Chief Kenneth Ejiofor Ifekudu, OFR, Agbalanze Ezeonyekachukwu na Ozubulu, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Leeds, Limited, a philanthropist, business mogul, and hospitality Icon is perhaps the perfect description of the age-long saying that hard work pays.
Also, in life, some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. But for Chief Ifekudu, the reward for hard work is not just showing on him, it is simply pouring on him. And he has a long time to drink from the fountains of his investment in construction, finance, real estate, among others.
Chief Ifekudu was born on April 6, 1979, into the family of Late Chief and Lolo Paul A. Ifekudu (Ezeonyekachukwu) of Ozubulu in Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra state, where he holds the prestigious title “Agbalanze Onyekachukwu”. He attended Patrick Okolo Primary School, Odoakpu, Onitsha where he made a good result in 1985 Common Entrance Examination. He proceeded to Our Lady Secondary School where he completed his SSCE in 1996. He bagged OND in business administration with the best result in 1996 from Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo state.
He graduated in 2003 in a grand style with second class upper in marketing from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. To satisfy his unquenchable appetite for education, he acquired a master’s degree in business administration from Enugu State Business School and a law degree from Base University, Abuja. He is a man that is majestic and always looking spectacular, and happy. He takes every moment as a one off, capturing the glories without any irritability and Sunday times counting his blessings.
Interestingly, Chief Ifekudu showcased the derivatives of his now excellent and an infinite result driven lifestyle with his unmatched academic achievements. He uses his entrepreneurship skills to motivate people particularly young graduates and his workers. It is instructive to make the observation that those who work with him are motivated by his conduct into being committed to whatever thing or assignment given to them.
Chief Ifekudu’s career successes in construction is not an everyday story. They are the result of a well-planned, articulated and executed initiative. Diamond Leeds Limited, founded by Agbalanze Ezeonyekachukwu na Ozubulu, has executed a number of outstanding architectural projects in the area of construction of bridges, roads, boreholes drilling, electrification, solar powered light, among others.
There is a saying that the height great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night. Similarly, what makes a man great is not his opulence, but what he has done to make people smile, ease their burden and raise hope of the less privileged in the society. As a philanthropist, High Chief Ifekudu has been involved in several social activities and imbibed the saying that charity begins at home.
Consequently, the people of Ozubulu and society at large have benefited from his kind gestures and projects as he used his establishment to improve the quality life of his people in many ways. These include skill acquisition, medical outreach programmes, grants, capacity building, entrepreneurship and management skills, erosion control in most affected part of the community, and construction of Obialigo lock-up shops.
Others are lighting up Ozubulu village with all-in-one solar powered streetlight, giving scholarship to his people, organising essay competitions throughout Ekwusigo LGA on effects of drug abuse, distribution of gifts such as deep freezers, grinding machines, construction of roads including the completed 3km road to be commissioned soon, among others.
High Chief Agbalanze Onyekachukwul, as he is fondly called, is a devout Christian who has contributed immensely to the building of the Catholic community and other churches in general. He holds the National Honour of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), bestowed on him by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. He has received several awards for his efforts at improving the quality of life of the vulnerable and his achievements in business. Chief Ifekudu is happily married and has four lovely children.
Donald Iorchia,
Abuja
