September 15, (THEWILL) – Late last month, it became public knowledge that retired Army general, businessman and philanthropist, Theophilus Danjuma had acquired Rivers State- based Notore Chemical Industries Plc for $150 million.
Although it was reported that the acquisition was done in conjunction with a certain Thomas Akoh Etuh, the founder of Tak Agro, not much else was said about Etuh who isn’t as much of a public figure as Danjuma. Well for starters, Etuh is an entrepreneur from Kogi State. He is known for his investments in various sectors including agriculture, cement importation, automobile spare parts importation, fertilizer production and ended up becoming a key player in Nigeria’s fertiliser industry, banking, telecommunications, and aviation, all of which he runs under TAK Continental Limited. Besides being an entrepreneur, he has held leadership positions in several major Nigerian blue-chip companies. Following the acquisition of Notore, he became the company’s board Chairman.
Etuh began his business career in commodity trading in northern Nigeria in the early 1980s, dealing in agricultural produce. He would later enter the fertilizer business, eventually becoming a major importer and distributor in Nigeria. His company TAK Continental Limited grew to be one of the largest fertilizer companies in Africa by the mid-2000s. In 2007, he acquired the Funtua Fertilizer and Chemical Company. Etuh played a key role in Nigeria’s Presidential Fertilizer Initiative under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and became the inaugural president of the Fertilizers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN).
In 2014, Etuh became the vice chairman and later, chairman in 2015. In 2021, Etuh was involved in Mafab Communications’ successful bid for a 5G spectrum license in Nigeria. He later acquired a majority stake in 9mobile, becoming its largest shareholder and its chairman. He also briefly owned Associated Aviation in the late 2000s.
Not much is known about Etuh’s current marital status which he jealously shields from the public, following the passing of his wife and mother of his four children, Jennifer Ramatu Etuh.
Mrs Etuh passed away in 2020. A sucker for education, Etuh was a graduate of Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She obtained an MBA from the Business School of the Netherlands, Lagos Business School, the IESE Business School and the London Business School.
