Meet Anthony Ezenna; Nigerian industrialist, pharmacist and CEO of Orange Drugs Group

Chief Anthony Ifeanyichukwu Ezenna is one of Nigeria’s richest men and industrialist, who sits on a multi-billion naira indigenous pharmaceutical and household commodities conglomerate, the Orange Drugs Group as the Chairman and CEO.

As a young boy under the tutelage of his father, he demonstrated early in life that he was destined to be a shrewd entrepreneur and business administrator. Tony’s resourcefulness in handling his father business at that young age showed the success and accomplishments that would come his way as a businessman and industrialist.

His father, use to run a chemist shop called Eastern Chemists, which he later transformed and rebranded as Orange Drugs Limited, and has today turned to a multi -billion Naira conglomerate.

Chief Ezenna was born on April, 1957 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to late Mr. Ernest Ukwandu Ebilekwe Ezenna and Mrs. Comfort Ebiliekwe Ezenna of Owerri-Akokwa in Akokwa, Ideato LGA of Imo State.

After 13 years of apprenticeship and tutelage under his father, Sir Tony went on to establish his own pharmaceutical company, Orange Drugs Limited (ODL) leveraging on leadership and managerial skills he acquired from his experience with Eastern Industrial Chemist.

ODL was registered and incorporated on the 20th of July, 1988. Its first office was in Ikenegbu, Owerri, Imo State in 1989 which later moved to Lagos State so as to compete favorably, locally and internationally.

 Orange Drug is involved in the marketing and distribution of well-tested drugs, manufactured in Indonesia, Italy, India, Germany and the United States of America with the Nigerian consumer in mind.

 Orange Drugs Limited joined the beauty care industries through the importation of soaps, creams and other beauty products. By 2006, the Company commenced the local production of different brands of soaps in Lagos and this was aimed at boosting the Nigerian manufacturing sector and also creating jobs for the populace.

In order to meet up with the challenges in the global economy, Orange Drugs Limited later diversified its line of business by the establishment of Orange Kalbe Ltd and Orange West Africa Limited leading to the formation of Orange Group.

The industrialist has saved many young Nigerians from labouring in vain in the labour market. Many of these young Nigerians are currently in the employment of the Orange Drugs conglomerate – Orange Drugs Limited, Orange West Africa, and Orange Kalbe among others. Tony’s Soap noodles factory in Onitsha, Anambra State is the largest of such factory in Africa. Thousands of Nigerians are in the employ of the factory.

Chief Tony’s philanthropic work knows no bound as he has also contributed immeasurably to the development of his home town, Akokwa where he holds the title of IjeleAkokwa.

He expresses his generosity, his Love and kindness to those in need, through the Tony Ezenna Foundation, He ensures children of the downtrodden are not denied the benefits of education. The foundation, which he set up in 2016, provides financial assistance and scholarships to families that can’t afford to send their wards to school and also provides fund to small-scale business owner.

In recognition of Ezenna’s track record of service to humanity and to Nigeria, the prestigious Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) in December 2017 conferred on him an award of Honorary Doctorate Degree of Management Technology (D.MTech Honoris Causa).

Chief Tony Ezenna is a staunch Knight in Catholic Church. He is an avid preacher of courage, honesty, vision, possibility, etc in whatever one is doing. Reading also gives him immense joy, and his favorite author is John C. Maxwell.

He got married to his wife Elizabeth Adaeze, whom he met while both of them were members of The Bible Society in December 1983 and they are blessed with five children.