By SUNNY IKHIOYA

The shelves, both at home and offices scattered around Nigeria and abroad, are strewn with trophies, awards, and plaques, honouring his company and himself. The flagship Lee Engineering and Construction Company has received numerous certificates of quality services from grateful clients and governments both here in Nigeria and abroad.

For the Chairman himself, Dr Leemon Ikpea, the catapult to the spotlight was not something he envisaged or craved for, being a quiet, reticent and overtly shy person, but his performance and contributions to society have made the life he craved for impossible to live in. 

Like they say, a goldfish has no hiding place. That is his lot for now. The more he tries to avoid the spotlight, the more it bores down on him. The latest being the conferment of a Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa, from the prestigious University of Benin, last month, November 2024. His very busy schedule could not make it possible for him to be present physically to collect the award certificate. Even then, it was well received by his representatives on his behalf. 

This will not be the first time that he will be receiving a Doctorate Award. He had earlier earned that through the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and the Benson Idahosa University, Benin City. When he received those awards, we knew it was going to be the beginning of greater things to come. 

On the national front, he had earned two Businessman of the Year awards from top national dailies – The Sun and Vanguard, both coming successively. The Federal Government also recognised his contribution to industry by conferring him with the OON(Officer of the order of the Niger) and later the CON, Commander of the Order of the Niger medals. His contribution to philanthropy, through the Agbonjagwe Foundation, is also well recorded. Also to his credit are numerous scholarships to indigent students pursuing both professional and non-professional courses, including medicine and engineering. 

Indeed, there are other accolades and awards too numerous to mention here, but all of these are not the reasons we are writing about Leemon Ikpea here. We try as much as possible to highlight the qualities in him that have made him tick and become a role model and reference point for others coming behind. It is said that ‘when you see a man who has climbed through the ladder of success, and you are able to chart the path and replicate the methodologies he has used to get to the top, your chance of becoming successful is high”, barring unforeseen circumstances. 

What makes this man tick? The first thing that will strike you is his humility. I have heard and read about the virtues of humility, especially from the Bible, but when you are with Dr Ikpea, it is a different matter. His humility disarms you. You are surprised with what you are seeing. Is this the man? People say that if you want to know the true character of a man, examine him when he has acquired wealth and power status. The ability to stay humble with both wealth and power is a great virtue and sign of humility for any man. In fact, it is a blessing. Instead of making him haughty, Leemon is the more humbled. It is infectious to all of those around him. 

From his hometown Ewatto, in Edo State, to Warri, where he was bred and buttered and to all of the big cities all over the world, to Harvard University, where he has a certificate in Business Administration, the general verdict is that Leemon is a man of humility. I hope our youths are taking notice. Another thing to look out for in Dr Leemon Ikpea is his integrity. When he says it, he is committed to fulfilling it. If you do not get it from him, it means he has not clearly made his promise to you. 

We have all heard the story of how he started his working career; how, following his father’s advice, he took up a less paying job over a bigger one with the Nigerian ports authority, NPA, Warri. At the time in Warri, NPA was the reigning company and everyone wanted to have a piece of the pie there. But Leemon snubbed  their job offer, and today, the story is different. The small company he joined was where his integrity was put to the full test. A huge amount of money was placed under his care by his expatriate boss, with the intention that he would use a little discretion on the money under his care, the latitude to spend as he wanted. But he did not follow that path. Instead, his bosses found the money intact the way they had given it to him, not a single dime of the money was touched. 

Thenceforth, he never had to apply for a job all through his working career, as one boss was passing him on to the other as they were leaving the country. And, when he started his company, his integrity was further put to the test when he was awarded a contract by one of the leading oil firms in the country. 

By the time he started the job, he discovered that he had seriously under-quoted by several millions of naira. We are talking about those days when the naira had strong value against other currencies of the world. He was faced with two options: to abandon the job, as he will not receive even a kobo from it, or to go ahead and complete it to keep his integrity intact. He chose to do the latter. The rest, they say, is history. That is where the lion in him comes into play. The ability to brave the odds, going through tough paths and overcoming. 

Challenged by humble beginnings, he set his focus on overcoming and never relented until he got to the top. Taking the decision to avoid a well-paying job was something only a brave heart would venture into. Many colleagues tried to dissuade him from going that route, but he stood firmly by his decision. 

Today, some of these men are now key members of his staff in the Lee Engineering group. That is the stuff of tough men. So, you see, in his humility lies a very strong mind underneath that propels him towards his goal, irrespective of the obstacles on the way. Such is the stuff of the man, Leemon Agbonjagwe Ikpea. 

He will be a year older tomorrow, December 19, 2024. Here is wishing him long life, in good health, to continue the marvellous job he is doing for humanity. 

*Ikhioya wrote via: http://www.southsouthecho.com