Tuesday, 14 October 2014

PROFILE OF DAME DR. ESTHER KELICHA UDUEHI, KSG, PhD, FNIM, LSM, JP



Dr Esther Kelicha Uduehi was born to Chief Jacob Ebinum of Obiaruku in Ukwuani  Local Government Area and Princess Selina Mgboba Ebinum (Nee Anamali Omili  Imite of Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government of Delta State). She attended First Baptist School, Obiaruku; Queen’s School, Ede; Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan; University of Lagos; University of Glasgow, UK; Temple University, Philadelphia, USA; and the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria from where she obtained, First School Leaving Certificate, Cambridge school Certificate, Higher School Certificate, BA (Hons) English and Philosophy with French as Subsidiary, Post Graduate Diploma in Education in Educational Psychology, M.Ed in Curriculum Development and Education Administration, and PhD in Public Administration respectively. 
She also holds various Certificates in short time Management courses from National and International Institutions. 

Dr Uduehi started her working career as a Class room /Graduate teacher and later became a school Principal before she transferred to the Administrative cadre of the Civil Service of the then Bendel State where she rose through the ranks to the post of Permanent Secretary/Director General before she voluntarily retired in 1992 after 27 years of meritorious service to go into Politics. In her service career, she served in many ministries and in different capacities. 

She was for many years the Director of and Manpower Development in the defunct Bendel State Civil Service. She was SAFE (Deputy Permanent Secretary) in Ministry of Education before she was deployed as the Executive Secretary for the Bendel State Education Board (Primary and Post Primary). 

She also served for 2 years as the Chief Executive of one of the then largest Local Government Councils, in the then Bendel State, Orhionmwon (Now Orhionmwon, Uhunmwode and part of Ikpoba Okha LGAs) Local Government Area Council, where she also served as the Returning Officer in the 1979 General Election. 

She was one time the Sole Administrator of the then Bendel Broadcasting Service (Radio and Television). She is a Management Consultant. 

In the course of her career as Permanent Secretary, she was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of eight (8) companies in which the Bendel State Government had controlling interest and also a Board Member in other publicly quoted companies in which the Government had shares. 

On retirement she was elected a member of the Audit Committee of UACN until 1999 when she had to resign because of her appointment as Special Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Dr Uduehi went into politics in 1992 under the platform of the defunct SDP where she played various State and National roles. 

She was also the interim Deputy National Treasurer of the defunct UNCP. She is now a member and chieftain of the PDP under which platform she contested the party primaries for the Delta North Senatorial seat in 2002. 

She was Special Adviser to the President, Liaison for the House of Representatives from 1999- 2002. 

She is presently the Chairman Governing Board of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education. Dr Uduehi has been involved in women activities for over 40 years. A onetime National President of the Association of Working Wives of Nigeria, she played active role in winning some rights and fringe benefits for women in the Service, including Maternity leave with pay, rent allowance etc. 

In 1973 she organized women of various ethnic groups in Warri and founded the YWCA, thus promoting peace and friendship amongst them. She is a life member of the International Alliance of Women, and President or Patron to several women organizations including the Catholic Women Organization. 

Dr Uduehi was in 2005 honoured by Pope Benedict XVI with the knighthood of St Gregory the Great (KSG) and she is the current National Vice President of the Association of Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria (APKMN) having been its first Secretary General. She is also a Lady of the order of Knights of St Mulumba. She was honoured with several chieftaincy titles by various Communities amongst which is “Achiwame 1” of Ndokwaland in 2001. 

She is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, (where she was a member of the Council for some years), a member of the Royal Institute of Public Administration ( RIPA), London and she is also a Justice of Peace (JP) Dr Uduehi has travelled wide and attended several National and International Conferences including the Nairobi World Conference on Women, 1985, the Conference in Beijing 1995 and the Conference on the Role of Women in the North South Cooperation under the auspices of the then Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France and Freiburg, Germany. She is the author of “Pre-Occupations” – an anthology of poems which she published in 1973. 

She was a member of the London Poetry Society and has published and presented several papers in National and International Conferences and Workshops including NIPSS, Kuru-Jos.

She is happily married to Engr D. B. Uduehi, a retired Permanent Secretary and they are blessed with children and grand children. She has blended her career and family life very well. 

Dr Uduehi has been part of Governance at all levels, Local, State and Federal Governments. Her education in varied subjects equipped her effectively for the varied roles, which spanned wide areas of human endeavour that she Rudi called upon to play in the course of her career and will prove a good and effective tool for the new role she is aspiring to play by God’s grace.

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