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As the race to the Lion Building of Enugu State come 2023 continues, The Pacesetter Frontier  Magazine X-rays the profile of likely contenders from Enugu East Senatorial Zone, as already published in the 2021 Christmas/2022 New Year edition of the Magazine.

Frank Nweke II, Okeifufe

Frank Nweke II (Okeifufe) was born on September 18, 1965 to HRH Igwe & Lolo Frank Onyemaechi Nweke, Okeifufe 1 of Ishi Ozalla. He is from Ishi Ozalla in Nkanu West LG of Enugu State.

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Frank has more than 15 years proven leadership experience at both State and Federal government levels and well over 20 years of same in the private sector of the economy. He has remained above board in all the private and public sector roles that he has occupied, and is today, regarded as one of the few highly respected public servants in Nigeria.

The recognition of his intellect, dedication to duty and personal integrity as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Enugu State from 2001-2003 led to his appointment in 2003 as a Federal Minster by President Olusegun Obasanjo in the Intergovernmental Affairs, Special Duties and Youth Affairs portfolio, making him one of the youngest members of the Nigerian Federal Cabinet in which he served. He was to be later appointed as a Minister for Information and Communications in 2005. Prior to being the Chief of Staff to the Governor he was the Resident Consultant on Economic Affairs. He currently sits on the boards of some of Nigeria’s leading companies for the similar considerations.

In February, 2009, Frank was appointed the Director-General of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), with a long list of achievements credited to him. The Nigerian Economic Summit Group was founded in 1996 as a platform for public-private sector cooperation on Nigeria’s economic development.

Frank has to his compliments two Masters degree, Masters in Public Policy and Administration and Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and University of Maiduguri, Nigeria respectively. His first degree was in Zoology from University of Maiduguri where he graduated with a second-class upper division in 1989. He also attended the Aspen Institute, Colorado, USA.

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In 2020, he was elected as the President of Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of Nigeria (HKSAAN).

Rt. Hon. Edward Uchenna Ubosi, Ozege

Born on April 3, 1971 into the family of Late Chief Felix and Lolo Cecilia Ubosi of Umuchigbo in Iji-Nike part of Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu State, Edward Uchenna Ubosi has since, become a household name in Nike, Enugu state and beyond.

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Ubosi attended the College of Immaculate Conception (C.I.C), Enugu and the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, where he obtained an OND & HND. He also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from University of Calabar and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from ESUT.

His joined partisan politics in 1997 when he served as Councilor for his ward and later a Supervisory Councilor for Finance from 1999-2002. At a time, he was also the Administrator for Enugu East Central Development Council and the Executive Chairman, Umuchigbo, Iji-Nike community from 2002-2007. In 2009, he was found worthy to be the PDP’s State Financial Secretary up till 2011. He was also the Chairman of Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) Board from 2010-2011. He ran for House of Assembly in 2011 to represent Enugu East Urban Constituency at the State House of Assembly and won.

Ubosi, a three-time member of the Enugu State House of Assembly was elevated to the hallowed position of the Speaker of the House in the Sixth Assembly, a position he has held till date. He was unanimously elected as the National Vice Chairman, Nigerian Conference of Speakers and in March 2018, he was given the chieftaincy title of Sabbenen Gusau in faraway Zamfara state by the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello.

Ubosi is a devout Catholic and a faithful family man married to an Amazon, Lady Princess Akunna Ubosi, a union blessed with beautiful children.

Dr. Ben Nwoye, Esq

Dr. Ben Nwoye is from Amurri in Nkanu West Local government area of Enugu State. He is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party and was the Enugu State Chairman of the Party from 2014-2021. Presently, he is the Enugu State APC Caretaker Committee Chairman.

During his sojourn in the United States of America, he practiced as a Civil Rights Lawyer. He holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the prestigious Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

In the 2011 general elections, spurred by a desire to serve, Nwoye ran for Senate under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party to represent Enugu East Senatorial Zone. He repeated same in the 2015 general elections under the now ruling All Progressives Congress.

He is the Executive Director of Opeans Nigeria Limited, a safety consulting company, providing safety in Oil & Gas, Maritime and the Military, with locations in Port-Harcourt, Warri and Lagos.

Nwoye was recently appointed a Federal Commissioner representing the Southeast region in the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Engr. Prince Lawrence Ozoemene Ezeh, FNSE

Engr. Prince Lawrence Ozoemene Ezeh started his Engineering career at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (now, Rivers State University) Port Harcourt, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Marine Engineering in 2000. At the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, he obtained a Masters Degree in Engineering management in 2015, and he is currently studying for his PhD.

Ezeh has successfully ventured into the Transport and Shipping Business, Construction and Civil engineering, Oil and Gas and other subsidiary businesses. A COREN Registered Engineer, he is a Member and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) as well as a member of the International Marine Contractors Association.

Ezeh, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Buzuzu Construction Company Limited, a Civil Engineering and Construction Company, while also sitting on the board of several other companies as Chairman. Engr. Lawrence is a Former Board Member, Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, Yobe state and a Philanthropist by Nature. Engr. Lawrence has taken his philanthropy to an enviable height which has brought succor to communities in his area. Among these numerous services are:

-Extension of electricity to all the villages in his community.

-Continuous annual grading and lathering of Nara-Mburubu-Nomeh roads

-Award of scholarship to 69 indigents youths Through Prince and Princess Lawrence Ezeh Scholarship Foundation

-Rehabilitation of the electrical installations in Nkanu East Connecting some parts of Nkanu East to the national grid

-Rehabilitation of the several bridges in Nkanu East.

-Construction of 4.5km asphalt road with street lights in his community

He is also a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Federal College of Dental Technology, Enugu; United Nations Mayor of Peace Award, the prestigious title of Omeruoha 1 of Enugu state conferred on him by the apex Igbo cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and numerous other prestigious awards in Nigeria and Diaspora.

In the 2019 general elections, he ran for the Nigerian Senate to represent Enugu East Senatorial Zone, first under the Peoples Democratic Party, and later under the All Progressives Congress.

A Royal Prince by birth, he is from Mburumbu in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

To be continued…