Ausbeth Ajagu (born October 26, 1965) is a Nigerian-Canadian political economist. He is the chairman of Betcy Group of Companies and President of Academy of Entrepreneurial Studies.

Early life and education

Ajagu was born in

Asaba Asaba is the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria. It is located at the western bank of the Niger River, in the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,603 as at the 2006 census, and a metropolitan population of o ...

, Nigeria. Though he lives in Canada, he is a native of Nimo in Njikoka in

Anambra State Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...

. He attended Oneh Primary School, Asaba, Delta State from 1971 to 1976 and later Osadedenis High School from 1976 to 1981. He was a student of the Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto before proceeding to then Bendel State University (now

Ambrose Alli University Ambrose Alli University (AAU) is a state-owned university in Edo State, Nigeria. It was established in 1981 by the governor of Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States), Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Initially known as Bendel State University, sub ...

), Ekpoma. After his first degree in political science, he graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from Lagos State University where he earned a master's degree in legal studies in 1997. He obtained a Ph.D. in business administration from California Coast University in the United States.

Career

Ajagu started his career with the

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC Limited is a for profit oil company in Nigeria. Formerly a government-owned corporation, it was transformed from a corporation to a limited liability company in July 2022. NNPC Limited is the only entity licensed to operate in the country' ...

(NNPC) where he worked as an administration officer from 1988 to 1989. His quest for entrepreneurship led him to starting his own business in 1992. He founded Oak Hotels, Lagos, Abuja Oxford Hotels, Lekki Oxford Hotels, Lagos, Goldfish Insurance Brokers Ltd and President, Governing Council, AES Excellence Club, as well as AES Nigeria, Canada. He was appointed as the Director of Standard Alliance Capital Ltd in 2007. Ajagu has served and is serving the Federal government of Nigeria in various capacities. He is a member of the

Nigerian Economic Summit Group The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) is a private sector-led think-tank and policy advocacy group based in Nigeria. The NESG promotes sustainable growth and the development of the Nigerian economy. It is a non profit, non-partisan and apoliti ...

and once served on the board of the

Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria was established in 1990 vide Companies and Allied Matters Act no 1 (CAMA) 1990 as amended, now on Act cap C20 Laws of Federation of Nigeria. Its establishment, structure, and funding are now governe ...

. He was also a member of the Presidential Committee on Job Creation during the former

Nigerian President The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Nigeri ...

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

administration. Ajagu is a fellow of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies Nigeria, the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Finance Consultants, IoD Nigeria, and CICMA. He also served as chairman of Institute of Directors Industry Committee from 2003 to 2007.

Awards and recognition

He was awarded the Nigeria National Honours of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in December 2007 by Nigerian President

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 20 ...

. In 2014, he was awarded the National Productivity and Order of Merit courtesy of the former Nigerian President

Personal life

He was married to Anuli Ausbeth-Ajagu and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajagu, Ausbeth Nigerian expatriates in Canada 1965 births Living people 20th-century Nigerian economists 21st-century Nigerian economists