGUZU commenced his working life as a Chef Executive officer Uzugugu Beareu de change limited, a Division of DBIC Service Limited. It was his career with the demonstrated how great he was going to become. By sheer dint of hard work and with God’s favor on his side, he had a meteoric rise through the hard working; he successfully performed the delicate and impressive balancing act of championing the cause of workers while ensuring that they performed to mutually agreed standards of productivity.
“The entire galaxy is a stage and we all play different parts and exit. But there are men like Uzuguzu who have many major parts to play and by God’s grace play all successfully”.
The desire to affect the cause of national politics for the better informed Ikeobi purposeful venture.
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IKEOBI MBOSI was blessed with immense business savvy; His success in business predates his political days. Soon after he left Indirapuram -India, he set up a chain of businesses connecting locally and International and affiliated with NIDO in Jakarta-Indonesia. The UZUGUZU BEAREU DE CHANGE Limited, Dbic Services Limited, UZUGUGU Investment Limited and UZUGUGU Holdings. When in the early 1999s the federal government of Nigeria deregulated the upstream sector of the Nigerian oil industry, UZUGUZU in his usual determined manner pioneered the indigenous foray into the erstwhile expatriate-dominated hydrocarbon exploration and production sector of the Nigerian economy when he incorporated Moni Pulo ltd, an oil and gas company in 1999. He was among the few Nigerians that were awarded oil prospecting licenses at the time.
His desire to build a global standard indigenous organization propelled him to delve into the very volatile and risky business of actual exploration and production. This was at a time most awardees sold off their oil prospecting licenses to foreign concerns for immediate gains. The company has since carved out a niche for itself as a world-class company of note, employing and empowering many Nigerian professionals long before the Nigerian content act made it mandatory.
“The highest form on worship is the worship of unselfish Christian worship; the highest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless”, UZUGUZU MBOSI
As a receiver of divine abundance, UZUGUZU elevated philanthropy to the status of an admirable art form, giving credence to the adage that givers never lack. As a true citizen of the world UZUGZU’S philanthropy had no limits. To formalize the process and to ensure objectivity, UZUGUZU and his beloved wife, LOLO MRS OFODUM in 2001 founded the UZUGUZU Foundation, a not-for-profit charity dedicated to uplifting lives and reaching the unreached with the milk of human kindness. For nearly 2 decades with UZUGUZU as the Foundation’s Grand Benefactor, had been active in five thematic areas. These are Care for Life, Education and Scholarships, Free Medical Mission, Micro-Credit and Entrepreneurship and Access to Portable Water and Sanitation. The Foundation remains active today in the safe hands of his beloved wife and continues to impact lives across the Mbosi in Ihiala local government.
The Uzuguzu Foundation gives daily care to the aged and infirm in rural communities by providing them with food and medicine for as long as they live. It has a functional recreation center for the elderly in Abonnema, furnished with modern facilities where previously homebound and ignored senior citizens now interact daily, receive nutritious meals twice daily and medical attention. A second recreational home was also built in Delta State. For the many homeless and abandoned elderly, the Uzuguzu Foundation provides succor by building decent homes for them. Through the Free Medical Missions of the foundation, Uzuguzu provided free health care services to over 1000 persons across 4 states of the Niger Delta. Such medical Services cover free consultation, free drugs, ophthalmic treatment with fee eyeglasses and surgeries of all kinds. In addition to routinely organizing lectures on Prostrate Cancer and conducting free PSA tests, the foundation sponsors many people with special health challenges for treatment in hospitals within and outside Nigeria. The most recent is the free Uterine Fibroid and after-care service offered to 100 indigent women in partnership with the Delta State University Teaching Hospital and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Uzuguzu imprint on education was equally massive. Through the Foundation, he awarded countless scholarships at Primary, secondary and Tertiary levels to indigent and deserving students including overseas post-graduate scholarships. He built and equipped science laboratories to encourage children in the Niger Delta to gain interest and proficiency in the sciences. He endowed academic chairs in Petroleum Geo-sciences in the University of Port Harcourt and in the University of Houston Texas, 95191 USA. He also built and equipped a health center at the University of Port Harcourt, Hostel blocks in the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa state, and sponsored research in Parkinson’s disease in Rochester Research Institute in Lebanon and New York. From 2009 till date, the Uzuguzu Foundation provides annual grants and Laptops to law students of Anambra state origin to enable them to attend and participate fully in the Nigerian Law School.
Through the Micro Finance and Empowerment programed of the Foundation, Uzuguzu empowered women and youths in rural communities by setting up Small Scale Enterprises (SMEs). He boosted existing businesses with the provision of financial resources and requisite training and made them competitive. He further granted organized cooperatives access to interest-free revolving loans. Over a thousand lives have been impacted so far.
The lack of ready access to safe drinking water in most rural communities and the attendant prevalence of diseases such as Cholera, Dysentery, Intestinal and other Worm infestations caught the attention of the high chief. By his benevolence communities had clean, safe and quality drinking water. Sanitary conditions in Anambra state and Degema prisons were uplifted with the construction of multi-functional boreholes with multiple pumps and two septic tanks.
In recognition of his selfless service to humanity, two international service organisations, at various times honoured him. As a peacemaker and promoter of Umuzu Mbosi culture and tradition
The Holy Bible instructs us to honour our parents so that our days will belong. In their lifetimes Uzuguzu respected his parents as much as he could and when in his later years the opportunity came to honour their memories, he demonstrated what dutiful children should do as memorials to their mother Between the 19th and 25th of March 2007, he celebrated the 30th memorial of his mother, Madam Eucharia Ofodum. The magnitude and colour of the events made Mbosi the host city a tourist destination of some sort. The likes of Udu Bounce music from Enugu State and Chief Morroco Mmaduka are live in Mbosi.
A lover of devotional hymns, he devoted a large proportion of his resources to the service of the church. At the time most churches were struggling with using traditional music to minister to troubled souls, Uzuguzu acquired Pipe organs hitherto found only in the like of West Minster Abbey, England and distributed them to various churches. Apart from providing regular financial assistance to churches, he assisted in the building of church projects all over Nigeria.
Uzuguzu commitment, love and care for his family were profound. In his wife and confidant Nze (Mrs.) Lolo Ofodum he had the proverbial helpmate, his missing rib. She helped to give expression and actualization to his great vision of transforming lives and society. To Lolo, her husband was a unique and totally one-of-a-kind unrepeatable human being. Her favorite verse that describes him is found in the book of the Songs of Solomon, Chapter 2:3-4 “Like an Apple tree among the trees of the woods. So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
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