Nkechi Caroline Ikpeazu (née Nwakanma) was the First Lady of Abia State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as wife of the former Governor of

Abia State Abia is a state in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The state's capital is Umuahia and its most populous city is Aba. Abia is bordered the west by Imo, east by Cross River, south by Rivers, northwest by Anambra and northeast by Enug ...

located in the southeast of Nigeria. She is also the Founder and President of

Vicar Hope Foundation Vicar Hope Foundation(VHF), is a non-governmental organization founded by Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu and registered in Nigeria as a not-for-profit. It has a nine-member board of trustees. It was incorporated on 11 November 2015. The Foundation has Sp ...

, a non-profit organisation that has

Special Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase that has been in use since the establishment of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic an ...

with the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC)

Early life and education

Nkechi Ikpeazu was born in Ile-Ife. She hails from Ohanze Isiaha in

Obingwa Obingwa is a Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Mgboko. It has an area of 395 km and a population of 181,439 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 453. Obingwa's Geography The ...

LGA of

. She attended Community Primary School Ohanze; Girls High School, Aba; Teacher Training College Ihie; Alvan Ikoku College of Education Owerri;

Enugu State University of Science and Technology The Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) is a university in Nigeria that was founded as Anambra State University of Technology (ASUTECH) on 30 July 1980, by the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Chief Dr Jim Ifeanyichukwu ...

Enugu;

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal and public research university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. Founded in 1955 by Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Governor-General of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 ...

Nsukka; the

National Open University of Nigeria The National Open University of Nigeria is a Federal government of Nigeria, federal open and distance learning (ODL) institution, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region. It is Nigeria's largest tertiary institution in terms of stu ...

; and the

Abia State University Abia State University Uturu (ABSU) is a Nigerian public university. It is one of the state-owned universities in Nigeria. These state academic institutions were created to expand admissions and bring professional skills, expertise and modern res ...

, Uturu. She possess an NCE in Business Studies, a bachelor's degree in Cooperatives and Rural Development, a post graduate Diploma in Management and a master's degree in management. She has completed a doctorate at the

, Uturu.

Career

Nkechi has worked as a teacher, an accounts executive with Camway Ventures Lagos, a banker with Lobi Bank from 1986 to 1996, and as Registrar of Cooperatives with Abia State Government. Nkechi is a sports promoter and the major backer of the women football premier league club side, Abia Angels FC.

Charitable work

Through her NGO, the

, VHF, she has built several homes for indigent persons. The Vicar Hope Foundation VHF is also involved in providing better healthcare for mother and child, and in battling

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, and

sickle cell disease Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited Hemoglobinopathy, haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the ...

s. VHF has completed two sickle cell hospital/cancer diagnosis and treatment centres in

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south, and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Ni ...

and

Aba ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

and offers subsidized treatment to patients. The Foundation also runs a GBV Response Desk that offers interventions and referral for prevention and protection.

Personal life

Nkechi is married to the former Governor of Abia State, Dr.

Okezie Ikpeazu Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (born 18 October 1964) is a Nigerian politician and former Governor of Abia State, who was in office from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023. He was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was re-elected as the ...

, who hails from Umuobiakwa, Obingwa LGA. Together they have two boys and two girls. Ikpeazu is a Deaconess of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and professes a close relationship with God.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikpeazu, Nkechi Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Nigerian women in politics University of Nigeria alumni Nigerian Seventh-day Adventists People from Ife

Early life and education

Career

Charitable work

Personal life

See also

References