Colonel (retired) Robert (Bob) Nnaemeka Akonobi was appointed military governor of
Anambra State,
Nigeria, from December 1987 to August 1990 during the military regime of General
Ibrahim Babangida.
On 27 June 1988, Akonobi reconstituted the board of Nigeria Mineral Water Industries, empowering it turn the company into a profitable private venture.
In 1989, he established the Anambra State Oil Palm Development Agency.
He officially commissioned the Anambra State University of Technology Teaching Hospital, since renamed the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, on 19 July 1991.
Akonobi was entangled in the struggle between the Wawa (Anambra North) and Ijekebee (Anambra South) groups, which reached its peak in a bloodbath at Nkpor junction in 1983.
In a controversial book titled ''Akonobi Brothers and Sisters (ABS)'', a later governor of Anambra State
Christian Onoh accused Akonobi of using his position to acquire property in
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 ...
.
Onoh, who owned 510 undeveloped lots of land, described "monumental corruption" and said the Akonobi brothers had stolen huge amounts of Federal funds. Akonibi denied the allegations.
After the restoration of democracy with the
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the current republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999, it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and ...
, Akonobi joined 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) and became a force in Anambra State politics. In 2002, he was coordinator of President
Olusegun Obasanjo's Campaign Organization in Anambra State for the 2003 elections.
He became a member of the New Anambra Elders Forum, set up after a political crisis that followed the 2003 elections.
In February 2008 Akonobi's home in
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 ...
was destroyed by fire.
References
Governors of Anambra State
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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