Pulling away from his parents’ desire for him to be a priest, Onyeka Ogbatu envisioned a life beyond the sacred walls of a seminary. Today, he is one of the recognised well-heeled sons of Igboland with businesses traversing the hospitality, beverage and real estate sectors. Beyond his material possessions, Ogbatu is compassionate about improving the lives of his people, reports Vanessa Obioha.
At one glance, Onyeka Ogbatu can tell the inspiration behind an artwork. Of course, art is relative but Ogbatu who has lived in Europe for the better part of his life is familiar with the art world. He was exposed to works of famous Spanish artists like Francisco Goya, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso during his university days. Therefore, as he strolled through the art gallery of Artpedia in Lekki, Lagos on a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, Ogbatu’s knowledge of the art business was in full glow. One minute, he was analysing a painting as if he was in the mind of the artist, the next minute, he was advising the gallery owner on how to market the paintings. This business trait was noticeable throughout our conversation later at a posh restaurant in Victoria Island.
A shrewd businessman, Ogbatu was introduced to the world of business during his early days in Madrid, Spain where he lives with his family. Madrid occupies a special place in his heart; it is his second home. Expectedly, he speaks Spanish fluently and this, he said, helped him secure his first job in the city. His journey to Europe has an interesting twist. Growing up in Nigeria, the businessman wanted so much to be a lawyer.
“I loved the late Gani Fawehinmi. He was my idol. I loved his style of advocacy. That made me fall in love with the profession,” he said.
However, his parents had a different plan for him. They wanted him to become a priest but Ogbatu envisioned a life beyond the sacred walls of a seminary. Their rejection of his dream ultimately killed it.
“I miss being a lawyer,” he said ruefully. “Sometimes, when I see things happening in Nigeria, I wish I had pursued my dream of being a lawyer. I would have become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria by now.”
Despite his parents’ resoluteness, Ogbatu didn’t stop dreaming. There were times he imagined himself a diplomat, having been nicknamed Perry Moore by his teacher for his brilliance in History and Government subjects.
“My teacher used to call me Perry Moore back in school. He said I reminded him of the greatest U.S. attorney of the same name. Whether such a person exists or not, I don’t know.”
He now goes by the moniker, Don Perry. Ogbatu also wanted to be a footballer. Again, his parents’ dislike for the vocation abruptly halted the desire, even though he showed exceptional skills on the field.
His life ultimately changed when his brother, who also lived in Europe at the time, helped him secure a scholarship to study abroad. Thus, Ogbatu left the shores of Nigeria as a young adult to study International Relations and Diplomatic Studies at Donetsk National University in Ukraine. From there, he moved to Moscow before finally settling in Madrid. There, he discovered his acumen for business, having worked as a sales representative for different companies.
“I started as a salesman. Because of the advantage I had with languages, they made me a sales representative of the company. We were into construction equipment and exports.”
After five years of working for others, Ogbatu established his own company in 2008. He was into exporting construction materials such as tiles. It was only a matter of time before he expanded his business to include leasing services. However, he discovered that his business partner in Nigeria was not honest. Hence, he returned home, sold everything and invested the money in real estate.
The same year he registered his business happened to be the year the world experienced a financial crisis. Like a smooth operator, Ogbatu saw the advantage in the crisis and made good use of it. He bought off the equipment from Spanish construction companies who were selling them off.
“When there is a crisis, there is also an opportunity. Some people benefit from the crisis,” he noted, citing the COVID-19 pandemic which favoured those in the pharmaceutical field.
Although he made so much money during that period, Ogbatu was concerned about creating jobs for his people. The real estate businessman hails from Obodoukwu town in Ideato North LGA in Imo State. His philanthropic gestures are well known in his hometown. On more than one occasion, he has sponsored a child’s education, helped a couple rebuild their house without blowing his trumpet and rendered financial assistance to different individuals to set up a business.
More than his immediate community, Ogbatu was moved by the level of unemployment in the state.
“I decided to create employment, touch lives in my own little way starting from my state. That was what moved me to start to invest in Imo massively.” In the middle of the pandemic last year, Ogbatu opened the gates of his Spanish Kingdom Apartment and Suites in Owerri, Imo, for business. The hospitality outlet is the first of its kind in the South-east state.
Along Owerri/Onitsha Road sits the hotel with a touch of the Orient in its room decor, cuisine, and cabins. Furnished with 22 royal rooms and a double duplex with five serviced luxury apartments, the real vibe is in its cosiness and a range of services including VVIP guest cabins, domestic security escorts, and an extensive variety of other personalized services.
Wafting air from the restaurant suggests a delightful menu, rich in local, western, and oriental selections to both overnight and day visitors. And what could be more intriguing than a peculiar mama-put menu option for even more personalized alternatives?
Last January, Ogbatu opened an annex. There is another structure that serves as a resort where the services include an indoor swimming pool, a gym among others. Business, it seemed, was good for the businessman despite the constraints of the pandemic.
“The pandemic never affected us because people spent more time indoors. And we have fully-serviced apartments to make the place very cosy and comfortable for the guests.”
With an uncanny eye for detail and architecture, Ogbatu is replicating some of the European designs in his hospitality facility. Through the Spanish Kingdom, he’s been able to lift indigents from poverty, offering a source of livelihood to people.
But he is barely just scratching the surface. At the moment, he is toying with the idea of exporting Nigerian arts to Spain.
“I’m planning to have an art gallery in Spain where Europeans can visit and see works by young Nigerian artists,” he revealed. “That way, the artists can gain recognition as well as make money for their works. It’s an opportunity for partnerships and who knows, we may expand to other parts of Europe.
Beyond his love for art and luxury living, he is an avid wine lover. Like art, he can easily tell the quality of the wine. For his wine business, he imports mainly traditionally made wine while he employed the services of a state-owned winery in Moldova to produce champagne for him. He is the first individual the company will produce champagne for.
“It’s a big honour even though it wasn’t easy. I’m proud to be the first individual and a black man to achieve that feat.”
Considering his wealthy status, political appointments have been dangled before Ogbatu’s eyes but the businessman is averse to politics.
“I hate politics, especially Nigerian politics,” he said harshly. “Politicians here lack integrity and humanity. They are chameleons. I can’t trust a politician because today he is white, tomorrow is black, another day he is green. Look at Femi Fani-Kayode, his recent actions justified my perception about politicians.”
Ogbatu is aware that he cannot be apolitical, particularly in a country like Nigeria. However, his own kind of politics is making lives better for the people.
“I cannot make the change I desire by being a politician. Rather, I can achieve the same by putting those politicians to shame. I do those basic things they are mandated to do for the people. That way, they are not only shamed but are challenged to carry out their responsibilities. I don’t understand why they can’t serve the people and yet, they claim they are for the people,” he asked puzzlingly. While Ogbatu understands that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is fighting a just cause, he is against the Igbos having their own independent state.
“What we have to do is self-determination, which is what I’m trying to do now. Take, for instance, that I live in Abuja. I have my business and a house in Abuja. Why don’t I move my business to the South-east? If our people, particularly those based in Lagos, can move some of their businesses to the South-east, create employment for the people, investors will be begging to come to the South-east.
I remember Aba as a bubbling commercial hub. People come from different places to buy goods in Aba, why can’t we develop Aba beyond what it is today?”
Ogbatu, who was in Lagos for a conference where the wealthy sons of Igboland convened to discuss how to improve the socio-economic status of the state said that the thrust of the conversation was how to create employment for teeming youths in the South-east. “A lot of our youths are migrating from the South-east which is not good for the region. If we invest in our youths, we will reduce the rate of crime and it will also boost the socio-economic status of the region.”
What gives the businessman joy is giving back to the people.
“I want to touch more lives than ever. It motivates me a lot. It’s not all about money. I want to wake up and see that a thousand people in my town Obodoukwu are living a better life because of me. It gives me joy. So it’s not all about me and my money, but the people.’’
