Administrator, Businessman, Teacher
He was most well-known for his work as a productive permanent secretary/director-general in the old Rivers state civil service and Secretary to the State Government of Bayelsa state government.
Who was Mr Iti, Thomas Ibitimi?
Born in 1946 in Forcados, which was part of the Mid-west region of Nigeria and is now located in Delta state, Mr. Iti Thomas hailed from the Angiama community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa state. He received his education at Niger Grammar School in Rumuola, Port Harcourt during the 1950s, followed by Methodist College Uzuakoli, the esteemed University of Ibadan, and later at the Institute of Public Service at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, United States of America.
His illustrious career in the public service began when he was appointed as Secretary of the Civil Service Commission in Port Harcourt in 1979. By May 1980, he assumed the role of acting Permanent Secretary, and later became the substantive holder of the position in October of the same year. He continued serving in that capacity until 1983, during the administration of Melford Okilo. With the military takeover in December 1983, he was reassigned to field administration and efficiently served as the Sole Administrator of Sagbama and Bonny Local Government Areas from 1984 to 1986. Upon his recall to headquarters in February 1986, he was reappointed as Permanent Secretary, a role he fulfilled until the end of 1991.
In 1992, he was appointed by the Federal government to the Board of the now-defunct Savannah Bank of Nigeria Plc as an Executive Director. During this period, he also served as a member of the Governing Council of the Financial Institutions Training Center in Lagos and spent two years as Director of Savannah Securities Ltd, also based in Lagos. After completing his term at Savannah Bank in 1995, he became the Chairman of Ibitari Nig. Ltd, a private company engaged in business contracting and consultancy services.
Known fondly as Tom, he held positions as a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service of Nigeria and as Secretary to the Bayelsa state government. In addition to his administrative profession, he excelled as an athlete and won medals. Mr. Iti Ibitimi Thomas, a distinguished gentleman, was married and had several children. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 62.
Parents and Birth
Tom, also known as Mr. Iti Ibitimi Thomas in his later years, was born on September 7, 1946, in Forcados, Delta state, Nigeria. His father, Mr. Thomas Ewelubo Iti, was from the Angiama community in the Southern-Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa state, while his mother, Mrs. Felicia Oladubu Iti, hailed from Erijiyan in present-day Ekiti State. Unfortunately, both of his parents have passed away. Tom was the eldest son and the second child in the Ewelubo Iti family, with an older sister named Dele.
Education
He received his primary education in Forcados, which was part of the Mid-west region of Nigeria (now in Delta state) during the early 1950s. Following that, he enrolled at Niger Grammar School in Rumuola, Port Harcourt, which was located in the Eastern region of Nigeria at the time, from 1959 to 1963. The school was originally established by his relative, Chief N. A. Frank Opigo
(now deceased), in 1959. However, after the Nigerian civil war from 1967 to 1969, the Rivers state government took over the school and renamed it “Rivers State College of Arts and Sciences,” which is now known as Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Rumuola.
After completing his studies at Niger Grammar School in 1963, he furthered his education at Methodist College Uzuakoli, which is now located in Abia State, Nigeria. There, he obtained his Higher School Certificate (A Levels). It is worth noting that Mr. Iti was a talented athlete during his secondary school days. He was a member of the school’s 4×100 meters Relay Team and achieved success in High Jump as well.
In 1967, during the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war, he gained admission to the prestigious University of Ibadan, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Political Science and Administration, which he obtained in 1970. Even at Ibadan, Tom showcased his athletic abilities and brought honors to the university in various competitions, particularly during the West African Universities Games (WAUG). He excelled in High Jump, football, and was part of the university’s relay race team.
Subsequently, in 1978, Tom attended an in-service training program at the Institute of Public Service, University of Connecticut, Hartford, USA, where he obtained a certificate in Management.
In 1989, he became a Member of the National Institute (mni) after completing the Senior Executive Course 11 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru-Jos, Plateau State. During his time at the institute, he showcased his impressive dancing skills and earned the nickname “the dancing DG.”
Career Life
Mr. Tom’s career primarily revolved around the public sector of the former Rivers state, with a brief teaching experience in 1967 at ACMGS – Archdeacon Crowder Memorial Girls’ School in Port Harcourt, Rivers state-Nigeria, just prior to the Nigerian Civil War.
His remarkable civil service journey commenced in 1970 with the old Rivers state government, where he began as an Administrative Officer. Under the administration of Melford Okilo in 1979, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Civil Service Commission in Port Harcourt, old Rivers state. Around May 1980, he assumed the role of acting Permanent Secretary, and later became the substantive holder of the position in October of the same year. He continued in that capacity until December 1983, when the civilian government led by President Shehu Shagari was overthrown by the military.
Following the military takeover, he was reassigned to field administration and effectively served as the sole administrator of Sagbama and Bonny local governments from 1984 to 1986. Upon his recall to headquarters in February 1986, he was reappointed as Permanent Secretary and was assigned to the Ministry of Lands and Housing.
During the military government led by General Ibrahim Babangida from 1985 to 1993, the title of Permanent Secretary was changed to Director-General. Consequently, Mr. Iti assumed the position of Director-General and was posted to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. He was later posted to the Lands and Housing Bureau in the early 1990s. Around 1992, during the administration of Governor Rufus Ada George (January 1992 to November 1993), he retired from the civil service as a Director-General. Throughout his public service tenure, Mr. Iti consistently demonstrated a high level of professionalism and adhered diligently to administrative bureaucracy.
Even after his retirement, Mr. Iti remained active. In 1992, he was appointed by the Federal government as an Executive Director on the Board of Savannah Bank of Nigeria PLC. During this period, he also served as a member of the governing council of the Financial Institutions Training Center in Lagos and spent two years as a Director at Savannah Securities Ltd, also based in Lagos. After completing his term at Savannah Bank in 1995, he became the Chairman of Ibitari Nigeria Ltd, a privately owned company involved in business contracting and consultancy services.
During the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, specifically from July 1998 to May 1999, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Paul Edor Obi served as the Administrator of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. During his administration, the late Mr. Thomas Ibitimi Iti was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Bayelsa State.
Family
Mr. Tom encountered his lovely spouse, Taiwo Lilian Iti (formerly known as Ofongo), an Ijaw woman, in 1965, and they tied the knot in 1972. Their union brought forth four children named Peretimi Ayibatonye, Ozunimi, and the late Ayibaemi. They enjoyed a blissful marriage for 22 years until her passing in 1994. Taiwo Lilian Iti held the position of Principal Assistant Registrar at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology in Port Harcourt (now known as Rivers State University). In 2004, Mr. Tom entered into matrimony with his current wife, Mrs. Ibaniba Iti (formerly known as Briggs), who hails from the Kalabari tribe.
Death
It was reported Mr Iti, Thomas Ibitimi passed on 25th June, 2008 due to natural causes.
