Following his biography on Wikipedia, Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah is a fifty year old Nigerian Billionaire, an oil magnate, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist.
Ogah is the President of Master Energy Group, a conglomerate with over 15 subsidiaries and interests across a variety of industries.
His journey into the billionaires’ world is indeed worthy of being told.
He hails from Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State. As a recognized investor and politician, he holds a National Honour, the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)
As the founder of the Masters Energy Group, he has indeed proved that success is more about the size of the mind and clarity of vision, than it is about physique.
His soar-away success lends credence to the fact that says you can only achieve as far as you can see.
Interestingly his high academic qualifications combined with a promising career in the banking sector, with one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, could have made the potential of getting to the pinnacle in the sector.
However, his gaze was fixed at entrepreneurship, and nothing was going to make him look anywhere else, not even the prospect of getting to the top echelon of a mega brand like Zenith Bank.
Basically, Ogah’s story is not the usual boring rags-to-riches story of many a successful person. As he wasn’t born with the proverbial silver spoon, he was also not born into abject poverty, either. Although he admits that since he did not have a rosy childhood, he could not have most of the things he would have wished to have. Thus, He grew up like any other child in the village.
Importantly, one philosophy that has guided Ogah from childhood, through education to his days as an employee, up to the time he launched out as an entrepreneur, is achievement of success through hard work.
A trait reflected at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, where he obtained the Ordinary National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Accountancy in quick succession, before proceeding to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for a post graduate diploma. He also obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in Ogun State and an MBA from the University of Lagos.
His excellent nature was admired at the defunct NAL Merchant Bank where he did his national youth service, before joining the All States Trust Bank. A period of two years with All States Trust Bank was all he needed to hone his skills to be able to play in the big league, and there couldn’t be a better attraction than Zenith Bank.
It did not take long for his penchant for hard work and dedication to be noticed in Zenith Bank, and the rewards came through rapid promotions that saw him catapulted to the position of assistant general manager and head, Ikeja Business Focus Group, within seven years.
However, He didn’t see a future in banking. The big titles that come with them did not appeal to him. He left his comfort zone of his own volition to actualize a lifelong desire to chart a course of life that would enable him to leave his footprints on the sands of time.
And the only way he could achieve this was to establish an organization that would outlive him, not only in providing goods and services, but most importantly in improving the quality of lives of as many people as it could touch, directly and indirectly. Thus, the creation of Masters Energy.
In addition as a natural giver and philanthropist, His desire to improve the quality of lives of people does not begin and end in the area of employment, in which he has more than 6, 000 Nigerians on his payroll. It’s also about those who are not, and may never be, in a position to secure employment.
Through his Uche Ogah Foundation, he has alleviated poverty within his own capacity, empowered minds, given hundreds of scholarships to deserving students in different parts of the country.
In conclusion, Ogah is not the Biblical prophet that is without honour at home. Honour for him has come from home and abroad, from appreciative communities, governments, organizations and educational institutions that have benefited from the contents of his large heart.