JLN: REPORTER for south eas
Chukwuemeka Ezeife was born at Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State on 20th November 1937.
Growing up,He taught himself through correspondence courses, qualifying for university admission.as he did not attend any Secondary School
He gained a BSc in Economics from the University College Ibadan, then attended Harvard University on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship where he obtained a master's and then PhD degree in 1972.
He became a School Headmaster, a lecturer at Makarare University College, Kampala, Uganda, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, and a Consultant with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ezeife joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary.
Chukwuemeka Ezeife was elected governor of Anambra State on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, he took over from Joseph Abulu who was a Military administrator.
Okwadike held office from 2nd January 1992 to 17th November 1993, when General Sani Abacha took power after a military coup.and he left for Dabo Aliyu an acting Military administrator
As governor, he was said to be more interested in planning, but couldn't achieve a lot before Abacha Struck.
He transferred Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Federal Polytechnic, Oko to the federal government, which helped ensure that they survived in the ensuing military regime.
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic Ezeife, who described himself as a social democrat, was appointed presidential Adviser on Political Matters to President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Some notable Events of his life,
Chukwuemeka Ezeife was appointed a member of the board of the Centre for Development & Empowerment of Commercial Motorcyclists.
In February 2006 the Federal Capital development Authority Sanctioned by El Rufai bulldozed his house in Abuja on the grounds that the plot of land and those of adjacent houses had been acquired improperly.
In January 2010 he was among thousands who demonstrated in Awka calling for credible and violence-free governorship elections on 6 February.
In April 2010 one of Ezeife's wives, Onyedi, was kidnapped by hoodlums who had earlier killed four policemen. The kidnappers demanded a high ransom.
Okwadike had an eventful life
Chukwuemeka Ezeife died on 14 December 2023, at the age of 86.
May his Soul rest in Peace, Amen
Ndema Obinna Phamouzdj
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