The following story by Victor Bassey was published on September 16, 2013 in Hallmark News. To see the original article click here.

Emeka Offor: Rich and generous

Posted on September 16, 2013

BY VICTOR BASSEY

richGrowing up on the dusty streets of Kafanchan Kaduna state, Sir Emeka Offor had a modest upbringing. Born into a regimented barracks life to a police officer, he has always enjoyed challenges. Conquering them often brought extra feeling of triumph he relishes. The barracks environment toughened and prepared him for what he is today. Although barely educated in his youthful days, he braved the odds, shoved the perceived encumbrances of limited education and focused on possibilities made realizable by determination and hard work.

When hard work pays

Today Sir Offor sits on boards and chairs companies not inherited from his father but some of them built and run by him through a stubborn determination to succeed. He went into business as early as when he was a teenager (19 years). Businesses that started from the scratch then have blossomed into conglomerates. Among the businesses he has interest in are; Chrome Oil Services, which had handled the turn-around maintenance of Port-Harcourt refinery in the past; Chrome Air, a charter airline which is on retainership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Chrome Radio; being a co-owner of the defunct African Express Bank, (Afex Bank) and a director of Niger Insurance, amongst several other companies. He is also linked to a Houston, Texas-based oil company EHRC Energy, Environmental Remediation Holding Company (ERHC) and huge oil exploration in Sao Tome. He has interests in Oil and Gas, Insurance, Power sector, Telecommunications and Logistics, both in Nigeria and overseas. Other subsidiaries of Chrome Group include Kaztec Engineering Limited, Global Scansystems Nigeria Limited, Chome Insurance Brokers Limited and Interstate Electrics- the newest subsidiary of the Chrome Group which secured the bid for Enugu DISCO.

So, what description would suit this man and what does he stand for? What drives him and who inspires him. Sir Offor in a recent interview answered these questions. Like an eagle, he does not eat dead things. He believes in setting big goals and going after them.

“I stand for excellence. I am a goal-getter. I set big personal goals and enjoy the challenge of achieving the extraordinary and being the best I can be. I am a firm believer in the old Christian values of hard work and dedication to duty, and am an ardent admirer of these qualities in others. It is by the grace of God. One can only set goals for himself, and commit himself to realizing his vision of the future, choosing to be focused, diligent and courageous in his pursuit of excellence, trusting that with God, all things are possible. He has rewarded my efforts, and for that I am truly grateful”, he said.

His initial experiment in politics was not quite palatable. Local politics in his home state Anambra nearly ruined his name and business. He soft-pedaled after the shock had died down. He still maintains relationships with politicians but this time from a safe distance.

Sir Emeka Offor is a generous man in no small measure. Having born into and lived in poverty, he knows the feel of it. He can interpret it better. His generous philanthropic gestures have earned him recognitions both locally and internationally. Earlier this month, he was On July 30, 2013, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF), a charitable non-governmental organization he founded in 1994 was formally invested as Rotary International Polio Ambassador, the first ever from Nigeria.