Entertainment Mogul, Businessman, Administrator, Evangelist
Opening Summary
Anthony Ronari Orubo, popularly known as Mr Tee, was a renowned entertainment entrepreneur, businessman, and public administrator from Otuabagi community in Ogbia Kingdom of Bayelsa State. During the late 1970s through the 1990s, he played a significant role in shaping the nightlife and entertainment culture of Port Harcourt, establishing some of the most popular clubs and leisure businesses in the city. His business innovations, charisma, and bold entrepreneurial spirit left lasting footprints in the commercial and social landscape of old Rivers State.
Early Life and Background
Anthony Ronari Orubo was born on 15 December 1953 in Lagos, Nigeria, to Chief Robebe Sylvanus Orubo and Madam Bernice Baratuapre Orubo (née Idumesaro) of Otuabagi in Ogbia Kingdom.
Growing up in a relatively affluent and disciplined household, Tony enjoyed a comfortable upbringing during his formative years in Lagos. From an early age, he displayed remarkable ambition and confidence, traits that later defined his ventures in business and entertainment.
Education
At the age of two, he was enrolled in the Nursery section of Ladi-Lak Institute in Yaba, Lagos, a prestigious institution managed by expatriates alongside Nigerian educators. He remained there through his early primary education.
In 1965, he proceeded to Government College Afikpo in Eastern Nigeria (now Ebonyi State) for his secondary education. However, the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967 disrupted his academic journey. His family relocated to their ancestral home in Otuabagi for safety.
Although village life was unfamiliar to him at the time, Tony quickly adapted and gained the trust and admiration of the community.
After the war ended in 1969, he moved to Port Harcourt, where he continued his education at Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri. Known for its strict discipline and academic rigor, the school demanded diligence from its students. Tony’s rebellious nature, however, sometimes placed him at odds with school authorities, leading to his eventual expulsion.
He later gained admission into Okrika Grammar School, where his father had once studied. There he completed his secondary education successfully in 1973.
Following his graduation, Tony traveled to the United Kingdom, where he broadened his knowledge of entertainment, nightlife culture, and entrepreneurship—skills that would later influence his business ventures in Nigeria.
Career in Entertainment and Business
Upon returning to Nigeria in 1980, Anthony Ronari Orubo launched a series of bold business ventures that transformed the entertainment scene in Port Harcourt.
Music and DJ Career
Tony initially entered the music and DJ industry, bringing with him a large collection of LPs and EPs from London, particularly in Rock, Reggae, Disco Funk, and Lovers Rock genres.
He became a highly respected Disc Jockey, known professionally as DJ Tony Jenkins. His musical expertise made him a frequent guest presenter at Radio Rivers FM, Port Harcourt, where he electrified the airwaves with carefully curated music selections.
His DJ performances helped popularize modern disco culture in Port Harcourt and made him one of the most sought-after DJs of the early 1980s.
Founders 15 Musical Band
Tony later co-founded a musical band known as Founders 15, which quickly became one of the most popular entertainment groups in the city. As the resident manager, he helped guide the band to prominence across Port Harcourt’s nightlife scene.
Music Machine Nightclub
In 1982, he established the famous Music Machine Nightclub, strategically located along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
The club quickly became one of the most fashionable nightlife destinations in the city, competing with popular venues like Aquarium and Modus. Music Machine attracted socialites, professionals, and entertainment enthusiasts, making it one of the most talked-about nightclubs of its era.
Balcony Modern Pub
In 1984, Tony co-founded Balcony Pub, a modern pub located on Aggrey Road near Ilorine Street in Port Harcourt. His partner in the venture was his close friend late Frank Jumbo (popularly known as Jumbo Lee).
The pub quickly became a meeting point for elite members of Port Harcourt society, although the business eventually closed due to disagreements between the partners.
Goldmine and Black & White
Undeterred, Tony went on to co-found another entertainment establishment called Goldmine in 1986, also on Aggrey Road. One of the stakeholders was H.H. Mallsasime.
The venue later evolved into Black and White, another thriving nightlife hotspot that attracted the city’s upper-class clientele.
Clippers Barbershop
Also in 1986, Tony established Clippers, the first modern barbershop in Port Harcourt, located at 92 Aggrey Road near the Cemetery Road junction.
Clippers became an exclusive grooming destination for the city’s elite and helped pioneer modern barbering culture in old Rivers State.
NAFCON Catering Enterprise
During the late 1980s, when the National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria (NAFCON) was established, Tony and his former partner Jumbo Lee reunited to operate a cafeteria within the facility.
The NAFCON Catering Centre, managed by the duo between 1989 and 1990, provided high-quality meals to staff and management of the company.
Calvary Motors
After the creation of Bayelsa State in 1996, Tony expanded into the automobile business.
He founded Calvary Motors, a vehicle sales depot located along Lambert Eradiri Road in Yenagoa, where he sold both brand-new and used vehicles.
Public Service
Tony later entered public service.
In 2003, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, appointed him Executive Secretary of the Centre for Youth Development in Yenagoa.
In this role, he applied his managerial and entrepreneurial skills to youth development initiatives, significantly improving the agency’s performance.
Recognizing his leadership abilities, Governor Timipre Sylva recommended him in 2009 as Bayelsa State’s representative on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
His nomination was approved by the Federal Government, and he served on the board until 2011, when the commission was restructured.
Personality and Lifestyle
Tony Orubo was known for his charisma, elegance, and distinctive style.
A fashionable dresser and social figure, he was admired for his confidence and presence. In his youthful years, he drove a brand-new Datsun Cherry car, famously painted “77”, often blasting his favorite music—Lovers Rock Reggae.
He later became a member of the prestigious Port Harcourt Club, formally joining on 18 November 2009.
Tony valued friendship deeply and was known to go to great lengths to defend and support those he considered close confidants.
Family and Faith
Although he had relationships with several women during his lifetime, Tony Orubo never married. However, he had one son who continues to thrive in life.
In his later years, Tony experienced a profound spiritual transformation. He embraced the Christian faith, reconciled with God, and sought forgiveness from those he may have wronged earlier in life.
He attended a pastoral training school, graduated, and began sharing the message of faith with others through preaching and personal evangelism.
Death and Legacy
Anthony Ronari Orubo passed away on 14 August 2014 after battling a terminal illness. He was 61 years old.
He was laid to rest on 26 September 2014 in his hometown of Otuabagi in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Tony Orubo remains remembered as a bold entrepreneur, entertainment pioneer, and charismatic figure whose creativity and business ventures helped shape the nightlife and entertainment culture of Port Harcourt.
Indeed, Mr Tee came, saw, and conquered.
