Onyema Ugochukwu

Onyema Ugochukwu
Onyema Ugochukwu
Personal details
Born	November 9, 1944 (age 79); Abia State, Nigeria
Political party	People's Democratic Party
Spouse	Dr. Joyce Ugochukwu

Onyema Ugochukwu (CON; Commander of the Order of the Niger, born November 9, 1944) is a seasoned Nigerian economist, journalist, and politician. Ugochukwu served as the Senior Special Adviser on Communication to President Olusegun Obasanjo and the first Executive Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) [1] [2]. He is currently the front-runner in the 2007 Abia State gubernatorial elections slated for April 14th 2007.

Early life

Onyema Ugochukwu was born on November 9, 1944 in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. He graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with a BSc in Economics. He is married with four children.

Biafran War

The political turmoil which followed the first military coup in 1966 escalated into a civil war when the south-east region of Nigeria seceeded as the Republic of Biafra a year later. Ugochukwu enlisted in the Biafran Army and rose to the rank of captain before the war ended in 1970 [3].

Career

Economics

Upon graduation from college, Ugochukwu was hired as an Economic Research Assistant by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He remained with CBN for two years before he abandoned a promising career in economics to pursue his true passion, journalism.

Journalism

Ugochukwu joined the Business Times group as an Economic Analyst and a pioneer staff of what would later become the most influential financial newspaper in Nigeria. Ugochukwu rose in the ranks to become the Editor of the Business Times newspaper (1977 to 1982). In 1983, Ugochukwu became the Editor in Chief of the London-based West Africa Magazine, where he wrote extensively on development issues, to provide a better understanding of the African debt crisis. He eventually returned to Nigeria to become the Editor in Chief of the Daily Times of Nigeria and he was subsequently appointed to its board as the Executive Director of Manpower and Development. He retired from newspaper journalism in 1994 as the Executive Director of Publications. Ugochukwu remained active as a media consultant for the Dow Jones Financial News Service. Throughout his distinguished career as a journalist, Ugochukwu has met and interviewed numerous Heads of States — including then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher [4], South African President Nelson Mandela, Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, French President Jacques Chirac, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Nigerian Presidents Ibrahim Babangida, Muhammadu Buhari, and Sani Abacha — and presented papers on African economic and political development at various forums including Oxford University, England, and Uppsala University, Sweeden.[5]

Politics

With Nigeria's return to democracy in 1998, Ugochukwu became the Director of Publicity at the Obasanjo for President Campaign Organisation, and contributed immensely to the election of Olusegun Obasanjo as the President of Nigeria. Ugochukwu was appointed as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Orientation and Public Affairs. He spearheaded a "National Rebirth" campaign aimed at instilling patriotic virtues into a national psyche ravaged by years of political instability and corruption. To sooth the political unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) act of 2000 into law. Ugochukwu was appointed as the pioneer chairman of the newly created comission, charged with developing the nine oil producing states of the country, with excess oil revenues. Ugochukwu helped to articulate the president's vision of sustainable development in the Niger Delta region, and developed a policy which encouraged partnership amongst its stakeholders. At the end of his four-year tenure at NDDC, Ugochukwu returned to Abuja and was appointed Special Adviser to the President on Communication. On December 13th 2006, Ugochukwu emerged as the People's Democratic Party's candidate for the 2007 Abia State gubernatorial elections.

Published Books

Power and Governance: The Legacy of Dr. Michael Okpara (ISBN 978027264X) [6]

Trivia

Ugochukwu's native chieftaincy title is: “Aha Eji Agamba”, Igbo for "he who gives the community cause to boast" [7][8].

Ugochukwu was mentioned as part of a Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit mocking the 2000 United States presidential debate between Al Gore and George W Bush. Bush (played by Will Ferrell), attempts to prove his competence in foreign affairs as he discusses the Nigerian government: "Jim, I got some more Nigerian names for ya. Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Special Assistant to the President on National Orientation and Public Affairs" [9].

References

This article about a Nigerian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.