Against all odds, Igwe Kenneth Orizu who is one of the longest-serving monarchs in Nigeria has maintained the act of giving the prestigious chieftaincy title of Nnewi kingdom to only illustrious men and women of the town who have distinguished themselves in their legitimate endeavours and have contributed to the development of the town.During the recently concluded 57th Ofala Festival and 95th birthday of Igwe Kenneth, the excellent and selfless contributions of some of the sons of the town were recognized as they were bestowed and conferred with the prestigious chieftaincy title of Nnewi.
In no particular order, they are;
1. Engr. Sir. Dozie Mbanefo (Omekaenyi Nnewi)
Although a quite and fine gentleman, Dozie Mbanefo is the Managing Director of the popular, New Crystal Communications Limited. He hails from Umuenem Otolo-Nnewi.
He is a seasonal Engineer who has over eighteen (18) years experience with an MBA and has also undergone several courses on Advertising and Marketing both within Nigeria, United Kingdom and the United State of America.
He has gathered a lot of experiences both working on multinational and government accounts across several sectors and services ensuring that the accounts in his control have the best. He has also been involved in the development of data and tools for accessing efficiency of out-of-home Advertising. He is a member of the Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON).
According to marketing edge, Dozie Mbanefo is the founder of New Crystal Communications, which has a major outdoor advertising company with offices in major cities of Nigeria and advertising coverage reaching all the corners of the country and most west African countries. In 2018, he was conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) by President Muhammadu Buhari alongside fourteen (14) other eminent Nigerians.
Anaedoonline.ng learnt that Engr. Dozie is the Executive Chairman of the DLK Oil and Gas Management Team and also the Executive Chairman of DLK Properties Ltd. He is the son of Sir O.G Mbanefo, the founder of Dubem Nursery and Primary School, Otolo-Nnewi, who was at his time holding the title of “Omekaenyi Nnewi”
During the covid-19 pandemic, Sir Dozie Mbanefo came to our rescue by granting palliative of N10,000 each to 50 Nnewi sons and daughters in Abuja, totalling N500,000, he also donated N3M to Anambra State government.
The billionaire businessman and philanthropist is also known as Oji G-Gad emeogo. He dashes out G wagon to friends every year.
2. Hon. Engr. Sir. Chris Emeka Azubogu (Ifeanyichukwu Nnewi)
Popularly called Mr. Project, Hon. Chris Azubogu is the lawmaker representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in the House of Representative. He is from Umuneemalam, Umudim, Nnewi.
Before his entry into politics, Hon. Chris worked at Adarice Production and Nigerian Oil Mills Kano. He also worked as a contractor with SPDC beginning and consulted for different state governments such as Rivers, Anambra and Enugu.
In 2011, Hon. Chris was elected into the Federal House of Representative, Abuja, to represent Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency of Anambra State, under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was reelected in 2015 and for the third time, was reelected in 2019.
Chris Azubogu is a clear representation that leadership is the ability to transform vision into reality.
As a lawmaker, Azubogu who has been so passionate about development of Nnewi and beyond, has facilitated so many projects his constituency, like the ongoing construction of Nnewi Federal Housing Estate which was abandoned since 1989, Nnewi Industrial Park, over fifteen (15) roads across different communities in Nnewi, electricity transformers, reclamation of Uru Erosion site.
He also attracted IPP Mini-grid which its license is with NERC, completion of Nnewi Correction Centre, construction of access roads to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Permanent Site, building of bridges, ongoing reconstruction of Nnewi Library, ongoing construction of Nnewi Sports Complex with 10,000 capacity and many more.
Anaedoonline.ng learnt his Igwe Kenneth Orizu personally visited him to inform him of his plans to give him a chieftaincy title.
3. Prof Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu (Ifekaego Nnewi)
Prof. Kingsley Moghalu is a political economist, lawyer, former United Nations official. He is also a former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria,
Kingsley Moghalu is one of the sons of Late Isaac Moghalu, from Akaboezem Community in Uruagu Nnewi. He is married to Mrs Maryanne Onyinyechi Moghalu.
He also earned the International Certificate in Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management in London. He is also an alumnus of advanced executive education programs in macroeconomics and financial sector management, corporate governance, and global strategic leadership at the International Monetary Fund Institute, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
As seen in his website, during his five years at the Central Bank of Nigeria from November 2009 to October 2014, Chiedu Moghalu managed the systemic risks to Nigeria’s financial system, made sure the system remained stable and led the team that executed the controversial banking sector reforms initiated by then CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
In 2002, Moghalu was appointed to the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, as head of global partnerships and resource mobilization at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM). In 2006, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Moghalu to the redesigned panel of the United Nations Internal Justice System
Anaedoonline.ng gathered that during his time in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he attracted Five Hundred Million Naira for the building of the Permanent Site of Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.
During the recent Covid-19 lockdown, he distributed food items worth millions to the less privileged in Nnewi. He has continued to urge the federal government to make Nnewi a manufacturing hub of Nigeria.
4. Chief Dr. George Nnadubem Moghalu (Ohamadike Nnewi)
George Moghalu is the first National Publicity Secretary of All Peoples Party (APP) that later became All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). In 2003, he was the governorship candidate of ANPP in Anambra state, he was also the vice-chairman of ANPP South East and the Former National Auditor of the APC.
Chief Dr. George Moghalu who is from Ndiojukwu in Uruagu-Nnewi* is the current Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Although he grew up in Aba, Chief George has touched the lives of many of his people through his Zimuzo Foundation. The foundation has over the years focussed on alleviating the plight of the less privileged and poor living in Nnewi.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he distributed food items and Cash to widows and orphans to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown.
5. Dr. Theo Okeke (Oku Na Enyi Ife Nnewi).
Dr. Theo Okeke is relatively unknown in Nnewi. He is the son of popular Nnewi philanthropist, Mr. Benneth Okeke of blessed memory. He hails from Umudinkwa, Umudim-Nnewi.
According to Eroton website, Dr. Theo Okeke is an established Project Management and Engineering Executive with over 30 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry that span Nigeria, Europe, Middle East, South America, US, and Canada. He joined Eroton Exploration and Production Company Ltd in November 2014 as the Head of the Transition team and successfully established a motivated and dedicated team that seamlessly took over the full operatorship of OML 18 Asset in Nigeria from Shell in record time.
He assumed the position of Executive Director, Production and Engineering on the completion of the Transition Period. Under his watch as the Executive Director, production from the asset was tripled to over 40,000 bopd within a period of 6 months.
Dr. Theo Okeke is a graduate of University of Benin, Nigeria with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of Project Management International (PMI), Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) and Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
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