Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh was a Nigerian parliamentarian from 1951 to 1966. He was a fore bearer of democracy, Nigeria’s federal minister of labour and social welfare (1955-1957), and the first federal minister of finance (1957-1966).
Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh
Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh lived in the years 1912 to 1966. He was of diverse tribal lineage and was fluent in Urhobo, Itsekiri and English languages. He was born on the 18th of July 1912 to an Itsekiri Chief from Bateren/ Jakpa. His mother was Ekayoda Ojegba, an Urhobo woman from Orogun who also spoke Kwale Ibo as a mother tongue, while his maternal great grandmother was from Agboh.
He moved from the village to Sapele and was under the tutelage of Reverend Aghogin Omatsola of the First Baptist Church in Sapele. Between 1932 - 1936, he attended Sapele Baptist Primary school, and in 1937, he became a teacher in his Alma Mater. After a brief stint with teaching, he embarked on a career as an Assessment Clerk in Sapele Township Office. Thereafter, he joined the Bata Shoe Company Sapele as an accounting clerk. He was transferred to Lagos as chief clerk and accountant for Bata operations in West Africa. In 1947, he returned to Sapele as a deputy manager thereby making him the first Nigerian manager. As part of Bata company corporate social responsibility, he set up a football team in Sapele. During this period, he also became a member of the Warri Ports Advisory Committee and the Sapele Township Advisory Board. In 1947, he was sent to Prague in Czechoslovakia to further his education where he obtained a Diploma in Business Administration and Chiropody. On returning to the country, he quit his position with Bata Shoe Company and embarked on successful entrepreneurial ventures which included the sale of timber, rubber and the establishment of a few schools.
His company, the Afro-Nigerian Export and Import Company exported ribbed smoked sheet to Europe and North America. In 1958, he set up a rubber crepe factory and in 1963, he established the Omimi rubber and canvas shoe factory. In his travails as an entrepreneur, he formed numerous business partnerships namely: Dizengof and Cutinho Caro which gave rise to the establishment of the Mid-West Cement Company, a cement clinker plant in Koko and Cabinet Works in Unameji.
In 1942, he married Victoria and together they started a string of schools in Sapele. The first was Sapele Boy's Academy thereafter, Zik college of commerce was established. In 1953, he established Sapele Academy Secondary School. During the apartheid era of South Africa, he employed indigenous South Africans as teachers in his schools.
A group photograph of NCNC Party Members in Warri 1956. Seated at the left of the front row is Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh and next to him is Hon. D.K Onwenu (the father of the singer and politician -Onyeka Onwenu)
in 1948, he ventured into politics and won a seat in the Warri Divisional Council. As a grass-root politician, he served as a Councillor in the Warri Provincial Council, he was a member of the Sapele Township Advisory Board, Warri Provincial Ports Authority Committee and Warri Divisional Committee. He was a charismatic politician and was never defeated in any election, either in Warri or Sapele.
In 1951, he was elected into the western region House of Assembly and in 1954, he was elected treasurer of the N.C.N.C. In 1955, he was appointed the federal minister of labour and social welfare (1955-1957), and in 1957, he was made the first federal minister of finance. He held this position until his death in the military coup of 15th January 1966. He was a chieftain of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, and in 1959, he became the Chief Whip of the Western House of Assembly which was dominated by the Action Group (AG). He took part in the 1954 constitutional conference and was also present at the constitutional conferences held in 1958 and 1959 in Lagos and London respectively. His contributions in the parliament shaped many major decisions. He was also actively involved in the creation of the Mid-Western state in 1963.
His pioneering efforts as Federal Minister of Finance gave rise to the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system of taxation. He presented the Bill which was passed by parliament into law. This legacy is still enduring as tax payers in this system are the most faithful in the country and governments have found this system to be an efficient and cost-effective method of personal income tax collection.
Central Bank of Nigeria Lagos in the 1960's
He also advocated and ensured that an Independent Nigeria issued her own currency. The logic of this was that Nigeria should have her own Central Bank instead of depending on the West African Currency Board for issuance. Thus, the Central Bank of Nigeria was founded in 1958. Apart from the pioneer Governor who was an expatriate, others on the board and co-signatories on the banknotes were all Nigerians appointed by the Finance Minister. Hence, Chief Okotie-Eboh can be rightly described as the founding father of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The first set of Nigerian currency was released in 1959 in readiness for independence in 1960. In recognition of this feat, some local musicians in the Western Region waxed a song, part of which reads, “Okotie-Eboh gb’owo tutun de” meaning “Okotie-Eboh has introduced new money”.
In 1988, the silver jubilee of the MINT was celebrated and to mark the occasion, a special publication was released which reports that, "the foundation stone of the factory was laid by the First President of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe on April 14, 1964. At the ceremony, the Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okotie Eboh declared: “this is a memorable occasion of which all Nigerians should be justly proud. We are laying the Foundation Stone of an organisation which will be second to none in Africa. I take deep personal interest in the project because it is the first of its kind in an Independent African Country.""
Apart from supervising the establishment of the Central bank of Nigeria and the inauguration of the first National Currency, he also supervised the establishment of the Securities Commission, the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the creation of the first Nigerian Investment and Development Bank.
Ten shillings note
After establishing the Central Bank of Nigeria and putting in place other financial institutions, he restructured the Nigerian Customs by making it a part of the ministry of finance. This ensured that the Nigerian Customs responsibilities did not stop at the mere collection of import and export duties at the ports but was expanded by the creation of the Preventive Services to confront, combat and prevent smuggling so that local industries would be protected. This initiative gave new lease to the Nigerian Customs.
Chief F.S Okotie-Eboh Commissioning the Bata Shoe Company
Ikorodu Expressway Lagos
He was a statesman and patriot who was cultured, progressive and dynamic. When the British and American governments refused his request for grants to build Eko Bridge, he passionately appealed to the German government and his request was granted through the commissioning of Julius Berger by the German government for the execution of the project. However, construction of the bridge commenced in the subsequent Military government which came into power after the coup of January 1966. The Ikorodu Road in Lagos, the East-West Road and the Effurun to Port Harcourt road were also planned during his era. However, the road from Koko in Delta State to Lekki in Lagos State which should have been constructed by subsequent governments after the coup of January 15, 1966, is still imaginary.
In 1959, he helped secure an external loan of Ten Million Pounds Sterling (£10,000,000) at a time when the financial resources of Nigeria were insufficient to cope with its development aspirations. Part of this loan was used for the extension of the Eastern railway line from Jos to Maiduguri. The rest of the loan was utilised for the upgrading of the Lagos port at Apapa. His benevolence was also enjoyed by his party, the NCNC. He sourced for grants for the party when it was broke. As his colleague, Chief Richard Akinjide recalled: “In the NCNC days, Okotie-Eboh was richer than the party and everybody. He had made his money before coming into politics and whenever the party was broke, it was to him we went to collect some money for party activities. Nigerians should be grateful for having somebody like him; he was generous to a fault and did not discriminate against tribe or tongue”.
He was already a flourishing businessman who had long-standing business contacts and associates within and outside the shores of Nigeria before venturing into politics. He was an industrialist and a benefactor to many. He was also deeply religious and built in Sapele, a memorial Baptist Church which was equipped with organs. He also embarked on religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome where in the latter, he met Pope Pius XII in 1956 and Pope John XXIII thereafter.
He was well travelled and was a friend to the United States President, John Kennedy. In his expeditions, he met the first Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. David Ben Gurion as well as another Israeli Prime Minister, Levi Eshkol, and also visited General Moshe Dayan of Israel. He was also a guest of Emperor Halie Selassie of Ethiopia and in 1965, he met Morarji Desai, the finance minister of India. He has also had audience with queen Elizabeth II. In his numerous travels, he visited many top dignitaries across the globe.
Apart from his successes at the national level, he also recorded great achievements in Warri division by establishing the following projects:
The Escravos Bar Project aimed at sustaining and enhancing navigation of the Escravos Bar by ships
The siting of Gulf Oil Company on Escravos (Ugborodo) despite pressure for it to be sited elsewhere
The location of one of the three Inter-Regional colleges (Now Federal Government College Warri)
The development of the phases I & II of the Koko port facilities
The construction of the Ologbo to Koko motor road
The planning of the Koko to Ogheye motor road project in conjunction with the planning of the Ugheli-Patani Port Harcourt road project
The building of the floating jetty at Ode-Itsekiri
The establishment of Omimi Plastics and Omimi Shoe factories in Sapele
Establishing schools in Sapele
Building a cement packing factory in Koko
A factory for cocoa based products was in the early stages of development at the time of his death
He was fashionable and stylish, and the flamboyant display of his traditional attire especially on budget days earned him the name, “Omimi-Ejoh, Ejoh Bilele”, translated as “the man with long features and flowing wrappers”.
There is no evidence that he amassed wealth from service. In fact, his venturing into politics and absence from his business led to some decline of his financial empire.
At his death on January 15th 1966, he was survived by his wife and children.
President of the United States of American, John F. Kennedy with Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh
A Gallery of the life and Times of Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh
