- Why Kinsmen Love New SSG
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a political appointment in Nigeria to proceed without rancour or protests in some quarters. Yet, Chiedu Ebie, the new Secretary to the State Government of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta actually met with unanimous jubilation across the state when his name was recently announced. In a state notorious for throwing up contrarian agitations at the slightest provocation, Ebie’s emergence was met with unanimous approval.
Get nearer to the dude who hails from Ika South Local Government in Delta North Senatorial District and it becomes easier to understand his popularity. As the commissioner for basic and secondary education in Okowa’s first term, Ovie’s input and unrelenting push led to the series of infrastructural upgrades in public primary and secondary schools in the state. On his watch, many of the state owned schools were transformed from eyesores and causes of collective shame to beautiful institutions well equipped to cater to the children of the 21st century.
Prior to his appointment as a Commissioner in 2015, Chiedu Ebie was the Managing Director/CEO of Millennium Oil & Gas Company Limited (MOGCL), where he led a wholly domestically owned company operating under the umbrella of Nigeria’s indigenization programme in exploring and producing hydrocarbon resources. Before that, he held sway as a partner at the law firm of Okonjo, Odiawa & Ebie, handling numerous cases with aplomb and lending a hand in the establishment of some companies including ThisDay Newspapers, through his brilliant legal expertise.
Little wonder Okowa neither slept nor rested until he was able to capture Ebie from the private sector to come and contribute his quota to the development of the oil rich state. Given the speed with which the governor hurried to announce him to the world as the new SSG, it is fair to say Ebie had repaid the governor’s faith.
