By Sunny Ikhioya

A former colleague of Chief Leemon Ikpea once narrated the story of what happened when Leemon turned in his letter of resignation from paid employment.

This was after he had worked in different expatriate companies and was unquestionably a success story.

It was, for this reason, this colleague of Chief Ikpea could not comprehend his decision. So, he went to him, and almost for the whole day, tried to make Leemon to change his mind.

A man of weak heart and of no convictions would have easily succumbed to the friend’s plea, but not Leemon.

At age 34, he already had had enough of paid employment and wanted to do things himself.

Today, the success story is right there for everyone to see: that seed that was sown a little over 30 years ago now has over 2000 staff feeding directly from it, aside the many thousands earning indirectly in different fields of endeavour.

That seed now has the Agbonjagwe foundation that has produced over 70 doctors and engineers each, not to talk of several thousands in other fields of study. But what does 30 years mean to Leemon Ikpea? In my search, I discovered that 30 is often associated with certain characteristics; it is seen as a ‘sign of completion- change’. It is also, ‘often built up to be a huge landmark.

The first big celebration after coming of age’. It can also be seen as a marker of how much we have achieved.

Thirty was also an important age for people in Biblical times. Levitical  priests, for instance, came to assume that position at the age of 30 years ‘because at that age, man reaches mental and physical maturity.’

It must also be noted that Christ began preaching at age 30. According to Numerology, ‘30 represents highly creative and social energies, it resonates with optimism’. Someone also observed that life gets supersonic at age 30.

If you look around the world today, the highest number of creative achievers are in this bracket. Another interesting one is this: “30 has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story.”

According to Affinity Numerology: “As an overview, the essence of the number 30 is a composite containing the ideas of; creative self expression, social certainty, tolerance, imaginative, inspiration and optimism”.

With the above, we can conclude that at age 30 man is all ready to face all that the world has to offer. So at age 34, after exemplary services in different companies, serving under various capacities, especially in the oil and gas sector, Ikpea founded the Lee Engineering and Construction company, with a container as office somewhere around the Okumagba Estate Area of Warri.

Today, if you visit the expansive base yard of Lee Engineering, along the NPA Warri – Ekpan expressway, you will find this container in one of the corners; the story of the company cannot be complete without the container; it holds its own historical significance.

Age 30 is very significant in the history of the company as it marked landmark period of changes.

At age 34, Leemon founded the company, taking a leap into the world of uncertainty and weathered through many storms to bring the company to the height that it has reached today.

In the month of November, the company celebrated 30 years of existence and it is clear, from what the Chairman told the people, that major changes are ongoing. In the first instance, he is making those foundational members of staff to become partners in the business; in other words, they have become shareholders.

It is a very important step for the company as it borders on succession management.

At age 30, the company is seriously pursuing the completion of its expanded fabrication workshop.

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This project has gulped millions of dollars and it is focused towards making Nigeria self-sufficient in the production of spare parts and tools relevant to the oil and gas sectors.

When it comes on stream, this project will save the country of very scarce foreign exchange, that businesses in Nigeria are finding difficult to access on a daily basis.

Staff have been sent abroad for training and acquisition of the relevant skills for the take off; barring unforeseen circumstances, this plant will begin operations very soon. At 30, the company has also diversified into areas of manufacturing, travels and tours, aviation, supermarket chain, and still counting.

Thirty years of existence is worthy of celebration; so the company arranged a low-key thanksgiving celebration to mark the occasion. In business, statistics have shown that the first 90 per cent of business startups die within the first five years; and again, 10 per cent of the remaining die in another five years. Celebrating a company’s survival after 30 years, therefore, means a lot.

So, what should we be looking out for in the next phase of Leemon’s life? He has built institutions, built men who have become established in their own right and built bridges of connectivity and interaction throughout the world; all of these have become real assets to the company which he has built.

It is important to note that, despite the height that he has attained in business, Leemon still finds time in search of knowledge.

As an alumni of the Harvard Business School, he keeps in touch with colleagues spread across cities all over the world, keeping abreast of contemporary happenings, especially in the business world.

With knowledge and experience gained, he can now focus on succession management, the process of which he has started. Leemon is a child of circumstances who was destined to be great.

Despite his relatively humble beginning, he had always set his sight on the ultimate prize and that is: to be the best.

What is next for Chief Leemon Ikpea? He has worked with integrity all through his life and this has reflected in all the people he has come across, both in business or private circumstances.

He has shown concern for the needy through different forums. He has done a lot of mentoring and many of his boys are now occupying top positions in different fields of endeavours.

He is embarking on more mentoring and raising men so that the future can be assured for his company and society in general.

The boys that he mentored in the past have now become men, some now shareholders, who have been saddled with the task of taking the company to new heights.

Finally, on Sunday, December 19, 2021, Leemon Ikpea celebrated his 65th birthday anniversary.

From the messages of goodwill he received from individuals and through the media, it is clear that he has really impacted on people’s lives.

That is the stuff of which leaders are made and here is wishing him many, many happy returns of the day.

Ikhioya wrote via: www.southsouthecho.com

Vanguard News Nigeria