LOCATED in present day Ohafia Local Government in Abia North Senatorial zone of Abia State, the Abiriba people have a rich and amazing history. Generally referred to as one of the Cross River Igbos, they migrated to their present location about 500 to 600 years ago from Northern Cross River.

Their topography is hilly with sandy rocky soil, not very friendly to farming, but compensates with an avalanche of rivers, streams and springs. They were predominantly a community of farmers and blacksmithers.

At the zenith of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 17th Century, the first set of Abiriba blacksmiths left their community and established their trade in Arochukwu, the fulcrum of the slave business in Igbo land.  As there were no vehicles or horses, they needed to produce their goods closer to the market.

These great men, Nwafor, Udenyi and Ude started the apprenticeship system of taking into their trade, young boys aged between five and 10, who were trained in morals, discipline and the skills of blacksmithing. Their main products were hoes, matchets, cudgels, guns, chains and ivory.

While some engaged in manufacture, others distributed such manufactured goods all across present day Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa states.

Such apprentices, sometimes upon starting their own business, became more successful than their master. The system encouraged them to engage other apprentices from the village, not necessarily their blood relations, to learn under them. This practice has endured over the centuries till now.

The consequence of these centuries of apprenticeship and international trade, was that great wealth came into the community and ordained a culture of peer competition where exceptionally gifted young people created wealth, at a relatively young age.

In 1975, a young man who could not continue secondary school education four years earlier, due to lack of finance, and as a result of the civil war, and who had been apprenticed to a master ( the late Chief OkaforMang) to learn trading, attracted great attention in a community that boasted so many great men of wealth such as Chief Nnanna Kalu, Chief Okafor Mang, Chief Nwojo Omokorie, all of blessed memory.

The young man’s name was Dike Udensi Ifegwu. He was 24 years old. He had just built a two storey building of six flats, but was still living in two rented rooms.

The community took note. In the next four years, he committed his mind and soul to large scale importation and distribution of various goods, attracting the attention of the big four banks then: Union, First, U.B.A and Afribank. At the young age of 30 in 1981, of the over 20 factories established by Abiriba people in Aba, he alone owned three namely: Dubic breweries (brewers of Dubic Beer), Dubic Industries and Unijoy Paper Mills.

At the age of 39, in 1990 he was majority shareholder in two banks: Alpha Merchant Bank and Citizens International Bank, where he was Chairman. As Chairman of Citizens International Bank, he conducted meetings with precision, candour and understanding. During meetings, he ensured every member voiced his opinion on any item on the agenda.

He never interfered with management on any issue, not even employment.  I was always amazed as to how somebody who did not go beyond class one in secondary school, could understand basic principles embodied in a financial statement.  He will ask questions or seek clarifications on such accounting principles like accruals, depreciation and amortization.  His understanding of risk assets was beyond the ordinary.

It is to his credit that during his tenure as Chairman of Citizens bank, the bank was the most profitable among the new generation banks.

Lord Chief Dike Udensi was a pioneer in many ways. He was known to be the first Nigerian to solely establish a brewery that produced Dubic Beer. Guiness Nigeria is reaping bountifully from the brand today. In 1991, he joined others to establish a bank in Benin Republic called Banc Internationale du Benin, where he was made a Director. As early as 1993, he teamed up with Jimi Lawal to buy the 40% shares of Banc Internationale Afric Occidentale in Afrikbank. This would have made him the highest shareholder and owner of Afribank.

This dream was aborted by the late Gen. Abacha which led to his exile from Nigeria until Abacha died in 1998. By 1992, he and Jimi Lawal also negotiated and started construction of a 600-room Alpha Sofitel Hotel by the Bar Beach, overlooking the Lagos Lagoon. This also was aborted by the government-induced collapse of Alpha Merchant Bank.

Chief Udensi Ifegwu, was truthful to himself.  He called himself a trader and refused to be lured into any enterprise he could not clearly comprehend its nuances, no matter the projected profit. He was pragmatic in his business dealings, avoiding undue psychedelism, but with an eye on results. Though socially, he was extremely shy, he was humongously bold when it came to business decisions.

As this Abiriba Icon goes home at the young age of 61, it is important the country remembers him for the thousands of lives he touched through the various businesses he established. He exemplifies the notion that a person can be immensely successful, without government contract or government patronage, such as import duty waivers. His life is a testimony that university education or an MBA alone does not determine how successful a person would be.

Mr. JACKSON ABBAH, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.