Sarah Reng Ochekpe is a Nigerian Politician from

Plateau State Plateau is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...

. She was the Minister of Water Resources from 2011 to 2015.

Early life and education

Ochekpe was born on October 4, 1961, to the family of Ali Reng Madugben in Foron, a district of Barikin Ladi Local government area of

. She had her first degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

, then a master's degree in

public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

from

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. T ...

. She also has post graduate qualifications from Aberdeen College of Commerce and

Nigerian Institute of Journalism The Nigerian Institute of Journalism is a Nigerian monotechnic located in Ikeja, Lagos State. The institute is a diploma awarding monotechnic established in 1963 by the International Press Institute and became fully operational in 1971. The ins ...

. In 2024, Ochekpe completed a PhD in Gender Studies from the University of Jos. Specialising in masculinity and male dominance in Berom land.

Personal life

She is married to Professor Nelson Ochekpe from

Otukpo Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the North Central (Nigeria), Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. It is also the eponymous name of a subgroup of the Idoma people. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It i ...

Local Government in

Benue State Benue is a State in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria. It is popularly referred to as part of the Middle belt. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in List of Nigerian states by population, the 2006 census. ...

. He is a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and deputy vice chancellor at the

Political career

Ochekpe occupied several directorial roles in

National Orientation Agency (Nigeria) The National Orientation Agency of Nigeria is the body tasked with communicating government policy, staying abreast of public opinion, and promoting patriotism, national unity, and development of Nigerian society. The motto on its website states: ...

, before her ministerial appointment. During her time in government, she is noted to have increased the level of accessible water for Nigerians to 70%, and created and rehabilitated artificial waterways that reduced flooding and alleviated unemployment. In 2017, she and two other persons were accused of money laundering and conspiracy worth ₦450 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochekpe, Sarah Reng 1961 births Living people Ahmadu Bello University alumni Nigerian women in politics People from Plateau State Federal ministers of Nigeria Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians