DR. PATRICK IFECHUKWUDE OKPAH, OON

A passionate believer in Continental and National Transformation and globally referred to as the “Don King of African Arts” (as one of the Top Ten African Arts Promoters), Dr. Patrick Ifechukwude Okpah, a Delta State-born Nigerian Citizen (from Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area), was born on April 1, 1976.

He is the President / C.E.O. of both the Centre for Agriculture and Sports Entrepreneurship (CASE) and the Centre for Culture and Environment Promotion (CCEP), alongside initiating several impactful programmes / projects such as the Nigerian Undergraduates’ Exhibition of Arts (NUXART), Nigerian Arts Lecturers’ & Teachers’ Exhibition (NALTEX), Nigerian Basic and Secondary Schools’ Arts Exhibition (NIBSSART), NUXART Green Lagos, NUXART Niger Delta, Nigerian Arts, Culture & Tourism Awards (NACTA), National Open Forum On Arts, Culture & Tourism (NOFACT), African Arts, Culture and Tourism Hall of Fame (as part of the Promoters of African Arts, Culture and Tourism Awards - PAACTA), Nigerian Environment Awards (NEA), Niger Delta Environment & Climate Protectors Awards (NDECPA), Images of The Niger Delta, Images of The North, Images of The East, Images of The West, Nigerian Maritime Art Exhibition & Lecture (NIMARTEL), Nigerian Oil & Gas Art Exhibition & Lecture (NOGARTEL),Young Entrepreneurs’ Scheme (YES), Business & Career Network (BCN), Africa’s Future Today (AFT), Delta Environment Champions Awards (DECA), Operation Firm Environment Campaign (OFEC), Operation Clean Our Beaches Campaign (OCOB), Value In Books Initiative (VIB), Youths Against Drug Abuse and Cultism Initiative (YADAC), Nigerian Secondary Schools’ Alumni Carnival (NISSAC), Nigerian Tertiary Institutions’ Alumni Festival (NITIAF), amongst others.

His NUXART initiative has been held in USA, UK, Russia, Qatar, UAE (Dubai), Egypt, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria, and has remained a very potent tool in empowering and exposing Nigerian Arts and Artists, and instilling Entrepreneurial skills in Nigerians (especially Youths and Students) over the last twenty three (23) years.

As a well-known Environmentalist, Patrick has initiated and executed several effective and efficient projects and programmes towards enhancing the environment and currently serves as the National Councilor (for South West Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria) on the National Executive  Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES). Interestingly, some of his initiatives and programmes use Art and Culture as potent tools for enhancing the environment. Also, he is the Chairman of the Energy Efficiency in Education Working Group (Basic, Secondary and Tertiary Institutions) – constituted as a fall-out of the National Climate Security Summit held at Abuja in October 2024.

In view of his expertise and passionate commitment to the development of the Arts, Culture and Tourism Sector as a veritable revenue-generating source for Nigeria, he served (2011 to 2013) as the first-ever Consultant, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to the National Gallery of Art (the Parastatal in-charge of Visual Art under the then Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation) and also Member of the Ekiti State Technical Consultative Committee on Arts, Culture and Tourism Development (headed by Her Excellency, Erelu ‘Bisi Fayemi - the Wife of the then Executive Governor of Ekiti State), from 2011 to 2014. He is also the Project Consultant of the Okpoama-Brass Carnival (Okpoama-Brass Kingdom, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State) in Nigeria’s Oil-Rich Niger Delta Region.

Also, he serves as the Chairman of the Culture and Tourism Committee of (his Local Government Area of Origin) Oshimili North Local Government of Delta State – saddled with the resposibility of developing the Culture and Tourism potentials and endowments of the various towns in the Local Government Area (viz Akwukwu-Igbo, Ibusa, Illah, Okpanam, Ebu, Ukala, Ugbolu and Aniwalo) – in line with vision of the Executive Chairman of the Local Government, Hon. Chief Innocent Esewezie.

He was a Member of the Nigeria Business Council Delegation led by Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, CON, SAN (four-time Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and then President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry) to Russia to promote Business and Cultural Ties between Nigeria and Russia (which culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at the Russia Business Council’s Office in Moscow). He also led a Cultural Study Tour of Saint Petersburg (Russia’s Cultural Capital) and organized a Special Edition of NUXART Exhibition at the Russia Academy of Science (Institute of African and Arabian Studies) in Moscow from December 25 to 26, 2018.

He has led several Business and Cultural Delegations to various countries in America, Europe, Middle East / Asia and Africa; and was appointed in 2019 as one of the Founding Executive Directors / Vice President) of the Sino-Africa Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (which was established to deepen Business and Diplomatic relationships between China and African countries). He was recently appointed as the Vice President of the Nigeria China Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NCCCIMA); and he serves as member of both the NACCIMA Creative Economy Trade Group and the NACCIMA Trade Fairs Committee.

Owing to the need to standardize Sporting Events in Africa (especially in the area of Institutional Sports), he proposed and currently serves as the Programme Director / Consultant on Culture and Education to the Nigerian Universities’ Games Association (NUGA) and the Federation of Africa University Sports (FASU). In this capacity, he has successfully organized the Culture and Education Programmes at the 26^th NUGA UNILAG 2022 (in March 2022), at the NUGA IDUS 2022 held at Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja (in September 2022) and at the 11^th FASU (All Africa University) Games co-hosted by the University of Lagos and the Lagos State University (in September 2024). He has also successfully organized Culture and Education Programme at the 27^th NUGA UNIJOS 2025 (in November 2025).

His wealth of experience and outstanding contributions have been remarkable inputs to Nigerian Sports and the Olympic Movement (especially his championing of the promotion of Nigerian Arts and Culture at the London 2012 Olympic Games and at the 2012 Nottinghill Carnival; alongside his company’s serving as the “Official Art Exhibitor” of the 18^th National Sports Festival – Eko 2012) and as the Programme Director of the Culture & Education Programme of the National Sports Festival (NSF) - Delta 2022 hosted at Asaba (Delta State) in December 2022 and at the National Youth Games (NYG) DELTA 2025 at Asaba, Delta State in 2025.He has also made tremendous contributions to the success of the Culture and Education Programmes of such Global Sporting events as the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (at Glasgow, Scotland, UK), the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup (at Moscow, Russia), the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (at Birmingham,UK) and the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup (at Qatar).

He is currently consumed with the passion to establish the first CORE-CULTURE Polytechnic in Africa (in Nigeria) – QUEST AFRIQUE INSTITUTE OF CULTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LTD. / GTE, with a vision to establish one in each of the six Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria and ten across Africa over the next twenty-five (25) years. This, he believes, will promote Entrepreneurship, create wealth, increase the number of middle level skilled workers and drastically reduce unemployment in Nigeria, in particular, and Africa, in general.

He has received several Awards and Recognitions such as African Icon Of Our Generation in 2011; The Art Promoter Of The Year 2009; Listing In The “Portraits Of Distinguished University of Uyo Alumni 1983 to 2003” in 2005; Distinguished Grammarian (OGS Merit Awardee of CMS Grammar School, Lagos in 2015); The Group Leader of the Year 2015 (TREM, Wisdom House – Akoka, Lagos in 2016); Honouree / Listing In The “Nigerian Role Models (a Compendium of Distinguished Nigerians) Vol. 2” in 2017; NSAC Honourary Award of the Fine Art Department of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 2018; UNIUYO Alumni Order of Achievers in 2019; amongst several others. He was also conferred with the 2013 / 2014 (Nigerian) National Honoursof the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR (in September 2014).

A Prodigy of Learning, Visionary Strategist, Inspirational Leader and Incurable Optimist, he attended CMS Grammar School, Lagos (where he concluded his six-year secondary education programme in less than four years, from January 1988 to September 1991) and later obtained a Bachelors of Science (B.Sc.) honours degree in Marketing from the University of Uyo. He proceeded to obtain his Post-Graduate degrees; alongside extensive professional qualifications from various multi-disciplinary training courses / programmes within and outside Nigeria.

Having worked at EcoBank Nig. PLC, Standard Trust Bank (now UBA PLC) and Venture Support Micro Finance Bank, he is presently the Managing Partner of WISDOM CBT CENTRE (a Government-approved E-Testing and Digital Literacy Centre) and Group Managing Director of PAT KAIROS GROUP (an indigenous fast-growing Conglomerate) comprising PAT KAIROS CONSULT LIMITED, PAT KAIROS GALLERY, PAT KAIROS MEDIA & PUBLISHING LIMITED, MAX AFRIQUE LIMITED, RUSKY-AFRIQUE BUSINESS EXHIBITION PROMOTERS, QUEST AFRIQUE INSTITUTE OF CULTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP, NUXART NETWORK and MAXIM TECHNOLOGIES & RESOURCES LIMITED. The Group’s strategic business interests are in the areas of Arts and Culture; Sports and Tourism; Education and ICT; Maritime and Environment; Agriculture and Mining; Oil and Gas; Astrophysics and Space Research / Technology; Energy Efficient Technology; Media and Publishing; Conflict Management and Disaster Control; and Public Sector Services.

He has served severally as Consultant / Trainer to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), National Gallery of Art (NGA), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Lagos State Government, Bayelsa State Government, Ekiti State Government, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and several other National and International Organizations, alongside serving on the Boards / Committees of several Profit and Non-Profit Organizations. Also, he serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of Astro Tech Hub (which focuses on Astrophysics and Space Research / Technology), with its global headquarters at Manawa, Kingdom of Bahrain.

He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Commerce (NAC), the Certified Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria (CIAN), the Institute of Business Administration & Knowledge Management (IBAKM), and the Environmental Practitioners’ Institute of Nigeria (EPIN); alongside being Member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) and Associate Member of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN); and also serves as mentor, coach and role model to several millions of people across the nations of the earth through direct contact and his numerous initiatives / programmes.

He is married to a wonderful and God-fearing Library / Information Manager, Blessing Okpah (nee Omadibi) from Okene, Kogi State (with 3 great children – Peace, Joy and Precious) and has his hobbies as Community Service, Engaging in Intellectual Discussions, Travelling, Networking, Writing, Whistling and Playing Table Tennis; while his Life Philosophy is “Give a man a responsibility and see him perform it to the best of his God-given ability” and he can be reached on +2348023021234 / +2348125451333 or pokpah76@gmail.com / pokpah@yahoo.com (www.patkairos.com / www.nuxartafrica.com).