The Nigerian-Biafran civil war that claimed more than a million human lives from 1967-70 prompted a small group of French doctors to form Doctors Without Borders, which has helped victims of wars and natural disasters around the world since then.
During a brief interview with Global Atlanta, Sir Emeka Offor, the Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, harkened back to the war which began when he was merely an 8-year-old boy. Although he didn’t mention it, his embrace of many health-related initiatives through his personal foundation mirrors the humanitarian values of Doctors Without Borders spawned by the devastation of the war.
Mr. Offor, reportedly a billionaire in U.S. dollars many times over, said that his business career has been inspired by a desire to regain the economic standing that was destroyed in the war and that his foundation seeks to fight diseases that hinder economic growth.
The son of a policeman, he readily acknowledges that he came from a humble background, and prides himself on being “a goal setter.” He told Global Atlanta that his goal setting was inspired by members of his family, who came from a region in the southeast of Nigeria that was famous for its entrepreneurialism and business success.
While in Atlanta the week of June 8-14, Mr. Offor visited former Ambassador Andrew Young, whose ties with Nigeria include a close relationship with the Olusegun Obasanjo, the country’s president from 1999-2007, and other Nigerian officials.
Mr. Offor also made headlines worldwide with his foundation’s donation of $10 million to the Carter Center to end river blindness in Nigeria by 2020. A grateful former President Jimmy Carter said during a signing ceremony that the gift comes at a critical time for fighting the disease. River blindness affects tens of millions of people, according to Carter Center officials, with 40 percent of the cases in Nigeria.
River blindness, however, is just the latest in the charitable initiatives of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation. Mr. Offor has been named a “Polio Ambassador” by Rotary International for his contributions to contain polio and said that polio soon would be totally eradicated in Nigeria. He also has been at the forefront of efforts to rid Africa of glaucoma.
While health has been a major focus of the foundation, its activities also include women’s empowerment with a special emphasis on widows through its support of cooperative societies and training in such fields as the production of palm oil and hairdressing.
Perhaps even more important than the foundation’s focus on health and women’s issues has been its devotion to causes to foster youth empowerment and education.
In addition to his meeting with health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during his Atlanta visit, Mr. Offor spent a large part of Saturday, June 13, at the Books for Africa warehouse, 2971 Olympic Industrial Drive in Smyrna.
Last year, more than 2.6 million books were sent from the warehouse to 27 countries with 20,000 to 60,000 books being sent on average a week. The demand for the books has grown to such an extent that the warehouse has had to double its holding capacity in the three years since it opened and is scheduled to expand to a facility across the street.
Tom Warth, who founded the nonprofit in 1988, and Patrick Plonski, executive director, along with other members of the management team, came from its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn., for the announcement that Mr. Offor’s foundation would be sending 16 containers containing 20 tons of books to Nigeria the following week.
Board member Vuvu Manseka, Quality Assurance – Worldwide Licensing, at the Coca-Cola Co., attended among many supporters including Cynthia Blandford, Liberia‘s honorary consul; Vince Farley, Mali‘s honorary consul and Matilda Arkin, president of the Ghana International Chamber of Commerce based in Atlanta.
The Ghanaian actor Majid Michel, who is an icon in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, couldn’t stay away either.
Mr. Offor has great confidence in the work ethic and abilities of young Nigerians, who need access to books and opportunities to develop their skills and resources.
The motorcycle transit venture, which enables youth to develop a taxi-type business of their own, is a specific example of how the foundation has helped youth empowerment through entrepreneurship. Youth also are encouraged to get educations with the prospect of eventually working at one of Mr. Offor’s companies.
These philanthropic interests, he said, are motivated by his desire to help people, and his foundation has been directed by his involvement in the goals of the Rotary Foundation including peace and conflict management; maternal and child death; basic education and literacy, and polio and Guinea worm eradication.
His business interests are no less widespread attested by his biography that lists a string of entreprises; foremost among them is the Chrome Group, which was formed in 1994 as an engineering outfit handling projects such as refinery maintenance.
Mr. Offor told Global Atlanta that he saw the opportunities provided by the rapid growth of Nigeria’s oil industry, especially in and around the Gulf of Guinea into which several of Africa’s largest rivers drain including the Niger and the Volta.
The Chrome Group now is a conglomerate with diverse interests in oil and gas, finance/investments, telecommunications, insurance, maritime, destination inspection, real estate and the power sector.
An example of Mr. Offor’s business acumen is clearly visibly in the acquisition and operation of electricity distribution companies such as the Enugu Distribution Co. by Interstate Electrics Ltd., a consortium which he put together.
According to published reports, Nigeria’s federal government as part of a reorganization awarded through a bidding process Enugu Distribution to Interstate Electrics due to its knowledge of the operating environment and the global experience of its key technical partner Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) of Thailand.
MEA currently owns and operates distribution networks around the world, especially in Thailand where it has been generating and distributing electricity for more than half a century.
By establishing a consortium including MEA, Interstate Electrics compiled a team of experts competent to deal with all facets of power distribution. The consortium draws on the expertise of electricity infrastructure engineers, owners and operators of electricity power distribution companies, and upstream and downtream oil operators.
Mr. Offor has stated that his vision for the consortium is to build an electricitiy distribution network that optimizes the use of energy and takes on a commanding presence throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Meanwhile, Kaztec Engineering Ltd., a member of the Chrome Group, is becoming a leader in the fabrication of drilling and production platforms, as well as other specialized structures in the oil and gas industry. The company aims at providing all the components necessary for the installation of large offshore facilities and associated services to the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Offor has plans for expanding all aspects of his businesses and realizes that their success will depend on the development of a comprehensive training center for Nigerian youth to acquire the necessary skills to reach his companies’ goals.
John Niezner, managing director of Kaztec Engineering, told Global Atlanta that Mr. Offor’s success stemmed in part from his ability to adapt in Nigeria the lessons learned in the oil and gas industry in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia.
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