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Conferred With Ogbuefi Chieftaincy Title
On Saturday 30th December, 2023 the Oil rich town of Egwe, in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, was agog for one of their daughters, Professor Vivian Ojadi, a Chartered Accountant, erudite professor of Accounting and Finance, seasoned management guru and banker based in the United States of America.
Reason? The home groomed woman and an accomplished professional, was being conferred with a chieftaincy title of Ogbuefi, which happens to be the highest honour for any woman who has done very well in her profession and has contributed greatly to the development of the community.
Before she left the shores of this country, this woman of substance who can safely be referred to as the pride of her people, worked in so many companies and places especially in the banking industry where at various times she worked in the top management.
Ogbuefi Ofudi, has a rich academic, professional (and work profile that is very intimidating little wonder her people choose her for this loundable honour.
In the midst of all the ceremony and merry making, City People Magazine Port Harcourt Bureau Chief, Emeka Amaefula (+234(0)8111813069) was at Oguta (Egwe) where Professor Vivien Ojadi was conferred with Ogbuefi Chieftaincy title specifically reserved for women of high standing, by her Age Grade group in Oguta tradition.
She spoke generally about her FRANK ANGEL FOUNDATION and her contributions to free healthcare and wellness, training and education of the girl child, relief for abused children, economic empowerment for widows in her community and her love for serving God as she is now addressed as Ogbuefi Dr. Vivien Ojadi, popularly nick named “Ugo Jesus” and “Nmashinachi”. She is beautiful, brilliant, humble and hard working with a dedicated Christian life indicating serious focus on human capital development giving her humanitarian services to mankind a priority.
May we meet you?
My name is Dr. Ogbuefi Vivien Ugo Ojadi.
How do you feel today?
I feel happy that it has passed that my Age Grade people have installed me as Ogbuefi in my Oguta community. It is a thing of joy.
What does the title portray?
It is the highest title and honour for a woman in Oguta. It is for a woman that has brought honour and a woman that has made impact in the community and who is doing things that are meaningful to the community. So, that’s what it entails. I love my community I have given them free medical attention and contributed to educational programs in the name of FRANK ANGEL International Foundation.
I named the foundation after my parents, Francis and Angela and with this foundation, I have been able to give free medical care to my people.
I also support children, I help develop women through the programmes we have for the community. For instance, there is this programme of extra murals for female students so that they can learn how to read and write. Also, today, you saw the Medical Doctors here examining my Age Grade members who were going one by one to get their blood test, eye test to get. They were also given free medications.
What is the name of your Age Grade?
My age grade is called OTU AJASHI. Ajashi is an Oguta name. Normally, different Age Grades have their own names so, sometimes they are named after the founder.
Apart from educational and medical outreach programmes are there other services you render to your people?
I pay school fees for Orphans it is a way of adopting them and funding their educations up to University level. I also support our Reverend Sisters in the Catholic Church for their Missions. I also support widows. I initiated that idea to help them develop economically.
Are all these services under one umbrella of Frank Angel international Foundation?
No, they are of different names. Frank Angel International Foundation is mostly for Free Medical Care and like training of the children in School. Eye Care and they have it under the Foundation and I am training about 20 Orphans. We also help children who are being maltreated and abused by people they are living with. We rescue them and educate them. We have programmes where we educate people and take care of the elderly and the children. So, these are some of the things we do in the Foundation.
Give us a rundown of your academic background?
I am a Professor of Finance and Accounting. Most people are Professors of one thing but I am a Professor of two because I have my Accounting background and I am a Chairperson of the Department of Business Administration in Bristol Community College, Massachusetts, United States of America. I also lecture online at the University of Hertfordshire in England. I teach across continents. I teach on their Online Programmes in the UK mostly for their Postgraduate Executive Masters of Business Administration MBA programmes. And in their Business Administration programme Online. I also teach in a College in the United States of America. I am also a Professor of Finance in the UK, that is where I did my Doctoral degree PhD in Finance. I am also a Chartered Accountant. I am a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria -ICAN because that is my background. I worked in the banking sector before in Nigeria. I worked in Diamond Bank of Nigeria Ltd from 1996 where I was a Branch Manager and Head of Internal Control. I started at Lagos where I worked in Marina, I worked in Idumota, Victoria Island. And I worked at the UAC building in Abuja. Then I went away to International Development. This is because before I joined Diamond Bank, I worked with EU, European Union Foundation. European Union has projects in Nigeria, so I worked in European Development Fund for different projects in Nigeria. One of them was in Helping the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC. We also did some projects in Northern Nigeria especially, in the Mambilla Plateau, TEA irrigation and the Dam. I was in the project. So, I have been to all those places while I was working for the EU.
Then I left for the Bank and while I was in the Bank the United States Agency for International Development -USAID that was when the International community decertified Nigeria because of the sanctions against Nigeria. And they left, but they looked for those of us who had a background in International Development and they contacted me. That was how I got in to work there for their Nigerian Projects because USA citizens were leaving Nigeria. They engaged me to work for their Democracy and good Governance project in Nigeria under Centre For Development and Population Activities-CEDPA NGO and also family Health international. We were also in charge of the Democracy and good Governance Project in some states in the country helping women to come into Democracy and good governance with this, we helped steer the country to democracy.
Was this before 1999?
Yes, it was.
And then we also did Public Health Projects mostly for women’s Health. Then after I left there, I went back to the bank. I also worked in National Oil and Chemical Marketing Plc and I was Head of Service at a point I was in charge of Area Business Accounting at Ibadan for the whole of the Western states except Lagos. From Lagos I moved to Ibadan to handle the area. From there I moved to Abuja. Then I returned to the Bank again. In Diamond Bank I was among the pioneer staff of the bank who had the privileged of returning to the bank after leaving.
I left to serve the country. I did tell them that USAID invited me. So, I was a pioneer of people leaving and coming back. I was in Victoria Island,VI Lagos for a while then left to Abuja Branches as a Regional Control person. When we bought over Lion Bank, I became the Branch Manager of Nyanya branch after leading controls in UAC, Wuse 2, Deidei, and working in integration. And from there I went to the UK for my MBA degree at the University of Hertfordshire, an exemplar in Enterprise-facing universities. As the other universities were for research. It focused on enterprise and business. When I finished studying there, I returned to my bank job at Diamond Bank. Shortly after that my mum died. I was so devastated that I decided to leave home and to leave the environment. The university wanted me to come and teach students because of the way I worked with them. So, they offered me a job as a lecturer, thereafter I became a Senior Lecturer and then I did my Doctoral Degree PhD.
And from there I moved to the United States of America. And I worked at several universities. I started with Bridgewater State University Massachusetts. I also taught in a Dominican University called Providence College in Rhodes Island state. Before then I went to Rhodes Island College, another Bristol Community College where I am presently the Chair (Head of Department) of department of Business Administration. I also have an Accounting firm in Nigeria but it’s managed by a partner since I am very busy abroad.
So that is my work profile.
Your work profile is so intimidating.
Thank you.
Let’s come back to African culture since you have been in the international arena, how do you blend with the culture of your people back home?
I am a home girl. My parents brought me up to love my home and my people. I like to know things that are being done back home. So, I have never left home in spirit. It is a thing of the spirit as I did not separate myself from my foundation. I maintained the foundation. And I am a very strong Christian, a Catholic Charismatic.
How about your family life? I am the last child and I have eight living brothers and one sister, so we were born eleven but one died and ten are remaining and I am the last child.
Henceforth you can call me, Ogbuefi Ugo Jesus Nmashinachi. Nmashinachi means “Beauty that comes from the creator”. Chi means a lot in Igbo language. My mother’s name happened to be Ifeomashinachi meaning “Good things come from destiny or God.” But I am called Nmasinachi Ogbuefi Ugo Jesus.
