Grace Ekpiwhre (4 January 1949) is career civil servant who retired in 2007. She was appointed by 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 ...
as
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 ...
's
Minister of Science and Technology in July 2007, and then became Minister of State Works, Housing and Urban Development in December 2008.
Early life and education
Grace Ekpiwhre was born on 4 January 1949 in the village of Ikweghwu in Agharho, in the
Ughelli North
Ughelli North is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the city of Ughelli.
It has an area of 818 km2 and a population of 321,028 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 333.
Notable towns in ...
Local Government Area of
Delta State. She grew up in a village called Ovu Inland in
Ethiope West
Ethiope West is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Oghara Town.
It has an area of 536 km and a population of 203,592 at the 2006 census.
The postal code
A postal code (also known local ...
,
Delta State.
She attended Our Lady of Apostle College,
Ijebu-Ode
Ijebu-Ode is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria, South Western geopolitical zone in Nigeria, close to the A121 highway (Nigeria), A121 highway. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos; it is within of the Atlantic Ocean in the e ...
,
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...
between (1962-1966),
and Federal Government College
Warri
The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial c ...
(1967-1968).
She attended the
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...
, graduating with a BSc
Zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
in June 1972.
Career
Her first job was with the
Bendel State civil service as Fisheries Officer Grade II.
She moved up through the ranks, holding positions that included Director General of Women's Affairs and Director General of Government Parastatals. She became a Permanent Secretary in 1999, at one time in charge of Housing. She was appointed Head of Civil Service, Delta State in 2002, and Chairman, Civil Service Commission in 2007.
[
]
Political appointments
Grace Ekpiwhre was appointed Minister of Science and Technology in July 2007.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekpiwhre, Grace
Living people
1949 births
Federal ministers of Nigeria
Nigerian civil servants
University of Lagos alumni
People from Delta State
Delta State politicians
Women government ministers of Nigeria
Nigerian Permanent Secretaries