American trained Idumuesa born lawyer, Barr Peter Okoh
Barr. Peter Okoh, born in Idumuesah town, in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State within the southern region of Nigeria. He is the fourth child of his parents out of five children from Mrs Onwubuya the most senior of the three wives of his father, late Chief Patrick E. Okoh of the Okoh family. Married to Mrs Sylvia Paul Onyibe (Now Mrs Sylvia Okoh), the marriage is blessed with four children (three boys and a girl).
He was a farm boy while growing up and was fond of hunting for rabbits in the bush with other kids, sometimes staying away late and going home empty handed at times which attracts strokes of the cane from elders who believed he was endangering his life. He was in the habit of cracking funny jokes which is a habit he learnt from his father who was an orator and a story teller, and such habits have endeared him to different groups of people especially the white students in America which he entertained at regular intervals by employing the high oratory in the footstep of great Chinua Achebe to the age of ten while he attended St. Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School Idumuesah before his father handed him over to his junior brother, Chief Micheal Okoh who lived in Ijebu Ode, there he continued his primary education at Amadiya Primary School, Esure in Ijebu Ode with his uncle the Odogun of Idumuesah, who was then an officer of the forestry department in the old western region.
He was based in Ijebu Ode until 1963 during the time of the creation of the Midwest.
Barrister Peter Okoh is a legal practitioner. He is the principal partner, of Okoh Ugboh and Co. Ikeja, Lagos. On getting to Benin-City in old Midwestern region, he continued his school at St. Joseph Primary School Igbesanwan road, Benin City and finally completed his primary school education at St. Charles Primary School at Ubulu-Uku. He then proceeded to Olivet High School Oyo, for his High School Certificate (HSC), but as a result of prolonged closure of the school due to massive students’ riot, he had to switch over to Edo College Benin-City to continue his high School certificate course in June 1975. He is a member of the Oak Association based in Lagos, with membership from all the eleven Ika clans.
Precisely, on the 8th of September, 1975 after his HSC exams, he left for the United States of America to continue his education at the National College of Business in South Dakota, USA with the support of his brother, Sir Fidelis Okoh. As a result of the intense cold winter weather in that part of USA, he transferred to Alabama State University Montgomery Alabama, where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Thereafter, he moved to University of Houston in Texas for his MBA program which he completed in 1980, and a certificate in the Fundamentals of Petroleum from the University of Texas at Austin before returning to Nigeria. On returning to Nigeria in 1982, he attended some part-time courses at the University of Lagos, Akoka while working full time and from where he was awarded ordinary/higher diploma in Computer Science/Management, Advance Diploma in Commercial Law Degree (LLB), after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja, where he was called to the bar and awarded the Barrister at Law certificate (BL) of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
He learnt more from watching television programmes than from classroom, the extent of lawlessness/mass confusion everywhere upon his return to Nigeria prompted him to study law so that he could contribute positively towards building an orderly and more progressive society. After his education he worked for two years as material control supervisor at the Shell Oil terminal in Galveston Texas which is about twenty kilometres from Houston. The terminal supplies oil drilling material/equipment to the various oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Upon his return to Nigeria he worked as General Manager/ Chief Executive Officer of Muktar Foam Industries Limited, Kaduna funded by the Bank of Industry formerly Nigeria Industrial bank. Later on, he moved to the American Embassy Lagos as a commercial specialist, and then General Manager in Teape Plc Lagos, before going into Law Practice
His legacy is unflinching/uncompromising dedication to hard work, discipline, accountability, loyalty to constituted authority and to make the society a better place.
His hobby is writing articles for newspaper publications and conducting legal research work, as well as a strong passion for Small and Medium Scale enterprises. He is a devote Catholic, and he enjoys Ika food (Pounded yam with egusi soup and stock fish). His mentors are, Professor Humphrey Nwosu (Former INEC Chairman), Professor Pat Utomi who is one of the founding fathers of Lagos Business School, and Chief Frank Kokori former NLC chairman who are men of principles.
