If Every Town Has an Obijackson
Chidiebere Nwobodo
Imagine the world without anyone. Imagine the ocean without water. Imagine the forests without trees. Imagine Okija without Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, OFR., Chairman of Obijackson Group. Imagine if every town had an Obijackson. If philanthropy is a personality, he fits perfectly into it. I used to think that a tree could not make a forest until the uncommon story of Okija was brought to limelight, and how the billionaire entrepreneur has played a pivotal role in transforming Okija via the instrumentality of philanthropy. The history of Okija will not be complete without him taking a proper place in it as catalyst of change. No wonder he was conferred Osuofia of Okija (the clearer of forest), truly he has been living up to this title.
Last Christmas was another display of Obijackson’s large heart of gold for his people via his philanthropic outreach to thousands of people. Bags of rice, bags of beans, cartons of noodles, Jerry Cans of vegetable oil, clothes, cash, etcetera, were widely distributed to the people as Christmas gifts. I am not talking about individuals sharing one bag of rice amongst themselves, which will dovetail to few cups of rice to a person, but one bag of rice, one bag of beans, a cartoon of noodles, loaves of bread—all to one person! And over five thousand people got these gifts. Imagine the magnitude! The scene where trucks conveying these food items were offloaded in Okija had the ambience of United Nations (UN) Relief Programme, to the point that it would be difficult to believe that it was a generous act of one private individual. It was an overwhelming display of love to his people that reverberated across households within Okija and beyond.
The Obijackson Foundation ensured the people of Okija did not feel excruciating hardship in the country which has reduced purchasing power of Nigerians and made it difficult for the downtrodden to afford the basic needs to celebrate festive season. Coming at a challenging period when bag of rice and other food items have gone beyond the reach of the poor, is highly commendable. This is the real palliatives to cushion the adverse effects of harsh economic climate in the land. To Okija people, it is an annual event that Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi will always come through for the needy every Christmas, to the extent that alot of them actually hedge their Christmas plans on Obijackson’s generosity. What a way to define a true son of the soil and embodiment of charity begins at home.
This is the spirit of Christmas! Obijackson understood it and he is an apostle of giving to the poor. The celebration of the birth of Christ can not be complete without reaching out to the poor and less privileged. Jesus Christ, while on earth preached extensively on giving to the poor as supported by several biblical verses. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deeds,” (Proverbs 19:17). “A generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed,” (Proverbs 11:25). In fact, in the Book of Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus Christ’s admonition was wittingly and succinctly captured: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited, I was in prison and you came to me,… Whatever you do to the least of your brothers you have done unto me.”
Chief Executive Officer of Nestoil Limited, a leading indigenous oil and gas firm, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi is renowned for his philanthropic gesture, even beyond his community. His love for his people is not limited to sharing of rice and beans every festive season. In fact, he has done more than what a single individual could do in uplifting the face of Okija through provision of infrastructural amenities like roads, electricity, hospital, schools, street lights, scholarships, townhalls, youth empowerment, etcetera. He has transformed Okija from a sleepy town with gross infrastructure decay to a fast growing town with ultramodern facilities. One important factor to note in his selfless quest at building Okija, is that he is not doing it for any self-interest other than positively rewriting the story of Okija Town, of which he has succeeded in achieving.
When he saw the pains Okija people were going due to lack of healthcare facilities close to the town, he took it upon himself through his Foundation—Obijackson, to construct and properly equip a hospital specifically put in a place to carter for the healthcare needs of the people, especially women and children. Medical professionals, healthcare workers were hired and equipment were installed in the hospital to provide Neonatal Intensive Care, Ambulatory Care Services, Pediatrics, Oxygen Plant Services, etcetera. The Obijackson Foundation routinely pays the bills of indigent women and children who are unable to pay after receiving treatment. During Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged the world, Obijackson made sure that the people of Okija and environs did not lack basic protective materials like nose masks, sanitisers, etcetera. Food items were also shared to the need during lock down periods.
As a lover of education, beyond scholarship schemes being sponsored by Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, OFR, for the youths of Okija to have access to education, he solely built the first Jesuit College in South East in Okija, Anambra State, called Gonzaga Jesuit College. The birth of the college in Okija began when the Jesuit team led by Engr. Paul Erinne and Dr. Ifeanyi Uchendu approached him and made the proposal regarding the establishment of a Jesuit School in Okija. Obijackson saw it as a golden opportunity to bring quality education closer to his beloved people, he accepted the idea and offered to build the entire school for Jesuit. Foundation stone for the construction of the school was laid on 12th of June, 2016, by Chief Willie Obiano, then governor of Anambra State. Few years down the line the prestigious school became a reality.
The College has not only given Okija people access to quality education but has created jobs, enhanced economic activities and brought further development to the town. The Obijackson Foundation has also given a lot of students from Anambra State scholarship to study in such elite school. Several kilometres of roads today in Okija have been asphalted as a result of Azudialu-Obiejesi’s commitment to transform his community by enhancing its infrastructural amenities. He has also done alot in electrifying the town up to the nooks and crannies of Okija and beyond. He has built several townhalls for his people both in Okija and outside the state.
In November 2022, he brought Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-olu, to commission ultra-modern Okija Town Union Building he built for his beloved people of Okija in Lagos, to serve as new meeting point for Okija people in Lagos and also as a symbol of peace and unity amongst his people. The first commercial bank that was cited in Okija was made possible by this illustrious son. He acquired land, constructed a building and brought a bank to use it, just to ensure that his people are connected to banking system. He is the catalyst propelling “Keep Okija Clean Initiative”.
Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, OFR, has created alot of employment opportunities for his people at home and outside Okija. Obijackson Group has employed hundreds of Okija people and thousands of others across Nigeria. If every town in the country has an Obijackson, Nigeria would be competing with the rest of the world as one of the fastest growing nation in the world. Any time you drive across Nestoil Tower in Victoria Island, Lagos, a 15-story edifice constructed by Julius Berger, it bespeaks Obijackson’s Midas touch of excellence.
His inspiring story as a successful entrepreneur is too enormous to be accommodated in this limited space. It is better left for another day. Okija is indeed blessed to have him as her son. The greatest gift that God gave Okija people through Azudialu-Obiejesi, is not only the infrastructural amenities or human capital development but making him a role model and inspiration for the youths of Okija to look up to.
Chidiebere wrote in via chidieberenwobodo@yahoo.com
