Death of Former Presidential aspirant, Dr Abel Kprogidi Ubeku: His Many Firsts + Praise Names

Dr Abel  Kprogidi Ubeku  (right)

The death of the Third Republic presidential aspirant of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), High Chief A K Ubeku, as he is popularly called, filtered in over the  weekend and was yesterday confirmed by the Delta State Governor, Dr E.E.Uduaghan who described the late icon  as "a statesman, outstanding academic and father to all beyond his family where he was the patriarch".

 Dr Uduaghan then added that "his death was a big blow to Nigeria, Delta State, the Isoko nation, where the deceased hailed from as well as the entire Ubeku family" and prayed God to grant all those
affected, the fortitude to bear the loss.

He was one of those who popularized the lsoko nation in general and Araya Community in particular.

To those of us who had the good fortune and privilege of having an encounter with him while he was alive, his jokes, stories and wisecracks were endless and his humility, unequalled. His best friends were the little children in Araya who called him 'daddy' and ran to welcome him to town at Owolo bridge at the entrance of the town, in their pants, nose-dripping with catarrh, feet dirty with the sand they were playing with, but oh, how he loved them!.

And soon it was time for the funny titles and praise names that the children called him as he smiled and nodded his head in appreciation, after which he will score them over 10 with more smiles.

Some of the names include: Egbe Egede! Ukpulukpu! Oletu-Ovrawah! Olorogu!  Agu! Odogu! Akataka! Akpakpasimagha! The Eze Amuramu! Eze Echerechi! The Adaidagha ke Ebrutu of Calabar! The Oletu of Aviara! The Awhotu of Iyede! The Ebebedike Agu Kprogidi!

He was one man that spent very few christmases outside Araya.

- Back in the years before NEPA supplied electricity to villages, he single-handedly lit up Araya with R.E. B (whatever that meant).

- He, it was, who provided water for the town from one of the largest water-tanker I have ever seen.

- Back in the years when storey-buildings were a sight, he built one and donated it to the community as a Secondary School.

- He, again, honoured Araya with the presence of a Union Bank branch before it was later moved to Oleh.

- He influenced a motorable road to Araya with a modernized entrance bridge at Owolo.

- He built a town hall for Araya as well

- And, yes, if you have ever been to Our Saviour's Anglican Church in TBS, Lagos,  and marvelled at the magnificence, then you haven't been to St Paul's Anglican Church in Araya, a monument by Dr Abel Ubeku. His life was a road map of a good Christian life.

He was indeed an Iroko of many Firsts:

Nigerian Tobacco Company Plc-

* Dr Ubeku joined the Nigerian Tobacco Company Plc, as a Management Trainee in March 1961 and by October 1966, was promoted as the Company Personnel Manager, a number two position in the company at the time. He thus became the first Nigerian to occupy a position next to that of the Executive Directors in the mid 1960's in that International Company.

* In 1969, Dr Ubeku became the first Nigerian 'expatriate' in the company to be posted to the United Kingdom. Having undergone a Senior Management Course at the B.A.T. Training College in Nutley, near East Gristead in Sussex, he was retained for the whole year as a member of the Teaching Staff.

Industrial Training Fund-

* When the Federal Government established the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in 1972, Dr Ubeku became its first Executive head and Secretary.



Guinness Nigeria Plc-

* Dr Ubeku joined Guinness Nigeria Plc  as Head of Personnel in March 1973, at a time when Guinness was a small company and relatively unknown.

* In 1975, he became the first Nigerian Executive Director and was elevated to the position of Deputy Managing Director in 1979.

* In 1982, he became the first Nigerian to be appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, a position which gave him the opportunity of frequently discussing and analyzing the Nigerian economy with the Directors of UAC International Plc and Guinness Plc in London.

* In 1983, he initiated action on the development of a lager beer made exclusively from local raw materials. This effort resulted in the production of Merit lager beer in 1986. Guinness Nigerian Plc, thus became the first company in Nigeria to produce a beer exclusively from local raw materials, an effort that earned the company Federal Government's commendation in 1993.

* The large Guinness bottle is called ODEKU after him as a coinage from his name.

* By the time Ubeku retired voluntarily in June 1989, the company's Annual Turnover was about 500 million naira with an employee strength of about 4,500.

* He was the first Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the Bendel State University (now Ambrose Alli) Ekpoma, 1981-1984.


Political Activities-

* On retiring from services of Guinness Nigeria Plc in 1989, Dr  Ubeku went into active politics. He was the National Treasurer of the People's Solidarity Party (PSP), one of the 13 political parties which the military Administration at the time did not register.

* When the Military Administration established two political Parties - the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC) Ubeku joined the SDP whose presidential primaries were later aborted. He was the first Presidential candidate from Isoko.

* In May, 1994 Ubeku was elected into the National Constitutional Conference, as a member representing Delta South, Constituency B.

* When the ban on political activities was lifted, he joined the Congress for National Consensus (CNC) and was elected National Chairman of the party in June, 1995. He held that position until September 1997, when he gave it up.

* With the dissolution of the then existing five political parties, Ubeku identified with the G.34 group which eventually formed the People's Democratic Party (PDP) of which he is an active member and a member of the Board of Trustees.

* On October 1, 1983, he received the National Honour of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR).


Dr Abel Kprogidi Ubeku, administrator, lawyer and former managing director of Guinness Nigeria PLC, 76, Born on February 24, 1936 in Araya, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, was educated at the Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan; London School of Economics and Political Science and Leicester College of Technology, both in England, as well as North-Western University, Evanston, Illinois, USA. Dr. Ubeku holds the LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of London. He also had a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Labour Economics, from the University of Sussex, England, among other academic laurels.


He was a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and also member of Council, Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, MAN.


Dr Ubeku, a grand father, who clocked 78 few weeks ago was happily married to Beatrice Obiageli.

RIP Dr Abel Ubeku!