Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo (Okwy) (born 28 July 1950 in

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 ...

, Nigeria) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Governor of Enugu State in January 1992 during the

Nigerian Third Republic The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution. Founded (1993) The constitution of the Third Republic was drafted in 1989. General Ibrahim Badamasi B ...

. Later he became the national secretary, national chairman, and a senior politician in the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

(PDP).

Biography

Dr. Okwesilieze is a member of the Nwodo political dynasty. He is the second son of Igwe J.U. Nwodo, a traditional ruler who hailed from Ukehe, in Enugu State. J.U. was appointed Minister of Commerce in the former Eastern Region under Premier Michael Okpara, and was subsequently Minister of Local Government. Nwodo studied medicine at 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 ...

(1971–77). Between 1977 and 1980, he was a house officer at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu and at the Military Hospital in Jos. He continued his studies at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(1980) and the Belgrade Medical School,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

(1980–84), gaining an MB.BS in Medicine and Surgery. He worked as a pediatric surgeon in Yugoslavia and then in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, before returning to Nigeria and taking a post as Medical Doctor at the Ukehe Medical Centre and Maternity (1984-1991). Nwodo was elected Governor of Enugu State in January 1992 on the NRC platform during the

. He held office until November 1993, when General

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...

came to power in a military coup. He was twice elected Secretary General of

(PDP) in 1999-2001. In October 2001, he was replaced by

Vincent Ogbulafor Vincent Eze Ogbulafor (24 May 1949 – 6 October 2022) was a Nigerian politician. He was the Chairman of the Opposition, as a member of the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria. Prior to this post, he was National Secretary of the party. He res ...

as PDP party secretary. He fell out with Enugu State governor

Chimaroke Nnamani Chimaroke Nnamani (born 30 May 1960) is a medical doctor and Nigerian politician from Enugu State. He was elected Governor of Enugu State in the 1999 Enugu State gubernatorial election from 1999 to 2007. He subsequently served as a People's De ...

in 2002. In December 2003, the

Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), (in full the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission) is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on 29 September 2000 following the recommendation of President Oluseg ...

announced that it was investigating Nwodo and others in connection with a multi-billion naira bribery scandal related to the National Identity Card scheme. In 2007, he was awarded a national honor, Commander of the Niger (CON), by President

Shehu Yar'Adua Shehu Musa Yar'Adua (5 March 1943 – 8 December 1997) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who was the ''de facto'' vice president of Nigeria as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters when Nigeria was under military rule from 1976 to 1 ...

. In 2010, he was elected National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party. In 2010, he was cleared of all charges on the Identity Card scandal. In 2014, The Beta Sigma Fraternity International elected Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, former Governor of Enugu State, as its President for the next two years. In his acceptance speech, Nwodo, enjoined all members to live up to the high ideals for which the Beta Sigma was formed in Nigeria. He stated that "at a time when our society is plagued by socio-economic problems and security challenges, members should extend hand of fellowship to the less-privileged and the poor in our communities. He is a brother to Chief John Nnia Nwodo, who was Minister of Aviation under President

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...

, and again Minister of Information under President Abdusalami Abubakar. Chief John Nwodo is currently the 9th President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Dr. Okwesilieze is also a brother to Dr. Joseph Nwodo, a Presidential Candidate in 1993 Nigerian presidential election. His sister is Dr. Valeria Azinge (SAN).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nwodo, Okwesilieze 1950 births Living people Governors of Enugu State University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine alumni National Working Committee chairs Nigerian pediatric surgeons University of Nigeria alumni Enugu State politicians