Oranto Oil chairman, Arthur Eze surprises hometown at Church Service
…Announces initial N10bn for planned Walter Eze Varsity, Ukpo
More citizens of Ukpo in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, hometown of Nigerian international investor in upstream oil and gas and chairman, Oranto Atlas Petroleum, Prince Arthur Eze, have continued to express their happiness on his recent multimillion naira donations during last week church service at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Ukpo.
Explaining the person of Prince Eze in a telephone interview, former Secretary General of Balogun Business Association (BBA) at the Lagos trade fair complex, Chief Emma Otunabo, he said “For more than decades, Prince Arthur Eze had been a clear blessing to mankind not only in our community, but across the world and Nigeria in particular”.
“To us at Ukpo, Prince Arthur Eze is known as ‘Ozoigbondu’, meaning God’s given son of the land that saves us without being called upon. What he did at the church service was not announcement of donations, but instant issuance of cheques on all donations and pledges he announced.
Chief Otunabo further called on other sons and daughters who God has blessed to emulate Prince Eze’s philanthropy as a way of alleviating poverty in Africa as a whole.
Business Hilights recalls that added to his massive investments in South Sudanese oil exploration, he has equally upgraded South Sudan’s education industry with massive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) even as he has extended similar assistance to Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, where he also invested in their oil and gas and allied sectors.
Prince Arthur Eze had disrupted the announcement of a mandatory levy on every citizen of his community to raise funds for construction of a new secondary school at Akaezi Ukpo during the recent Easter Sunday service at St Mary’s Anglican Church Ukpo by standing up midway into the announcement to ask for the totality of the amount needed for the project which he instantly doled out the cheque.
Otherwise, he cancelled the levy and donated exactly the amount needed for the project.
In his speech the oil and gas magnet insisted that “Where there are means, the poor should not be made to pay levy,” noting that “Ndi be anyi (my people), we cannot continue to press the poor to pay levy. Since there are means I cancel all levies to raise funds. Tell me the amount you need and I will give it to you. We must allow the poor especially elderly to enjoy peace”
To further disrupt and fire up cries of joy during the Easter Church Service, the Oranto Oil boss wrote another cheque of N10m for all the elderly in the church.
This is coming in sequence as he also issued set of N10m cheques each for all the schools in Ukpo for their 2019 upkeeps. These are aside the total project cost for the construction of the new secondary school at Akaezi Ukpo which he has already accepted and given the cheque.
Prince Eze used the charged occasion to announc the receipt of approval to establish Walter Eze University in Ukpo and the release of initial takeoff fund of N10bn, saying “The university will focus on the very essential faculties and departments as work at the site will commence after Easter celebrations.”
Other members of Ukpo Community, who spoke with Business Hilights South East bureau chief at the church venue shortly after the Service, recalled that their illustrious son, Prince Eze had over the years touched several lives both within and outside the state.
To them, Prince Engr Arthur Eze, who is globally known for philanthropy has been in business of developing his community over thirty years and still counting.
They revealed that in his name institutions like Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Annex Ukpo, Bank of Agriculture Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Council with headquarters at Ukpo etc are all located in Ukpo. This is aside his constructions and donations for the local needs like Oye Market Ukpo, street lights, churches, community halls among others. Our correspondent gathered that presently about eleven roads are been simultaneously constructed in Ukpo courtesy of this same Nigerian oil and gas noiseless mogul.
