Chika Okafor, a prominent Nigerian industrialist, has built a vast business empire known as Chicason Group, which operates in multiple sectors including manufacturing, oil refining, and real estate. Okafor, who hails from Nnewi in Anambra State, began his entrepreneurial journey under challenging circumstances when the Nigerian civil war closed schools in 1967, preventing him from receiving a formal education.
Today, Chicason Group is a conglomerate with operations spanning cooking oil, lubricants, soap, disinfectants, plastics, and property development. The firm’s headquarters is situated on Bourdillon Road in Ikoyi, Lagos, while many of its factories are located at the Chicason Industrial Estate in Nnewi. According to the African Export-Import Bank, the group employed around 5,000 workers in 2014.
However, Okafor’s career has not been without controversy. His business dealings have included a $2.75 billion development project in Abuja that remains unbuilt, a tragic gas plant explosion in 2015 that led to eight fatalities, and involvement in a bank receivership that personally implicated him, according to a court ruling. He has also stated that he lost 150 million naira to a fraudulent scheme involving a woman impersonating Nigeria’s First Lady.
Born on February 6, 1957, in Uru-Umudim, Okafor’s early life was marked by hardship. His mother sold fish and his father, who later passed away, was a farmer. As a child, Okafor sold akara (fried bean cakes) with his mother and managed to sustain a poultry business by selling eggs.
Okafor honed his business skills through an apprenticeship under his uncle, Chief Ben Akubueze. He eventually expanded into the market, supplying fishing products and later selling electronics and imported clothing. The establishment of Chicason Nigeria Ltd. occurred around 1980 or 1981, with a travel agency following in 1984. By 1985, Okafor was venturing into manufacturing, launching a 50-tonne edible oil refinery in Nnewi that expanded significantly over the years.
Chicason’s operations also include A-Z Petroleum Products Ltd., founded in 1994, which focuses on lubricant blending and petroleum trading. Other subsidiaries of Chicason Group encompass a motorcycle assembly operation, a soap manufacturing company, a liquefied petroleum gas plant, and a property development arm.
In addition to domestic enterprises, Okafor has explored opportunities abroad, with ventures in Ghana and a presence in several African countries. He announced ambitious projects in the 2010s, including the Abuja Downtown project and a housing scheme in Lugbe, but many remain unfulfilled or are marked as stalled.
The Chicason Group’s solid regional footprint has not prevented legal and financial challenges. Notably, a court order in 2018 allowed Union Bank of Nigeria to take possession of a company property due to substantial debt. Okafor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in these matters.
Okafor is married to Favour Chika-Okafor, an engineer, and they have six children, including his son Dikanna, who is involved in the family business. Okafor has received several honors for his contributions and leadership, reflecting his significant role in the Nigerian business landscape. However, the group has not announced new projects for 2025 or 2026, and its online presence has not been updated since 2017.
