Ken Ugwu Nnamani (born 2 November 1948) is a Nigerian politician who was President of the

Senate of Nigeria The Senate is the upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly of Nigeria. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's highest legislature, whose power is to make laws, is summarized in chapt ...

from 2005 to 2007. A member of the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) * People's Democratic Party (Chile) *People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

(PDP), he was elected to the Senate from

Enugu East Senatorial District The Enugu East Senatorial District in Enugu State of Nigeriacovers five local government areas of Enugu North, Enugu South, Isi Uzo, Nkanu East and Nkanu West Nkanu West is a Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is si ...

Enugu State Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. ...

in 2003 and served in the Senate until 2007.

Background

Ken Nnamani was born on November 2, 1948 in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...

. He holds both

BBA Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

and

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

degrees from the

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subse ...

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universi ...

and has worked for Du Pont De Nemours International and Geneva and Nova Chemicals International as marketing executive and later as a consultant. He was the principal consultant, Maredec Limited.

Senate career

image:NigeriaEnugu.png, 200px,

, Nigeria Ken Nnamani was elected to the Senate for Enugu East in 2003. He was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Federal Character & Governmental Affairs and member of Committees on Privatization, Federal Capital Territory and Appropriation & Finance. He became President of the Senate of Nigeria from April 5, 2005 to 2007, taking this post after

Adolphus Wabara Adolphus Nduneweh Wabara (born 1 June 1948) is a Nigerian politician and diplomat who served as the 10th Senate President of Nigeria from 2003 to 2005. A pioneer member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adolphus had previously been a ...

resigned due to allegations of corruption. Speaking in August 2006, Nnamani said "In a multicultural and multi-religious country like Nigeria credible elections provide platforms for different constituents of the republic to continue to collaborate to promote the good of all. The 2007 election is arguably the most important election in Nigeria ... The 2007 elections in Nigeria hold the key to entrenching democracy in Nigeria."

Later career

On 6 May 2008, the

Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

was launched in Abuja. The goal of the centre is facilitating qualititative and transformative leadership and development in Africa. In a June 2009 interview, Ken Nnamani expressed concerns about progress towards full democracy in Nigeria. He said "History tells us that there has never been a consolidated democracy without a robust and large middle class. Nigeria does not have a middle class and it is therefore no surprise that our democracy is weak and reversible."

Awards and recognition

* On December 7, 2007, Senator Ken Nnamani received the Role Model Award in the Fight Against Corruption conferred on him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in conjunction with the Code of Conduct Bureau, Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC). * On November 12, 2007, the New York-based Parliamentarians For Global Action (PGA) bestowed on him the 2007 Defender of Democracy Award, making him the first Nigerian to receive the coveted award.

References

1948 births Living people Presidents of the Senate (Nigeria) Ohio University alumni Peoples Democratic Party members of the Senate (Nigeria) 21st-century Nigerian politicians {{Nigeria-politician-stub