The life and times of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ado Ibrahim

The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland , Alhaji Ado Ibrahim passed away in the early hours of Sunday October 29, 2023.

The late traditional ruler was 95 years old . An astute and successful businessman. He was a man of taste and splendour during his lifetime and lived a greater part of his life in Lagos

He was one time Chairman of the Nestle Nigeria PLC .

The remains of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr Abdulrahman Ado-Ibrahim will be buried by 2:00 p.m. of Sunday.

The Secretary of Ebiraland Traditional Council, Alhaji Yunusa Sule, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja that arrangements were being made to give him a befitting burial in Okene.

“The burial ceremony is being scheduled for 2:00 p.m. today in Okene. We are waiting for the arrival of the corpse from Abuja, where he died, ” the secretary said.

Sule said that the paramount ruler died at around 2:00. a.m. on Sunday in an undisclosed Abuja Hospital after a protracted illness.

The scribe said his death was “very sad and a big blow” to Ebiraland.

“We lost our daddy and leader this early morning of Sunday in an Abuja Hospital where he had been treated for age related ailment for three weeks now.

“We are in shock and pain over his death. He was indeed a good father and leader to not just Ebiraland but Kogi and Nigeria as a whole.

“His death has left a vacuum in the entire Ebiraland,” he said.

Abdulrahman Ado-Ibrahim was born on February 7, 1929 and was the fourth traditional ruler and Ohinoyi of Ebiraland with headquarters in Okene, Kogi State.

He was a son of the second Attah (now “Ohinoyi”) of Ebiraland, Ibrahim Onoruoiza of the Omadivi Clan, who reigned from 1917–1954.

Ado-Ibrahim was enthroned as the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland in 1997 and reigned until Sunday, when he died.

Nevertheless, before ascending to the throne, Ado-Ibrahim was a successful businesman who lived most parts of his life in Lagos.

Ado Ibrahim was born to His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Onoruoiza Attah and Hajiya Hauwawu Ozianuva.

Young Ado Ibrahim completed his Nursery and Quranic education at the age of 11 years.

He was enrolled at the Okene Native Administration School from 1934 to 1940 for his elementary education. Upon completion of his elementary education, he was admitted to Okene Middle School in 1941.

After spending two years, he moved to the famous Ondo Boys High School for his secondary education from 1943 to 1946. From 1947 to 1949, he moved to Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife, Osun where he completed his secondary education.

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He was employed by the United African Company (UAC) in 1950 as a special entrant for accelerated management. Having successfully gone through the Accounting and Sales Department in 1952, he was promoted to the post of Manager at the Kingsway Stores, Kaduna.

In January 1953, he quit Kingsway Stores and moved to Jos as Personnel Manager of Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria Limited in charge of maintaining operation areas of Bukuru and Barkin Ladi.

In that same year, he attended the first Mining School in Jos and qualified as a Mining Prospector and Area Manager.

Later in the year, the company sent him on a further technical training course, organised by the Anglo-American Mining Corporation, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Upon his return, he was immediately promoted to Area manager and assigned the responsibility to excavate the Lead/Zinc Ore deposits at Izom in the Abuja district, and to lead a team prospecting for gold and base materials in the location.

Meanwhile, he had enrolled in 1952 as an external candidate for a degree at the London School of Economics, by utilising the extramural study facilities organised by the British Council in Jos.

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He combined his mining and prospecting duties successfully with the undergraduate study programme and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from the London School of Economics in 1954.

In 1955, he won a Ford Foundation Sponsorship to undertake a six-month course in Marketing and Business Strategy at the Business School of Harvard University.

On the strength of his performance, he was readmitted into the Master’s Programme of the school as a full-time student. He thus earned the celebrated Harvard MBA in 1959.

Having fortified himself with practical industrial experience and sound academic training, he settled into marriage with Miss Abimbola Solomon on Nov. 1, 1959.