Telenyem Renner Ikuru (born 24 February 1966), commonly known as Tele Ikuru, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

engineer and politician. He was first elected Deputy Governor of Rivers State in 2007 on a PDP ticket with Gov. Celestine Omehia. After the court annulled Omehia's election that year, he was picked to serve under

Chibuike Amaechi Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (born 27 May 1965) is a Nigerian politician, he served as the Federal Minister of Transportation of Nigeria from 2015 to 2022 under the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari. He resigned to contest for Nigeria's presidency ...

and was reelected to the office in 2011. Ikuru was among state officials who joined the

All Progressive Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...

with Gov. Amaechi in 2013. He later defected back to the People's Democratic Party on 22 March 2015.

Early life and education

Tele Ikuru was born and raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. His family roots are originally from Ikuru town

Andoni Andoni is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is at NgoTown. It has an area of over 233 km and a population of over 311,500 at the last census. The postal code of the area is 504. The current Executive Chairman ...

. In 1992, he earned a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

from the

Rivers State University of Science and Technology Rivers State University (RVSU or RSU), formerly Rivers State University of Science and Technology (UST or RSUST), is a university located in the Diobu (Mile III) area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. As of 2021, the vice chancello ...

Career

Tele Ikuru was a Principal Technical Assistant at the Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station during his

National Youth Service Corps The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a program set up by the Nigerian government during the military regime to involve Nigerian graduates in nation-building and the development of the country. There is no military conscription in Nigeria, ...

(NYSC) programme. After completing his service (which lasted a year), Ikuru worked for various investment and construction companies, then taught at Kenneth Commercial School and Allenco Comprehensive Secondary School. He also worked at the Logos Community Bank in Port Harcourt. In 1996, he got a job with the

Shell Petroleum Development Company Shell Nigeria is the common name for Shell plc's Nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiaries—primarily Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). Royal Dutch Shell's joint ventures account for more than 21% of ...

, where he worked as an Oil/Chemical Spill Clean-Up Supervisor until 1999. Tele Ikuru served as Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources from 1999 to 2003. He was moved to Housing and Urban Development as pioneer Commissioner from 2004–06. In 2007, Ikuru ran for, and was elected Deputy Governor alongside gubernatorial candidate Celestine Omehia. After their election was annulled that year, he was adopted and served two terms in office under Governor Chibuike Amaechi.

Personal life

Tele Ikuru is married to Dr Mina Ikuru, a pediatrician, and they have four children.

Honors and awards

Ikuru has received several awards and honors, which include: *Fellow, Institute of Corporate Executives of Nigeria (FICEN). *Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers (FNIMechE). *Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE). *Member, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). *Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

References

External links