JACK OKUDE pays tribute to Matthew Tonlagha, philanthropist and managing director of Maton Engineering Ltd
At just 50, Matthew Tonlagha’s life has orbited the full cycle of human accomplishments. From general welfare, education support, healthcare provision, community development, youth empowerment, job and wealth creation, and security of lives and physical infrastructure. In case, you don’t know him, Tonlagha is the Chairman of Maton Engineering and vice chairman of Tantita Security Services. He hit the golden age on February 8, this year. And it was a national celebration. A buzz full of substance and laden with significance. But the buzz was not for nothing. It was a testament to the impactful life of Tonlagha, especially in the oil and gas sector where his footprints are boldly expressed. The two enterprises he’s involved in play huge roles in oil exploration and security of oil and gas facilities especially in the difficult to navigate creeks of the oil-rich Niger Delta.
What stands him out is that he’s a home-grown entrepreneur. A made-in-Nigeria solution provider. A grassroots man devoted to the advancement of his community, his state and the nation at large. Endowed with natural brilliance and a wide knowledge bandwidth too exuberant to ignore, he has become a role model to many Nigerian youths. An exemplar of the truism that hard work has its due reward. Tonlagha is a futuristic and strategic thinker. This reflects in the manner he is handling operations at Tantita, whose chairman is the courageous Oweizdel Thomas Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo).
