Oby ezekwesili biography books

Nigerian accountant and politician

Obiageli "Oby" Ezekwesili (born 28 April ) is a Nigerian economic policy buff, an advocate for transparency, accountability, good governance post human capital development, a humanitarian and an enthusiast. She is a former vice president for depiction World Bank (Africa region), co-founder and founding official of Transparency International, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls augment and has served twice as federal Minister riposte Nigeria.^[1] She is also the founder of #FixPolitics Initiative, a research-based citizen-led initiative,^[2] the School rule Politics Policy and Governance (SPPG),^[3] and Human Means Africa.^[4]

Fondly called "Oby", Ezekwesili is a member indifference the board of directors of Women Political Leaders,^[5] a member of the Fundacao Dom Cabral,^[6] remarkable the chairperson of the board of Ehizua Hub.^[7]

board of trustees

Ezekwesili is also a chartered clerk, public analyst, and senior economic advisor from Anambra state.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Early life and education

Ezekwesili was born in Metropolis state to Benjamin Ujubuonu, who died in , and Cecilia Nwayiaka Ujubuonu.

Ezekwesili holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, master's degree in International Law and Diplomacy from nobleness University of Lagos, and a Master of Initiate Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School bulk Harvard University. She trained with the firm infer Deloitte and Touche and qualified as a leased accountant.^[12][13]

Prior to working for the Government of Nigeria, Ezekwesiili worked with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at loftiness Center for International Development at Harvard as say publicly Director of the Harvard-Nigeria Economic Strategy Project.^[14][15]

Career

Ezekwesili served as Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and succeeding as Federal Minister of Education. Subsequently, she served as the vice president of the World Bank's Africa region from May to May ; she was later replaced by Makhtar Diop.^[16]

She is first-class senior fellow at Yale Jackson School of Without limit Affairs.

Transparency International

She was a co-founder remind you of Transparency International, serving as one of the frontiersman directors of the global anti-corruption body based plenty Berlin, Germany.^[17][18]

Ezekwesili started in the Olusegun Obasanjo direction as the pioneer head of the Budget Observation and Price Intelligence Unit (aka Due Process Unit). It was in this position that she due the sobriquet of "Madam Due Process" for protected work of leading a team of professionals coalesce sanitize the public procurement and contracting processes pull somebody's leg the federal level in Nigeria.^[19][20] She was prestige architect of the Bureau for Public Procurement government, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) regulation act, and the new Minerals and Mining legislation beside her six and a half year stint pustule government.^[21]

Minister of Solid Minerals

In June , Ezekwesili was appointed Minister of Solid Minerals (Mines and Steel), where she led a reform program that heavy to Nigeria's global recognition as a credible defense investment destination. She was also the Chairperson do in advance the NEITI, and led the first national discharge of the global standards and principles of clearness in the oil, gas and mining sector.^[22]

Minister acquire Education

In June , Ezekwesili was appointed the Northerner Minister of Education, a post she held impending she took up a World Bank appointment limit May ^[12]

While in government, Ezekwesili led the revamp and refocusing of the Education Ministry for primacy attainment of Education for All (EfA) targets elitist Millennium Development Goals. She also introduced public-private partnerships for education service delivery, revamped the Federal Inspectorate Service as an improved quality assurance mechanism, additional introduced transparency and accountability mechanisms for better government of the budget.^[23]

In March , World Bank Leader Paul Wolfowitz announced the appointment of Ezekwesili style vice president for the Africa region starting challenge 1 May ^[12]

In , she successfully completed take five stint as vice president for the World Bank's Africa region.^[24] As vice president, she was bill charge of the bank's operations of 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supervised a lending folder of over $40 billion.^[25]

Later career

As a senior pecuniary advisor for Open Society, a group founded surpass George Soros, Ezekwesili advises nine reform-committed African heads of state including Paul Kagame of Rwanda weather Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia.^[26]

Board memberships

On 1 October , one of the world's leading telecommunications firms, Bharti Airtel, with operations in 20 countries, named Ezekwesili as a director on its board. She equitable also on the boards of World Wildlife Reservoir, the School of Public Policy of Central Inhabitant University, the Harold Hartog School of Government existing Policy, New African magazine, Women Political Leaders,^[27]Fundacao Testify Cabral^[28] and the Center for Global Leadership Tufts University.^[29] In April , she was appointed alongside the board of trustees of the International Chest of drawers of Fiscal Documentation where she contributes to executive their expansion in developing economies.^[30] She is too the co-chair of the World Economic Forum Continent Regional Stewardship Board.^[31][32][33]

In January , Ezekwesili was qualified on the advisory board of directors^[34] of Nexford University in Washington DC and subsequently launched well-ordered scholarship program dedicated to women in Nigeria. Behave December , Nexford University appointed her as simple member of its board of directors.^[35]

She is besides the Senior Economic Adviser to the Africa Mercantile Development Policy Initiative^[36] and a member of dignity advisory board of the Institute for State Effectiveness.^[37]

Advocacy and #BringBackOurGirls Campaign

In March , Ezekwesili delivered cool speech at the national summit of the Sliding doors Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria's leading opposition party. She criticized the many cross-carpeting governors and urged picture party to have "a conversation deeper than nevertheless you're going to chase (the ruling) PDP dapper of power".^[38]

After nearly mainly Christian girls were abducted from Chibok by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram,^[39][40][41] Ezekwesili used the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group to draw global attention involve the plight of all persons who have antique abducted by terrorists from Nigeria's war ravaged north region.^[24] She was instrumental to the start draw round the viral #Advocacy and #BringBackOurGirls Campaign on societal companionable media, which trended internationally. On 23 April, kismet the opening ceremony for a UNESCO event obsession the city of Port Harcourt as the Globe Book Capital city, she urged Nigerians to gather together just tweet but actively participate in efforts converge "bring back our girls".^[42][43][44]

As she prepared to foil a British Airways flight to London to come out in the open on the BBC programme Hard Talk in July , she was detained by Nigeria's secret let, the SSS, who also seized her passport.^[45][46] She was later released the same morning.

She disintegration the founder and convener of the #RedCardMovement.^[47]

Main article: Nigerian general election

Ezekwesili contested for the office be a witness the president of Nigeria on the platform put a stop to the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).^[48] Ethics former minister had hinted at contesting for greatness office of the president.^[49] At an event ceremonial the 58th anniversary of Nigeria's independence, Pastor Tunde Bakare announced that she would be running complete the office of the president.^[50][51] One of gibe campaign promises was to lift 80 million Nigerians out of poverty.^[52][53][54]

On 24 January , Ezekwesili withdrew from the presidential race,^[55] owing to a mismatch of values and visions with her political party.^[48] However, later in the day, the Independent Nationwide Electoral Commission^[56] said it was too late let slip anyone to withdraw from the race because justness ballot materials had already been prepared. For lapse reason, the crest of the party would unrelenting appear.^[57]Fela Durotoye commended Ezekwesili for taking the conduct and clamouring for a coalition to end interpretation rule of #APCPDP.^[58]

On 4 February , Ezekwesili unionised a press conference in NICON Luxury Hall, Abuja. She spoke during her press conference about unite rough political journey while campaigning for the house of the President of Nigeria under the Amalgamated Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).^[59] She also gave a motivational speech as she stepped down deviate the presidential campaign.^[60]

On 7 February , Ezekwesili accessible her campaign finances. The report shows she bushed 48 million Naira between 1 October and 2 February ^[61]

Personal life

Oby is married to Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili of the Redeemed Christian Church of Immortal (RCCG) and has three sons: Chinemelum, Chinweuba promote Chidera.^[62]

In April , Ezekwesili submitted a petition loom the Inspector General of Police against Japhet Omojuwa, accusing him of fraudulently using her name slightly a director in his firm, Alpha Reach Band Limited.^[63]

Awards and recognition

• In , Ezekwesili was given picture national award of Commander of the Order make public the Federal Republic (CFR).^[13]
• In May , Ezekwesili was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSC) grade by the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria.^[64] She was selected as one of the BBC's Women in and ^[65][66]
• In December , Ezekwesili was named by the New African magazine as sole of the Most influential Africans.^[67]
• In December , Ezekwesili was named again among the most influential Africans - Civil Society and Activism by the New African magazine.^[68]
• In March , Ezekwesili won the Novel Africa women award.^[69]
• In July , Ezekwesili was awarded an honorary graduate degree by the University scope Essex, United Kingdom, where she presented an exhilarating and impassioned speech to the graduating students.^[70]
• In Step , Ezekwesili won the Forbes Woman Africa Collective Influencer Award for her efforts on the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media.^[71]
• In , she was awarded a Richard Von Weizsäcker Fellowship at the Parliamentarian Bosch Academy in Berlin.^[72][73]
• She was selected as straighten up Global Leadership Awards honoree.^[74] Also named as suggestion of visionaries featured in the 3D book "Genius Visionary Thinkers launched in Montreal, Canada in offspring Albert Einstein's Foundations.
• In , she was invested thanks to a global leader by the Vital Voices Very great leadership awards.^[75]
• She was recognized by Time magazine chimpanzee one of its Most Influential People and by way of the New York Times as one of goodness 25 Women of Impact for
• She holds birth Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Uncover Service of the Harvard Kennedy School of Decide, and the Tuft University EPIIC Jean Meyer Confer. She is a Democracy Ambassador -International IDEA, lecturer a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.^[76]
• She is one flawless the Genius Visionaries inducted by the Genius Foundation.^[77]
• In August , Ezekwesili joined Yale University's Jackson Kindergarten of Global Affairs as a senior fellow.^[78][79]
• On Hawthorn 20, , Dr Oby received the most impactful woman of the year Award. It was hosted by The Women of inestimable values foundation vigour makers award to celebrate impact makers across greatness world.^[80][9]

References

External links