Leemon Ikpea@66: Sensational, Shrewd and Selfless
Bayo Akinloye
Born December 19, 1956. His name is unmistakable. At 14, he must have the fortitude to fight a formidable foe: becoming an orphan and having two younger siblings to support. From the ashes of hardship, Dr Leemon Ikpea, Chief Executive Officer of Lee Engineering & Construction Company Limited, has risen over the years to create indelible prints through uncharted courses. His extraordinary ordinariness is legendary —inexplicably indescribable but formidably enchanting. Loved by many, admired by even many more.
Trailblazing and trial-defying, Ikpea is a humble, proud Nigerian and a poster boy for business integrity and national development. President Muhammadu Buhari testifies much to that.
The Nigerian leader was among the first to honour the billionaire oil mogul in a statement on Sunday, rejoicing with the oil and gas, engineering and local content promoter, Ikpea, as he turns 66 on Monday.
“The president rejoices with the Ewato, Esan South Local Government Area of Edo State native, his family, their friends and associates on the new age, joining them to glorify God for the gift of life, health, and business successes,” said the statement. “President Buhari is delighted that Lee Engineering and Construction Company, of which Chief Ikpea is Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, is one of the home-grown investors in the oil and gas industry, with the company recently marking 31 years of existence and landmark records.”
It added that the president “prays that the Adolor of Ewato Kingdom, and Odonlagbon of Warri, will continue to touch lives through acts of philanthropy, for which he is noted,” describing the National Honours Award winner as a point of reference to Nigerian youths that “entrepreneurship pays, with attainments in areas of endeavour like oil, gas, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and many others” and “wishes Chief Ikpea longer life, and greater service to God and humanity, through his Agbonjagwe Foundation.”
Ikpea looms large on Africa’s most populous nation’s horizon for his devotion to humanity and unflinching commitment to national development.
In the last three decades, the organisation, Lee Engineering and Construction Company, has undergone phenomenal transformation anchored on its philosophy of honesty, integrity and transparency. Ikpea’s life—his exploits and the positive impact of Nigeria’s local content policy on the nation’s oil and gas industry—exemplifies the billionaire’s stardom and human essence, woven into the secret of his business longevity and success. As the Nigerian president mentioned, Ikpea’s life —a lesson in perseverance and perspicacity—should give young Nigerians a clearcut roadmap to turning hard work into wealth.
At 66, the billionaire CEO of Lee Engineering and Construction Company has the world at his feet: family, fortune, fame and future. Yet, Ikpea’s existence is a sharp summary of a sunny path spattered by thunderstorms. A past difficult to relive yet a canvas for a glorious present.
“I have journeyed a very rough road. I lost my parents when I was just about 14 years, and I am the most senior of their children. We are just three boys. The other two, anywhere I was, they were with me. I did all sorts of odd jobs because I didn’t (still don’t) know how to steal,” Ikpea told THISDAY. “I had carried cement on my head. I had pushed carts. I sold newspapers as a vendor, and I say it with pride.” I
In the past, hardship and humiliation characterised Ikpea’s pulverising past.
“I always felt humiliated each time we went for lunch because I was the only one, as a secondary school student, that did not have a teller to show as required. I trekked long distances to school,” said the oil and gas mogul, “and that was the road to success.”
Industrious and inventive, the Lee Engineering and Construction Company honcho, at 66, has not stopped believing. Faith in hard work and God sways him, unswerving in his dedication, dexterity and decisiveness.
“You know I am a man of faith,” said Ikpea unassumingly. “If you believe in what you’re doing and you put it in word and deed, it will come to pass. That is when the grace of God will come in.”
Futuristic and pragmatic, Ikpea sees Lee Engineering “at the top in the next five years,” along with its subsidiaries.
“From the aviation firm to Kizi oil which won one of the marginal fields recently, coupled with our production facility in Warri, which we will commission next year, by the time we start production, people from all parts of the world will come and patronise us,” said Ikpea. “With that, I am optimistic that in the next five years, now that we have about 2,000 workers, it will double. This will increase capacity, foster technology transfer and earn foreign exchange for the country because our vision is for other countries to patronise us.”
Brimming with happiness, he is not without his struggles. One is a spot of sadness that leaves a hole in his tender heart. The feeling is palpable, and the emotion is piercing and pulsating.
“But the painful thing for me is that my parents didn’t get to enjoy anything from me,” noted Ikpea.
But life and work must go on. A hard worker, his life is filled with momentous moments—with milestones at every turn of a corner—that drive his life of history.
“This is the 44th year of my working life. For those of you who know about Warri refinery, we built Warri refinery. It was inaugurated by the current president, who was then a federal commissioner. I was there for years with three different companies during the construction phase,” stated Ikpea. “There was the one based in Darlington, UK, which specialised in building oil storage tanks. I had never been used to sitting down in the office. I am an office man, but I don’t confine myself to the office. When I resumed in the office, I checked that everything was in order, and then I moved on to the field. Nigerians were the ones doing the welding, electrical, the erection, and putting everything together at the refinery, but the white people supervised. That was the role they played.”
Explaining further, Ikpea said, “They also came with their own equipment. I took note of that. If I had stayed in the office, I wouldn’t know the roles Nigerians were playing all over the place. Nigerians are very hardworking and committed. After three years, the UK company left, and as they were leaving, I was the only Nigerian national remaining. So, they handed me over to the Italian company. In my heart, I know I am an honest and hardworking person, and my late father would tell me that integrity is important. I guess they took note of all these qualities. Because as an orphan, you must have sense, even if by force.”
Not living in the past, Ikpea’s focus remained on deepening the country’s success stories, facing the challenges and building bigger frontiers for national prosperity, stressing the matchless contributions of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to strengthening the hands of local players in the oil and gas industry.
“The NCDMB are a group of Nigerians brimming with patriotism and selfless spirit,” Ikpea noted. “They’re highly skilled with international technical expertise.”
Established in 2010 by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, the NCDMB is to make procedures that will guide, monitor, coordinate, and implement the provisions of the NOGICD Act, signed into law on April 22, 2010, by then-President Goodluck Jonathan, giving birth to the NCDMB.
“I have been in this industry for 44 years,” added Ikpea. “Out of these 44 years, the last decade or so, the board has continued to place a premium on local oil and gas players, increasing their technical know-how and capacity to increase Nigeria’s commonwealth.”
As a vibrant local player in a dynamic global industry, Lee Engineering has stepped up to the plate by acquiring marginal fields. By the time the company starts production, it will not need to import many resources into the country because it will use equipment manufactured in its fabrication plant, which is cost-effective. Ikpea will bring to bear his 14 years of experience in the construction industry. His leading indigenous EPCOM (engineering, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance) company, the Lee Engineering and Construction Company, has achieved several milestones and received numerous commendations, awards, and certificates from local and international organisations.
Delighted about the federal government’s unrelenting efforts to plug the leaks in the oil sector, Ikpea singled out NNPC Chief Executive Officer Melee Kyari’s unwavering determination to stem the tide of oil theft in Nigeria.
“The NNPC CEO is doing fantastically well in curtailing oil theft. Nigerians should praise him for what he is doing to put Nigeria’s oil industry in good shape to reinforce investors’ confidence in the country and increase national earnings,” Ikpea said. “It took his tremendous efforts in collaboration with local security to uncover the extensive stealing at the Forcados. I am convinced his latest effort has sent a message to economic saboteurs that it will no longer be business as usual.”
The oil magnate reiterated that “Nigerians earnestly need individuals like Kyari to sanitise the industry. With oil theft and other wastages blocked, leading to an increase in our oil exports, we can rest assured that there will be enough funds to execute capital projects, among other things,” noting the potential strides of Nigeria in the gas industry amid a challenging atmosphere that pervades Europe as Russia continues its violent aggression against Ukraine.
“Nigeria is exploring several opportunities in the gas sector. Nigeria and Morocco recently signed an agreement on a gas pipeline project linking Nigeria to Morocco, which will also supply West Africa and Europe. This 6,000-kilometer project will cross 13 African countries along the Atlantic coast,” added Ikpea. “From there, it will reach other parts of the world. That’s a huge step. In addition, other projects are going on in the country, including that of the NLNG.”
Notwithstanding that, he understands the country requires a huge financial outlay to fully develop the oil and gas sector and disclosed that the federal government and the NNPC are committed to exploring the gas potential.
“For us, integrity is not a concept. It is who we are. With integrity, every business partner, client, supplier, or vendor looks for you because they trust you. Who will do business with you if you are not trusted? Integrity is our watchword. We run an honest business,” he explained. “We have honest and hardworking staff. We are not honest and hardworking some of the time. We are honest and hardworking all the time. The company is transparent. For almost 30 years that we have been in business, there is no stain on our name. Our dedicated staff have ensured that. I have used my exemplary life of honesty, hard work, integrity, and transparency to demonstrate to them how invaluable those values are. They share the dream of the company and run with it.”
Founded on November 11, 1991, Ikpea’s organisation has become a conglomerate. Today, the group deals in retail, tourism, aviation, and manufacturing, including exploration and production. It has a fabrication workshop measuring 2,515sqm, complete with blasting/painting bays and state-of-the-art equipment. The company, Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Limited (including Lee Engineering, Tribet Ltd [travels and tours], Tribet Aviation, Tribet Purified Waters, and Lee Oasis), has at least 2,000 employees.
Ikpea’s organisation does more than create wealth and value. As the group’s CEO, he sees to it personally that the less privileged are empowered. He considers philanthropy a “gift from God,” establishing a foundation, Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation (ALIF). The foundation has trained students, the majority of whom are orphans. As of 2019, the foundation has cared for many young children and produced 119 graduates, including dozens of medical doctors, etc.
With an office at inception in Warri, Lee Engineering Group has acquired the technical capabilities to execute major projects in the industry. The company still has its operational base in Warri, Delta, then the Port Harcourt branch office, and headquarters in Lagos. Its overseas offices are in the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States of America (Houston).
