Nelson Orlando Oduber (born 7 February 1947) is an Aruban politician who served as the 2nd
Prime Minister of Aruba
The Prime Minister of Aruba is de facto head of the Executive branch of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais ...
. Following his defeat in the
2009 Aruban general election, Oduber retired from politics.
Early life
Oduber was born on 7 February 1947, at the
Lago __NOTOC__
Lago, which means "lake" in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Galician, may refer to:
Places
* Lago, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy
* Lago, Mexico, a municipality zone in the State of Mexico
* Lago District, a '' ...
Hospital in
San Nicolaas
San Nicolaas ( nl, Sint Nicolaas) is southeast of Oranjestad, and is Aruba's second largest city. it has a population of 15,283, most of whom originate from the British Caribbean and rest of the Caribbean.
History
According to oral tradition, ...
,
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
to Urbano Oduber and Carmen Felepina Croes. He was raised in a Catholic household and had a big family, consisting of 9 sons and 4 sisters. They lived in the Siribana neighborhood in a regular well mannered home. His father worked for
Lago Oil and Transport Company
Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd. had its beginning in 1924 as a shipping company carrying crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to its transshipment facility on the island of Aruba.
History
With the discovery of a vast amount of crude oil under Lake M ...
and his mother took care of the children. Tragedy struck the family of 15 when his father, who was working for W.E.B at the time, was struck by a high voltage of electricity and received severe burns to the skin, and died on 14 January 1964, leaving behind his wife and 13 children. Oduber was 16 years of age at the time of his father's death.
After attending St Joseph Primary school, Oduber attended St Anthony secondary school. He was a disciplined student and always finished his work on time. He graduated M.U.L.O at St. Anthony in 1965. After finishing M.U.L.O, Oduber tried to get a scholarship so he could study abroad, but ultimately did not get it. After being disappointed about the scholarship, he sparked the interest of Dr. Gustavo Oduber, who at the time was Deputy of the insular territory of Aruba and offered Oduber a job as Island Receiver. In 1967, Oduber got the opportunity to move to the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
on a study assignment and lived in
Tilburg
Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
. In 1970 he finished
Public administration
Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...
at Brabantian Administrative Academy in Tilburg and in 1972 he finished his studies in Constitutional Science. In 1973, he graduated from
Utrecht University
Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
with a master's degree in general education.
Career
following the successful completion of his studies abroad, Oduber resumed his job as a civil servant in at the Department of Legal Affairs, Oduber entered politics in 1989 joining the
People's Electoral Movement
The People's Electoral Movement (''Movimiento Electoral del Pueblo'', MEP) is a left-wing political party in Venezuela, founded in 1967 by Luis Beltrán Prieto Figueroa.
The MEP was founded after Prieto Figueroa won the 1967 Acción Democráti ...
and went on to win the
1989 Aruban general election. following the forming on the government, Oduber became Aruba's 2nd prime minister. Oduber's tenure as prime minister was plagued with his decision to cancel Aruba's exist from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which subsequently led to his party's defeat in the
1994 Aruban general election. following his defeat, Oduber served as Leader of the Opposition within the
Parliament of Aruba
The Parliament of Aruba ( pap, Parlamento di Aruba, nl, Staten van Aruba) is the unicameral legislature or parliament of Aruba. The parliament has 21 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Each member holds their s ...
. following the
2001 Aruban general election Oduber's party gained back its majority in parliament and subsequently formed a new government. Oduber served as prime minister until the
2009 Aruban general election following his party's defeat, Oduber retired from politics.
Personal life
Oduber is married to Glenda Oduber (Nee croes) and has three children,
See also
*
People's Electoral Movement (Aruba)
The People's Electoral Movement ( nl, Electorale Volksbeweging, pap, Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo, MEP) is a social democratic political party in Aruba.
following the 2001 general election for the Parliament of Aruba the party won 52.4% of ...
*
List of prime ministers of Aruba
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oduber, Nelson O.
1947 births
Aruban Christians
Prime Ministers of Aruba
Living people
People's Electoral Movement (Aruba) politicians
Members of the Estates of Aruba