Fidelia Akuabata Njeze (born 8 June 1964) is the current

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n Ambassador to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

. Njeze was previously appointed

n minister of Aviation on 6 April 2010, when Acting President

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 ...

announced his new cabinet. Before that appointment, she served as Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources and also Minister of State for Defence in the cabinet of late President

Umaru 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 ...

Early life

Njeze was born on 8 June 1964 in Enugu State. She got her high school education at Girls High School Awkunanaw Enugu, then she went on to earn a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Pharmacy from the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively referr ...

. After her internship followed by National Youth Service with the National Orthopedics Hospital, Enugu from 1990 to 1991 she became a Pharmacist with Chinors pharmacy in 1992. She was Managing Director of Gredel Pharmacy from 1996 to 2007. In 2004 she was appointed a member of the

Enugu State Enugu State ( ig, Ȯra Enugu) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by the states of Benue and Kogi, Ebonyi State to the east and southeast, Abia State to the south, and Anambra State to the west. T ...

Health Services Management Board to help transform the health sector of

Political career

Njeze was appointed Minister of State for Defence in July 2007 after being nominated by the late President

and undergoing rigorous screening carried out by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, then on 17 December 2008 she became Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources after a major cabinet reshuffle by the late President. She was appointed Minister of Aviation on 6 April 2010 by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan after he took office. On Saturday, 5 March 2011, during the 23rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) the university awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree to Mrs. Fidelia Akuabata Njeze conferring on her Doctor of Management Technology. She has also been recognised by various professional bodies most of which are pharmaceutical, these awards were giving to her because she is seen by many as being an outstanding ambassador of the profession, amongst her numerous professional awards are: The Ambassador of Pharmacy Award by

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

(National) in 2007, Pharmaceutical Excellence and National Service Award by Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in March 2009, Fellowship Award by the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) Ghana in March 2009, Professional Service Award by UNN Alumni Association Abuja branch in 2010, Distinguished Alumnus of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences UNN in April 2012. During 2011 election, she endorsed and campaigned extensively for President

. Following the 2011 election, President-elect

asked Njeze to head one of the inauguration committees that would usher in the new administration. President

nominated Fidelia Akuabata Njeze for the post of Nigerian Ambassador on December 1, 2011, after which she was screened and confirmed by the Senate. Njeze was then appointed Nigerian Ambassador to

and

on the June 12, 2012. On September 4, 2012 Ambassador Fidelia Akuabata Njeze proceeded to present her Letters of Credence to the President of the Swiss Confederation

Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (born 16 March 1956) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2008 to 2015. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) until 2008, she has since then been a member of the ...

, she also presented her Letters of Credence for accreditation to

on December 14, 2012. The enormous experience which she has gathered over the years in public service has made her a great and valuable asset to the country and her home state. This experience which must be tapped, has earned her a membership in the 15-man Economic Advisory Committee (EAC) setup by the state Governor on June 21, 2015. The committee was set up to promote balanced and sustainable economic growth, think of new ideas on state economic issues, promote investments and advice government on how to make

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

state more business friendly and economically viable, in a quest to improve the living standards of its citizens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Njeze, Fidelia Akuabata 1964 births Living people Federal ministers of Nigeria University of Nigeria alumni Women government ministers of Nigeria Ambassadors of Nigeria to Switzerland People from Enugu State