Emeka Offor, a Nigerian oil magnate has suffered backlash from Nigerians over his alleged role in slowing down the actualization of the Geometric power plant in Aba.
Inaugurated by Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s vice president on Tuesday, the 188-megawatt geometric power plant in Aba, Abia State, will help accelerate power supply to industrial clusters in the region.
The power plant, regarded as Nigeria’s first integrated electrical facility, is located in the southeastern state’s Osisioma industrial zone.
It is thought that Aba Power Limited Electric, a new electricity distribution business (DisCo), will absorb electricity from the plant and provide it to nine of Abia’s 17 local government areas.
The project, which took nearly two decades to complete, according to reports, would have been completed if not for the alleged actions and inactions of Offor.
Who is Offor
Offor, born in 1957, is a self-made billionaire and the CEO of Chrome Group, a major player in West Africa’s oil and gas sector.
His entrepreneurial journey began modestly, starting as an apprentice under his uncle, and his success has seen him build a vast business empire spanning various industries like oil and gas, insurance, power, and telecommunications.
He was hired by Rivways Lines Nigeria Ltd., an importer of bitumen products, in Delta as a transport clerk. Pa Abadi urged him to get familiar with the fundamentals of the industry while he was employed at Rivways Lines. Pa Abadi then assisted Emeka in buying and supplying bitumen in lesser amounts to other businesses.
Within two years, Offor began supplying bitumen to larger enterprises, such as Fougerolle Nigeria, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, and Guffanti Nigeria Limited.
He founded Chrome Oil Services Limited in 1985, and in 1994, it changed its name to The Chrome Group.
Known for his interests in oil, gas, power, and construction, it was that the businessman and politician got juicy federal contracts, many barely executed, while the PDP reigned for 16 years.
In the build-up to the 2003 general elections, Offor reportedly donated N200 million to the Obasanjo/Atiku presidential re-election campaign. During the heat of the Obasanjo-Atiku feud in 2006, the Atiku Media Office in a statement by Garba Shehu, now President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, said a special account to finance the PDP presidential re-election bid in 2003 was managed by Offor.
Under the Sani Abacha military junta in the 1990s, Offor’s Chrome Group was offered the contract for the Turn Around Maintenance of the Port Harcourt refinery. About that time, he led the Movement for National Stability to campaign for the late dictator’s ultimately futile bid to transmute into a civilian leader.
Reflecting on the condition of Nigeria’s refineries and Offor’s link, former president Olusegun Obasanjo said in August 2015 that nothing came of the purported work done by the businessman, despite being paid.
“I explained that what I met were refineries that were not working, refineries that were given to an amateur for repairs, for maintenance, what they call turn around maintenance to the company of Emeka Offor – Chrome Group,” said Obasanjo.
“Where has Emeka Offor maintained refineries before? Where has he? That’s what we met. So, the refineries were not working.
“What can you recover? A man (Mr. Offor) who was paid upfront. He had people…. after I left he became friends with every government that has come. Now he’s not only into refinery and oil and all that, he’s now also in energy.”
Nevertheless, TAM contracts of both the old and the new Port-Harcourt Refineries were awarded to Offor by the Goodluck Jonathan government in 2014, under controversial circumstances.
Offor’s impact transcends the business world. He established the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, dedicated to empowering the less fortunate through education, healthcare, and other initiatives. He is also a key figure in the fight against polio, serving as Rotary International’s Polio Ambassador for Nigeria.
Feedback from Nigerians
Most Nigerians have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express mixed opinions about Offor.
For instance, @Nedumcity_ tweeted, “Dear Nigerians, Ndi Igbo and my southeast people, This Integrated Power Project Aba that we’re all celebrating today, is something that could’ve come on board over 8 years ago but Professor Barth Nnaji and Sir Emeka Offor were locked in court for those years until Buhari settled”.
“Emeka Offor is such a selfish and wicked man and he needs to be challenged for South East to work. Any politician he is supporting no matter who at the state level will never get my support. We need to start calling out our real enemies,” @Jack_ng01 also tweeted.
Another user, @maaziossy, tweeted, “I have read the article. Most of our SE political class are wicked, selfish, and egocentric. Even the devil knows Emeka Offor for who he is, but If @SamAmadi doesn’t give his own side of the story, the allegation against his person holds henceforth”.
@ossaivictor1_ tweeted, “This man called Emeka Offor who happens to be in charge of EEDC is the reason why we don’t have constant light in this country. Man is not even considerate about the hardship of this country, I shouldn’t be poor and still be suffering from heat in the night”.
@Ada_di_ora_mma also said, “If Emeka Offor wants to dominate the power sector in the East, then he should build a power plant. He should stop being the typical lazy black man”.
@ChijiokeIke3 tweeted, “Emeka Offor used the Bureau of Public Enterprises under the influence of Namadi to allocate a section of the Abia Ringfence seeded to GP to his Enugu Company Interstate Electric”.
“There is a reason why Emeka Offor and Ejiofor don’t see eye to eye. Man is the principality and power holding Alaigbo down,” @OnyeOsoafia tweeted.
Another tweet by @von_Bismack said, “Anytime Emeka Offor’s name comes up, it’s about him oppressing a fellow Igbo man. Such an evil human. Tueh! Nothing positive about him.”
