By: Patrick Ochoga
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world – Desmond Tutu.”
It takes an extraordinary person to do extraordinary things that strike compelling and uplifting stories such that year after year, their names echo across borders as their deeds continue to leave indelible ink in the sand of time and annals of history as heroes of generations.
Like the pyramids built by the Egyptians to honour the Pharaohs, honours after honours, both local and international from the most prestigious organizations and institutions in the world continue to locate Captain Wells Hosa’s shelf for his contributions to humanity and his ingenuity for business development and managerial acumen.
Captain Wells Hosa is unarguably one of the most famous and influential billionaire philanthropists and business man in Africa, who has dedicated not only a large chunk of what God has blessed him with in helping the downtrodden and giving them reasons to appreciate life but also continue to contribute to the Nigerian democratic development in the last decades.
He has also deliberately placed in himself the responsibility of complementing governments’ efforts towards providing job opportunities for Nigeria citizens and their international counterparts.
As a key player in the Nigerian oil industry, all these are a brainchild of his skills in managing both human and resources at his disposal.
More than anything, what philanthropists have in common is an impulse, or a spark to touch lives but Captain Wells Hosa stands out amongst his compatriots as a beacon of hope for the people around him and beyond.
His actions have shown that philanthropy is encapsulated in the smallest act, as well as the largest gesture, which include peace building across ethic and religious lines and the opportunities you can influence to build confidence and hope in people.
Possibly more important than giving, Captain Hosa is revolutionizing the idea of philanthropy itself by challenging governments and public institutions to match their promises with action.
He has also challenged other wealthy people to put out their hearts of love on the society and in so doing, he has caused an inferno of giving which continues to ruminate.
Apart from investing on human capital development and human rights protection, which of course recently earned him a recognition from NAPTIP, Wells has proven to be a patriot who has provided probably the most substantial and sustained investment in the Nigerian Maritime industry through his private security firm, Ocean Marines Securities Limited (OMSL) to assist the federal government of Nigeria in protecting the country’s water ways against piracy. This is a rare gesture.
Our democracy has been strengthened by his visionary support to many key organizations that have paved the way for thousands of people in Nigeria to access basic needs like, water, life-saving medicine, education and most importantly, the right to a life of dignity, free from human trafficking and prejudice.
While his legacies continue to build up in their numbers like pyramids, his recognition by some of the most respected bodies in the world has by all means shown that life has a way of giving back to those who have contributed in every measure in building a society where life becomes meaningful to everyone. That candle of love, compassion and patriotism lightened up by Captain Hosa through his business conglomerates and foundation continue to beam across the shores of the world, proving that the things we do outlast our mortality.
As a global peace builder in Africa, Capt Hosa was in 2019 honoured in faraway Geneva, with the prestigious Global Peace by the order of Lafayette by H.E Robert Blum. It was on the United Nation day for Global Peace at a colourful ceremony which had in attendance international diplomats and business gurus.
No doubt, it is for these reasons that on September 11, 2020 the Chairman/CEO of Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd, Captain Dr. Idahosa Wells Okunbo, would be among prominent African business leaders like Dr Adeduntan Adesola, Managing Director First Bank Plc and founder and executive chairman of Online Integrated Solutions Ltd, Mahmood Ahmadu, honoured with the Forbes Best of Africa awards.
Yet again, the people of Edo will be proud of their own for putting the name of the state in good books side by side with some of the most respected African business leaders. This is the hallmark of a true hero and a rare gem whose works resonate through his compassion for those in depravity and others that circumstances have dealt a blow.
The world today know that genuine sparkle of charity and patriotism is alive and must be seen as grounds for cohesion and solidarity for the love of humanity in a society where the dearth of infrastructural and jobs have caused many to lose hope, but still there are those who are making efforts to rekindle lost confidence.
As Hosa emerges as one of the best symbols of business excellence in Africa owing to his legacies and memories of his deeds, his actions have spontaneously penned down his records in the archive of human memories but historians who see much more than we can imagine would of course have a lot to write about Captain Wells Hosa now and after.
Patrick Ochoga, a media Practitioner write from Benin City.
