Nigeria ‘moniker Lambert’

Emeka Ibemere

Remember him. ‘Moniker Lambert,’ who was a co-author of a popular Chemistry textbook used in 70 to late 80s among Nigerian secondary schools those days of academic excellence. If this name sounds familiar to you, then you could as well call him ‘Moniker Lambert’ of Nigeria. Why.

As a young lad then in the college, Emmanuel Awode, between 1976 and 1981, had an unprecedented academic excellence in chemistry. His proficiency in the subject earned him the nickname: ‘moniker Lambert’ (who was a co-author of a popular Chemist textbook used in those days.)

Emmanuel Awode, on successful completion of his secondary education, with an excellent WAEC result, expectedly, gained admission to study Chemistry at the prestigious The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where he bagged the National Diploma, ND, and Higher National Diploma, HND, in the same discipline with an Upper Credit.

After his NYSC in 1989, Awode found it expedient to add more knowledge to the already rich ones he had gained while at the polytechnic.

 His contribution as the first Chairman of the Galilee Land Building Committee of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement in 2011, and his donation of N40 million science laboratory to Ibadan Polytechnic science students, Oyo State on Friday December 7th 2011, made those who don’t know him to think that he was preparing for politics.

But that is the philanthropic character instead of political interest of Special Apostle, Emmanuel Aderemi Awode, the Chairman of Chemstar Group of Companies, manufacturers of Fine Coat Paints.

Special Apostle Awode, when it comes to business development and administration is an entrepreneur of many qualities.

On the 27th of January 2013, Remi Awode Foundation (RAF) was unveiled with the sole aim of empowering members of the youths in Nigeria to be self-reliant and financially independent. Within its short time of existence, RAF organization in addition to giving gainful employment to over 2, 000 strong staff in Nigeria alone, but have hundreds in his manufacturing plant in Ghana.

He is an amiable philanthropist of all time and has been involved in a lot of community and church development funding. These kinds of gestures have earned him several awards such as the ‘INRI widow’s Foundation for distinguished philanthropist in socio-economic development’s award and the meritorious award of the Ijamido Children’s Home, Ota in Ogun State amongst others.

The scope of his Foundation covers training and empowerment, giving grants and loans to qualified members of the church and the people of his community. RAF has also commissioned a water project for its immediate community.

The Foundation also promised to replicate this gesture in other communities in addition to securing over 2.5 acres of land for future projects. The boss of Chemstar Manufacturing Industry, makers of Finecoat Paints aside his business interests that cut across all strata of human endeavour; manufacturing, real estates, import and export, haulage services, agriculture, financial investment and mining also is in humanitarian services.

Special Apostle Emmanuel Aderemi Awode was born in Lagos on Saturday, 7th September, 1963 into the family of Dr. Dickson Adekunle Awode & Mrs Selphine Modupeola Awode. Special Apostle Awode, clocks 51 this year with healthy life.

Special Apostle Emmanuel Aderemi Awode, the Chairman of Chemstar Group of Companies, manufacturers of Fine Coat Paints, is an entrepreneur of emulative qualities. Special Apostle Emmanuel Aderemi Awode is a genius when it comes to business development and administration. His business interests cut across all strata of human endeavour; manufacturing, real estates, import and export, haulage services, agriculture, financial investment and mining.

Apostle Awode is no doubt one of Nigeria’s most innovative, industrious service-oriented and philanthropic Nigerian. His exploits at virtually all the spheres of human endeavours has found him a role model.

Born in Lagos on September 7, 1963 to the illustrious family of Dr. D. A. Awode, he had his primary and secondary school education at Ereko Methodist Primary School and Government College, Ikorodu, all in Lagos.

This spurred him to a fledging career in the industrial, manufacturing and production sectors. After over two decades, having developed himself educationally and gained considerable exposure in these vast areas, Awode launched himself into proper reckoning in his chosen field of endeavour.

He has worked as a Chemical Analyst with Bato Chemical Laboratories, Lagos, from where he joined International Paints for West Africa (IPWA), Plc as Senior Paints Chemist. It was in fact at IPWA that Awode’s expertise and solid pedigree in Paints Technology came to the fore and has remained on a steady rise since then.

At IPWA, Awode pioneered the Production of technical paints products as industrial coatings now used in the maritime industry, automotive paints and many more. It was the love he developed for paints manufacturing at IPWA, which gingered the creative and talented chemist to veer into entrepreneurship, thus enabling him to lift the science of paints manufacturing to an enviable and towering height.  Intuitively, Awode, in 1994, voluntarily resigned his well-paying job at IPWA to float his own Chemstar Paints Industrial Nigeria, Ltd. With the sole aim to manufacture paints and allied products using the unique and effective brand name: FINECOAT PAINTS.

What drives him is the desire to create wealth and employment opportunities in Nigeria. Having put the Chemstar Group, the umbrella body of his concern on a steady and unimpeachable ground, he went ahead to develop other businesses, all of which have grown and are still growing in leaps and bounds like the oak tree. Awode has contributed immensely to the meaningful development of the Real Sector of the Nigerian Economy, having developed problem-solving paints and allied products, in addition to giving gainful employment.

Apostle Emma Awode is a bonafide, member of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Paints Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (PMAN), Nigeria Institute of Production Management, (NIPM), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI), Nigeria – South Africa Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), Washington D.C. (USA), Institute of Directors (IOD), Nigeria-Asean Chamber of commerce, Nigeria-Chna friendship Association.

He is the patron of numerous social organizations and member of certain pro-active non-governmental organizations. As a philanthropist, he supports a local motherless babies’ home (Ijamido Motherless Babies Home, Ota, and Ogun State) on a monthly babies via supply of free toiletries, clothing, foodstuffs and money. As a family man, Awode is happily married to Tosin Awode. His hobbies include lawn tennis, reading and travelling.