By Abiola Olawale
The people of Ewatto in Esan South East Local Government Area, as well as communities in Esan in general, are filled with excitement and hope as a state-of-the-art medical facility being built by billionaire business icon, Chief Dr Leemon Ikpea, who is the Group Executive Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Limited, nears completion.
The gigantic Medical facility spearheaded by Chief Ikpea, an iconic billionaire business titan and oil and gas mogul, is being fortified with the state-of-the-art medical facilities. The hospital located in Idumuiyase, Ewatto, is already triggering a wave of joy, excitement among residents of Ewatto and communities across Esan. When completed, it is designed to provide medical access to rural communities while addressing long-standing challenges not only in Esan but across communities in Edo State.
The New Diplomat reports that the ultra-modern health facility, fully funded by Chief Ikpea through his foundation, was conceived to bridge the gap in quality healthcare for Ewatto and various communities.
At the foundation-laying ceremony in August 2024, Ikpea, the Adolor of Ewatto, explained what motivated him to undertake the huge project, stressing that it aims to lift up the lives of the vulnerable and less privileged in the Society.
According to Chief Ikpea, the facility, which will be equipped with cutting-edge ultra modern medical equipment, administrative block, and theatre, is designed to provide comprehensive healthcare services for all.
He said upon completion, it will eliminate the need for residents to travel long distances to cities like Benin or Auchi for medical care, a burden that has weighed heavily on the community and neighboring communities.
The New Diplomat reports that Chief Ikpea, who is the Adolor of Ewatto, was born in Ewatto in Esan South East, Edo State, on December 19, 1956. He attended St. John’s Primary School in Ajamogha, Warri.
He further added to his feathers when he bagged a degree in Owner President Management Program from the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Chief Ikpea is the founder, Owner, and Executive Chairman of Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Limited, a first-class indigenous oil, gas, and power services sector company.
Indeed, Ikpea’s Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Ltd is a high-level service provider in the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Operation, and Maintenance (EPCOM)terrain with about 34 years of experience in the oil, gas, and power sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Beyond the shores of Nigeria, Lee Engineering Group and Allied Companies Ltd has partners /offices in the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States of America (USA).
As a first-class company with a forward-looking vision, Lee Engineering has also set up a high-level fabrication plant in Warri, Delta State to contribute its quota to the oil and gas sector and to help in the successful transition to active indigenous participation in the nation’s oil and gas sector.
Ikpea is not only a billionaire business mogul, he is also a great philanthropist. He founded the Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation (ALIF), in 2012, through which he has been rendering valuable services to humanity and charitable works such as award of scholarships to indigent students and youths, including great support to orphans. The promotion and advancement of Education has also been a major pre-occupation of the ALIF.
Through the foundation, Dr Ikpea, has donated heavily to several educational institutions and social welfare programmes as well as impacted on the lives of the less privileged.
Ikpea holds the prestigious title of Odonlagbon of the Warri kingdom, bestowed on him by the Olu of Warri.
He is the Adolor of Ewatto, his hometown in Esan South East LGA of Edo state.
