Ambassador (Dr) Hassan Adamu: CON, F.C.I.T.L; F.N.L.S; D.Litt, FNIM; FNIS: Ph.D

(Wakili  Adamawa)

Ambassador Dr. Hassan Adamu CON, often referred to as WAKILI was born on May 25, 1940 in Yola, Adamawa State of Nigeria, has over the last few years taken prominent roles in both Nigeria business scene and National assignment. He was vibrant in the business sector of Nigeria and was a founding member of the Nigeria Manufacturers Association in 1971. Within the Nigerian business sector, Ambassador Hassan Adamu occupied the position of Chairman of NAFCON, NICON and NRIC. He also served as Director, Cadbury, Lever Brothers and Wiggins Teape, NEXIM Bank, N.A.L Merchant Bank and Society Bancaire.  Ambassador Hassan Adamu was elected President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) for a period of seven years making him the longest serving president of MAN after Chief Odutola.  Ambassador Hassan has served as Chairman, Nigeria Industrial Complex Limited, Bagale Motel, Niger Brass Shipping Line, Bulkship Nigeria Limited, O.A.N. Agency Ltd, Frenchies Nigeria Ltd.  He is also the founder of the above named companies.

Currently, he is serving in the Boards of STANBIC Bank Nigeria Ltd, Crown Flour Mills, Mix and Bake Flour Mills, FCMB Group of Companies with substantial share holding.  He is also currently the Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Cooperation [NDIC], SA’A Holdings, BAGALE Suites Hotel, Nigeria Industrial Complex and Frenchies Nigeria Limited. He is Chairman, Board of Trustees, Novena University, Delta State.

In Public Sector, during the Interim Government of President Ernest Shonekan, Ambassador Hassan Adamu was appointed Secretary to Federal Ministry of Power and Steel.  He was also appointed Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America (USA) and also accredited to the Commonwealth of Bahamas as Nigerian High Commissioner.  With the incumbency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjos’ regime, he was appointed the First Minister of Environment and later appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development after serving NAFCON for the second time as its Chairman, Ambassador Hassan Adamu was also a member of the NATIONAL POLITICAL REFORM CONFERNCE and was appointed Chairman, Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority and also Pro-Chancellor of WUKARI JUBILEE University, Taraba State, Nigeria. He has been Chancellor. Enugu State University.

Ambassador Hassan Adamu was conferred with National Honour of the COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE NIGER (CON) by former president and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. Ambassador Hassan Adamu, CON was honoured with Doctorate Degrees from the following Universities both within and outside Nigeria: D. Lit.- A.B.U; Doctor of LLD- CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY, Georgia, (USA); DBM-Enugu State University of Science and Technology; Doctor of Environmental Science-BABCOCK University; D.Sc. Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. Ambassador Hassan Adamu was also elected F.N.I.M.; F.N.L.S.; F.I.T.L. and F.B.I.M. He has also embarked on developmental projects in various Universities and also built International Library in Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos.

The history of Nigerian business sector will not be complete without mentioning the various roles Ambassador Hassan Adamu has played in the sector. Ambassador Hassan Adamu, CON is a highly respected Industrialist with various Philanthropic activities in the country.

Dr. Ore Falomo; LRCP; LRCS; Dip. Obst; MD

Member

A renowned medical practitioner, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, he is the Medical Director of Maryland Specialist Hospital. He had been Chairman, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Adviser/Consultant to Lagos State Government on Health Matters.  He is the Grand Patron of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter.

Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero; LL.B. (Hons.); B.L.

Member

Barrister Sanusi Lamido Ado-Bayero, served as a Principal Partner of Lamido & Co. Mr. Ado-Bayero started his work career as a lecturer in the Kaduna State Polytechnic and later moved on to become State counsel in the Ministry of Justice Gidan Murtala Kano. He served as the Legal Adviser/Company Secretary of Kano State Investment and Properties. He has distinguished himself in service to his community in several capacities. He served as a Director General, Kano State Council of Chiefs, Director General Special Duties in the Kano State Government, and District Head /Council member Kano Emirate Council. He was also the permanent Secretary Kano State Ministry of Information, Youths and Culture. He serves as the Chairman of City Walls & Gates. He serves as a Director of Briscoe Nigeria Limited and International Energy Insurance Plc. Mr. Ado-Bayero attended Ecole International De La Langue Francoise, Paris where he obtained a diploma in French, and a diploma in Law from the Institute of Administration, Kongo, Zaria. He obtained an LL.B from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1983 and BL from the Nigerian Law School in 1984.  He has served as the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

Rear Admiral Dr. M.C.O. Onah; B.Sc.; MBA; DBA; FCIT; Psc; mni, OON

Member

Dr. Onah read Business Administration up to Doctoral level and served in the Nigerian Navy. He was the Naval Chief of Accounts and Budget before his retirement. He also served as Chairman, Directorate of Military pensions. He was at the National Confab representing Ndokwa Constituency. He is a fellow of Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Dr Esther Uduehi, B.Ed, MPA, Ph.D

Member

Dr Uduehi started her working career as a Class room /Graduate teacher and later became a school Principal before she transferred to the Administrative cadre of the Civil Service of the then Bendel State where she rose through the ranks to the post of Permanent Secretary/Director General before she voluntarily retired in 1992 after 27 years of meritorious service to go into Politics. In her service career, she served in many ministries and in different capacities.

She was for many years the Director of Manpower Development in the defunct Bendel State Civil Service. She was SAFE (Deputy Permanent Secretary) in Ministry of Education before she was deployed as the Executive Secretary to the Bendel State Education Board (Primary and Post Primary).

She also served for 2 years as the Chief Executive of one of the then largest Local Government Councils, in the then Bendel State, Orhionmwon (Now Orhionmwon, Uhunmwode and part of Ikpoba Okha L GAs) Local Government Area Council, where she also served as the Returning Officer in the 1979 General Election.

She was one time the Sole Administrator of the then Bendel Broadcasting Service (Radio and Television). She is a Management Consultant.

In the course of her career as Permanent Secretary, she was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of eight (8) companies in which the Bendel State Government had controlling interest and also a Board Member in other publicly quoted companies in which the Government had shares. On retirement she was elected a member of the Audit Committee of UACN until 1999 when she had to resign because of her appointment as Special Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dr Uduehi went into politics in 1992 under the platform of the defunct SDP where she played various State and National roles. She was also the interim Deputy National Treasurer of the defunct UNCP. She is now a member and chieftain of the PDP under which platform she contested the party primaries for the Delta North Senatorial seat in 2002.

She was Special Adviser to the President, Liaison for the House of Representatives from 1999- 2002.

She is presently the Chairman Governing Board of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education. Dr Uduehi has been involved in women activities for over 40 years. A onetime National President of the Association of Working Wives of Nigeria, she played active role in winning some rights and fringe benefits for women in the Service, including Maternity leave with pay, rent allowance etc.

In 1973 she organized women of various ethnic groups in Warri and founded the YWCA, thus promoting peace and friendship amongst them. She is a life member of the International Alliance of Women, and President or Patron to several women organizations including the Catholic Women Organization.

Dr Uduehi was in 2005 honoured by Pope Benedict XVI with the knighthood of St Gregory the Great (KSG) and she is the current National Vice President of the Association of Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria (APKMN) having been its first Secretary General. She is also a Lady of the order of Knights of St. Mulumba. She was honoured with several chieftaincy titles by various Communities amongst which is “Achiwame 1” of Ndokwaland in 2001.

She is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, (where she was a member of the Council for some years), a member of the Royal Institute of Public Administration ( RIPA), London and she is also a Justice of Peace (JP) Dr Uduehi has travelled wide and attended several National and International Conferences including the Nairobi World Conference on Women, 1985, the Conference in Beijing 1995 and the Conference on the Role of Women in the North South Cooperation under the auspices of the then Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France and Freiburg, Germany. She is the author of “Pre-Occupations” – an anthology of poems which she published in 1973.

She was a member of the London Poetry Society and has published and presented several papers in National and International Conferences and Workshops including NIPSS, Kuru-Jos.

She is happily married to Engr D. B. Uduehi, a retired Permanent Secretary and they are blessed with children and grand children. She has blended her career and family life very well.

Dr. Uduehi has been part of Governance at all levels, Local, State and Federal Governments. Her education in varied subjects equipped her effectively for the varied roles, which spanned wide areas of human endeavor that she has been called upon to play in the course of her career and will prove a good and effective tool for the new role she is aspiring to play by God’s grace.

Chuks Ochonogor,

Member

Chuks Ochonogor is an Economist, who was a Lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the Kaduna Polytechnic. He had served as a Researcher/Analyst with Institute of African Studies in University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He also had a stint in the banking industry during which he worked for UBA PLC and the Commercial Trust Bank Limited. He was an Economist/Consultant with Management Group International where he acquired experience in corporate planning; strategic management, research, projects development and reorganization, financial planning, manpower training and audit. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Prowess Management & Technical Services Limited.  He was the Chairman, Governing Board, Delta State University, Lagos Campus; Vice-Chairman, Management Board, Lagos State University, Anthony Campus and presently, Pro-Chancellor/Chairman, Governing Council, Novena University, Ogume.  He is also the Chairman, Energia-Oando Plc Impacted Communities Trust Fund Board and Chairman, Crystal Breweries Ltd.

Professor Steve A. Okecha, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D

Member

Professor Steve Okecha was a lecturer and became Professor of Chemistry at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria before he moved to former Bendel State University, Ekpoma now Ambrose Alli University. He later served at National Universities Commission, Abuja as Visiting Professor.

Educated at Government College, Ughelli, Delta State, he later went for his university education at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Uppsala, Sweden. Professor Okecha who is an astute university lecturer and administrator later became Special Adviser on Technical Education to the Honourable Minister of Education, Abuja.

A widely travelled scholar, Professor Okecha has contributed immensely to the development of the nation through his membership of several socio-cultural organizations and agencies amongst which are Ndokwa National Union where he served as President, Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta [ CENND ] and Chemical Society of Nigeria.

He is an Author and a Poet.

HON JUSTICE JAMES ABADIKE OBI B.L.

Member

Born on 7th June, 1931 of Abbi parentage, in Abbi, Ndokwa-West Local Government Area, Delta State of Nigeria.

Educated at Christ the King College, Onitsha.
Had various civil service experience in Federal and Western Regional services, spanning a period of almost 10 years ending up as Higher Executive Officer (Administration) in the Ministry of Health, Ibadan before proceeding to the United Kingdom for Law studies from September 1961-1964 and obtained Bachelor of Law degree, LLB (Hons) London and certificate of Call to English Bar. (Inner Temple) 1964. On return to Nigeria the same year attended Nigerian Law School where he obtained certificate to Call to Bar (BL) as Solicitor and Advocate of Supreme Court of Nigeria, 1965. Thereafter, engaged in private legal practice up to 1977 when he was elevated to the Higher Bench as Judge of High Court of then Bendel State, of Nigeria and later Delta State. He retired in 1996 upon attaining mandatory retirement age of the Judicial Bench. A Widower since July 2003 upon death of his Wife, Chief Mrs. Anne Obi (of blessed memory) after a blissful union lasting almost a period of 47 years with 6 children. Knight of St. Mulumba Nigeria since 1971 till date and a
Papal Knight (St Gregory the Great).