Francis Edo-Osagie
Encyclopedia
Francis Edo Osagie was a notable Nigerian businessman from Benin
. He was born into an elite Benin family; his father worked at the forestry department and was also a farmer in Benin. He attended the Baptist primary School in Benin and the Baptist High School, Ibadan
for secondary education. After completing his secondary education
, he took on a variety of duties, from being a transport
clerk, to a sales agent and an accountant. It was while working as an accountant
that he noticed the potential of trading in timber, especially the prospective wood
resources available in the Southeastern part of the country. He left his job and formed a joint venture with two other partners to explore timber but the venture yielded little as timber
prices crashed. After the closure of the venture, he started his own firm, Osagie & Sons. The new venture stayed in the timber business and finally found a successful way of selling timber. The company was advised to explore some areas where Toledo worms seemed to have caused some devastation on some trees. It was discovered that with inspection, and a few work, the core of the trees could be saved. He started exporting large scale timber from the area to Europe
and America
and was very successful.
He was also an apolitical community leader, this allowed him to mediate on civil duties particularly does affecting the oil companies, their workers and the communities they operate in.
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
. He was born into an elite Benin family; his father worked at the forestry department and was also a farmer in Benin. He attended the Baptist primary School in Benin and the Baptist High School, Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
for secondary education. After completing his secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
, he took on a variety of duties, from being a transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
clerk, to a sales agent and an accountant. It was while working as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
that he noticed the potential of trading in timber, especially the prospective wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
resources available in the Southeastern part of the country. He left his job and formed a joint venture with two other partners to explore timber but the venture yielded little as timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
prices crashed. After the closure of the venture, he started his own firm, Osagie & Sons. The new venture stayed in the timber business and finally found a successful way of selling timber. The company was advised to explore some areas where Toledo worms seemed to have caused some devastation on some trees. It was discovered that with inspection, and a few work, the core of the trees could be saved. He started exporting large scale timber from the area to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and was very successful.
He was also an apolitical community leader, this allowed him to mediate on civil duties particularly does affecting the oil companies, their workers and the communities they operate in.