By Zik Gbemre
I remember Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi who died 4th May, 2024. He was misunderstood by many people. He was a great Urhobo businessman and politician who was unlike many Nigerian politicians who depend on easy money and once they are out government for 6 months they are bankrupt and was unlike those politicians who live on government.
He was a shrewd businessman, never believed in waste of resources. He was a lone politician who didn’t pretend and not cunning. Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi was my younger Ughievwen brother and friend.
When his wife, the Hon Justice Sybil Gbagi was elevated to the Appeal Court, my family were the only one he invited from Ughievwen and the entire Urhobo to witness his wife swearing in ceremony at the Supreme Court with Justice Tanko Mohammed then as Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Some of the group photos we took he framed them and handed to me as gift. Gbagi was a tough character man who had zero tolerance for taking what doesn’t belong to you and hated corruption.
He believed in hard work and any relationship with Gbagi that didn’t last was because of money. If one’s relationship with Gbagi was based on inordinate monetary gains from him, it couldn’t be sustainable and alot of rumours were spread to dent his image. Gbagi’s friendship with friends and associates wouldn’t last if the relationship was based on money.
He was real and genuine in character and never pretended about it. Gbagi was a threat to many Deltan politicians when alive. There was a time it was rumoured that Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi had lions in his Ekpan house and that he was going to release them to harm people and this prevented school children from going to school that day.
Many negative rumours were spread against Gbagi to spoil his political image by politicians who were scared of his greatness.
Gbagi loved his home town of Oginibo in Ughievewen clan of Ughelli South LGA and he lived in his country home there until his passing.
I and my family deeply miss him.
May his soul rest in peace. Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, ‘Akpokedefa’
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
