His unending praise names refer to his unequalled generosity as a free giver, especially for developmental projects that dot every Igbo landscape and beyond. “Ozo Igbo Ndu” (saver of the Igbos), “Arthur One Thousand,” “Ala Nazu Nwa” (The breast that feeds babies), “Orimili Atata” (River that never dries), “okpatalu zua ora” (generous man that feeds the masses), “ogalanya bu oku ora” (the wealthy/rich man is a provider for all), among others, in addition to the family’s royal sobriquet of “Eze Na Ukpo” (The King of Ukpo) attest to his long practice of genuine charity. His empathic display of kindness and concern for fellow beings has become his pattern of life amongst particularly the Igbo-speaking clines in the Eastern flank of the River Niger and Nigerians as a whole irrespective of tribe, religion or class.

His humanitarian largesse has brought positive impacts in most developed rural Igbo communities especially in Anambra state in terms of infrastructural advancements, job creation and youth’s empowerment. It is common place for enterprising communities to organise fund-raising activities to generate revenue for the execution of communal projects like civic centres, academic institutions, hospitals, churches, roads, water and rural electrification among others. But one outstanding philanthropist whose name is a recurring decimal point in most of such fund-raising ceremonies and kind dispositions is Engineer Prince Arthur Eze, the Chief Executive Officer of Triax Group of Companies. In this report, Kasie Abone writes that in the midst of Eze’s overflowing opulence and generosity, his simplicity, accessibility, and good nature know no bounds

Background
He was born over 60 years ago to the family of His Royal Highness, Michael Eze, Okofia I and Eze n’Ukpo, the traditional ruler of Ukpo Kingdom, in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra. Two of his elder brothers, late Dr. Walter Eze, a medical doctor and proprietor of the renowned Toronto Hospital, Onitsha and Dr. Robert Eze, Okofia VI (the current traditional ruler of the town) reigned over the town after the death of his father. An engineer by training, Eze is married to a teacher and his marriage is blessed with five children: three sons and two daughters. Despite his immense means, his children were brought up in the strictest, disciplined tradition with strong aversion for vulgar display of wealth. In spite of running a closely knit family, his children were not known to have indulged in elaborate birthday parties. In addition to his siblings, Eze has many half-brothers and half-sisters with his father, as is customary in royal homes, married many wives, all of them bonded in love and oneness; thanks to Arthur’s generous disposition towards all.

Born to give
That he has an aversion to suffering is merely stating the obvious. His belief is that God cannot make everybody rich at the same time – that God blessed him with stupendous wealth to bless the less privileged irrespective of class, tribe or religion. As an untiring giver Eze has a single-minded commitment to eradicate poverty by empowering individuals to create wealth for a better society. The magnitude of his hospitality, overwhelming limitless easy access, freedom to interact, dine and wine with all people amidst banters set him apart from other men of means. The Obi of Abagana, Igwe Mbamalu Okeke, one of his closest associates, says of his generosity: “I doubt if there is any Nigerian who is as generous as Arthur in the number of houses he builds for the indigent, cars he gives out or churches and individuals or communities he supports. Arthur falls sick whenever he has no money to give out for good causes.”

His philosophy of philanthropy
Arthur Eze makes massive financial contributions to various communal and governmental projects not only in Anambra but across the country. The list of beneficiaries of his philantrophy is endless. Numerous towns, religious bodies and charitable organisations sing praises whenever Prince Eze stretches his hands of kindness to them. Some examples will suffice. As chief launcher at a fund raiser by Benue State government in 1992, during the administration of Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu (now deceased) Eze shocked the audience with a whopping cash donation of N20 million (equivalent of about N2 billion today) delivered on the spot which elicited deafening ovation, to the admiration of the then military President Ibrahim Babangida who was present the event.

In 2013, Prince Eze stunned his audience when he doled out a whopping $12 million (an equivalent of N1.8 billion) to St. Stephen’s Anglican Deaconry and Youth Development Centre in Otuoke, Bayelsa; ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s home church. His response to critics was simple: “God gave me the money to contribute to the church. We are thanking God for what he has done for Otuoke. It was abandoned for many years. They had no water, no electricity until when God brought Jonathan to change that place. Let the people have a place to worship God.”

An ageing Enugu-based journalist had a date with fortune some years ago when he was offered a parting gift of a brand new car by the Ukpo Prince when he joined other pressmen for an interactive session with the Triax boss in his sprawling residence at GRA, Enugu. Little did he expect such a surprise package when Prince Eze gave him a parting gift, again, to the admiration and loud applause of the journalists present, who individually received a dose of generosity of this multibillionaire. During the 2014 Christmas and 2015 New Year’s festive period, Eze attended a wedding silver jubilee thanksgiving church service of his friend at a neighbouring Abagana community. He stirred the congregation with a N20 million donation and a financial windfall for the choir, officiating priests and different adult and youth groups to the tune of several millions of Naira. Three days later, he donated N5 million to the same community through an emissary, on the occasion of the 2014 Abagana General Return and launch of appeal fund for an ultra-modern civic centre.

Prince Eze’s residences at GRA Enugu and Abuja are distinguished by the huge presence of less privileged people whose only hope of existence and survival hinge on the shoulders of the generous business mogul who personally attends to them. To them, the prince is the only messiah they know and the last bastion of hope to be alive. He is also known to have contributed $6.3 million to flood relief efforts in the country in 2012, as well as to ongoing educational causes which include donations to universities.

To expand and sustain empowerment and poverty reduction, Arthur Eze Foundation was established. Last year alone, at Ekwueme Square, Awka, Anambra State capital, thousands of Anambrarians were empowered with sewing machines, dryers, generators among many others to set up their small-scale businesses. Eze has hugely intervened in the areas of providing medical care to the sick in different hospitals across Nigeria including sponsoring medical missions to overseas hospitals on serious cases that need expert attention that is not available in Nigeria.

Ukpo’s illustrious son
Prince Eze’s milk of kindness also offers succour to his kinsmen. In his Ukpo community, the natives are always counting their blessings whenever the oil magnate comes home. Apart from single-handedly attracting a medical research unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prince Eze’s goodwill and influence has attracted numerous other infrastructures and developmental projects to his town.

The creation of Dunukofia LGA from the old Njikoka local government; modernisation of the local market near the Ukpo palace as well as the network of asphalted roads linking the Dunukofia clan with neighbouring towns, like Abba, Awkuzu, Ifite-Dunu and Abagana, are a few of his numerous projects he single-handedly attracted to his town. Though an Anglican, Arthur also independently built both the Catholic and Anglican churches in his home town while students and pupils are placed on scholarships from primary up to secondary school level with employments given to numerous graduates from the town. Numerous widows and poor people receive regular financial grants from him and houses were built for the less privileged by the outstanding philanthropist, who often urges his lucky beneficiaries to always pray to God to keep him alive to continue the charity works for the benefit of the needy and the society at large.

Ofala festival in Ukpo Kingdom has taken a different coloration. The annual festival which traditionally marks the end of a year and beginning of a new one now serves as the last hope of the poor, the weak, the old, orphans, the less-privileged, widows and widowers. Eze has successfully changed the day to a fun-filled occasion; he dines and wines with the downtrodden, distributes clothes, money, food items and also uses the event to pay school fees of children from indigent homes.

Eze’s business
Prince Arthur Eze is a major player in both local and international oil market. His company, Atlas Oranto Petroleum International Limited, a wholly Nigerian oil exploration and production company, operates oil blocks in Nigeria and West African sub-region. AOPL also maintains vast interests in upstream sector cutting across Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Chad, Ivory Coast and Liberia. Its technical partners include Roc Oil, Pioneer Natural Resources of the USA, Canoxy, Transworld of the USA, LukOil of Russia, Tetra, Noble, Kosmos Energy of the USA, Petronas of Malaysia, DNO of Norway, TransAtlantic Petroleum of the USA and Canada’s Nexen. His airline Triax Airline, which operated locally, went off airspace in 2000. He also has substantial investments in Premier Breweries which has been re-engineered to commence production in Onitsha. Orient Nigeria Limited, the Onitsha based first privately-owned refinery, belongs to him.

A power broker, an inclusive politician
Arthur’s style of inclusive politics has seen him supporting every party for the common good and sustainable development of Igbos in particular and Nigeria as a whole. “I belong to all political parties. APGA was formed in my house,” he was quoted as saying. Chief Victor Umeh, erstwhile APGA National Chairman, affirmed this claim when he told his audience at the last general elections campaign at Ukpo that the Prince funded APGA registration to give Igbos a voice in Nigerian politics. Over the past two decades Arthur has played very key behind-the-scene roles in shaping the political fortunes and future of his native Anambra and the entire South-East geo-political zone. Some of the candidates who have hugely benefitted from his benevolence include Mrs. Joy Emordi whom he nurtured from a neophyte to political prominence; former CBN governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Chief Chris Ubah; the self-confessed political godfather, Tony Nwoye; 2013 Anambra PDP governorship aspirant, Mr. Agagbo Cosmas; former Anambra PDP chairman among many others.

Unconfirmed reports also say that he was instrumental to the emergence of Mr. Ugwuanyi as Enugu State governor. Besides supporting individual candidacy, Arthur also throws his weight behind state governors. The peace enjoyed in Anambra today could be traceable to his generous support of security fund in former Peter Obi and Chief Willie Obiano’s governments. As chief launcher at Obi’s Security Trust Fund (ASSTF) launch, Eze made a donation of N2 billion. He replicated such gesture with a donation of $1 million in support of Obiano’s security trust fund, the singular most generous donor which has seen a tremendous reduction in crime rate in the state.

At Obiano’s one year anniversary, Eze was the only opposition member that stood stoically behind him. A staunch supporter of PDP and former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, Eze reportedly visited President Muhammadu Buhari and promised to support his government. His argument was that God gives power and authority and whoever God elects to lead should be given maximum support.

Eze and his orchestra
At a corner of Arthur Eze’s palatial living rooms at Ukpo, Enugu and Abuja, standby orchestras fill the courts with heavenly hymns in praise of God for his goodness and abundant blessings upon his life. The choir dishes out soulful, melodious Christian songs and hymns to the listening pleasure of his guests and they are handsomely rewarded for their efforts. This aligns with his belief that God created man with the ability to sing and to make music with musical instruments to complement the voice in praise of Him, and a constant reminder of man’s immortality and a higher purpose on earth. He also enjoys karaoke in choice hotels. Eze is also a great fan of the late highlife music maestro, Oliver De Coque and Emeka Morocco Maduka, the creator of Ekpili brand of music both of who waxed albums to eulogise his opulence and generosity.

Living life to the full
Eze does not just enable people to enjoy good life through his generosity, he enjoys good life himself. From the glittering Rolls Royce (Phantom) and he has about five of them, to other choice wonders on wheels that adorn his garage to his Bombardier private jet estimated to cost about $25 million, Eze lives life to the full. He made history when he became the first Nigerian to land a private jet at Enugu International Airport. His mantra was that man will not live forever but touching humanity positively was an enduring legacy worth leaving after his life’s earthly journey. Yet in all of it, he is a classic example of simplicity and humility. His traditional casual attires, track suits and T-shirts belie his boundless opulence. But for activities that herald his entrance, Arthur could be missed in a crowd.

Ultimate dream
Arthur Eze’s desire is to leave a Nigeria where there is less pain; where the gap between the poor and rich is closed; where the less privileged will have access to hospitals and decent accommodation. When this is done, Eze would be happy when his creator beckons, that he has fulfilled his mission on earth. Until then, Eze’s unquenchable desire to keep giving continues unabated.