Chukwuemeka Ezeife (20 November 1937 – 14 December 2023) was a Nigerian politician who served as the governor of Anambra State in Nigeria from January 1992 to November 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic.[1]
Chukwuemeka Ezeife | |
|---|---|
 Ezeife in 2023 | |
| Governor of Anambra State | |
| In office 2 January 1992 – 17 November 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Abulu |
| Succeeded by | Dabo Aliyu[citation needed] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 November 1937 Igbo-Ukwu, Southern Region, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria (now in Anambra State, Nigeria) |
| Died | 14 December 2023 (aged 86) Abuja, Nigeria |
Background
editEzeife was born in Igbo-Ukwu, Anambra State, on 20 November 1937. He did not attend secondary school but taught himself through correspondence courses, qualifying for university admission. He earned a BSc in Economics from the University College Ibadan, and later attended Harvard University on a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship, where he obtained a master's degree and then a PhD in 1972.[2]
Ezeife's career included roles as a School Headmaster, a lecturer at Makerere University College in Kampala, Uganda, a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, and a Consultant with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary.[3]
Political career
editEzeife was elected governor of Anambra State on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, holding office from 2 January 1992 to 17 November 1993, when General Sani Abacha took power after a military coup. As governor, he was said to be more interested in planning than in addressing immediate developmental needs and achieved few tangible results.[4] He transferred Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Federal Polytechnic, Oko to the federal government, which helped ensure their survival during the ensuing military regime.[5]
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic, Ezeife, who described himself as a social democrat, was appointed presidential Adviser on Political Matters to President Olusegun Obasanjo.[2]
Later career
editEzeife was appointed a member of the board of the Centre for Development & Empowerment of Commercial Motorcyclists.[3] In February 2006, the Federal Capital Development Authority bulldozed his house in Abuja on the grounds that the plot of land and those of adjacent houses had been acquired improperly.[6] In January 2010, he was among thousands who demonstrated in Awka, calling for credible and violence-free governorship elections on 6 February.[7] 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.[8]
Death
editChukwuemeka Ezeife died on 14 December 2023, at the age of 86.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Nigerian States". WorldStatesmen. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ a b Ademola Adeyemo (10 November 2009). "Sixteen Years After - Where Are Babangida's Civilian Governors?". ThisDay. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ a b "OUR BOARD MEMBERS". Center for Development & Empowerment of Commercial Motorcyclists. Retrieved 29 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Christian Ita and Pius Anakali (5 August 2001). "Igbo Vote: Can These Men Deliver?". ThisDay. Archived from the original on 15 December 2004. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ Nwabueze Okonkwo (16 August 2009). "Democracy died in Nigeria with Abiola". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ Francis Awowle-Browne (26 February 2006). "I'm finished, cries Ex-Gov Ezeife, whose house was pulled down by el-Rufai". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ Emmanuel Obe (22 January 2010). "Ezeife, others march for free Feb 6 poll in Anambra". The Punch. Retrieved 29 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Vincent Ujumadu (26 April 2010). "Ezeife's Wife's Abductors Demand High Ransom". Vanguard. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "Ex-Anambra governor, Ezeife, dies at 85". The Punch. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
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