The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer CEO, STARZS Investments Company Ltd. (SICL), Iroghama Ogbeifun, has commended her father for laying a solid faith-based foundation for the company, stressing that that important gesture has become a credible guiding beacon.
“We’re a faith-based company. I am unapologetic about it,” Iroghama stressed, pointing out that without such a strong and solid guiding light and principle, the Management could have wavered or blended with the world along the lines, particularly under market pressure.
Speaking of the Chairman as her greatest idol and unique inspiration, Iroghama Ogbeifun emphasized that she would always be guided by his principles, vision and legacies.
“I’m so proud as a child to stand on your shoulders today, because your shoulders are so big and strong. And to stand on your name, particularly, the innovative platform that is your name!
“Thank you. God bless you. I pray that you will continue just like what we just prayed. And that, I will continue to benefit from your wisdom, from your guidance and your counsel. Your counsel that is so irreplaceable,” Iroghama stated emotionally.
She called attention to several pastors and men of God, who proudly testified to being beneficiaries of the Company’s payment of tithes, which according to Iroghama is the one thing that has kept Starzs focused, unique and outstanding, in a world that is constantly turning upside down.
“At most times, when you’re in the marketplace, which is where we operate, you might feel the need to want to blend, you know, or to hide but our founder has placed us on a solid foundation. We do not apologize for being faith-based as a company.
“We hold devotions every Monday. We don’t care if you’re Muslim, Atheist, Traditionalist, Herbalist; once you work in Starzs, we let you understand that we come for Monday devotion.
“We inform you of this when you come for interview. And when you join us, we again let you know that we’re not going to hide who we are. We know that we’ve come this far, because of God”, she indicated further, saying that the Company praises God as its enduring culture.
The CEO acknowledged that the founder actually sowed that seed and culture and the same they intend to sustain, if anyone comes to join them. “This is the only thing we know: Praise God and Praise God.”
She stressed that her management prioritises the attitude of sacrificial giving via honest payment of tithes.
She also expressed satisfaction that though the management began tithing with about $1000, they have scaled up.
“But, it has always come from a sacrificial heart. It has never been from a place of plenty. I don’t want to say how much we tithe today…. But, it is true that we also give in dollars and it is in double digits,
“But we were not always giving like that. I remember when I joined (the company)12 years ago and I saw that that was culture. But then, God is so good. God is so great,” she noted, stressing that the initiative however had never been in vain.
“It is the one thing that was untouchable. Don’t pay salaries. But, you must pay the tithe. We pay it religiously. We don’t joke with tithing. It’s as if the Chairman is watching us.
“We have also seen our tithes speak on our behalf. Even without us realizing it. It is later that we would realize that, oh my God, this Tithing must go on even when I’m no longer there, say in the next 40 years.
“Of course, by then, I would be over 80 years; and would sincerely be glad, being the one, passing the oil to the next successor.
She thanked the multitude of churches who have benefited from the initiative for their prayers , highlighting that tithing is a testament to their obedience to divine directive.
“That’s what I call it. It was obedience to what God said to him (the founder). And we have to obey that.
“I also want to thank every single member of my team- the Starzs team. I want to say thank you for your sacrifice. You know, like the Pastor said, it takes people to build an organization. To be a remarkable organization, it takes people”, she said, highlighting that the few in the huge audience, indeed represented the over 200 staff members, arduously putting in their best, in the office.
“So, for us here, we are just a representation of our colleagues. Some of them are on board different vessels now. Some of them are not here because we have a vessel, docked”.
The CEO thanked the Ministers of God, stressing that their exhortation were like ‘fresh fires’ for her, smoothly and timely rejuvenating her for the greater tasks ahead, especially the several tenders that the SICL must work on.
“We are growing bigger every day. We are getting stronger. We are taking over. And there is no limitation in the mighty name of Jesus. All of us claim it in the mighty name of Jesus.
Speaking earlier, the Senior Pastor of the House on Rock in Port Harcourt, Rev. Lanre Oluseye, while commending the Chairman, made a glowing differentiation between a leader and a boss.
“There is a difference between honor that is due and honor that is deserved. Because honor that is due and honor that is deserved are two different things.
“We juxtapose them and we use them interchangeably. But I have lived long enough to realize that honor might be due and not deserved. Because honor that is due is a function of position and honor that is deserved is a function of performance.
“And at times, someone is in position who is not performing. So we honor him for the position but not because he’s performing. And at no time you can find someone who is performing who doesn’t have the position.
“And so you honor them for the performance but not because of the position. But Professor across Nigerian You have no choice every time and again you come across people, very few of them, who are in position and who are also performing. One of them is Engr. Greg Ogbeifun.
“I would like you to please help me and celebrate this incredible man,” Rev. Oluseye said, calling for a direct ovation, over his spirit of perseverance, dedication, commitment and discipline. He got a standing ovation.
The man of God stressed that the Starzs couldn’t have gone so far without troubles.
“So whilst we are thanking God for the successes, we must also be thanking God for his pain, because it is pain that makes, it is pain that shapes!
“I tell people often that, you know, we celebrate our friends, but we also should celebrate our enemies more. Because our enemies have more ministry in our lives than our friends. Our friends are there to pick us up, but our enemies are the reason we left the ghetto”, he indicated, thanking the Chairman for his resilience.
“When you look back, see, it is easy to hope when you can find light at the end of the tunnel; but at times, the tunnel is very long. I wonder if there is anybody here who has been in a tunnel where you can look back and all you have is hope. That somewhere, if I continue and stay the course, light will show up somewhere. You are the true survivors.”
The Reverend emphasized the need to understand that the Chairman went so far because God is with him. He also admonished the huge audience, to emulated Engr. Ogbeifun, especially in his inspired view of putting God first, arguing that anyone who works so hard, while putting God first, will ultimately succeed, immensely.
“One of my favorite sayings in the whole Bible is, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, we would not have been struggling. I wonder if there is anybody in this room who understands that if it had not been the Lord, you would not be who you are, you would not be standing where you’re standing.
“The world would have swept you away. Give God praise because this is the doing of the Lord. I’m going to tell you the truth as you take your seats.
“What you survived is what made you a hero. Because you see, what you survived, others did not survive. What you survived killed others.
“So have you talked to your neighbour and asked them the quick question, have you met a miracle before? Do you have any idea what a miracle looks like? If you met a miracle now, can you tell? Who knows? Then, help your neighbor and tell them, well, (touching himself), this is what a miracle looks like.
“So if you’ve never met a miracle before, this is what a walking, talking miracle looks like. And this is the doing of the Lord”, he further explained, before buttressing his exhortation with the story of one Shamar.
“This guy, I found him very interesting, you know, because in many ways, he reminds me of many of us. And that’s one of the thoughts that I wanted to share with us today. Shamar I knew about was one of the mighty men of valour.
He tells us that the Philistines would always swoop on the Dan. And they usually will come during harvest time, when the Israelites were about to harvest their fruits. And then they will come and they will chase them away and they will reap the harvest. They will reap where they have not sown.
“Let me tell you, nobody does 40 years without fighting. You know, I was telling you of someone, you know, and the Lord is just on my side.
“Anyway, what I’m saying to you is this story as told of Shamar. And then they came and they chased everybody, brilliant Children away. But the Bible tells us that Shamar stood. And he fought. And in that day, one man killed a thousand men.
“And the Bible says that God brought a great victory that day. My question is, did God want Shamar to have the field? In fact, it was the field of lentils. Did God want him to have that field? The answer is yes.
“But do you know that if Shamar had run away with the rest of them, he wouldn’t have that field and God would still be God. I’m clearly saying this because yes, you’ve done 40 years, but that does not mean you are still not still going to fight. But the same God who kept you in the previous fight has not changed.
“Whether Shama fought or he ran, God will still have been God. So what I’m saying is your decision to stand and fight, at times is not up to God, it’s up to you. And whatever that decision is, God will back you up.
“That’s why I’m glad we are doing what we are doing today. You know why? Because we don’t fight like the world fights. You know how we fight? What’s that song? First it was fragrance, then it turned to fire.
“My worship is my weapon. That’s how we fight. It starts as fragrance,” the Rev. concluded, intimating the management that the coast and uncharted fields now lay ahead of them, and God is waiting for them to do beyond whatever either the Chairman or the company had achieved in the past 40 years, telling them that in God’s mathematics, 2 times 5 can be 100!
