The following article, written by Oyeniyi Adegoke, was published on June 25, 2014 in Ventures Africa. To view the original, please click here. Nigerian Billionaire Emeka Offor Donates $1.25M To Rotary International VENTURES AFRICA – Nigerian billionaire Sir. Emeka Offor, the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian oil and gas firm, Chrome Group, has donated an additional $1 million to a Rotary International polio eradication program, PolioPlus, following an initial $250,000 gesture. According to Vanguard, Offor made the announcement on Sunday at the ongoing 2013 Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. “…polio should have no place in our world. Therefore, today I am giving an additional $1 million to PolioPlus,” he said. Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only remaining polio affected areas in the world. “Considerable effort is being made to eradicate polio in Nigeria, but at times progress is slow. …
This article by Raheem Oluwafunminiyi was originally published in News Africa Now. To see the original article, click here. No letting up fight to end polio At a time the Ebola virus is fast spreading to other climes, with a recent case detected in Texas, it is apparent that Ebola is now a global disease. With over 3000 death recorded in West Africa alone, and as the number grows daily, there is the need for all to pull the necessary resources together in the eradication and spread of Ebola. While global effort against Ebola continues, we must not forget that though no viable vaccine has been fully certified by global health bodies, the disease is controllable through what Tom Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls “rapid, focused interventions”. The Ebola success story in Nigeria is worthy …
In August 2013, after surprising Rotarians and the world with a recent mega donation towards the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Sir Emeka was conferred the Rotary International Polio Ambassador to Nigeria, the first ever.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, GCON, has commended the Rotary Club and popular philanthropist, Sir Emeka Offor over their recent humanitarian activities particularly in the area of Polio eradication in Nigeria. The SGF who joined the club members for a dinner Wednesday night at the Dunes Centre, Abuja said he was glad to be associated with the worthy causes being pursued by the Club and the businessman, as they were in the interest of the well being of the people, and also the ultimate desire of the present government. It would be recalled that 2014 has been set for the total eradication of polio in Nigeria, as the country is still amongst a few others where the disease is still prevalent. To this end, Sir Offor has donated over $1.5million to the polio …
The following profile of Sir Emeka Offor was written by Abiodun Adeniy, an Abuja-based Communications Expert. EMEKA OFFOR IN CONTEXT By 1996 estimation, Andrew Carnegie was reputedly worth $189.6 billion dollars. That bulk was as well estimated to be the second largest fortune ever acquired by anyone. But he reasoned that if he died that wealthy, he would have died a disgraced man. It was why he gave away a third of that wealth ahead of his death. Think of Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Foundation, and you’ll think of a man with outliving legacies. His thoughts on giving was perhaps fancied by latter-day super-rich, namely Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Ted Turner, Mike Bloomberg and Warren Buffet, who are all committing fifty percent of their wealth to charity. The US apart, a recent estimate posted 1.77 …
The following was published in Vanguard on July 1, 2013. To see the original article, please click here. Rotary seeks greater cooperation on polio By Emeka AGINAM - Portugal By the time the just concluded 2013 Rotary International Convention held in Lisbon, Portugal, was getting to a close last week, leaders of the global fight to eradicate the disease rose up from the forum calling for more global efforts to eradicate the virus. The leaders were particularly concerned about the prevalence of the virus in three countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. For one thing, the annual convention featured success stories, exchange of ideas and strategies to promote peace through volunteer service to end the ugly disease. Total eradication By 2018, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is expected to have achieved total eradication of polio globally, even as Rotarians at …
The following commentary was published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 in ThisDay Live. To see the original commentary, click here. Emeka Offor’s Metamorphosis Edifying Elucidations By Okey Ikechukwu. Late last year, Sir Emeka Offor supported Rotary’s international network of Peace Centres with$250,000 for fellowships in peace and conflict resolution. The preference and focus, in terms of beneficiaries of the programme, are qualified applicants from Nigeria and other African countries. Part of the aim is to promote peace in Nigeria, with its ethno-religious and regional diversity, wherein the beneficiaries are to become mediators of better peace management and transmitters of contemporary conflict resolution paradigms in their various spheres of influence. That is why the programme offers professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies to mid-level professionals from related fields, such as public health, education, international law, economic development, journalism, rule …
The following story by Mfonobong Nsehe was published by Forbes on June 26, 2012. To see the original article, click here. Nigerian Millionaire Donates $1 Million To Rotary International Sir Emeka Offor, a wealthy Nigerian oil baron, has donated $1 million toPolioPlus, an international polio eradication programme promoted by Rotary International, Nigeria’s Vanguardnewspaper has reported. Offor, who is the founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Chrome Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests in oil trading, biofuels, dredging and logistics, made the donation on Sunday during the ongoing 2013 RotaryInternational Convention taking place in Lisbon, Portugal. “Polio should have no place in our world. Therefore, today I am giving an additional $1 million to PolioPlus,” he said, during the convention in a video available here. This is not the first time the Nigerian tycoon is donating to Rotary’s PolioPlus initiative, which provides …
The following article by Emeka Aginam was published by Vanguard on June 25, 2013. To see the original article, please click here. Offor donates $1m to Rotary’s polio eradication By Emeka Aginam, in Lisbon, Portugal In his committed effort to join in the total eradication of Polio globally, especially in Nigeria, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Chrome Group, Sir. Emeka Offor yesterday at the ongoing 2013 Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal announced additional donation of $1 million to Rotary International. Currently, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the countries where the wild polio virus has never been stopped. In his presentation yesterday during a PolioPlus workshop, at the convention, he told the gathering that a defining moment for him was when he received confirmation from Rotary that his initial $250,000 contribution to PolioPlus was used immediately in the campaign …
On November 1, 2012, Sir Emeka Offor hosted the hierarchy of Rotary from Districts 9125, 9140 and 9125 at his country home in Oraifite, Anambra State. The three Districts had requested an opportunity to pay a courtesy call on Sir Offor to show their appreciation for his donations to Rotary International. Sir Offor had donated a sum of $250,000 for Peace Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand and another $250,000 for Polio Eradication. Rotarians present at the gathering included Bob Ogbuagu (Past District Governor - PDG), Gabriel Toby (former Deputy Governor of Rivers State), Ben Aghazu (PDG), Buchi Onuoha (District Governor - DG), Felix Obadan (DG), Joshua Hassan (Regional District Coordinator) and Yinka Babalola, among others. The Rector and Rotaractors (students) of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko were also present. Rotarians at the occasion praised the vision and uncommon courage of …
