Captain Hosa Okunbo
By Our Reporter
Barely a year and half after the demise of a great philanthropist and chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd, Sir Lucky Omoluwa, another billionaire business mogul from the Edo/Delta axis and the Chairman, Ocean Marine Solution, Captain Hosa Okunbo is dead.
Captain Okunbo who hails from Edo State, died at the age of 63 on Saturday night in London after battling with pancreatic cancer for over a year
It was gathered that his health had improved and he was planning to return to the country by next week to attend the coronation of the new Olu of Warri Tsola Emiko who is married to his daughter Ivie. He is survived by a wife, Nosa and other children.
So many people have described Captain Okunbor as a philanthropist who had touched many lives and the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki is not left out
In his tribute to the deceased, Governor Obaseki extolled his business dexterity and love for his people which will always be remembered.
“A man of unparalleled energy and accomplishments, Captain Okunbo saw opportunities in adversity and from an early age in life, carved a niche for himself to become one of Nigeria’s most outstanding businessmen,” the governor said in a statement he signed and issued on Sunday afternoon.
“A trained pilot, he conquered the air at an early age and set for the waters and land, building enterprises that distinguished him in the business world and embodied the hard work, perseverance, dexterity and acumen that espoused his Edo heritage.
“Okunbo was a philanthropist who gave lavishly of himself and his resources; thousands of Edo sons and daughters benefited from his charitable works and benevolence.” Obaseki stated in his tribute
The late Captain Okubo was born on January 7 1958 in Benin City, he was the Chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMSL). He had his secondary education at the Federal Government College, Warri in Delta State.
At 21, he became a pilot following his graduation from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Okunbo whose father Robert Amos Okunbo – was a preacher and teacher – later proceeded to ACME School of Aeronautics, Fort Worth, Texas in the US. There, he earned an Airline Transport Pilot Licence.
He retired from working as a pilot at 30 and ventured into business
Among the many battles the Edo State-born politician, philanthropist and business mogul fought was the allegation of theft and criminal diversion of company funds levelled against him by the former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Dr Tunde Ayeni. Although, Okunbo was cleared of any wrong doings by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision EFCC, the duo had engaged in a battle of supremacy over the ownership of the company.
The EFCC investigated whether Okunbo lawfully acquired Ayeni’s interest in Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, OMS, an issue that generated so much heat.
The Nigeria Police, however, laid the matter to rest as it exonerated the Edo-born business in the matter saying he (Okunbo) was blameless
Upon a thorough investigation, the police in a letter to Okunbo’s lawyer, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN,, copied to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as well as the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said the petition by Ayeni against Okunbo could not be established.
It would be recalled that Ayeni had through his lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, filed a petition on December 7, 2020, with the police accusing Okunbo of theft of the funds of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, a company they, in company with others, had formed.
The former chairman of the defunct Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank) had dragged Okunbo (his business partner) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged mismanagement, stealing and diversion of funds from their company – Ocean Marine Security, OMS, Limited.
It was gathered that Ayeni, sold his shares in OML in 2018 and was duly paid, consequently upon which he resigned his appointment as Director and shareholder of the company but later tried to take undue advantage of Okunbo’s ill-health to hijack the company by claiming that he is still a shareholder in the company.
Ayeni, in the petition by his counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, alleged how Okunbo attempted to scheme him out of the company, saying he had since discovered “a lot of stealing and diversion as well as gross mismanagement of large sums of money belonging to the company.”
The former bank boss also alleged that Okunbo, whom he said had been his partner since 2003, deceived him and took over control of the company while he was undergoing a court trial, which he claimed had distracted him.
Ayeni said he and Okunbo invested in the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, but his partner moved the company’s account to another bank and abandoned repayment of a $100 million loan used to fund the acquisition of the power firm.
The police had noted that whilst it found that the company was formed with the following shareholding, Wells-Okunbo (46 per cent), Ayeni (38 per cent), Garth Dooley (14 per cent), and Admiral Augustus Aikhomu (5 per cent later sold to Okunbo), they said they found that Ayeni had legally and voluntarily sold his stakes to Okunbo.
Okunbo was not all about business, he was also involved in politics and had a running battle with Governor Godwin Obaseki for throwing his weight behind Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Capt. Okunbo had said he supported the All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State because the party will work to develop the state.
Okunbo, who said this in an interview in Abuja, described himself as a very close person to Governor Gowdin Obaseki, but said the governor should not be allowed to get a second term.
Okunbo in the interview berated Obaseki, saying, “A governor that could not manage 24 House of Assembly members from his own party – they were not in opposition, all APC. Some of us worked to make that possible for him so he could have a smooth ride but he squandered the chance.
“It’s only unfortunate that Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who also contested against him in 2016, is out there and I am supporting him by default and of course, I want a better Edo State and that’s all I can say.”
Okunbo accused Obaseki of non-performance, saying most of the lofty ideas he floated before his election in 2016 had remained on paper without being fulfilled, while he had sustained himself in office through propaganda.
Amid the feud between Obaseki and Oshiomhole, Okunbo had visited Obaseki and knelt before him, asking him to end his fight with Oshiomhole
In an interview with The Vanguard on September 7, 2020, the business mogul said, “I was in his house for three hours. I knelt down, begging. I said for the sake of the state, I don’t want this animosity to continue; whatever it takes, please close it out.
“That same night, when I got home, I got a call from a common friend in Lagos, who told me ‘Godwin said you should stay out of this matter, otherwise, you might be collateral damage’.
“I said, collateral damage? Me? Should I ask him? The person said I should ask him. The next morning, I called him. I said ‘Ogierebor (that is what I call him), this is what this guy told me.’
“He said, ‘Yes, it is fight to the finish oh. You better stay away so that you will not be caught up in the middle.’”
Eventually, Obaseki orchestrated Oshiomhole’s suspension from the APC. Oshiomhole, who also retaliated, ensured that Obaseki was disqualified from the APC primary and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu was given the APC ticket.
Okunbo switched sides and publicly endorsed Ize-Iyamu and funded his campaign, while Oshiomhole and APC and former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, also assisted in the massive campaign to oust Obaseki.
Obaseki joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and ran a campaign with the slogan, ‘Edo no be Lagos,’ which was done to portray the governor’s candidacy as one that would bring an end to politics of godfatherism.
Obaseki won his re-election on September 20, 2020.
