Sir Gabriel Igbinedion, a tree who made several forests, by Dele Sobowale

“God could not be everywhere and, therefore, he made mothers” – Jewish proverb.

Sir (Chief) Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, born on Tuesday, September 11, 1934, like all of us, was created by the Almighty God; and moulded by his mother in a billion, Madam Okunozee Igbinedion. Together, God and Mama gifted to humanity one of the finest specimens of God’s creation one can know about.

The totality of Esama’s life and achievements leave those privileged to know about them in awe.

Though he prioritises God in his life, yet his testimonies about his wife deserves mention.

In a book titled, Chief GABRIEL OSAWARU IGBINEDION: THE CHRONICLES OF A LEGEND, written by Christopher Elomien, which was launched on Thursday, July 31, 2025 in Abuja, here is what our hero and worthy role model had to say about his mother:“Everything I am today, I owe to my mother. Mama was never idle, and she taught me the importance of diligence.

“She advised me, ‘My dear son, as you grow, do not covet another’s fortune’.

“She was fond of telling me, ‘My son, there are two histories in the world: the good and the bad: choose which one you want to belong to.’”

While that formed the foundation of a moral upbringing, the mother, who was a business woman, employing several people, dropped another gem on which Igbinedion fashioned his approach to managing businesses and non-profit organisations later in life.

“If you employ a fool, you will end up doing the work of a fool and your own.”

Cynics would say mother-love is common; and to some extent they are right.

However, very few eminently successful people, when asked, mention the influence of their mothers as a motivating factor.

They frequently list hard work, persistence, determination and financial prudence first.

Igbinedion is different in this regard. This is not the first book written on ‘the Esama of the World’, as the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, called him.

In several books published years earlier by Imam, H (2014), Great Igbinedion. Omoregie, O.S.B. (2008), Igbinedion of Africa. Orobator, S.E. (1995), Igbinedion: The Great Life of a Pioneer. Osaghae, E.E. (2017), Pioneering the Private University Sector in Nigeria: Legacies of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, he had repeated the same tribute to his mother many times.

SERVING GOD AND MANKIND

“If I had served God as I served the King, he would not have forgotten me in my grey hairs”.

That was the lamentation of Cardinal Wolsey, 1475-1530, for several years the second most powerful man in Great Britain.

Wolsey, like Igbinedion, had risen from humble beginnings before being divinely propelled to the top.

He promptly decided to serve the crown instead of God and the people – until his downfall. 

The Esama, right from the start, opted to serve God and humanity and did both splendidly.

His support for churches (several denominations) and mosques was unequalled.

Most other great Nigerian philanthropists invariably end up contesting for office; treating their donations as investments.

Igbinedion never contested for office. His relationship with God is explained in Chapter 10 of the book where the author informed us: “According to him, he hears revelations directly from God that have guided him in building numerous worship centres.

“Said Chief: ‘When God showed me in a dream to build Him two houses (two churches), I told God , ‘But, I have already built more than 40 churches’. He said ‘No! Build one in your compound and build one on Sapele Road’. So, I obeyed Him. “That is how the church in my compound and St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church Sapele Road came about. Since then, my life has been a blessing.”

His donations to churches and evangelism were monumental. According to the author: “He single-handedly built St Gabriel’s Catholic Church and donated it to the Archdiocese of Benin without seeking any form of recognition and appreciation from the Church.”

DEVOTED FAMILY MAN

“Many men can make a fortune but very few can build a family” – S Bryan.

A really happy family is one which ensures that no one is left behind. Igbinedion has achieved what is universally regarded as a mission impossible: to strive to build a great fortune and to keep a happy home at the same time.

The feat is made more remarkable by the fact that he had children with three different wives.

His father, who was a role model, died when he was still in primary school.

He was the only surviving child of his parents.

So, the transformation from bachelor to a loving patriarch of his own family was a personal effort and great achievement.

Central to this were four things: Good example, good education, good manners and good memories. Igbinedion paid great attention to details including neatness, punctuality and politeness exhibited by his children – male and female.

In Chapter 7 of the book, we discover that the busy businessman, who outsourced and delegated many things in life, paid personal attention to the discipline and upbringing of all his children. 

The results are there to show in their lives.

TOP RANK NIGERIAN BUSINESS PIONEER

“All the [social and economic] growth takes place in the growing tip among the one percent of the population. It’s made up of pioneers, the beginners. That is where the action is” – Abraham Maslow, 1908-1970.

Igbinedion, quite rightly, is often associated with business.

But among those who knew him well, his pioneering spirit remains unequalled.

He was not among the one per cent opening new frontiers of business and education, he was the leading pioneer generating growth and opportunities where none existed. 

Because of the trials (literally in a legal sense), tribulations and triumphs encountered by the trailblazers, it is not a role for the faint-hearted.

Courage, patience, perseverance and self-discipline are tested to the breaking point.

A few short sentences here cannot do justice to the entrepreneur who held the nation spell-bound for over forty years and is still a force to reckon with at 90+ and who gives the impression he could continue until 120 without diminished energy and creativity.

Chapters 5 and 6 provide a credible summary of the triumphs and disasters – while at the same time pointing to the booby traps which young and ambitious businessmen must avoid.

OKADA Airlines established in 1983 was symptomatic of his pioneering spirit.

It was the first private airline in Nigeria.

And, although the airline no longer operates, the impact was so astonishing that motor cycles adopted the name Okada, and today, Okada has entered the Oxford English dictionary – defined as “motorcycle taxis, a common mode of transportation in Nigeria and West African countries”. 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

“A tree does not make a forest”. That is conventional wisdom; not supported by facts of botany and biology.

Some trees, left alone and given sufficient land, can make forests.

In the human and social environment, anybody clinging to that false declaration has never met or heard about Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

In over 45 years working in Nigeria, living and working in nine states, visiting all 36 states, at least forty times, I have not known of any other Nigerian who has single-handedly transformed a village – Okada – to a city in a generation; defined as 30 years as Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. Everything modern in Okada today was either established by him as a part of his long term development programme for his place of birth, or was built to take advantage of the opportunities which his visionary leadership induced.

Not surprisingly, the Igbinedion University and the Igbinedion Hospital and Medical Centre receive most of the attention.

They epitomise his decision to give the best possible education and healthcare to his people in particular and fellow Nigerians in general.

Because a university and teaching hospital cannot operate without support, he has had to provide power and water to the institutions, hostels and a great part of the surrounding community.

A man whose formal education ended in secondary school is now an employer of professors in every field of learning. 

CONCLUSION

“A well-written life is as rare as a well-spent one” – Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881.

Elomien’s book on Igbinedion is not the first one that I have read.

But, it is certainly the best researched and factually presented.

It was a valiant effort – worthy of a life gloriously spent.

There is more to learn about this extra-ordinary man than space would allow now.

But, serialisation of the book starts tomorrow morning. 

•Follow me on Facebook @ J Israel Biola. 

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