Policeman, Entrepreneur
Matthew Teibor Etebu was an awarding winning distributor of breweries for various brewing companies in Lagos State, Nigeria during the 1960s.
Who was Matthew Teibor Etebu?
Matthew Teibor Etebu (1932-2014) was from Odi town in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was a staunch member of God’s Kingdom Society (GKS). It was by dent of hardwork and commitment he became a successful businessman par excellence during the 1960s and 1990s. Matthew Teibor Etebu was an award-winning distributor of beverages for Nigeria Breweries Limited and other allied companies in Lagos state, Western-Nigeria. He went on to establish several other sought after businesses in Port Harcourt-Rivers State. Above all, Matthew Teibor Etebu was a notable philanthropist that touched many lives from the Niger Delta and beyond. He died in 2014 at the age of 82.
His Parents and Siblings
Matthew Etebu’s predeceased father was Mr. Teibor Etebu and mother was Enwefa Etebu, both from Odi community of Kolokuma/Opokuma clan of Bayelsa State. Matthew Etebu had two surviving sisters and they are Mrs. Dallima Gbenzi and Mrs. Bassey smart.
Early Life and Education
Matthew Teibor Etebu M.T. as fondly called was born on 5 October 1932 at Odi town Southern-Nigeria and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. Tiebor Etebu and Enwefa Etebu both from Odi town in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He was relatively raised by his mother Enwefa (now late) and elder brother Mr. Kaye Etebu who unfortunately died in a ghastly motor accident in Akwa town in Anambra state eastern Nigeria in the late 1940s; the incident of his elder brother’s demise greatly hampered Matthew Teibor Etebu’s educational pursuit and wellbeing. M.T. attended St. Andrew CMS School Umuolu from 1942 to 1945 and subsequently, he was at Kaduna Government School from 1945 to 1947 and got his First School Leaving Certificate; still not deterred upon the ill-fated death of his benefactor, he mustered courage and embarked on some correspondence courses in Business Commerce and Store Keeping which became useful for him in the latter times of his life. Afterwards, he went on attend the Southern Colonial Police Training College Ikeja in 1950 and was enlisted into the Police Force.
His Career History
M.T. had a stint as a Police Officer from 1990 and voluntarily resigned in 1959 as a Sergeant; he served at Offa town (now Kwara state), Ibadan and Lagos. However, he joined the National Cash Register Company (NCR) Limited as a Store Keeper in 1960. A year after the National Cash Register Limited embarked on an organizational restructuring exercise and Matthew Teibor Etebu was affected. He left NCR Limited and secure another job with the Lagos City Council in 1962, where he worked at various section of the Council and resigned voluntarily in 1965.
Beverage Distributor
So all what Matthew Teibor Etebu wanted from 1966 was to be successful Entrepreneur; he established Ogien-Ama Trading Company at Olodi Apapa Lagos state Western-Nigeria in 1966. Before long, Ogien-Ama Trading Company became a sought after and a major distributor for various brewing companies in Lagos including Nigerian Breweries Limited, Guiness Nigeria Limited, Top Beer, Nigeria Distilleries Company Limited amongst others. He was efficient in managing the business and he got several awards from these companies and even owned substantial shares in most of them.
Construction Contractor
After the Nigeria civil war of 1967 to 1969 M.T saw the need to relocate to his home state old Rivers State and invest in it. Therefore, in 1971 he established a building and civil engineering contracting firm called M.T Etebu and Company. M.T Etebu and Company stood the test of time, it got contracts to construct accommodations for both government and private use in early 1970s. Some projects he under took with M.T Etebu and Company were the construction of the Government Secondary School Odi (now Federal Government College) and some blocks of flats at the Rumuibekwe Housing Estate Port Harcourt Rivers State and among others.
He Had A Bookshop
M.T. consolidate on the gains of the construction business, and saw the need in having a viable bookstore to cushion the effect of short supply of quality and cost effective books and stationeries in the heart of Port Harcourt then. So, he went into partnership and established Dennis Matthew and Company in the late 1970s. The defunct Dennis Matthew and Company was located at 37 Aggrey road, Port Harcourt.
Matthew Teibor Etebu’s Faith
In his young age he was an Anglican, he served the Anglican bishop in his diocese at the St. Andrew CMS church where he was a pupil. Subsequently, he got converted and was baptized in Gods Kingdom Society (GKS) in the late 1950s. He became a GKS’ choir master at Babani, African School Ajegunle Branch from 1960 to 1962 and he also supported the evangelistic work of establishment of new GKS branches in Port Harcourt and Odi.
Personal Life
M.T was happily married to Mrs. Winneba Obudah-Ibe nee Etebu in 1954 and they had some dutiful children amongst them is an erudite Professor of Pathology Ebitimitula Nicholas Etebu at the Niger Delta University Amassoma and VC Bayelsa Medical University. However, he had some other children with other women; in all Matthew Teibor Etebu had Twelve (12) children and thirty- seven (37) grand-children.
Social Life
M.T was passionate about educational development of his household. He solely sponsored the education of many relatives and non-relatives who needed assistance. He was truly a philanthropist per excellence in his lifetime. His house was a meeting point for kindred meetings for the Ogien-ama communities in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
His Death
It was reported Matthew Teibor Etebu died of natural causes at Port Harcourt with his family by his side on 26 April 2014. He was age 82.
