use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality =

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

, other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education =

University of Ife Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of Western Nigeria, which w ...

, alma_mater = , occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = Neimeth Pharmaceutical , agent = , known_for = founding Neimeth Pharmaceutical , notable_works = , style = , net_worth = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = Mao Ohuabunwa , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Mazi Samuel Iheanyichukwu Ohuabunwa (born 16 August 1950), is a Nigerian

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

business executive A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations gr ...

. He is the founder and former CEO of Neimeth Pharmaceutical. He is a former president of the

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) is a professional body for practicing pharmacists in Nigeria and was established in 1927 to instill discipline and maintain professional ethics among its members. The first president of the association was ...

Early life and education

Samuel Ohuabunwa was born on the 16th of August 1950 in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

. He began his education at Okrika Grammar School,

Okrika Okrika is a town in Rivers State, Nigeria, and serves as the headquarters of Okrika Local Government Area. It is situated on an island south of Port Harcourt, functioning as a suburb of the city. The inhabitants of Okrika LGA are of Ijaw descent ...

. The

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

which started in July 1967 had his education interrupted. He later joined the war and fought for Biafran Army. After the war ended in 1970, he transferred to Government Secondary School, Owerri to complete his education. He obtained his West African School Certificate examination in 1971. He then proceeded to the

in 1972 to study Pharmacy and graduated in 1976. He had postgraduate training in Business and Organisational Management at the

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

USA.

Career

After his graduation from Columbia University, Sam joined

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

as Sales Representative in 1978. He later became the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Pfizer in Nigeria. In 1997, the headquarters of Pfizer in New York, USA decided to reduce its business operations in Nigeria and offered Sam Ohuabunwa the opportunity to lead a management buy over of their 60% equity investments. This gave rise Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, an indigenous company today in Nigeria. He named this company in honour of a former president of Pfizer, Mr Robert Neimeth. He retired from his role as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Neimeth PLC in 2011 after serving in that capacity for 18 years. Ohuabunwa is a fellow of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Society as well as the present Chairman of same body. Ohuabunwa is the foundation president of the West African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. He was also the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and former chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. He is also a Fellow of the West African Post-Graduate College of Pharmacists, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy, Fellow of the

Nigerian Institute of Management The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) is a non-profit institution that defines the required skills and standards for professional managers, and offers courses leading to diplomas in Management. History The Nigerian Management Group was forme ...

and other professional bodies. In the public sector, he was a member of the Presidential Committee on vision 2010 and Vision 2020 national development plans. Mazi Sam has been on the Board of

Nigerian Institute Of Social And Economic Research Nigerian Institute Of Social And Economic Research is a public research institute located in Ibadan. The center is one of the foremost publicly funded think tanks in the country. It is headed by a director-general, Antonia Simbine. Background P ...

and Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme. He was appointed on the board of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) by President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and ...

. He was chairman of the governing board of

Abia State Polytechnic Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic (Abia State Polytechnic) is a state government-owned Polytechnic established in 1992, and located in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. The Polytechnic is composed of different schools, such as the School of Science & Engineerin ...

and also chairman of the board of the Abia State Teaching Hospital. In 2021, he announced his candidacy for the Presidency of Nigeria in the 2023 elections under the newly formed party New Nigeria Group (NNG).

Awards and recognitions

In recognition of his services to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, he is a recipient of three national honours. In 2001, he was awarded Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by President

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

. In 2011, he was awarded Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) by President

and the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) in 2018 by President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

Personal life

Sam Ohuabunwa is married with five children and ten grandchildren. He is a Christian by religion and a Knight of Saint Christopher of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria. He is the National Coordinator of the Strategic Outreaches group of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship. He is the elder brother to Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohuabunwa, Sam Living people 1950 births Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Nigerian pharmacists Igbo people Business executives Nigerian business executives People from Abia State Abia State politicians