Usani Uguru Usani

Usani Uguru Usani (born 27 January 1961) is a Nigerian pastor, lecturer and politician who served as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs in the Nigerian government.[1]

Usani Uguru Usani
4th Minister of Niger Delta Affairs
Minister of Niger Delta
In office
11 November 2015  29 May 2019
PresidentMuhammadu Buhari
Preceded byStephen Oru
Succeeded byGodswill Akpabio
Commissioner for Youth, Sports & Social Development and Commissioner of Information, Cross River State
In office
July 1995  February 1997
GovernorGregory Agboneni
Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development, Cross River State
In office
February 1997  May 1999
GovernorUmar Farouk Ahmed Christopher Osondu
Personal details
Born (1961-01-27) 27 January 1961
Nko, Yakurr, Yakurr, Cross River State, Nigeria
Political partyAll Progressives Congress
Alma materUniversity of Jos

Early life and education

Usani was born on 27 January 1961 in Nko, Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State. He attended Government Primary School, Nko, St. Brendan's Secondary School, Iyamoyong, Obubra LGA, University of Jos, Plateau State; University of Calabar, Cross River State; Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. Usani holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management, a Masters in Business Administration, a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Management, a Masters in Globalization & Development and is currently a PhD student at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna State.[2]

Career

Usani is a pastor.[3] Usani served on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as a secondary school teacher in Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State. After his NYSC service, he was a teacher from August 1988 – January 1992 at Community Secondary School, Iko-Esai and Secondary School, Adim, all of Cross River State. From February 1992 to November 1993, Usani served in the Office of the Governor of Cross River State as Personal assistant to Governor Clement Ebri on Speech Writing and Policy Analysis,[4] at the same time as Secretary, Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) Relief Committee (a government agenda programme to alleviate the effects of Structural Adjustment Programmes) with added responsibility of Legislative Liaison matters. Within the same period, he was appointed as the Sole Administrator of the Nigerian Legion, Cross River State Command. Between 1994 and 1995, he was appointed as Director Oban (Nigeria) Rubber and Palm Estates Limited.[5]

Usani Uguru Usani conversing with Michel Arron, Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the ECOWAS.

In July 1995, Usani was appointed Commissioner in Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development, Cross River State under Military Administrator Gregory Agboneni; in November 1995, the portfolio was enlarged to include Information duties. In February 1997, in a cabinet dissolution and reconstitution, he was reappointed to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development under Military Administrator Umar Farouk Ahmed where he served until 1999, after serving with Christopher Osondu, the last Military Administrator of Cross River State. From January 2001 – January 2004, he was appointed as member of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Copyrights Commission.

Usani Uguru Usani and Claudius Daramola, Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs in September 2016.

Usani contested the seat of Governorship of Cross River State twice. In the 2003 general elections under the platform of National Democrats, he was defeated by Donald Duke, and in 2012 under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) he was defeated by Liyel Imoke.[6] From September 2004 – 2006 Usani lectured at the London Academy of Management Sciences, Ilford, Essex, in a variety of courses to Business undergraduates, MBA students and professional candidates of ABE and ACCA. He also taught, on a part-time basis, in the London Academy of Higher Education, Stratford, London.[7]

Between July 2014 and November 2015, he was elected the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Cross River State.

In November 2015, Usani was appointed by President Mohammadu Buhari into the Nigerian Federal Executive Council as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, working together with Claudius Daramola, the Minister of State. They have overseen a Technical Audit Report[8] of projects from the Ministry's inception and a baseline study of the social and infrastructure resource base of the region[9] (aided by the UNDP) has been conducted. The Niger Delta Action Plan has been revisited. In November 2015, Usani was mandated by the Nigerian Presidency to inaugurate the board, and subsequently supervise the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as part of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs' statutory duties.[10]

On the 15th day of March 2017, Usani was decorated with an Award of Excellence for National Development by the Association of Nigerian Geographers and appointed Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Geography in the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.[11]

References

  1. "Minister says FG has mobilised Port Harcourt – Onne road contractors". Pulse Nigeria. 14 August 2016.
  2. "Meet Pastor Usani Uguru of Cross River state, The New Minister of Niger Delta". Sunday Adelaja's blog. 13 December 2015.
  3. Umoru, Henry; Erunke, Joseph (28 October 2015). "Drama as Usani says 'God forbid him' to join PDP". Vanguard. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  4. "The Man Usani Uguru Usani, Cross River Ministerial Nominee". crossriverwatch.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  5. "Meet Pastor Usani Uguru of Cross River state, The New Minister of Niger Delta". Sunday Adelaja's blog. 13 December 2015.
  6. "Liyel Imoke Declared Winner of Cross River Election". Channels Television. 27 February 2012.
  7. "Meet Pastor Usani Uguru of Cross River state, The New Minister of Niger Delta". Sunday Adelaja's blog. 13 December 2015.
  8. siteadmin (23 August 2016). "Six Years Of Waste: How Niger Delta Ministry Blew N800b Between 2009 And 2015". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  9. Gundu, Marshall H. (6 November 2016). "SYNERGY AND COLLABORATION NEEDED TO ADDRESS SOCIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL CHALLENGES IN NIGER DELTA REGION- USANI". nigerdelta.gov.ng. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  10. "Ministry inaugurates new NDDC board". Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  11. "Geographers, at Keffi conference, to decorate Usani, Jibril, others". EnviroNews Nigeria.
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