President Buhari Needs Developmental Nationalists Like Dr. Uche Ogah Around Him

GREAT IMO JONATHAN

There comes a time in the life of a nation when men and women with proven records of results in the private sector are required to step into the political scene to offer solutions and move society forward. This is one of the things that have made America great and has helped to establish her influence in the modern world. When America was faced with a difficult situation, men like Henry Ford were brought in to contribute their business ingenuity and to help handle the affairs of the nation. Also in recent history, a man like Bloomberg who has made his mark in the business world was relied upon to get the city of New York running after the terror attack of September 11. Those who argue that the public serve should be left purely in the hands of traditional politicians, especially politicians without history of personal success in their private endeavors are obviously ignorant of this fact. They probably didn’t know that there were 65 American businessmen who signed off their lives for America to become what it is today. It was these American successful men who came to the consciousness that the future of their nation depended on them and got involved and established America; losing everything they had in the process but ended up making the nation great.

Especially at this crucial stage in our nation’s history, under president Buhari, we need men and women who are determined to make a difference. Looking at the three cardinal focus of president Buhari’s administration and the urgency required to achieve them, there is the need to bring onboard men and women who are not only nationalistic but are also developmentalists. With the rising youth unemployment in the land, there is the need for President Buhari to engage people with PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO SOLVE REAL LIFE ISSUES. And this is where Dr. Uche Ogah comes in.

Dr. Uche Ogah ranks amongst the most patriotic distinguished industrialists/nationalists and one of those who have made the development of Nigeria a priority. He is a man passionate about solving Nigeria’s problem.

This is the man who established the almost-ready-for-commissioning ultra-modern Petro-Chemical Industry beside the Onuaku Wonderland in Uturu and his focus is job creation. Dr. Uche Ogah’s Masters Energy Group, a conglomerate, with over 16 subsidiaries, currently has thousands of workers in its employment and he has a target to create 42,000 jobs if everything goes as planned.

Dr. Ogah believes in the Nigerian economy and this informed his decision to build Masters Energy City worth several billions of Naira in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when most companies were running away from the Niger Delta region because of security challenges.

The 158,000metric tonne-capacity petroleum products storage facility he built then helped to ensure availability and affordability of petroleum products in the south-south; south-east and north-east geopolitical zones. That singular investment provided over 4,600 direct and indirect jobs for the people of Niger Delta and other regions, as part of his own contribution to Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme in the oil-rich region.
Dr. Uche Ogah’s Masters Energy City also hosts a fabrication yard for the construction of equipment used in the oil and gas industry, as well as other sectors of the economy.

To underpin the value of Dr. Uche Sampson Ogah’s role in Nigeria’s development, the former Minister for Labour and now APC Chieftain in Abia State, Chief Emeka Wogu once said that “This is a man who has made my job easy as the Minister for Labour by providing jobs for unemployed youths”. And to confirm what the then Minister for Labour said, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, also said concerning Dr. Uche Ogah “This is a man with the heart of gold’’

Dr. Uche Ogah is a man driven by the passion to make a difference. His Masters Energy integrated industrial complex both in Ogun State and Abia state, is a project that would boost the economy of Nigeria and attract foreign direct investments as well. This multi-billion Naira complex harbours seven companies comprising fertilizer plant, plastic plant, lubricant plants that will produce engine oil, grease, hydraulic, transmission oil, and gear, noodles and steel. All of which are at over 90 percent completion. This will be a new industrial city that will provide over 22,000 direct and indirect jobs for our teaming youth population.

This is why I respect Dr. Uche Ogah so much; he has what it takes to bring transformation in any environment. He is a man driven by strong desire to touch the lives of the people positively and he has proven that over the years using his personal resources.

When he was a banker he built a school for his community. And as a businessman he has touched many lives for good. Driven by the desire to see Nigeria transformed, Dr. Uche Ogah has done such much across the county even in his personal capacity. He built houses for widows and the less privileged, bought buses for youths to start them up in businesses, built health centers and electrified communities. He went further to establish water schemes, constructed roads into communities with beautiful community gates, magnificent street lights and CCTV Cameras in strategic locations; thereby providing security in the community.

Beyond that, Dr. Uche Ogah has given over 1000 scholarships in the last ten years. He built a magnificent auditorium for Abia state University, worth over 700 million in current value; fully air-conditioned, with projectors, subs and a well furnished E-Library and underground facility.

Dr. Uche Ogah believes in adding value to society. Unlike many of those jostling for positions, some of them have been in government for years and have not added value to people’s live.

President Muhammadu Buhari needs Dr. Uche Ogah around him; there is a lot he can contribute to national development.

Great Imo Jonathan writes from Umuahia, Abia State.