Profile
Obong Nsima Udo Ekere is a Nigerian entrepreneur, philanthropist and politician who served as the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2016 to 2018. He was also the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2019 Akwa Ibom State election. Ekere was born on May 29th, 1965 and is a native of Ikot Oboroenyin, Edemaya Clan, Ikot Abasi local government, Akwa Ibom State. He is married to Ese Nsima Ekere and they have children. He is a Knight of John Wesley (KJW) of the Methodist Church of God.
Personal Life
Ekere was born on May 29th, 1965 and is a native of Ikot Oboroenyin, Edemaya Clan, Ikot Abasi local government, Akwa Ibom State. He is married to Ese Nsima Ekere and they have children. He is a Knight of John Wesley (KJW) of the Methodist Church of God.
Education
| Name Of School | Qualification | Year |
| University of Nigeria, Nsukka | BS.c Estate Management | 1986 |
| Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom | MSc. Corporate Governance | |
| The Polytechnic, Calabar | 1981-1982 | |
| Mary Knoll College, Ogoja, Cross River State. | West African Senior School Certificate | |
| Regina Coeli College, Essene, Ikot Abasi |
Work History
| Place | Position | Date |
| Modev Nigeria Limited, Sapele, Delta State | Founding Chairman | |
| Voice of Nigeria (VON) | Board Member | |
| Ekere and Associates | Founder | 1993 |
| Gassons Nigeria Limited | Founder/Partner | 1989 |
ONE
Ikot Oboroenyin, Edemaya, Ikot Abasi local government, Akwa Ibom State.
May 29th 1965
Akwa Ibom State
All Progressives Congress
Christianity
Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (August - 2016 - January 2019)
Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State (May 2011 - October 2012)
House of Representative Member, Nsit-Ubium Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State (since 2019)
udom.emmanuel@akwaibomstate.gov.ng
Political History
Ekere began his political career in December 1997, when he contested and won a seat in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, on the platform of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) during the Abacha transition. However, due to the death of Abacha in June 1998, the transition was truncated.
In 1998, at the start of a new regime, he joined the People’s Democratic Party and played a very active role in the politics of Akwa Ibom State. He chaired the Akwa Ibom State Emergency Management Agency, while simultaneously being the Chairman of Ibom Power Company, the independent power generating company owned by Akwa Ibom State. In March 2008, he was appointed Executive Chairman of Akwa Ibom Investment & Industrial Promotion Council (AKIIPOC). Ekere served in all these capacities till he emerged as the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State on May 29th, 2011, under the Godswill Akpabio administration. However, in October 2012, he abruptly resigned from his office as Deputy Governor on personal grounds.
Ekere contested in the PDP primary elections for the 2015 Akwa Ibom gubernatorial elections,which he lost, to Udom Emmanuel. Following this, he defected to APC, and emerged the leader of G22 ( a group of 22 displeased PDP aspirants for the 2015 governorship elections, who decamped to APC after losing out in their respective primaries). In 2019, he finally had the opportunity of holding the Akwa Ibom governorship candidate ticket under the flagship of APC. Ekere lost the elections to Udom Emmanuel.
In August 2016, Ekere was appointed to the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission as the Managing Director. He developed and implemented a roadmap, called the 4-R strategy, which involved – restructuring the Commission’s balance sheet, reforming the governance systems, restoring NDDC to its core mandates and reaffirming a collective commitment to doing what is right and proper. On January 25th 2019, he resigned from the office of Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Leadership Style/Philosophy
Awards & Honours
Community Development Excellence Award by the Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria (2018)
Recipient of the 2018 New Telegraph Award for Corporate Leadership
Public Service Award conferred by The Sun Newspaper (2017)
Project
- Implemented the first private sector gas-to-power project in Nigeria, an innovative strategy to convert natural gas into feedstock for power generation
- Developed and implemented a framework for State Governments to undertake power distribution within their states
- Provision of potable water to rural communities in Edemaya Clan, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom
- Donated a state-of-the-art Accident and Emergency Ward/Trauma Centre to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
- Strategic initiatives such as the Niger Delta Power Pool, the Niger Delta Development Bank, Digital Learning Project, the Niger Delta Broadband Project, the Coastal Road Project, etc.
- Construction/rehabilitation of over 100 roads
Criticism/Controversy
- In 2017, Ekere was under investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for a financial scandal allegedly orchestrated by him during his tenure as Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State. According to the petitioner (Akwa Savings and Loans Limited), he allegedly withdrew money from 9 bank accounts belonging to the state government and diverted them to an Ekere family company (Techsel Products Limited). The bank demanded a refund of the 188 million Naira, along with prosecution for financial misdeeds.
- Concerning Ekere’s resignation from the office of Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State, media reports show that although he claimed his resignation to be due to personal reasons, it is believed that the actual cause was a brewing impeachment by the House of Assembly. Out of 26 members of the Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, 20 members had already signed the article of impeachment of the deputy governor.
