Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan (born 22 October 1954) was the

Governor of Delta State This is a list of administrators and governors of Delta State, Nigeria, which was formed on 27 August 1991, when the old Bendel State was split into Edo State and Delta State. See also *Nigeria *States of Nigeria *List of state governors of ...

from 2007 to 2015. He assumed office via an inconclusive election on 29 May 2007 and was a member of 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). A medical doctor by profession, prior to becoming governor, he was the Commissioner for Health, Delta State and the

Secretary to the State Government The Secretary to the State Government (SSG) is an official in the state governments of Nigeria's 36 states. The individual who holds the office is usually appointed by the State Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a po ...

. Dr. Uduaghan ran again for governor in the 26 April 2011 elections, and was re-elected.

Background

Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan was born on 22 October 1954 in

Warri North Warri North is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Koko. It has an area of 1,841 km and a population of 137,300 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 332. Warri North LGA has it ...

Local Government Area in Delta State of

Itsekiri The Itsekiri (also called the Isekiri, ''iJekri'', ''Itsekri'', ''Ishekiri'', or Itsekhiri) are one of the Yoruboid subgroup of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiris presently number 2.7 million people and live mainly in the Wa ...

origin. He attended Federal Government College, Warri (1968–1974), and the University of Benin (1975–1980) earning a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree, and a Diploma in

Anaesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), am ...

. He is married, with two children. His wife, Roli, is the daughter of Brig. General Sunny E. Tuoyo (Rtd), a one time Military Administrator of

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

. Emmanuel Uduaghan began work in 1983 at the Delta Steel Company, as a medical officer. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in a number of hospitals including Westend Hospital,

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial c ...

; Benoni Hospitals,

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

and Shell Hospital, Ogunu, where he was a consultant anaesthesiologist. In 1994 he set up a private medical practice. He has held various positions in the

Nigerian Medical Association The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is the professional association and registered for Nigerian doctors and dentists. The NMA has more than 35,000 members from 36 state branches and the branch from the federal capital territory, including t ...

in Warri, Bendel State and Delta State. He was also active in the

Junior Chamber International Junior Chamber International, commonly referred to as JCI, is a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people between and years old. It has members in about 124 countries, and regional or national organizations in mo ...

(Jaycees) leadership development organization.

Political career

Emmanuel Uduaghan was a founding member and chairman of the All Nigeria Congress Association for the

Warri South Warri South is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the city of Warri. It has an important sea port in the country and is the commercial nerve centre of the state, With Dr. Tidi Michael as the current local go ...

Local Government Area, a founder and executive member of the

Grassroots Democratic Movement The Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) was a Nigerian political party that was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, a ...

(GDM), and a foundation member of the PDP. On 6 August 1999, the Governor of Delta State James Onanefe Ibori appointed Emmanuel Uduaghan as Commissioner for Health, Delta State. In this position he improved the pay of medical staff and upgraded infrastructure. On 6 June 2003, Uduaghan was appointed Secretary to the Delta State Government. In November 2008, Uduaghan and State Chief Justice

Rosaline Bozimo Rosaline Patricia Irorefe Bozimo (born 1 January 1946) is a Nigerian lawyer who was appointed Chief Justice of Delta State with effect from 23 March 2003. She retired on 1 January 2011 and was succeeded by Honorable Justice Abiodun Smith. During ...

approved establishment of sanitation mobile courts to prosecute sanitation offenders in the State. Uduaghan ran again for governor in the 26 April 2011 elections, and was reelected. He gained 525,793 votes, while Chief Great Ogboru of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) was the runner-up with 433,834 votes. On 29 August 2018 he officially announced he has left PDP for APC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uduaghan, Emmanuel 1954 births Living people People from Delta State Itsekiri people Peoples Democratic Party state governors of Nigeria Governors of Delta State Delta State politicians University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni Secretaries to the State Government