Politics
Ike Ekweremadu @ 58: A Progressing Story
By GWG Staff
Prof. Ike Ekweremadu’s political longevity has not been without intrigues, especially in his native Enugu State where politics is sometimes taken to the extreme.
Ekweremadu had his own dose of intrigues from the beginning and has had a canny instinct for survival.
Despite his alluring performance as chairman of Aninri Local Government Area in the period leading to the Fourth Republic, and his role as Chimaroke Nnamani’s governorship campaign manager in 1999, some of his local political foes were determined to stop his star.
They successfully recruited the powerful political godfather in Enugu State at that time to stop his nomination as a commissioner as Nnamani was determined to do.
The godfather, himself a former governor, prevailed. Nnamani then sought to make Ekweremadu the Secretary to the State Government, a move that made the godfather even more infuriated.
To make peace, Nnamani then assigned him to the office of Chief of Staff which at that time was novel. That was how Ekweremadu became the first Chief of Staff to a governor in Nigeria in 1999 and hence blossomed a political ascendancy that for years survived several hues of “extreme politics.”
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who hails from Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, was born on 12th May 1962.
That was how Ekweremadu became the first Chief of Staff to a governor in Nigeria in 1999 and hence blossomed a political ascendancy that for years survived several hues of “extreme politics.”
He has a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN. He also holds a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law from the University of Abuja as well as Leadership Certificates from highly reputable institutions around the world, including the Harvard University and Oxford University. He is a Professor and Mentoring Scholar of E-Governance and Strategic Government Studies, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
He also had a stint as a lecturer at the University of Nigeria where he taught Constitutional Law and Labour Law at the UNN before joining politics.
Ekweremadu’s tutelage and journey into leadership and politics date back to his childhood. At age 10, little Ekweremadu had emerged as the Chairman of his age grade association and later became the President of Mpu town union for many years.
He also served as Secretary of the movement that agitated for the creation of Aninri LGA from Awgu. As secretary of that movement, the young Ikeoha, as his people and friends prefer to call him, was so brilliant in his roles, particularly his presentation before the visiting panel that the elders later came to him on their own when Aninri LGA was created, requesting that he lead the LGA.
He won the chairmanship election as pioneer chairman of the Aninri on the platform of United Nigeria Congress Party, UNCP, in 1997 during General Abacha’s transition to civil rule programme.
Although his tenure was short-lived and the transition botched upon Abacha’s death, he had nevertheless distinguished himself in grassroots development in one year. Such dazzling performance should naturally earn him a re-election during the General Abdulsalami Abubakar transition programme in 1998; this was aborted by a welter of political violence.
But it turned out turning point for politics for good.
At 36, Ekweremadu was among the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State and played a key role in the emergence of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, 38 and the father of Ebeano political family, as his Campaign Manager in 1998/1999.
He was subsequently appointed Chief of Staff to the former governor and later the Secretary to State Government (SSG) in 2002 before his election into the Senate in 2003 at about age 40.
Senator Ekweremadu is currently serving a fifth consecutive term at the Senate, having been re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. This is a record in the South East. He equally served three consecutive tenures as the Deputy President of the Senate from 2007 to 2019, thus making him the longest presiding officer in Nigeria’s history.
Senator Ekweremadu has chaired many important Committees in the Senate, including the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, which he headed for a record three terms. He has received recognitions and awards for piloting the first sets of successful amendments to the 1999 Constitution, which, among others, resulted in extensive electoral reforms and strengthening the institutions of democracy like the federal and state legislatures and the judiciary.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu is highly rated in terms of constituency development, having attracted an numerous development projects to his constituency and beyond.
He equally led the delegation of the South East Senate Caucus that got the late President Musa Yar’Adua’s approval for the designation of the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu as an international airport. Before that time, the region was denied direct access to the external world in what many saw as a mix of marginalisation and suspicion that has trailed the region post- civil war.
Ekweremadu is also a philanthropist and founder of the Ikeoha Foundation way back in 1997. The Foundation serves as his constituency outreach platform for grassroots development, but also extends kind gestures such as scholarships to other parts of the state.
At 36, Ekweremadu was among the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State and played a key role in the emergence of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, 38 and the father of Ebeano political family, as his Campaign Manager in 1998/1999
The Foundation has helped to uplift the youth, women, children and other vulnerable members of the society through vocational trainings, scholarship/bursary programmes, and healthcare interventions, among many others.
Ikeoha Foundation’s bursary awards have supported over 5,000 undergraduates through their tertiary education, while over 300 1undergraduates have received full scholarships. The Centre runs 32 Adult Education Centres in Enugu West Senatorial District, which has benefited 12,702 adult learners, while thousands more are still enrolled.
Ekweremadu is a recipient of several awards, honours, and commendations, including the Nigerian National Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). He was voted the Best Local Government Chairman of the Year in 1997 for his giant strides in rural development.
Eze Nri conferred him with the chieftaincy title Ochiagha Ndigbo, while the South East Council of Traditional Rulers conferred on him the traditional title Ikeoha Ndigbo in recognition of his great contributions to the development of the region and advocacy on matters that affect it.
Senator Ekweremadu has given notice of his decision to step down from the Senate after his fifth term in 2023. It will, however, certainly not be the end of his story.
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