Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion (born 11 September 1934) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

businessman and traditional aristocrat from Okada Town in

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. He holds the chieftaincy title of the Esama of the

Benin Kingdom The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...

Esama of Benin

The title ''Esama'' traditionally means the "Son of the People", with responsibilities including assisting the poor in medial, monetary and private venture forms. He was suspended from participating in palace activities in 2008. It is on record that the

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dah ...

did not declare Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion as an enemy as it was widely circulated. On 13 June 2012 a palace press release informed the general public that the suspension placed on Chief G.O. Igbinedion had been lifted. This was an affirmation that Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion is still the Esama of

.Benin Traditional Council (13 June 2012). Palace press release, reference no: BTC.A66/VOL.V/171 The Esama of Benin's business empire includes an international property portfolio and a private TV and radio station, called Independent Radio (92.3 fm) and Television. He owns a private bank, oil refinery, diamond, gold, marble mines over Africa, a private university (

Igbinedion University Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) is a privately owned university in Nigeria (West Africa). It was founded and established on 10 May 1999, following the Certificate of approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the Certificate No. 001. ...

, the first private university in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, located at Okada town) and a large number of hotels. He previously owned the now-defunct private airline,

Okada Air Okada Air was an airline based in Benin City, Nigeria. The carrier was established in 1983 with a fleet of BAC-One Eleven 300s. and started charter operations in the same year. In 1984, a Boeing 707-355C was acquired for cargo operations. By ...

, of over 40 aircraft (planes and helicopters). He has built numerous churches including a Grand

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Cathedral, and has set up and owns a number of private hospitals across Nigeria.

Family

Chief Igbinedion is married to Lady Cherry Igbinedion, a native of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. His children include a son, Lucky, who was a two-term Local Government chairman and two-term Governor of

, another son, Charles, who was a Local Government chairman and one time Edo State Commissioner of Education, and a third one, Peter, who was the managing director of the Nigerian

Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

. His daughter, Hon. Omosede G. Igbinedion is the former wife of Avan Akenzua, a dynastic Prince of

. She is a former member of the House of Representatives in Abuja as a representative of Ovia Federal Constituency in

. In addition to these four, Chief Igbinedion also has a number of other children.

External links

Official website of Gabriel Igbinedion

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Igbinedion, Gabriel Nigerian businesspeople Living people 1934 births Edo people Igbinedion family