By ANDREW EIGBEDION

The Nigerian Presidency recently released the official list of 101 awardees for the 2025 Democracy Day National Honours, recognising Nigerians, both living and dead, who have made significant contributions to the nation’s democratic journey and overall progress of the country. The Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year.

They were instituted by the National Honours Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Nigerian Republic to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation. People receive these honours to convey to them the appreciation the country has for their accomplishments. The 2025 Nigeria National Honours was conferred on several living and deceased individuals for their contributions to human rights, literature, journalism, politics, civil society, humanity and public service. 

But one notable omission from the list of 2025 Nigeria National nominees was  Bishop Matthew Okpebholo (JP). Just two days after the list of awardees for National Honours was released, I had the singular honour and privilege of delivering a public lecture titled “Ideas to Impact: Turning passions into profitable ventures” to a teeming audience of physical and virtual attendees on the occasion of the 75th birthday celebration of Rt Rev Bishop Matthew Akhaze Okpebholo (JP) and the 29th anniversary of the establishment of the Matthew Okpebholo Foundation at Uromi, Edo State.

The Lecture offered me the opportunity to x-ray this Nigerian, born mid-day, mid-week, mid-month, mid-year and mid-century on the 15th of June, 1950 to the Okpebholo family in the modest town of Uromi, Edo State. Rt Rev Okpebholo began life with no visible privileges-no silver spoon, no inheritance to lean on, and no connections to manipulate. What he had, instead, was a burning desire to rise. And rise he did-by embracing hard work, discipline, and a fearless willingness to learn.

By the age of 20, he had established Royal Steel Works, a humble venture that would later grow into what we now know as Ray Royal Construction Company Limited-one of the most respected Engineering/Construction firms in Nigeria with offices across the country and employing over 1000 people, including expatriates, thereby supporting hundreds of households and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic fabric. Bishop Okpebholo saw that his fellow Nigerians needed jobs, so he built businesses. He saw that young people needed education, so he built schools. He saw people dying from preventable and curable diseases, he built hospitals. He saw spiritual hunger, so he answered the call to Ministry.

Dr Matthew A. Okpebholo gave his life to Christ in 1974 and became a Substantive Pastor in 1985. Subsequently, he was formally ordained into the five-fold ministry as a Reverend Minister under the Church of God Mission International on August 6, 1989 by Archbishop Benson Idahosa of blessed memory. Bishop Okpebholo has shown us that business and ministry can walk together. That faith and finance are not enemies. That one man-driven by a clear vision and guided by God-can shape industries, communities, and futures. His micro finance scheme made of cash and material donations also include settlement of hospital/medical, school and examination fees and other indebtedness for widows and single parents and to date, well over 7,000 families have benefited. There are also some widows on a monthly allowance.

For over 29 years, he has consistently provided free legal aid services to prison/correctional centre inmates and where the courts impose a minor fine, he pays it for those who are unable to afford it. One major hallmark of the Prison/Correctional Outreach is the provision of financial aid and rehabilitation materials to those who have been released to enable them go home and be reunited with their loved ones or to start life anew.

It would interest his Excellency President Bola Tinubu that the day he announced the 2025 Nigeria National Honours Award nominees on June 12, 2025, the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, ably represented, was in Irrua Edo State to commission a new Geriatric Centre at the Federal Government owned Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, ISTH. This complex was solely built at a whooping sum of  N100,000,000.00 (one hundred million naira only)  and donated to the ISTH Management by Bishop Okpebholo for the care of geriatric patients. What a coincidence that this illustrious Uromi man of Esan North East Local Government Area shares the same surname with the Governor of Edo State who hails from Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area in Edo State and they are not direct blood relatives.

The Geriatric Centre is not an Old-Peoples Home as many would want to assume. Geriatrics is a Medical Specialty focused on addressing the unique health needs of older adults (senior citizens). It is instructive that the first Geriatric Centre in Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa was first built and commissioned on November 17, 2012 by another illustrious Esan Son of blessed memory, the late Chief Anthony Anenih, at the University College Hospital, Ibadan Oyo State. The Matthew Okpebholo Geriatric Centre in ISTH therefore represents another masterstroke in community empowerment, development, and impact making. This is also not to forget the Accident and Emergency Complex at the Uromi General Hospital he solely built, tastefully equipped with modern therapeutic and diagnostic facilities and which he donated to the Edo State Government four years ago with a promise to supply all the consumables for the care of patients for the next 100 years!!!!

 Bishop Okpebholo has been involved in numerous community and philanthropic gestures not only in Edo State but also in the entire country. He has single-handedly constructed and donated several roads to ease transportation network within many communities and Nigerian higher institutions notably in the University of Benin Benin-City, Federal Polytechnic Auchi, the entire road network in the College of Medicine of the Benson Idahosa University Benin-City, Igbinedion University Okada, Adegboyega University Ogwa, Edo State, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma to mention but a few.

These projects are verifiable for any doubting Thomases. Little wonder that the Management of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma once described this illustrious Nigerian as a man of God with the heart of gold. Bishop Okpebholo has trained and equipped over 5,000 Pastors and church workers, and has created a new paradigm for the church in Nigeria on the true meaning of The Church by providing on a consistent basis since 1975, financial and material support to various churches, including assisting them in the completion of their church buildings as well as financial empowerment of Pastors outside his own denomination of Church of God Mission International.

Bishop Okpebholo’s recently celebrated his 75th birthday and this was the honouring of a legacy-a legacy built not only in brick and mortar, but in lives transformed, institutions built, and dreams made possible. The life of Bishop Okpebholo is a master-class in how passion, when properly channelled, can create enduring impact-and how ideas, when nurtured with discipline and faith, can be turned into thriving, profitable ventures. And yet, ask anyone who has met him, and they will tell you: he remains humble, approachable, unassuming  and deeply committed to seeing others rise.

What made the 75th birthday celebration of Rt Rev Okpebholo more special was not that we were just merry-making. It was that he had chosen to mark this milestone by investing again in indigent Nigerian university undergraduate final year students. A tradition he has sustained for 29 unbroken years by giving Annual bursary awards to randomly selected indigent undergraduate final year students across most of the universities in Nigeria, including students from Federal Government-owned institutions. It is on record that over 15,000 documented undergraduate students have benefitted from his generosity and capacity building efforts in Nigerian youths since the inception of his Foundation. This is not to forget several thousands of Undergraduate/Postgraduate Students that have benefitted directly from this man without going through the official route of the Foundation. On his 75th birthday when most people would expect to receive, he chose to give. ?50,000 each to 1,000 indigent final-year university students. That is ?50,000,000.00 (fifty million naira) in one swoop by investing in the future of the next generation of Nigerian builders, creators, thinkers, and leaders. Bishop Matthew Okpebholo has promised to increase the current bursary from N50,000.00 to N100,000.00 for indigent Final Year Undergraduates in 2026. He has also promised to single-handedly construct and donate a new Lecture Hall valued at N120,000,000.00 (one hundred and twenty million naira) to the Federal Government-owned National Institute of Construction Technology and Management in Uromi to celebrate his birthday next year. ` 

Twenty-nine years ago, instructively and fittingly too, I was a beneficiary of the Dr Matthew Okpebholo Foundation as a Medical Student of the Edo State University now Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Through the goodwill of the bursary award I received from this great Nigerian, I was able to navigate a very trying and difficult situation of paying a huge financial group contribution that facilitated the transfer of my 1992 admission set to the University of Benin as a result of accreditation problems then of the College of Medicine Edo State University with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. On behalf of every Nigerian student beneficiary of the Dr Matthew Okpebholo Foundation, every dreamer with a burning idea, every young person who dares to hope-we say thank you. Thank you for leading by example. Thank you for proving that generosity from the abundance of God’s blessings to humanity pays

Dr Matthew Okpebholo is now a Bishop Emeritus and Board Trustee of the Church of God Mission International. He has used these positions to strengthen both faith and infrastructure in the Church. He is the Vice Chairman of the Governing Council of Benson Idahosa University, Edo State helping to guide the direction of a University that educates thousands of students. With over 230 National and International awards to his name-from Papal blessings in Rome to at least 6 Nigerian University Doctorate Degrees (Honoris Causa), Dr Matthew Akhaze Okpebholo continues to shine as a bright star and a good example to Nigerian Youths and generations yet unborn. Even now at 75, Bishop Okpebholo’s biggest joy is not in his awards or accolades-it is in knowing that someone, somewhere, will rise because he gave. He did not just celebrate 75 years. He  celebrated 75 years of relevance, resilience, and remarkable impact.

Bishop Matthew Akhaze Okpebholo has shown that he is a worthy candidate for future nomination to be recognised and decorated by the authorities of his country of birth for his numerous philanthropic gestures and contribution to a better Nigerian society. 

•Dr Eigbedion can be reached via: [email protected];