Stella Oduah

Princess Stella Oduah Ogiemwonyi (née Oduah; born 5 January 1962), is a Nigerian Senator and former Minister of Aviation.[3] She was confirmed to the ministerial post and sworn in on July 2, 2011[4][5][6] and was deployed to the Ministry of Aviation on July 4, 2011.[7][8][9] She was however relieved of her duties as Minister of Aviation on 12 February 2014. She was also active in the political campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan, where she served as his campaign's Director of Administration and Finance.

Princess Stella Oduah
Stella Oduah
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Anambra North Senatorial District
Assumed office
June 2015
ConstituencyAnambra North
Federal Minister of Aviation, Nigeria
In office
4 July 2011 – 12 February 2014
Preceded byFidelia Njeze
Succeeded byMr. Osita Chidoka
Personal details
Born (1962-01-05) 5 January 1962
NationalityNigerian
Political partyPeoples Democratic Party (PDP)
ChildrenMaxwell Chinedu Toritseju Etoromi[1] Tuoyo Etoromi Oduah[2]

In 2013, she was one of the delegates chosen by the President to attend the papal inauguration of Pope Francis together with David Mark, President of the Senate, and Viola Onwuliri, Foreign Minister.[10]

On 23 February 2017, Punch Newspaper reported her four companies accounts frozen over alleged indebtedness of $16,412,819.06 and N100,493,225.59 by the Federal high court in Lagos. The four companies are Sea Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, Sea Shipping Agency Limited, Rotary Engineering Services Limited, and Tour Afrique Company Limited with 21 bank accounts.

She has been involved in numerous controversies ranging from highly inflated purchase of BMW bullet-proof cars without following due process[11] as well as allegations that Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi purportedly lied about how she obtained an MBA degree from St Paul's College. However, the News website, SaharaReporters, had on Jan 6th 2014 quoted authorities at St. Paul's College, where Mrs. Oduah claimed she studied for bachelor's and master's degrees, as saying they did not award her an MBA at any time as the university does not even have a graduate school or graduate programme. She said she will use her second term in the office to curb drug abuse and eradicate cancer.[12][13]

Senate career

In 2015, she was elected to the Nigerian Senate to represent Anambra North Senatorial District.[14][15] She was one of the only seven women elected to the 8th. The others were Rose Okoji Oko, Uche Ekwunife, Fatimat Raji Rasaki, Oluremi Tinubu, Abiodun Olujimi and Binta Garba.[16] Oduah was re-elected to a second term in the Senate in 2019.[17][18]

Background

Oduah was born to Igwe D.O. Oduah of Akili-Ozizor, Ogbaru L.G.A. in Anambra State on January 5, 1962.[19] Oduah-Ogiemwonyi received her bachelor's and master's degree (in Accounting and Business Administration respectively) in the United States. She returned to Nigeria in 1983 and she joined the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.[20]

In 1992, she left the NNPC to establish the Sea Petroleum & Gas Company Limited (SPG), an independent marketer of petroleum products in Nigeria.[21]

She was married to the former Minister for Works, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi[20] and has children.

Politics

On February 9, The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) indicted Stella Oduah, and the Nigerian Subsidiary of Chinese Construction Giant, CCECC, in allege fraudulent cash transaction of about N5billion over five months in 2014.[22]

On 26 August 2021, Stella Oduah left People's Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.[23][24] When asked, She said she joined the ruling party because she wants to change the “political narrative” in the South-East region of the country.[25][26]

References
  1. http://saharareporters.com/2016/08/31/father-tells-stella-oduah-return-late-son%E2%80%99s-body-proper-burial
  2. "Stella Oduah's ex-spouse raises concern over child's safety". 6 September 2016.
  3. "Court fixes Nov 22 for arraignment of ex-Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah". Vanguard News. 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  4. "Jonathan drops corrupt Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, 3 others". 12 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  5. "Senate President David Mark Read The List of Nigeria's Ministerial Nominees". The InfoStride. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  6. "President Swears In 14 Ministers, Returnees Retain Former Portfolios". Nigeriadailynews.com. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  7. "Latest Nigerian News from Thisday newspaper". Thisdayonline.com. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  8. "Jonathan's cabinet". Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  9. http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22375:maina-is-women-affairs-minister-ogiemwonyi-gets-aviation&catid=1:news&Itemid=2%5B%5D
  10. "Pope Inauguration: David Mark To Lead FG Delegation To Vatican City | INFORMATION NIGERIA". Informationng.com. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  11. "How Aviation Minister Stella Oduah Forced Cash-Strapped Aviation Agency To Spend $1.6 Million On Two BMW Armored Cars For Her". Sahara Reporters. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  12. "Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah Scrambles To Cover Up Certificate Forgery Scandal-PREMIUM TIMES". Sahara Reporters. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  13. "Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah in fresh fake doctorate degree scandal - Premium Times Nigeria". 8 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  14. TheScoop (2015-03-30). "She's back, she's back: Princess 'BMW' Stella Oduah wins Anambra North senate seat". The ScoopNG. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  15. Olowolagba, Fikayo (2019-02-25). "Nigeria election result: PDP's Stella Oduah wins Anambra North senatorial seat". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  16. The 6 female senators in 8th National Assembly, Naij,com, Retrieved 15 February 2016
  17. "Stella Oduah wins Anambra North Senatorial Election". 2019-02-25. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  18. Newsbulletin (2019-02-25). "2019 elections: Senator Stella Oduah wins Anambra North, promises to sustain her quality representation". News Bulletinng. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  19. "encomiummagazine.com". www.encomiummagazine.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  20. http://www.neighbours4goodluck.org/1/Princess%20Stella%20Oduah%20Ogiemwonyi%20OON.html
  21. "Account Suspended". Seapetrol.com. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  22. "REVEALED: How Stella Oduah, CCECC, others laundered N5 billion – EFCC". 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  23. Shibayan, Dyepkazah (2021-08-26). "Stella Oduah dumps PDP for APC". TheCable. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  24. "Stella Oduah dumps PDP, joins APC". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  25. "Senator Stella Oduah Dumps PDP For APC | Channels Television". www.channelstv.com. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  26. "Stella Oduah dumps PDP, joins APC". Punch Newspapers. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.