Deconstructing Ekeoma Eme Ekeoma
Born in Igbere, Abia State of Nigeria, Eme Ekeoma came to Lagos with his uncle while he was 19 years old. At that age, eking out a living was such a herculean task for young Ekeoma. But sheer vision, strength of soul, love for home andenterpriseledhimon.HewentaheadtogetajobwiththeCentralBankofNigeria.Sadly,however,Ekeoma’scontract,attheapexbankwasterminated.This,would,however,provetobetheturningpointandwatershedinhislifeas destiny came calling. Unperturbed by what others would have seen as a misfortune and eyes tenaciously fixed on his goals, through dint of hardwork, Ekeoma turned his stumbling block into a stepping stone. With his astounding success, as an entrepreneur, Ekeoma’s life witnessed a giant leap. All the hurdles he had to cross on his way up no doubt served as a motivational tonic to any hardworking young man or woman who encounters him. Adedayo Adejobi x-rays the life of this 64-year-old philanthropist extraordinaire and Chairman, Nepal Oil and Gas
Forever young and ebullient, the Chairman, Nepal Oil and Gas, Elder Ekeoma Eme Ekeoma, wears many hats - a highly successful business tycoon, philanthropist, and an elder in the vineyard of God. With a life hinged on raw and selfless commitment, the discovery of a higher purpose; his passion for family values, friends and the community is quite infectious.
Not born with a silver spoon or princely robes and royal bloodlines, one thing he armed himself with is the Nigerian grit and a mind set on achieving. Nothing defines Elder, as he is fondly called, more than ‘entreprise, philanthropy and a man after God’s ’heart’. For those close to the passionate, hard-working visionary, he is known to be whip-smart, incredibly generous, with an ability to analyse and think through a problem, step by step.
Whether it was working at the Central Bank of Nigeria, dipping his toes in the oil and gas business, or the travel business, this business tycoon with deep Presbyterian faith has indeed made a huge success and he is living the dream in modesty. Still, Ekeoma steadfastly believes that the success is not his doing.
For a man who has created businesses and scaled them to great heights, he is indeed worth a fortune. Enjoying a luxurious life, with discipline, he tries within the ambit of civility to live a modest lifestyle like a regular person, whilst using his wealth for investment, philanthropic and God-centric purposes.
Being a billionaire is an impressive achievement. Creating an empire that brings in that amount of money is no easy feat and takes an incredible amount of determination, motivation and skill. What is even more impressive, though, is that he is a billionaire who is also a Christian.
Having made an impact in the secular world for over four decades, one thing, however, has consumed him - his unwavering passion for his calling: preaching and spreading the gospel.
Even across corporate Nigeria, the businessman has always been open about his Christian faith. He proudly wears his faith as a man passionate about God’s kingdom, so much so his business Associates refer to him as ‘Elder’.
Ekeoma’s enormous wealth is indeed inspiring. He’s unapologetic about his religious roots and embraces Christian faith and causes, in a nation where some wealthy Christians don’t want to be publicly identified with their faith.
Despite the extraordinary wealth of this entrepreneur and others in his league, who never seem to have serenity with their wealth, Ekeoma has distinguished himself as a man not driven by material wealth, but the love for God, the gospel and humanity. If there is one thing, etched on the map of his heart, it is how to spread the gospel of Jesus, and win souls for Christ.
Aside his wife of inestimable value, Mrs. Ngozi Ekeoma, whom he would ‘kill’ for, preaching the gospel comes uppermost in his large heart and spending most of his downtime at home with his children and adorable grandchildren.
With great riches comes great unease, according to people who have studied the psychology of wealth. The overriding problem is affluenza - nagging guilt about the chasm between the very rich and everybody else. Unlike his peers who are afflicted and motivated by greed and fear, and a compulsion to continue to accumulate even more, this very rare spirited billionaire would empty his pockets to help innocent men held in Nigeria’s notorious prisons get justice, and also, passionately, spread the gospel. His seething inner vision has so far seen him give hope to hospitalised patients unable to pay their bills and over 1000 inmates who have regained their freedom.
For those curious to know the secrets behind his wealth, which he doesn’t take personal credits for, Elder is quick to point you in the direction of God. He strongly believes that “if you have anything or if I have anything, it’s because it’s been given to us by our Creator”. With that understanding, Ekeoma has become an impulsive kingdom giver to the Nigerian Presbyterian Church, the prisons and his community. He considers it an honour and mission work.
Beyond work, he is a man given to prayers, smart strategy, faith, hard work and sense of divine guidance.
In the Bible, Christians are told over and over again about how money is the root of all evil. It can bring about greed, wrath, and gluttony. Even small amounts of money can cause people to fall into the hole of sin. There are countless stories in the media about business people or celebrities who are prideful and stuck up due to their power and wealth, which completely goes against what God wants.
Ekeoma’s life’s journey and disposition to living and wealth make him much more inspiring.
Ekeoma acknowledges that money can be a symbol of success, but he identifies envy and greed as the hidden drivers behind the yearning for more and more money. As a devout family man who embraces and preaches love, purpose, oneness of spirit and strong family values, Ekeoma’s real happiness stems from helping the meek, lowly, yet holding strong family life - his real joy. With the boundless freedom in his convictions, little wonder he is not fazed by or afraid of death or money. For all those close to him, an integral part of his life is his fellowship. His audience is the world, but what you could call his primary constituency, a non-denominational Businessmen’s Fellowship, the Believers Fellowship, gathers fortnightly inside the gray-walled hall of the Golden Gates Hotels, Kingsway Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. The Believers Fellowship is the brainchild of the entrepreneur, as instructed by God, to prepare humanity for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Believers Fellowship was birthed in 2016 and it is a non-denominational fellowship that meets every fortnight.
For almost a decade, he has been quietly, methodically, and patiently building an evangelical army, that has pushed the business community to God, sending more and more to Christ.
Unlike his peers who would have taken to the idea of making the fellowship a business concern by establishing a full-time church with branches locally and abroad, Ekeoma has done the opposite. Ekeoma is not given to such mundane and unbiblical pursuits. He is rather consumed with preparing the saints for eternity.
Aside his burning commitments to his calling, which in no small measure complements his spiritual life, as his wealth has grown, he has constantly deployed his financial resources to build roads, provide pipe borne water and other life-enhancing infrastructure in his home town and Lagos where he lives.
Ekeoma and his wife have shown what giving looks like from a biblical perspective daily. For high-net-worth individuals, particularly people that created first-generation wealth, to look at the growth of their business, not for them to maintain an extremely lavish lifestyle or accumulate generational wealth, but for the cause of Christ - they’re a shining light in the Christian community.
He is one of Nigeria’s wealthy Christian entrepreneurs who has defied the conventional wisdom about Christian tycoons. He doesn’t hail from the Persian Gulf, he didn’t make his money in petroleum alone, but he definitely wears his faith on his sleeve. Motivated by Jesus’ radical teaching on money, Ekeoma gives generously.
It is that absolute conviction that drives him every day. Come rain, come shine, Ekeoma’s certainty in his Saviour’s existence has gotten him this far, and he’s not looking to waver at 64.