Nkem Okeke
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Dr. Nkem Okeke is a Nigerian Politician who was the Deputy Governor of
Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...
from 17 March 2014 to 17 March 2022 He first served as
Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...
Commissioner for Economic Planning, and again as Anambra State Commissioner for Works and Transport in the administration of Governor
Peter Obi Peter Gregory Obi (; born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who was the Governor of Anambra State under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 17 March 2006 to 3 November 2006, when he was impeached. He was reinstated on 9 Febru ...
and later went back to immerse himself in academia as Lecturer and Head of Department of Economics at
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK) is a federal university in Nigeria. It consists of two campuses in Anambra State. Its main campus is in Awka (the capital of Anambra State), while its other campus is in Nnewi. There are also other campu ...
, Awka.


Early life and education

His Excellency, Dr. Nkemakonam Chukwukaodinaka Okeke was born in
Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...
on January 13, 1960, to the family of late Chief Richard Nwachukwu Okeke and Chief Mrs. Dorothy Nwakaego Okeke of Umuezu Awovu Village, Enugwu-Ukwu in Anambra State. He is married to Mrs. Oby Okeke and they are blessed with five children. He attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS)
Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...
and St. Finbarr's College Akoka, Lagos and later got admission to
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
, Madison USA in 1978, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in
Civil and Environmental Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
in 1981. His desire for higher education saw him through
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
, Washington DC, USA where he obtained an MBA in Management in 1983, and a PhD in
Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
(
Monetary Economics Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the different theories of money: it provides a framework for analyzing money and considers its functions (as medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account), and it considers how m ...
) at the same Howard University, USA, in 1992.


Professional career

Dr. Okeke has had a distinguished professional career, which commenced with remarkable services rendered in various departments of Fairfax County Government, Virginia, USA, as an Engineer and later as a Management Analyst. He returned to Nigeria in 1994, and joined the private sector through the family Construction Company, Renacs Engineering Nigeria Limited as executive director, until 2002 when he went into public service, based on his desire to further contribute to the development of Anambra State and Nigeria in general. Starting with the academic sector, he held various positions in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka that includes Lecture II, Faculty of Social Science, Economics Department (2002 – 2005), and Acting Head, Department of Economics (January – July 2006). In October 2007, he returned to the Economics Department of Nnamdi Azikiwe University As Lecturer I until October 2008, when he was promoted to Senior Lecturer and served as Acting Head of Department in September 2009 at the university. Dr. Okeke has always stood tall among his contemporaries during his services at the university and in various offices, he has held, particularly in Nnamdi Azikiwe University where among other positions, he was Member, Departmental Development Committee (2005); Member, Faculty Development Committee (2005); Staff Adviser, Nigerian Economic Students Association (NESA) 2004 – 2005; Part-Time Lecturer,
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 ...
(ESUT); Business School (Executive Postgraduate Studies), Enugu (2003 – 2005); chairman, Departmental Accreditation Task Force Committee (2007); chairman, Examination Committee and Departmental Examination Officer (2007 – August 2009); Member, Faculty Conference Committee (2008 – 2009) and Vice Chairman, Convocation and Ceremonial Committee (2009). He has authored or co-authored notable publications and is a Member of many professional associations, including Nigeria Economic Society (NES); Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria, ICEN (formerly known as the Institute of Certified Economists of Nigeria);
Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) formerly known as Council for the Registration of Engineers in Nigeria, is the regulatory body that governs the practice of engineering in Nigeria. Council Structure The Council is t ...
(COREN); and the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).


Political career

In 2006, Dr. Okeke was appointed as Commissioner for Economic Planning and Development, and also served in the same Cabinet as the Commissioner for Works, Housing, and Transport. Dr. Okeke has been recognized severally for his immensely positive impact on the institutions he has worked in, couple to his very commendable political contributions. He served meritoriously in his First Tenure as the most diligent and celebrated Deputy Governor of Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2017, religiously implementing His Excellency's Policy Direction to actualize the admirable vision and mission of the present administration. He is the statutory Chairman of the State Boundary Committee, and the Chairman of the Christian and Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards. His outstanding and remarkable intellectual contributions, has earned him appointments into Chairing many EXCO Committees as directed by the Governor. He has occasionally represented His Excellency at various State, National and International functions, hence remained very instrumental to the development of the Anambra State and her people. His Excellency, Dr. Nkemakonam Okeke became the first in the history of Anambra State to be re-elected as the Deputy Governor of Anambra State in the 2017
Gubernatorial Election A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
. However, in 2021, he move from
All Progressives Grand Alliance The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is a Nigerian political party formed in June 2002 and has governed the South eastern state of Anambra since 2003. Electoral history At the Nigerian parliamentary election, 2003, legislative elections ...
(APGA) to
All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, t ...
(APC).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okeke, Nkem Living people All Progressives Grand Alliance politicians Anambra State politicians Igbo politicians Nigerian Roman Catholics Nigerian economists Year of birth missing (living people) People from Anambra State