There is an array of citizens of Rivers state who have served as Commissioners with different administrations in the state especially since the present political dispensation of uninterrupted democratic governance from 1999 to 2022. It is evident that very many of such citizens with varied experiences in different fields of human endeavour are still actively serving their communities and society at large.
City People Magazine Port Harcourt Bureau Chief, EMEKA AMAEFULA-+234(0)8111813069 here takes a cursory look into the lives of these noble former public servants and where they are now and how they are contributing to building an egalitarian society. Read on.
DR. SAMPSON PARKER
This trained Medical Doctor is known to have brought a lot of relief to Rivers State citizens and residents through the policies of Free Healthcare programme of the administration of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. This brought down drastically the Mother/child mortality rate in Rivers state. Today, he runs D.D.W Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Port Harcourt, the first of its kind in South-South Nigeria. Here he settles doubts over paternity and maternity status of individuals through Viral cum microbial genomes and product encoding, testing paternity/maternity DNA, Covid 19 testing, Gene Mutation detection. His outfit has drastically reduced medical tourism abroad for such medical services.
DR. EMI
MEMBERE-OTAJI
The former Commissioner for Health during Dr. Peter Odili’s administration Dr. Emi Membere-Otaji has stepped up his business acumen with an ultra-modern hospital and a thriving shipping outfit. He runs Elshcon Nigeria Limited with offices in Port Harcourt and Lagos where as Chairman and Chief executive Officer his company owns Jetties with Support Base at 11 Trans Woji, Road Trans Amadi Industrial layOut Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
ALLWELL ONYESOH
The former Commissioner of Education and later Commissioner for Sports during Dr. Peter Odili’s administration helped former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in the employment of thirteen thousand teachers as he was Chairman of the Senior Secondary Schools Management Board. He’s the Senatorial candidate for Rivers East in the 2023 General elections under the PDP platform.
ISOBO JACK
This Abonnema born politician was the former Commissioner for Environment during Amaechi’s last moment as executive Governor of Rivers State. He made entertainment business turn big time business with Bootleggers NightClub and his hospitality outfit Grosvernor Suites at Evo Road being one of the best in terms of management and security. Today he is back to Rivers State Waste Management Agency-RIWAMA as Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee set up by Governor Wike to keep the state clean since he sacked all Commissioners in the state before his botched attempt in the Presidential Primary election of PDP.
ALERUCHI
COOKEY-GAM
Being the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice during Gov. Peter Odili’s administration, Mrs. Aleruchi Cookey-Gam is the wife of late Architect Roland Cookey-Gam who died in the ill-fated Sossoliso Plane Crash of 2005. This erudite lady is now on the board of Federal Housing Authority of Nigeria as she dumped PDP for All Progressives Congress, APC.
MARSHALL
STANLEY UWOM
Born great from a royal family of Abua/Odual Local Government Area, this former Commissioner for Housing during the administration of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi later won election into Rivers State House of Assembly where he later emerged Deputy Speaker. He holds a Rivers State University of Science and Technology Nkpolu Orowurokwo Law Degree and Masters Degree in Corporate Good Governance from a United Kingdom University. He once held sway as proprietor of Twilight Night Club which he later turned into a Church as he became born Again and member of Christ Embassy Church at Port Harcourt.
ODIEN HENRY AJUMOGOBIA
He became Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice during Dr. Peter Odili’s second term in office. Later he was appointed Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, Odein Henry Ajumogobia Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN is back to Legal Practice with an eye into First Oil and Gas Exploration Company on a Non-Executive status on the Board which is in a consortium with Alhaji Aliko Dangote. He is a sharp legal mind in Aviation Transportation Litigations and other blue chip Corporate litigations.
EMEH GLORY EMEH
He is a man with many feathers first as a Media guru who turned former Governor Peter Odili into a Golden Governor and best in West Africa while he was Special Adviser during the first tenure of the administration. He became Commissioner For Transport that received two Aircrafts owned by Rivers State. During the short lived 5-months administration of Celestine Omehia the usurper of Governor Amaechi’s Mandate Barrister Emeh Glory Emeh was appointed Chief -Of- Staff. He qualified as a Barrister-At Law and now runs a successful First Link Properties, a Real estate multi-million-naira business outfit.
DAKUKU ADOL PETERSIDE
The Opobo-born administrator and Social Psychology Doctoral graduate was Commissioner for Works during Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s administration. He went on to be elected as Member Federal House of Representatives. He was a Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress-APC in 2015. Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside was appointed Director General Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration NIMASA for a single tenure. Now he is a social critic and businessman.
ALICE NEMI
She was Commissioner for Education during Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. This Okrika born lawyer and administrator after leaving office in 2015 has been into legal practice and doing very well.
IBIM SEMINATARI
Being a female top journalist cum administrator, she became an award-winning CNN African Journalist of the year 1997 in the category of print Media. In 2009 she was appointed Commissioner for information and Communications under Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi until 2015 when that administration ended. Today, she runs ABEC group of Schools and she owns a Farm.
NDUBUISI NWANKWO
Coming into politics as Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources during former Governor Peter Odili, this Omuma Local Government Area in Rivers State. Engineer Ndubuisi Nwankwo went back to the university where he acquired a doctoral degree Ph.D. In the coming 2023 General elections he is running for Senate in Rivers East senatorial District under All Progressives Congress-APC. He is fiercely being challenged in the Rivers east Senatorial 2023 election by Etche Rivers state born Chief Allwell Henacho Onyesoh of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP.
DAVID THEOPHILUS BRIGGS
Since 1999 when he was appointed as Commissioner for Works under Dr. Peter Odili’s administration, Chief David Theophilus Briggs has been busy in several activities including his appointment as Chairman Senior Secondary School Management Board under the administration of Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike.
TORU OFILI
Elegant and highly successful female politician with very strong political pedigree, Mrs. Toru Ofili was Commissioner for Women Affairs during Sir, Dr. Peter Odili’s administration which came to an end in 2007. However, her political relevance was quickly identified by the N.E. W administration of Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike who appointed her as Special Adviser for SDG/MDG. Her business acumen knows no bounds as she was the first citizen of Rivers State to go into Commercial waste disposal cum management known as REFCOL Nigeria Ltd. With her dexterity in successful business she went into Furnishing and Interior Décor Furniture deals providing exquisite home interiors for the high-profile Port Harcourt big boys and big babes.
NGOZI ODU
This highly rated scholar and researcher Professor Ngozi Odu was appointed Commissioner For Education with a background in Microbiology she has been able to reposition the academic environment before her exit from office. Today, Professor Ngozi Odu is the Governorship running mate to Siminialaye Fubara, the Peoples Democratic Party-PDP Governorship candidate in 2023.
ELEMCHUKWU OGBOWU
Youthful Elemchukwu Ogbowu was Commissioner for Trade and Commerce under the administration of Dr. Peter Odili after being elected into Rivers State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003. The Rivers State University of Science and Technology trained Chartered Accountant later went further to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Law LL. B after leaving the office. He runs a successful Oil and Gas company at Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. Currently he belongs to no political party having voluntarily resigned from PDP after helping Governor Wike to a successful second term victory in 2019.
