NPA mournsErakhifu and acknowledges his decades of dedication and contributions to the corporate image.

Juliet Akoje In Abuja

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has expressed sorrow over the death of staff member Paul Ikherovba Erakhifu, popularly known as “Texas,” who passed away on Friday, 1 May 2026.

In a tribute, the General Manager of Corporate Affairs, NPA, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, described the late Erakhifu as a dedicated employee who made significant sacrifices for the organisation’s growth and helped shape its positive image.

Onyemekara recalled that Erakhifu began his career with the NPA on 17 October 1994 as a junior staff member at Grade Level 3.

Through diligence, determination, discipline and ambition, he rose to the position of senior staff at Grade Level 13, leaving a legacy of outstanding contributions until his death.

Onyemekara stated, “Although we cannot determine our appointed date of birth and death, we definitely can determine how we want to be remembered. Texas, by his uncommon commitment to his craft (photography) and his contagious sense of humor, which he generously shared with everyone he met, intentionally set out to be remembered for good.”

“Looking back, his popular refrains ‘you have made my day’ and ‘powerful’ were his default responses to most who encountered him on and off duty. In saying so, Texas promised to make his days on earth powerful, a promise he fulfilled with grace and honour, as reflected in his professional trajectory.”

“Never one to waste opportunities for growth, Texas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature in 2005, a Master’s degree in International Relations in 2012, and a Master of Science in Mass Communication.”

“To meet the demands of his chosen craft, Texas trained at the London Film Academy, the London Academy of Media, Film & Television, and the Texas School of Photography in the USA, fulfilling his lifelong admiration for the American state of Texas, from which his nickname derived.”

“The life and times of Texas validated the biblical truism that ‘a man diligent in his business shall stand before kings and not mean men.’ Indeed, Texas was diligent, and he stood before kings both in Nigeria and abroad, travelling widely on official engagements with senior executives of the Authority to Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Ghana, Togo, Congo, Guinea, South Africa, among others.”

“Although Texas will be sorely missed and leaves a vacuum that will be difficult to fill, we take solace in the immortal words of James Wrubel: ‘no one truly dies who is remembered.’ We will continue to honour his good deeds, exceptional sense of humor, and his contribution to knowledge, evidenced by his authorship of two books that illuminated paths and eased burdens.”