Oyegun Is APC’s New Chairman

Oyegun Is APC’s New Chairman

Saturday, June 14, 2014 9:52 am


Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the Newly elected APC National Chairman

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the Newly elected APC National Chairman

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, former Governor of Edo state, was this morning elected as the new national Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC. That was at the first National Convention of the party at the Eagles Square, Abuja.

He will succeed ex-Governor Bisi Akande, who was interim national chairman. Earlier today, his major challenger, former governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, stood down.

The new National Secretary is Mai Mala Buni from Yobe state, replacingTijjani Tumsah.

Chief Segun Oni, a former governor of Ekiti State was also elected the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South) and Lawal Shuaibu, a former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, is the new Deputy National Chairman (North).

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the current Interim spokesperson of the party, remains the National Publicity Secretary of APC.

The Man, Oyegun

By  Osareti Joseph

Chief John Evboyomwan Kenneth Odigie-Oyegun was born on the 12th August 1939 into the family of Pa Daniel Osagiede Odigie-Oyegun, a member of the British Empire (MBE) and distinguished citizen of Ikoha, in Ovia South West L.G.A. of Edo State, and Madam Shaka Elizabeth Odigie-Oyegun, nee Amurun.

He ended his elementary education at Holy Cross Catholic School, Benin City, and gained early admission, from class five instead of six, into the prestigious St. Patrick’s College, Asaba in 1953, passing West African School Certificate Examination in Division 1 in 1957.  He did his ‘A’ Levels at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan, between 1958 and 1960.  By the year 1963, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun had bagged a Bachelor of Science, (Hons.) Lond. in Economics at the nation’s premier University, the University College, Ibadan.

Postgraduate institutions attended by this distinguished Nigerian include:
United Nations Economic Development and Planning Institute, Dakar, Senegal, between 1966 and 1967, where he was the only participant that earned his post-graduate Diploma at Merit (Distinction) Level, and the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank in Washington DC, U.S.A. in 1970 where he trained in Transportation and Utilities Planning. In 1978 he attended a top Management, Leadership and Decision making Programme organized by the University of Pittsburgh and the famous Brookings Institute of Washington DC.

He joined the Federal Civil Service in 1963, worked in various capacities and at different levels and was appointed a Federal Permanent Secretary in 1975 at age 36 a record for those days. In this capacity he served Cabinet Office, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Communications, 1978-82; Ministry of Science and Technology, 1982-83; Ministry of Internal Affairs, February to September 1984; Ministry of Commerce and Industry, September 1984 to December 1985.

By the time he retired in December 1985, he had put in a total of twenty-two years in the Federal Public Service, nine of which he served as Permanent Secretary in several Ministries.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, is married to Victoria Nkosenyem Oyegun (nee Ugbode) of Ogbe-olu quarters in Illah in Delta State and they are blessed with children. His hobbies include Music, Reading and Table Tennis.


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