Sam Ominyi Egwu CON (born 20 June, 1954) is a Nigerian politician and member of People's Democratic Party (PDP) in

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 ...

. He was elected

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ebonyi State Ebonyi State ( ig, Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the southwe ...

in the 1999 Ebonyi State gubernatorial election from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Dr Egwu is noted as pillar of educational development in Ebonyi state and Nigeria. He attended the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka 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 th ...

where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Agricultural in 1981. He later received a master's degrees in Agricultural from the

in 1987 and Doctorate in Agronomy from Enugu State University of Technology in 1996. He was a senior lecturer at Enugu State University of Technology and served as commissioner for education in Ebonyi state contributed to the successes recorded in education sector during his tenure as governor. In 2008, 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 ...

appointed him Minister of Education, position he held till April 2010 when he was replaced by Professor

Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i (born c. 1958) was appointed as Nigerian Minister of Education on 6 April 2010, when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan announced his new cabinet. Early life and education Rufa'i was born in Ringim in Jigawa State. She o ...

. Egwu was former President

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...

's choice to become National Chairman of the PDP at its 2008 National Convention. However, at the Convention on 8 March 2008, he withdrew in favour of the compromise candidate Prince

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 ...

, who was chosen as an alternative to Egwu and his main rival for the position,

Anyim Pius Anyim Anyim Pius Anyim (born 19 February 1961) is a Nigerian politician who served as president of the Nigerian Senate from 2000 to 2003, he was Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) during Goodluck Jonathan presidency. He was elected a ...

."Nigeria: As Ogbulafor Emerges PDP Chairman Obasanjo Loses Grip"
''Daily Trust'', Abuja (allAfrica.com), 9 March 2008. His stay as education minister was characterized by ASUU (

Academic Staff Union of Universities The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is a Nigerian union of university academic staff, founded in 1978. ASUU is an offshoot of the Nigerian Association of University Teachers (NAUT) which was established in 1965. At that time, NAUT con ...

) and other university union strikes. This led to people demanding his sacking. In 2015, he successfully contested the senatorial seat for Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone on the platform of People's Democratic Party. Currently, he is the Senate committee chairman on industry.

Awards and honours

* Commander of the

Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Repu ...

(CON). * D.Sc. (Honoriscausa) by University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 2006. * D.Sc. (Honoriscausa) by Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, 2008.

References

1954 births Living people Governors of Ebonyi State Igbo politicians Peoples Democratic Party state governors of Nigeria People from Ebonyi State Education ministers of Nigeria {{Nigeria-politician-stub

Awards and honours

See also

References