…As Governors Ortom, Ikpeazu, Makinde, Ugwuanyi, Others Storm Port Harcourt
What appears to be the mother of all rallies will hold on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 10am at the popular Adokiye Amasiemaka Sports Stadium, Port Harcourt.
The event is the official unveilling of Sir Siminalayi Fubara, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and his Deputy, Professor (Mrs.) Ngozi Odu.
According to the Director-General of the Consolidation of the New Rivers Vision Campaign Council, Bro. Felix Obuah, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, will be the Special Guest of Honour.
Also expected to grace the occasion are their Excellencies, Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Abia State, Seyi Makinde Governor of Oyo State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Governor of Enugu State.
Also expected at the rally which holds out a lot of expectations are leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP across the states.
The Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Stadium which is over 38, 000 capacity is expected to be filled by members and supporters of the PDP, according to the Campaign Director-General, Bro. Felix Obuah.
The stadium as at press time was wearing a new look as massive work and decorations were being done when our reporter visited the stadium with heavy security mounted at strategic point.
Sir Fubara, an Accountant and technocrat of note, served as Rivers State Accountant-General from December 23, 2020 to May 2022.
He held the post alongside that of Permanent Secretary of the State’s Ministry of Finance. Before his appointment as Accountant-General, he was Permanent Secretary in charge of Government House from March 3, 2020. He was earlier the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Government House from 2015 till his appointment as Permanent Secretary.
He started his career in 2003 as Principal Accountant with the Rivers State Post Primary Schools Board. He became Chief Accountant of the Ministry of Works in 2005 and in 2006, was deployed to the Office of Accountant General as assistant to the Accountant General.
Fubara holds a Master of Science Degree in Finance (2016) and Master of Business Administration (2013) both from the University of Port Harcourt Business School. He also holds Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from Enugu State University of Science and Technology. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the former Rivers State University of Science and Technology (now Rivers State University).
His professional qualifications/affiliations include: Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Fellow of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) and member, Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors (CIFIA). He has attended several professional conferences, seminars, workshops and training programmes.
His deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu is Professor of Food and Public Health Microbiology at the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt. Professor Odu had also served the University of Port Harcourt both as a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and as the first Acting Executive Director of the University of Port Harcourt Foundation. She is also a visiting professor to the Rivers State University. She obtained her first honours degree in Microbiology from Paisley College of Technology, Renfrewshire, Scotland (1979).
While in Scotland, she received the Best Academic Prize for 2 consecutive years (1977 and 1978 respectively). She also holds a Master’s degree in Food Science and Management from the prestigious University of London (Queen Elizabeth College, 1983).
In 1989 she obtained a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Port Harcourt that made her the first PhD graduate in that department. She also attended a Leadership course at the prestigious John Hopkins University Baltimore, USA, 2005.She has had a varied working experience. She rose through the ranks in the Rivers State Ministry of Health to the post of Permanent Secretary, a post she held for six and half years (1999-2006) making her the longest serving Permanent Secretary in the Ministry.
During her tenure as Permanent Secretary, the Ministry received accolades from WHO, UNICEF and Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) for best practices in the area of immunization and Baby Friendly Initiative Programmes. Prof. Odu led the rescue team of the December 2010 ill-fated Sosoliso air crash (there were only two survivors). In January 2006, she was elevated to a position of a Commissioner in the Rivers State Civil Service in the Ministry of Education.
As a commissioner, she made some remarkable contributions to Human Capital Development. She facilitated the award of overseas undergraduate scholarships to over 400 Rivers State students in Russia and Malaysia, and they have all graduated including 38 medical doctors. In the same vein, she also facilitated the award of overseas postgraduate scholarships to 75 Rivers State men and women in the USA, the UK and Europe, and she also initiated school beautification programme in public schools in the state.
She had served her country in various ways. She reviewed three chapters of the 2004 (2nd Edition) of the National Health Policy of Nigeria. She co-reviewed the 2004-2007 Health Sector Reform Programme of the FMOH. She also appraised the Public Private Partnership (PPP) implementation on the health sector in Akwa Ibom State in 2005.
She produced the draft State Strategic Health Development Plan (SSHDP) for Bayelsa State in 2009 as a consultant to the FMOH. She has served as a consultant to SPDC, TOTAL, NLNG and UNDP.
She has partnered with global organizations such as Pathfinder International and Ford Foundation. She also served as State President of NCWS – National Council of Women’s Societies (2001-2006).
Under the NCWS umbrella, Prof. Odu led partnership with other professional and non-professional women organizations, government and philanthropists engaged in the following youth and women empowerment programmes: Economic empowerment of rural women (from 2003 to 2004, of which 2300 women benefited from several skills acquisition trainings); safe motherhood campaign for women in rural communities that trained many traditional birth attendants (TBAs – Medical Women Association (MWA) and nurses in Rivers State were facilitators during this exercise – 2000 women benefitted from this project); Federation of female lawyers (FIDA)-led free legal services for vulnerable women to abate gender-based violence.
The NCWS also partnered with the Adolescent Project initiated by her Excellency, Hon. Justice Mary Odili JSC former First Lady and the wife of Dr. Peter Odili, former Governor of River State for youth empowerment in the State. Professor Odu was invested as a Fellow of NIM in July 2011. She was co-opted into council in 2014.
She has served the institute in various capacities which includes among others Chairman of Board of Examiners, three times member of BOE, member of programmes committee, Chairman R/S NIM fund raising committee for the rehabilitation of the Management house. She has mentored/supervised many postgraduate and undergraduate students.
