Charles Idahosa’s more enduring persona would be that which passes him off in western type suits , regaling an enchanted audience with stories about his early upbringing in the Bishop’s court Benin , his grammar school pupilage in Eghosa Grammar school Benin, and his restless travels through Europe , and then ending up in his favorite destination of Peckham , an intriguingly diverse and plural community in South London. Charles Idahosa’s great gift was his capacity to mock himself and at the same time emerge the hero in several of his precarious narratives .
The inevitable bombast frequently appropriated , was in some ways a fitting preparation for a future life in politics and public engagement . But there was also another part of Charles Idahosa , quintessentially traditional , culturally grounded and more than well served with the intricacies of Benin history and folklore. He was culturally grounded and was known to have outdebated better known culture gurus in informal gatherings . When it came to these things , Charles Idahosa was an uncrowned king , and deploying his sharp wit and narrative power , Charles Idahosa was the lead figure in several groups . It is therefore only fitting , that proudly traditional , this griot , this raconteur and master of Benin lore was himself born in the heart of Benin city on the 21st of September 1953 .
Providence spoke through his nativity and the first gaze between father and child , while baby charles laid in the cot at Oviasu Maternity was an iconic bonding moment. It was a gaze of wonder and proposed a life , in which the codes of papa Idahosa would serve as the digital footprints for baby Charles. More prophetic than he might have intended , Chief Robinson Osatohannemen Idahosa the Iyase of Ehor town , alias Akakasiaka , looked into the eyes of his child and declared magisterially ‘ This is my Torchlight ‘ . He proclaimed that Charles would be a herald of the Akakasiaka family , and that his remit would be without borders . His life , a mixture of baby steps and giant leaps , has met his fathers prognosis , producing light and illumination , changing fortunes in homesteads and political entities and making lives better and more abundant for those whom providence has brought in his path .
EARLY LIFE
Charles Idahosa was born into privilege , the numerical strength of the family itself , being some indication of the resilience of its resources . At forty three children , the family size was a testy challenge and was not a proposal for men of straw ! Charles led the pack of children , which brought honor and gravitas to Pa Idahosa. Pa Idahosa himself had a fearsome reputation as a paramount Awolowo acolyte in the Uhunmwode jurisdiction during the First Republic .Charles was also significantly the first child of his mother , the late Mrs Comfort Ifueko Idahosa alias Madam Akakasiaka nee Igbe Ariase . She herself also carried a reputation as a fiery community leader and mobilizer . Distinction seemed to chase the pedigree of Charles. He is importantly the first grandson of the popular merchant Madam Enagbonma Ezomo Owu . His ancestry was so dripped in its traffic of privileged forebears that baby Charles was treated almost like gemstone .
The story is told of how his late aunt Madam Atiti Edeghe would unfurl expensive velvet Igbegbe clothing on the floor for Charles to sit on , in an earnest mimicry of royal indulgence . But Pa Idahosa , seeing that Charles was being overly indulged arranged to have him shipped off to a less indulgent environment in which his potentials would be more optimally challenged . So at the age of five , Charles with the support of his mother was sent to live with his uncle the late Bishop Johnson Wilfred Izevbokun Idahosa of the Benin Diocese of the Church of Nigeria , Anglican Communion . Family believed that under the new remit , the pieties of the church , in combination with the benefits of Anglican scholarship would help in giving Charles a more resilient and independent upbringing . So the young Charles traded places from being a neighborhood favorite to becoming an altar boy in the Bishop’s court .
Charles’s faith in Anglicanism remained unwavering and the veneration with which he regarded his Bishop uncle was unquestioning . It was only after several years , just as he would commence secondary school that Charles realized that the Venerable Bishop was not his biological father . The bonding had however been intense and the union produced flattering outcomes .
EDUCATION.
Suitably for a child whose address was the Bishop’s court , Charles commenced his education at St. Peter’s Anglican Grammar School , now Fabiyi Akpata School Iyaro, Benin city and the Anglican Grammar School also in Benin city. The emigration abroad of young teenage Nigerians , now at flood level , was in the 70s still a trickle. But it caught the fancy of Charles Idahosa. By 1972 after a stint as a Reservations Clerk in the Nigerian Airways , Charles left for England in search of the proverbial greener pasture . He took a Diploma in Journalism from the College of Journalism London and consequently an HND from the same institution . For good measure , Charles rounded up his search with an MBA from Trinity College London in 2002. His stay in London was consequential in shaping his world view .
He imbibed an egalitarianism which sometimes drove him to irreverence , but at heart he remained a man in search of our essential humanity . He lived a roaring social life and escapades involving him and his battered vauxhall , which he dragged through the streets and byways of Peckham, would be frequently invoked to pepper his reminiscences in later life. He earned the cognomen Charlie Tempo , the name plucked off a film . Charles and his friend Peter Uwaibi had together watched a movie in London . The heroic character was a chap named Charlie Tempo. He rode one tempest after another ; dared critical hazards but in the end came off presenting flowers to all. This in the perception of Peter Uwaibi was an incarnation of Charles Idahosa . So the name Charlie Tempo stuck and gained common currency ; in his life time , the name achieved brand recognition and would unlock the door to several opportunities .
CAREER AND WORK LIFE
The work life of Charles Idahosa has been fairly eclectic , spanning multiple fields including journalism , politics and public service . He worked with the Nigerian Television Authority Benin as Sub Editor and Producer from 1976 but constructively turned his back on regular government service in 1983. Charles Idahosa , even in those early times was known for his dissent and fearless criticism of the status quo. His close friends have an intimate understanding of the anatomy of his mind. Charles Idahosa frequently described himself in anti-establishment colours. He doubtless enjoyed the unvertain elements of life ; as in combining to bring down the established order or shattering the glass ceilings of oppression and the oppressor . Charles was not a routine yes man . He danced through life , always living space in his heart for damming the devil ! He founded Charlie Tempo Associates and even though he significantly became Representative of Arab Contractors , Charles Idahosa would never have seen himself as an enthusiastic businessman. He was born a mobilizer and his tools were words . His discernment and analysis of events were acute and fearless . He was a restless socializer , Charles Idahosa was well recognized in several hospitality assets, where his voice rent the air as he condemned the inequities of the Nigerian condition .
He had combustion ; he had vehemence and was not afraid of procuring adversaries . People began to notice and Charles on his own terms became part of the rising intelligentsia in the old Bendel state and beyond. He served as Media Consultant to the Unity Party of Nigeria , which at the time controlled Bendel state , with Professor Ambrose Ali as Governor. He was elected Chairman of Uhunmwonde Local Government in 1994 , by the tiniest of majorities . Yet no one saw Charles as a political neophyte . His voice had been ringing alarm bells in the political jurisdiction almost forever . This was his political dawn and Charles Idahosa never looked back again ! He almost by acclamation became the first Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in the state. The honors and challenges continued to pursue Charles . In 1999 he served the Igbinedion Administration as Director of Public Affairs and Protocol Government House , Director General of Edo State liaison Office in Abuja ; 1999-2000 , Director General of Edo state Liaison Office in Abuja 2001-2002, and Commissioner for Information and Orientation 2003-2004 .
In between he served on the Board of the Nigerian Television Authority 2003-2007. He was Special Adviser to Comrade Oshiomhole on Political matters 2007. Even under Governor Obaseki, Charles Idahosa remained an important political weight and received the extra honorific of serving as a Board member of the Nigerian Railway Corporation under the Buhari Administration. . Charles Idahosa has over time emerged as an important milestone in the political life of our state and country . He played a vital supportive role in the election of Governor Okpebholo and was the returning officer of the Edo South People Democratic Party Senatorial nomination in 1998, leader of the PDP in Uhunmwonde local Government Administration ; he was member of the National Publicity Committee for the Presidential Campaign Council which brought President Obasanjo to power in 1999 ; he contested for the Edo state Senate nomination for the PDP Edo south in 2003 ; he vied for the Governorship election in Edo state under the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2007 . He has had a busy political plate , serving in important executive offices and shaking the system in search of a better state and country . Not always has he been successful , but at no time has his challenge gone unnoticed .
PHILANTROPHY AND LEADERSHIP.
Charles Idahosa was kindness itself in the plain ordinary sense of the word . His life was extremely communal , a governance model that might have been imposed by the fact , that as he sometimes declared , he himself grew up under varied exigencies. Where chance governs destiny we are compelled to be each other’s keeper. Indeed in the instance of Charles Idahosa , friendship was a religion . He declared many times that whenever a contest ensued , involving his friend, he would ask no questions . ‘Right or wrong , my friend first ‘ This was the private and public policy of Charles and the model animated his initiatives from obscurity to eminence .
Charles Idahosa lived a life of sharing even when he had nothing . This charity grew in scale and character as he became more successful in public life . Some of his expansive kindness would certainly have been concealed by the sharpness of his tongue . But often this meant little . The anger of Charles Idahosa was rather like combustion without light . Everything soon passed away and sunny blue skies prevailed again . He attracted a large body of followers , whom he supported and who also were mentored by him. Wherever he settled , the highlights seemed to illuminate him . At the Benin club , his corner attracted a regular concourse of Benin elites. Most came to engage with Charles who would be frequently heard rending the night air with his political wisdoms . Even those who disagreed with Charles found his pace overwhelming .Charles Idahosa received numerous honors including Justice of the Peace JP, Pillar of Benin Club ; he is a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship. Charles Idahosa lived a vivid life , hurling himself up the social and political ladder , principally through the deployment of advocacy and word power . He was consistent , energetic and daring .
At last the governing elite listened , gave him a front row seat and through this vhancr he made an indelible imprint on our life and politics . In spite of his strong Anglican faith , he was also in his younger days , a man of the world and would be numbered among the social lights in the community . He rolled with the waves of political change in Edo , not on account of opportunism but because a new realism demanded that the vendors of power cohabit with him . He was a much relaxed man and nothing pleased him more than telling stories and getting involved in rhetorical jousts when policy turned in. Many years before now, he talked in jest about his preference for a death without pain. God granted him his wish.
DEMISE
Charles Ekhoeruntomwen Idahosa breathed his last peacefully on Saturday December 20 2025 sorrounded by his family and loved ones . He was happily married to Mrs Adekemi Idahosa and they are blessed with three children Uyi , Ivie and Ihiese and four lovely grandchildren .
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