In the recent past, not much has been heard about these individuals that once made news headlines. In this piece, ELEOJO IDACHABA asks where they could be and what they are doing presently.
Joy Ogwu
Prof. Joy Uche Ogwu is someone that can aptly be described as “a core foreign affairs technocrat.” She has held several positions on international affairs in the past. For example, she was once the director-general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), foreign affairs minister and later as Nigeria’s former permanent representative to the United Nations (UN).
She began her career as a lecturer at the National War College (NWC) in Lagos before she moved to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru near Jos. As a woman who was in a foremost position in her distinguished career, Ogwu became a voice for women development, human rights and role model. In the history of Nigeria, she is the first woman to hold the position of permanent representative to the UN. She became president of the UN Security Council in July 2010 up till October 2011. She was also the president of the executive board of the UN Women Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
The last known public appointment of this Delta state-born technocrat, who is said to be in her late 70s, was as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN. While receiving the ‘Emeka Anyaoku-Life-Time Achievement Award as Nigeria’s Outstanding International Icon,’ the Hallmark of Labour Foundation described her as “an accomplished scholar, diplomat, administrator, professor of political science & international relations who has served Nigeria and the international communities with quiet dignity and a sense of mission in several strategic capacities and with commendable results.
At a reception for Small Island States hosted by her during the clamour in support of Nigeria’s candidature for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for 2010-2011, Ogwu in her welcome address to the ambassadors from those island states, said, “Nigeria at independence enunciated its principles which were also in consonance with the principles established by the founders of the United Nations in 1945. We have not deviated from those principles in our foreign policy; we were taught to enhance them especially in the areas of internal peace and stability.”
She is someone who has had the rare privilege of serving Nigeria in the UN twice and in both capacities, she left behind imprints that demonstrated the leadership skills of Nigerians when given any international assignment. She has, however, been quiet of late either due to age or retirement, but according to popular views, this woman still has a lot to offer her country.
Roland Oritsejafor
Not many people know this man until he was appointed as the minister of state for defence by former President Olusegun obasanjo. This was when the former president established the United States Department of Defence in the Nigerian Ministry of Defence for Health Maintenance. His appointment at that time probably was because of his background as he was trained in the Medical Institute of Pediatrics St. Petersburg in the USSR and later Yorkhill, University of Glasgow in Scotland.
Oritsejafor had been a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta state where he played significant leadership roles like developing and piloting the affairs of the party in the state. Following his exit from the cabinet, he was said to have set up a non-governmental organisation called Health Initiative for Safety and Stability in Africa with the aim of enhancing the welfare of the military and civilians living in the barracks.
However, long after that, it is not clear if that organisation is still functional. The only available information about him at the moment is that he is involved in traditional institutions in his Warri home where he serves as an adviser to the Olu of Warri. Besides that, not much has been heard about him again.
Laraba Gambo Abdullahi
Hajiya Laraba Gambo Abdullahi was a minister for women affairs under former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, between 1998 and ’99. Often described as the Iron Lady of the Sahel, she was also a former vice-chancellor, University of Abuja between 1999 and 2004. As vice-chancellor, she improved the relationships between the university administration and academic unions and was also committed to excellent standards in the procurement and promotion of academic and non-academic staff.
After her tenure at UniAbuja ended, she was appointed a director of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), a government tool to promote commercialisation of research ideas generated by Nigerian universities. She has, however, not been seen in the public or her voice heard in recent times, especially in the present regime.
She is described in many quarters as one of the beautiful women to have come from the northern part of the country to have risen to the position of vice- chancellor despite the rigours involved in holding such a lofty position. At a point, she was appointed as chairman of the visitation panel to the University of Nigeria Nsukka; asides that, not much has been heard about this Amazon from the North again.
