Festus Okotie-Eboh

Chief
Festus Okotie Eboh
Okotie-Eboh in 1963
Minister of Finance
In office
1957 – 15 January 1966
Prime MinisterAbubakar Tafawa Balewa
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byObafemi Awolowo
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare
In office
1955–1957
Prime MinisterAbubakar Tafawa Balewa
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born
Festus Samuel Edah

(1912-07-18)18 July 1912
Warri, Southern Nigeria Protectorate
Died15 January 1966(1966-01-15) (aged 53)
Political partyNational Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
Children9, including Ajoritsedere Awosika (daughter)
Relatives
OccupationPolitician

Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh (18 July 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who was the finance minister of Nigeria from 1957 to 1966 during the administration of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.[1]

Okotie-Eboh was born to an Itsekiri Chief, Prince Okotie Eboh in Warri Division, a town along the Benin River in Niger Delta.[2][3] Before his change of name, he was Chief Festus Samuel Edah. He was a National Treasurer of the Nigerian First Republic party, NCNC, he was also a leader of the Federal Parliamentary Party of NCNC, replacing K.O. Mbadiwe.[4]

Early life and business career

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Okotie Eboh was born Festus Samuel Edah[5] in Benin River, Old Warri division. From 1932 to 1936, he attended Sapele Baptist School.[6] Upon graduation, he clerked briefly in the Local District Office before returning to his alma mater as a teacher.[7] In 1937, he gained employment at Bata Shoe Company as an accounting clerk.[7]

While working as a clerk, he was also studying bookkeeping and accounting. In 1944, Bata transferred him to Lagos as a Chief Clerk and West Coast Accountant. He was in Lagos for a year before returning to Sapele to become Deputy Manager of the Sapele branch. In 1947, he was sent to Prague, Czechoslovakia for further training where he obtained a diploma in business administration and chiropody. He left Bata Shoe to establish a timber and rubber business.[7] He was involved in a rubber exporting business trading under the company name of Afro-Nigerian Export and Import Company. The firm exported ribbed smoked sheet rubber to Europe and North America.[7] In 1958, he opened a rubber-creping factory and later in 1963, he started Omimi Rubber and Canvas Shoe factory. He also started a few ventures with two foreign partners: Dizengoff and Coutinho Caro, the partners promoted Mid-West Cement Co, a cement clinker plant in Koko and Unameji Cabinet Works.[citation needed]

Okotie-Eboh married in 1942, and, together with his wife, started a string of schools in Sapele. The first school was Sapele Boys Academy, followed with Zik's College of Commerce. In 1953, he started Sapele Academy Secondary School. In the 1940s and 1950s, Okotie-Eboh was a board member of Warri Ports Advisory Committee, Sapele Township Advisory Board and Sapele Town Planning Authority.[7]

Political career

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In 1951, after some influence from Azikiwe, he contested for a seat and was elected to the Western Region House of Assembly.[8] In 1954, he was elected treasurer of the N.C.N.C. and was successful as the party's candidate to represent Warri division in the House of Representatives.[9] He was nominated as the Federal Minister of Labour and Welfare in January, 1955, and two years later, he was made Finance Minister.[3]

Personal life

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Okotie-Eboh married an Itsekiri woman named Victoria in 1942. One of his daughters, Alero, married Oladipo Jadesimi.[10] His youngest daughter, Ajoritsedere Awosika, was a former civil servant.

Death

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Okotie-Eboh was assassinated along with Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa in the military coup of 15 January 1966, which terminated the Nigerian First Republic.[11] Two days before Okotie-Eboh's death, he met with Lee Kuan Yew. Lee said in a speech in 1993 that before his death, Okotie-Eboh was planning to leave government to focus on a starting a shoe factory.[12]

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ "Chief Festus Sam Okotie-Eboh, the colossus lives on". Vanguard News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  2. ^ Larson, Sylvia B. (February 2000). Evans, George (1797-1867), lawyer, politician, and businessman. American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400350.
  3. ^ a b "Okotie- Eboh: In time and history". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ^ Sklar, Richard (2004). Nigerian Political Parties: Power in an Emergent African Nation. Africa World Press Press. p. 227. ISBN 9781592212095.
  5. ^ Ekeh, Peter (2005). History of the Urhobo People of Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. p. 292.
  6. ^ Falola, Toyin (2009). Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 284. okotie eboh sapele baptist school.
  7. ^ a b c d e Eguoritse, O (1959). Feathers for a great Nigerian statesman: being a short biographical portrait of Chief, the Hon. F.S. Okotie-Eboh. Apapa: Twentieth Century Press). OCLC 16667560.
  8. ^ "Accord Concondiale: The continuous search for Nigeria's elusive unity (10)". The Sun Nigeria. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Immortalizing Okotie-Eboh". The Pointer News Online. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Oil tycoon Oladipo Jadesimi's daughter, Emma, takes to dancing in London". The Sun Nigeria. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Nigeria - the 1966 Coups, Civil War, and Gowon's Government".
  12. ^ Lee, Kuan Yew. "SPEECH BY MR LEE KUAN YEW, SENIOR MINISTER, FOR AFRICA LEADERSHIP FORUM AT THE REGENT HOTEL ON MONDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 1993". Retrieved 11 July 2024.
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