Chief E. O. Ashamu

Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu (Chief E. O. Ashamu) was a wealthy land owner and Oyo chief who was prominent in the Nigerian business sector during the 1960s- 80s.^[1] He was a pharmacist by training and was the owner of Indistrial Chemists Ltd, Lagos.

BIO

Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu was a wealthy land owner and Oyo chief who was prominent in the Nigerian business sector during the 1960s-80s. He rose to become one of most prominent businessmen in Africa, with interests in agriculture, banking, transportation and real estate. A devout Christian, Chief Ashamu was the patriarch of a large extended family and known as a revered leader in his community.^[2]

LIFE

Chief Ashamu was born on the 14th of August, 1924, to Chief Agbankin Ashamu of Oyo, a Yoruba tribal chief in Western Nigeria. He attended Durbar School, Oyo, and the Grammar School, Ilesha. He later studied Pharmacy at Yaba Higher College, graduating in 1951. He started work with the Nigerian government as a pharmacist at the Orthopaedic Hospital, he later left and joined Lion Chemists as a manager. In 1954, he became the managing director of Industrial Chemists in Lagos. Chief Ashamu was a pharmacist by training and was later the owner of Industrial Chemists Ltd, Lagos, among many other prosperous businesses.

He was board director of Oke-Afa Farms and the Nigerian Explosives and Plastic Company, all of which he had majority shareholding. He was also the owner of Igbeti Marbles: there are two types of marble available in Igbeti; the pure white marble and the gray white marble. Both are of very high quality with about 98% purity. The Ashamu marble deposit extends up to 25km sq.

In the 60s, he delved into the real estate sector and was involved in land development including Ire Akari estate, Alausa Lagos and may areas of the Yoruba land. His landed property spanned across Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Chief Ashamu died in 1992.

References

1. ^ "Black Power". The Wall Street Journal. 30 October 1979. 
2. ^ Craig, Thomas (1998). "Ashamu Holdings Limited". In James E. Austin, Tomas O. Kohn. Strategic Management in Developing Countries. Simon and Schuster. p. 578. ISBN 9780684863702.