Uche Nnaji Biography

Chief Uche Nnaji was born to the family of Chief & Mrs Obed Nnaji of Akpugo Nkanu West LGA in Enugu State.

Education

At Enugu State, he finished all of his academic studies.

He went to Santa Maria Primary School in Enugu (now Ziks Avenue Primary School), St. Patrick’s College in Emene, Enugu, and the Nsukka campus of the University of Nigeria.

He was regarded as a true “Enugu Boy” because of his background.

His mother was left to provide for the family financially after his father passed away suddenly, and she did it admirably.

She handled her late husband’s estate admirably and made sure that each of her children received a unique upbringing and a strong foundation.

Business Career

One of the crucial contracts that solidified his reputation as a prosperous businessman was the acquisition, installation, and commissioning of all specialised hospital-grade plumbing and sanitary goods for the then-NEW UNTH, ITUKU/OZALLA.

He actively participated in the agreements for the procurement and installation of medical equipment.

He continues to have a cheerful attitude there.

Because of his early involvement in the hospital and medical installation and procurement businesses, he was in a strong entrepreneurial position.

He benefited from his repeated interactions with top executives who were much older and taught him the need of patience and humility.

In the middle of the 1980s, he also learned that he was the youngest and first African to receive a CT scan in Nigeria.

Over time, Chief Nnaji’s passion for business ownership and human capital development in the economy was revived, and in the year 2000, he resumed operations. He increased his involvement in the healthcare industry. He conducted several business dealings with federal and state organisations about the purchase, setup, commissioning, and maintenance of high-resolution medical machinery, including specialised cancer management and diagnostic equipment.

Additionally, his business group manages equipment maintenance contracts for cancer in a number of Nigerian university teaching hospitals, including UDTH Sokoto, AKTH Kano, KDTH Ebonyi State, and UNTH Enugu. Additionally, his organisation completed numerous contracts in the states of Borno, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, and Bauchi. These included providing hospitals and health centres with medical supplies, healthcare tools, and hospital furniture. Similar to this, the organisation created

In each Senatorial Zone of the State, there are 120/100-bed hospitals and 200-bed hospitals that serve as their referral centres.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, then-President of Nigeria, launched each of these groundbreaking projects. Additionally, his business completed a number of construction contracts for roads and drainage for Governments at the federal and state levels, ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. He also works in the oil and gas sector, and together with other international and local partners, he actively pursued investments in a number of exploration and production prospects in

Nigeria, Chad, and Niger; also engaged in the real estate sector; and creates opulent residences for wealthy people, businesses, and diplomats in Abuja and Lagos. Together with his overseas partners, a major Middle Eastern financial and investment

He has assisted some companies with startup and growth projects in the East and other regions. He wants to use the cooperation to improve Enugu State’s human capital and make it an industrial hub.

In keeping with the “AKULUOUNO” philosophy, Nwakaibie is constructing an integrated industrial complex in Akpugo, Nkanu West LGA, Enugu State, the place where he was born and raised. The objective is to significantly boost primary economic activity and combat the threat of excessive unemployment in Enugu State.

When complete, the industrial complex will house:

• A rice mill with a 300-ton-per-hour production capacity.

• A bag factory with a 10-hour work shift production capacity of 41,000 bags.

• A six-colour retro graphic printing facility (state-of-the-art).

The industrial complex is nearly 80% finished, and operations will begin in Q2 2023.

Chief Uche Nnaji consistently credits God Almighty’s favour and mercies for his small successes.

Nwakaibie is fortunate to have a gorgeous wife and kids.

With these accomplishments, young Uche Nnaji (Nwakaibie) became interested in politics and acquired a desire to aid the underprivileged group that lacked the resources to fully participate in politics. He provided funding for many of them to complete

Political Career

In the just completed 2023 general elections, Nnaji was the APC’s candidate for governor.

During the UNCP/GDM/DPN political era, Uche led his senatorial zone to ensure that Chief Jim Nwobodo gave Senator Ken Nnamani a humiliating defeat, defying the directives of the then-military administration of Enugu State. As a result of his loss in the first Enugu East senatorial election, UNCP member Ken Nnamani received his first political baptism in jail. Nwakaibie spent over four months in prison for “derailing” the Abacha transition plan and aiding opposition candidates in Enugu State.

General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the new Head of State after General Abacha’s death, released all political detainees, enabling him to restore his freedom. When party politics first began in 1998, Nwakaibie was a key player in the formation of the PDP in Enugu State.

He intended to run for senator in the PDP’s Enugu East Senatorial Zone, but after leaving the APP, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, the party’s then-National Secretary, changed his name to Senator Ken Nnamani. He defected to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) 72 hours before the election, incensed by the unfairness, and defeated Senator Ken Nnamani of the PDP in 65 of 66 wards.

Among Nwakaibie’s political accomplishments from this era are:

• Won the Enugu East Senatorial Zone election in 1999 and unreservedly handed over the seat to Chief Jim Nwobodo.

• PDP South East Zone Foundation Member, 1998.

• PDPEnugu State Convener, 1998.

• PDPEnugu State Caucus Member, 1998.

• Participant in the PDP’s 1998 National Finance Committee and Poverty Alleviation.

• Participant in the PPAC Rural Development Subcommittee in 1999.

• Enugu State Caucus Member UNCP, 1996–1998.

• UNCP Enugu East Senatorial Zone financier from 1996 to 1998.

Additionally, he held the following roles in government:

• Member of the Federal Capital Development Authority’s [FCDA] Board of Directors.

Chairman of the FCDA’s Finance and General Purpose Committee.

• The FCDA Member-Establishment Committee.

• Today, Uche Nnaji has been nominated by the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu to serve as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Personal life

He is a devoted husband and father.