Mohammed Indimi OFR (born 12 August 1947) is a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Oriental Energy Resources (OER), a privately held Nigerian

oil exploration Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth's crust using petroleum geology. Exploration methods V ...

and production company. As of October 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$500 million by Forbes. His net worth plummeted due to crashing oil prices as well as the floating of the Naira.

Early life and background

Indimi was born 12 August 1947, in

Maiduguri Maiduguri ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the ''Firki'' swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maid ...

the capital of

Borno State Borno is a States of Nigeria, state in the North East (Nigeria), North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe State, Yobe to the west, Gombe State, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa State, Adamawa to the south while its ea ...

, north-east Nigeria. His father, late Alhaji Mamman Kurundu was also a Hausa businessman who traded in hides and skins. Indimi attended traditional Qur’anic school as it is the general practice of Muslim communities in the

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria (or Arewa, Arewancin Nijeriya) was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired t ...

. He could not attend formal school because his father could not afford to sponsor his formal western education but still managed to learn how to speak, read and write in English.

Career

At the age of 10, Indimi followed his father to local markets around Borno to trade animal hides and skins. In 1963, he became independent and started his own business after he collected 100 pounds loan from his friend Alhaji Umar Tela which he used as a start-up. Eventually, he decided to expand into selling clothes which were imported from

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

and

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. In 1990, Indimi got oil prospecting license granted by the

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian statesman and military dictator who ruled as military president of Nigeria from 1985 when he orchestrated a coup d'état against his military and political arch-rival Muhammadu B ...

regime. He established an oil and gas firm named Oriental Energy Resources (OER). Indimi served as chairman and board member of several companies including Jaiz Bank.

Philanthropy

Indimi established Muhammad Indimi Foundation (MIF), which focuses on vulnerable families through the poverty alleviation, fight against hunger, illiteracy and health challenges. He has sponsored native of Borno state to study at the International University of Africa (IUA) on scholarship in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. Through the MIF, Indimi has empowered and supported people affected by the Boko Haram crisis in the North East. He built a 100-unit N600 million housing estate, provided food, clothing, schools and clinics for the

Internally Displaced Persons An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced displacement, forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the Refugee#Definitions ...

(IDPs) by the

Boko Haram insurgency The Boko Haram insurgency also known as the Boke Haram Crisis began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place wit ...

. Muhammad Indimi foundation, has built a 100 unit N700 million modern residential estate in Enwang, Mbo LGA

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state takes its name from the Qua ...

. He awarded over 470 scholarships in Akwa Ibom State and created a sponsorship program for University of Uyo's Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering. Indimi donated a multi-million-dollar International Business Centre to Lynn University in the United States, which was named after him.

Recognition

* Indimi was awarded with

Nigerian National Honours Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the First Nigerian Republic, to honour Nigerians who h ...

, Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) in 2012. * He received an honorary doctorate from

Lynn University Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1962, the university awards Associate degree, associate, Bachelor's degree, baccalaureate, Master's degree, master's, and Doctorate, doctoral Academic degr ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in 2013 * He received an honorary doctorate from

University of Uyo The University of Uyo is located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The university was formerly known as the University of Cross River State. On 1 October 1991, the Federal government of Nigeria established it as a Federal Univer ...

in 2017 * He won the

Vanguard (Nigeria) ''Vanguard'' is a Nigerian daily published by Vanguard Media, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. Vanguard Media was established in 1984 by journalist Sam Amuka-Pemu and three friends. The paper currently has an online edition. In June 1990, th ...

Businessman of the Year in 2017 * He received an honorary doctorate from Nigeria Defense Academy in 2018

Personal life

Indimi is married to Fatima Mustapha Haruna. He has 20 children including Jibrila, Yakolo, Ibrahim, Ahmed, Ameena, Mustapha, Rukaiya, Hauwa, Amina, Zara, Mairama, Amouna, Meram, Habibi, Tijjani, Aya, Abdulrahman, Abdullah, Fatima and Adama.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Indimi, Mohammed 1947 births Living people Kanuri people People from Maiduguri People from Borno State Nigerian Muslims Nigerian businesspeople in the oil industry Nigerian billionaires Nigerian company founders Founders of charities 20th-century Nigerian businesspeople 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople Nigerian philanthropists