Chief Chris Omigie, An Iconic Business Man, Political Crowd Puller, Selfless Giver

Chief Chris Omigie, An Iconic Business Man, Political Crowd Puller, Selfless Giver

By: Oriaifoh Godwins

Fate goeth wherever it must, whatever belongs to you, cannot be taken by another person and every action, has an equal and opposite reaction....these are some of the popular belief of Chief Christopher Enaburekhan Omigie, CEO, the Eson of Ebelle kingdom, the Osobase of Igueben Kingdom, and the Obayiagbon of Umunede, who struggled through every 'thick' and 'thin' to become an iconic Business Man, and a Political figure of great value today.

Chief Christopher Omigie, who had a humble beginning in Ebelle, Igueben Local Government Area of Edo state, is the first son of late Chief John Ezebukhai Omigie, of Ebelle. His father was a one time great politician in Esanland, during his time.

Even in his early formative years young Christopher Omigie, showed glaring signs of latent gifts that would eventually in his adult life blossom and position him firmly in the ranks of the truly great, as he boldly took his fate in his hands and did what few dared to do at that time. 

At barely 17 years old, young Christopher Enaburekhan Omigie, CEO, who left the shores of Nigeria, to seek greener pastures in the United States of America, in 1973, had worked in the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power, before travelling out of Nigeria, and in the United States, he also had a stint in the Oil Industry, as a staff, before he eventually ventured into the Hotel and a Gas station business; both cited in Ebelle, his country home.

Chief Omigie wisely realised that education was non-negotiable if he must succeed, so he went to Nichols State University and the University of South Western Louisiana where he left behind enviable records of academic excellence.

Chief Chris Omigie, also made an indelible mark in the entertainment industry.

In 1988, he birthed Covads Entertainment Inc with special focus on educating and promoting Reggae music and culture in Southwest Louisiana. Covads Entertainment operated several clubs like Club Genesis and Club Shadows that drew fans from across many states in the US. He did not stop there; every Saturday evenings he hosted a radio show at the KJC  B Radio.

In 1989 he created the Lafayette Reggae and Cultural Festival that was widely celebrated by The Times of Academia newspaper. But the icing was to come in July 1990 when he held the Festival at Pelican Park in Carencro in Louisiana.The success of that event shot the Ebelle prince to the pedestal of stardom and the festival has since become an annual event that is sponsored by renown multinationals like Coca Cola, KJCB Radio, Mudhouse Foods and many more.

In 2023, CEO, established an internet Radio station that operates 24 hours, and on a daily basis throughout the week, playing live Reggae and Afrobeat music. This internet Radio station, on: https://reggaereignbowradio.com/ is drawing attention all over the world.

Chief Christopher Omigie, a passionate Esan man, who loves to create opportunities for the youths by empowering them in every possible way he can, is known by everyone close to him, as a selfless giver. 

To cap his efforts to see a better Ebelle, his place of birth, he set up a Foundation that caters for the educational and vocational needs of the intelligent but financially challenged children of Ebelle.

Chief Omigie, has repeatedly maintained that, "we rise by lifting others".

As the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of First AP Ukte-Modern Filling Station, and with a strong foothold in the Oil and Gas industry, he has employed a number of Youths in his Gas station, as well as in his hotel in Ebelle. He also invested in farming, fisheries and piggery.

He is known for financially supporting a number of families back home in Nigeria, even from the United States. This his benevolent gestures is more pronounced every Christmas season. He often says; "the gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria, makes things very difficult for the poor, and such difficulty, can be cushioned by the support the less fortunate ones get from the extremely rich, but the selfishness and gluttonous tendencies of the rich, in Nigeria, makes things even more difficult for the poor".

Whenever Chief Christopher Omigie paid visits to his country home, Eguare-Ebelle,  there is always a heavy traffic of people that goes in and out of his compound, throughout his period of stay. 

This is phenomenal as it is unprecedented in that locality. As a matter of fact, the common talk amongst his people is: “Akatarian is in town”. The name “Akate” or “Akaterian” is synonymous with Chief Omigie’s name, as it connotes someone that is based abroad, but came home on a visit.

Chief Christopher Omigie, aka 'AKATE', is always interested and passionate about the well-being of the people and the youths. Perhaps his passion for people's well-being, made him to always organise the yearly Chief Chris Omigie football tournament. This is also one of the reasons that made him popular and made him a crowd puller.

Chief Omigie’s political clout and ability to attract crowd to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Igueben local government area of Edo state, hence enable his party to continually win elections in the local government, earned him the position of a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger state, in 2014 when Goodluck Jonathan was the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the ruling party.

His philanthropic gestures has however, not gone unnoticed and unappreciated by the various kingdoms where he has imparted on, in one way or the other, which is why apart from his chieftaincy title as the Eson of Ebelle, his home town, he was also conferred with the title of the Osobase of Igueben kingdom, and Umunede kingdom, in Delta state, also conferred him with the title, the Obayiagbon of Umunede. In view of his multiple chieftaincy titles, he is now fondly called 'The Triple Chief'. He has proven and continues to prove to be a blessing to his people.

Chief Christopher Enaburakhan Omigie is blessed with four children, Alpha, Omega, Carrisa and Trinity.

Like the movie; 'Coming To America", Chief Christopher Enaburekhan Omigie, CEO, is looking forward to coming to Nigeria sometime this year.