He has lots of experience and has come to work as the Chairman of People’s Democratic Party in Rivers State with experience gathered over the years.
This means that what the party in Rivers State should expect is best political results.
Ambassador Desmond Akawor, who’s a man of dignity and character, was elected as chairman of People’s Democratic Party in Rivers State on Saturday, March 21 at Obi Wali Convention Centre by party delegates at party’s State Congress attended by elders and chieftains of the party and youths and party faithful. His election as new chairman of the party goes to show that he’s choice of the people who are members of People’s Democratic Party.
Ambassador Akawor was appointed as Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development in 1997 by the then Military Administrator in Rivers State, Col. Musa Shehu, and when he was Commissioner he introduced rural and neighbourhood water schemes which was an aggressive policy framework that carried out water projects in all local government areas and communities in the state.
On recommendation by Sir Dr Peter Odili, Ambassador Akawor was appointed in 1999 by then President Olusegun Obasanjo as the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Niger Delta Basin Development Authority and held this position between August 1999 and October 2003.
He was to focus on management of the agency, rural development, flood and erosion control in core Niger Delta region comprised of the states:Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom.
Ambassador Akawor performed his responsibilities brilliantly as he was familiar with the terrain, and initiated gigantic water supply projects across the region which included Egberu and Marihu water schemes and Obeama water and flood control projects in Rivers, Bayelsa and other states.
He also worked at Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) where he brought his wealth of experience to remodel the establishment which at the time was not in good condition.
As Executive Director in charge of Engineering and Technical Service, Ambassador Akawor oversaw the engineering and technical services of the NPA for its day to day running.
He was to be later recommended by Sir Dr Peter Odili and was appointed by then President Olusegun Obasanjo as Minister of State of Federal Capital Territory and when President Musa Yar’Adua became President, he appointed him as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea and held on to this job for eight years.
During this time, he was referred to as Prime Ambassador of African Ambassadors because of his competence and ability in matters of administration.
While Obasanjo was in office as President, Ambassador Akawor was Rivers State Chairman of the Obasanjo Solidarity Forum (OSF) and was also Patron of Oyigbo for Odili/Obasanjo Return Campaign as well as Patron of the Grand Alliance, Rivers State branch and Coordinator of Sir Dr Peter Odili Campaign Organization.
It will also be recalled that Ambassador Akawor was Director-General of Nyesom Wike Campaign Organization in 2015 and 2019 and succeeded in his assignment as the governor was elected and reelected in 2015, 2019 respectively.
He was also the Administrator of Greater Port-Harcourt City Development Authority (GPHCDA) which oversees construction of buildings in Greater Port-Harcourt city of the state.
A member of Rivers Elders Committee and Justice of the Peace, Ambassador Akawor was also member of Governing Council of the then Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu in Port-Harcourt.
This is not all though as he also worked as a trainee with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and with the Port-Harcourt Refinery in August and September 1984 where he was the Plant Inspector of pressure vessels, boilers, tankers, pipe works, heaters, listing equipment and pressure valves.
He was with Project Development Institute in Enugu from 1987 to 1988 and had worked as foundry technologist in charge of metal casting operations.
Later he was to work with First Aluminum Nig Plc in Port-Harcourt in 1988 and rose to become commercial manager saddled with the responsibility of overseeing sales, production, marketing, planning and administration until 1997 when he became commissioner appointed by the state military administration.
Born in Oyigbo Local Government Area, Ambassador Akawor grew up to become a political juggernaut with immense influence and from reports he has been respected and loved for his simple and generous lifestyle and service-minded disposition.
Born to the family of Eze and Lolo Jackson Akawor of Egberu Ndoki on December 1, 1964, Ambassador Akawor belongs to Akawor royal lineage of Egberu dynasty and started his primary school education at State Primary School, Egberu Ndoki and finished at Community Primary School, Okoloma and went between 1974 and 1979 to Ndoki Community Secondary School, Obohia Ndoki where he obtained in 1988 an Higher National Diploma in Metallurgical Engineering at Federal Polytechnic, Idah with Master of Business Administration in Project Management.
The former diplomat has attended various international conferences and acquired certificates. He attended in October 2004 an international conference on New Development in Port Engineering in Antwerp, Belgium and attended a Pre-Award Phase In Project Management Conference in San Francisco, USA and a Maritime Security Summit in July 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria.
In 2005, he attended an international programme on Port Planning and Management in New Orleans, USA and also attended in Abuja, Nigeria in January 2005 a workshop on Infrastructural Development and Regulation for Ports and Infrastructure under concession models.
There’s no doubt the new chairman of People’s Democratic Party in the state is eminently qualified for his new assignment and he would succeed.
He said in his acceptance speech that there would be new dawn for the party in the state and had called for support for governor of the state.
The new chairman had said: “Let me sincerely thank the electoral officers from our national headquarters led by Distinguished Senator Sam Ayanwu. They have conducted this in a very crucial and very sincere manner. Today we give God glory that a new dawn is on the making in Rivers State”.
As he thanked governor of the state for peaceful and transparent congress, the new chairman had said that the party executive would serve members of the party.
“I must place on record the role of our leader, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the governor of Rivers State, the leader of New Rivers Vision under whose leadership the state have conducted the most rancour-free local government, ward congress and today the state congress. For this feat, you have now added another laurel to your shoulder. You have transformed the infrastructural landscape of our state… May I on behalf of our team, the new executive of the party that had just been elected confirm the acceptance of this assignment and vow to serve you… We appreciate your support, solidarity and fellowship… (and) let us confront the reality we face today as a party and as a nation. This is the time the party needs to stand by our leader, His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. He needs the support of all men and women to continue his good work”.
However the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had few words for new chairman of the party when he said that he should keep the standards of the party from falling.
“Don’t allow the standards to come down. The party has given us the mandate to govern – the platform in which we ran election and won. Our duty as those who are in authority is to continue to do those things that will give the people of the state the hope to continue to believe in PDP”, he said.
Ambassador Akawor, a loyal party chieftain and quiet achiever is a devout Christian and married to Mrs Ene Akawor and they have children.
He plays golf and tennis in his free time and is great fan of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
