A lot of people may not know who Sir Louis Philip
Odumegwu Ojukwu is besides the fact that he
was the father of late Biafran Warlord, Dim
Chukwuemeka Ojukwu. But the fact is that he
was one of the greatest Business men ever
produced in Africa and one of the richest. It
beggars belief that Sir Ojukwu went to Lagos with
nothing in 1929 aged just 20 but 10 years later
aged just 30, he was already managing his own
chain of businesses which included, Ojukwu
Stores, Ojukwu textiles and Ojukwu transportation
company. By 1950, just Ojukwu Transportation
company had over 200 trucks in its fleet. How did
he do it?
Born Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu in Nnewi in
1909, the only boy and second of four children,Sir
Ojukwu went to Government primary School
Asaba. In 1922, he proceeded to the only
secondary School in the Eastern region at the
time, Hope Waddell training institute, Calabar.
After completing his secondary School education
in 1928, Sir Louis secured a job as a tyre sales
clark with John Holt Lagos in 1929. It was
working as a tyre clark the Sir Louis Ojukwu
noticed that many Igbo traders who came to
Lagos to buy tyres also bought textiles as well.
With his meagre saving, Sir Louis travelled down
to Onitsha where he opened his first business
venture called "Ojukwu stores" and employed one
of his relatives to oversee it. He then returned to
Lagos and started sending down textiles on
Lorries to his shop while still working for John
Holt. Sir Louise's textile boomed. By 1930, Louis
bought a second hand truck and employed a
driver in other move his goods himself and
'Ojukwu transport company' was born. Sir Ojukwu
worked tirelessly and by end of the 1930's, was
the major transporter on the East-West Road. In
1939, on the outbreak of world war 2, the British
Government requested the use of Sir Ojukwus fleet
of trucks for the War effort to which he agreed.
When the war ended in 1945, the British
Goverment recognised the sacrifice he made and
he was awarded a KBE (Knight of the British
Empire). The end of the war also created a high
demand for raw materials from West Africa and
sir Ojukwus Transport business exploded sky high
and he diversified into other businesses. Some of
Sir Ojukwu's early drivers such as Chief Ilodibe
(Ekene Dili Chukwu) and Chief Izuchukwu
(Izuchukwu Transport) would later become
Transport moguls themselves.
Sir Ojukwu was so rich that in 1956 when the
Queen visited Nigeria, the British authorities had
to borrow his Rolls Royce and personal driver to
chauffeur the Queen around. Sir Louis was also a
financial pillar of Ziks NCNC party and when the
party came to power in 1960, Sir Louis was
offered the position of Finance Minister which he
turned down, the position ultimately went to
Okotie-Eboh. Sir Louis died in Nkalagu, present
day Ebonyi state, in 1966. Sir Louis CV is the
most intimidating I have ever seen and probably
will ever see. He was:
1)The first President of the Nigerian Stock
Exchange
2) President, African Continental Bank
3) Chairman, Nigerian cement company
(NIGERCEM)
4) CEO, Ojukwu Transport company
5) Chairman, Nigerian National Shipping Line
6) Chairman, Lion Of Africa Insurance Company
7) Chairman, BISCO Nigeria Limited
cool Chairman, Nigerian Industrial Development
Bank
9) Vice President, Lagos Chamber Of Commerce
10) Chairman, Palmline Shipping company
11) Chairman, Nigerian Produce Marketing board
12) Chairman, Eastern Nigerian Development
Corporation
13) Chairman, Costain west Africa
14) Director, Shell D'Arcy Petroleum
15) Director, Thomas Wyatt & Son
16) Director, Nigerian Coal corporation
17) Director, Guiness Nigeria Limited
18) Director, Nigerian Tobacco Company
19) Director, Daily Times of Nigeria
The man was simply larger than life. Sir Louis
also owned numerous building, landed properties
and stocks. It is estimated that as at the time he
died in 1966, he was worth about 4 Billion Dollars
in today's money

(COPIED)

One day generations to come will write about me. I may be a nobody now, but watch me rise

Fanity upon fanity. weeyaa is za money today?? Efferytin haff dishappeyaa! Hmmm! Fanity!

If an igbo man can make it, why can't i?