According to Sun News, a former national president of the Nigerian
Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture
(NACCIMA), Dr. Simon Chukwuemeka Okolo is dead.
Family sources disclosed that Okolo died on Saturday April 6, during a brief illness.
He established the New Era Group of Companies Ltd made up of New
Era Specialist Hospital Ltd Aba, with branches in Umuahia in Abia State,
Nnewi in Anmabra State and other places and New Era Foods Ltd, an
agro-allied industry located at Aba, which crushes palm kernel and
refines its oil into edible vegetable oil.
A two-time president of Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines
and Agriculture (ACCIMA), chairman, Abia State chapter of Nigerian
Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Dr. Okolo rose
through the ranks of the chamber movement in Nigeria to become the 48th
national president of NACCIMA on October 29, 2008.
Dr. Okolo, through ceaseless advocacy, intensified efforts to
instil in the psyche of the ruling class that Nigeria can never
industrialise if the rocky road to her industrialisation was not
smoothened. He worked to galvanise government action towards rebuilding
Nigeria’s decayed infrastructure and put in place investment favourable
policies and programmes to midwife Nigeria’s industrial take off.
To engender adequate security infrastructure and stem the rising
tide in violent crimes in Nigeria, especially kidnapping, he
successfully nudged and got the Jonathan administration’s promise to
commence SIM card registration across the country by communication
companies.
Okolo, who presided over the activities of the D-8 organisation for
Economic Co-operation made up of countries like Bangladesh, Egypt,
Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey was also
inaugurated as a member of the President Advisory Council (PAC) from
2010 to 2011 by former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
A papal knight, Okolo, who belonged to several professional bodies;
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Institute of Corporate Chairman
of Nigeria etc, also served as president, Association of Anambra State
Development Unions, Aba for many years till his death.
He garnered several merit awards, among them are National Awards
of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) from the former
president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua on February 14, 2008, Honours
Awards of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abia State in
recognition of his significant and outstanding contribution to NMA,
society and mankind in general, Papal Merit Award (2000) from His
Holiness Pope, John Paul 11 for his generosity and concern for the poor
and less privileged, Merit Award by the Nigerian Bar Association, in
deep appreciation of his contribution to Aba community and Nigeria.
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