Asaba Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board, comprising prominent Asaba leaders, was formed to
coordinate the initiatives in Asaba with the research being carried out at USF.
It is chaired by Dr. Ify Uraih, a massacre survivor who has spoken at USF and is
working closely with the USF team. Members are:
Dr. Ify Uraih (Chair) is Chief Marketing Consultant and
a member of the Board of Directors of Proventures Limited, a firm of Marketing Consultants,
which has a strong track record of turning around the fortunes of several major
companies. He also has an appointment at the Lagos Business School (Pan Africa University)
where he coaches senior executives in Sales/ Marketing and Customer Service courses,
and he serves on several other Boards of Directors. He is involved in several Asaba
Development efforts, and since April 2010 has been President of Asdev ’81 Club of
Asaba World Wide, an elite clubs for professionals and business people, with the
objective of serving as role models and giving direction to Asaba youths. He lost
his father and two brothers in the Asaba massacres.
Chief Philip C. Asiodu (Honorary Chair), is the Izoma of
Asaba. He has held many positions in the Nigerian Federal Government, including
Chief Economic Adviser to the President, and Minister for Petroleum. He has been
Chairman of Ecobank Transnational, and holds many positions on boards of businesses
and environmental organization. He has been Visiting Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Institute,
Princeton University, and holds numerous awards and honors, including Grand Officier,
Ordre National du Mérite of France. He lost a brother in the massacres.
Ogbueshi E. U. D Ijeh is Vice President General
of Asaba Development Union, president of Odu-Oma club of Nigeria, and president
of HUDA club of Nigeria Asaba.
He is a certified public accountant and fellow of the internal auditors of Nigeria.
He served as Chief Accountant of Delta State University until his retirement in
2008, and is Director General of E.C Ventures. His areas of specialization are management,
auditing and accountancy.
Prof. E.A.C Nwanze, an Asaba indigene, is Professor of biochemistry
and former Vice-Chancellor at the University of Benin, Nigeria. He has over 60 academic
publications, and is the recipient of numerous awards. Under his leadership, the
University of Benin was named the second best university in the British Commonwealth
in 2006. Prof. Nwanze was named the Most Outstanding Vice Chancellor in Nigeria
in 2006-08, and in 2008 he was recognized as the most Outstanding Vice Chancellor
in Africa, and inducted that same year into the Kwame Nkrumah Hall of Fame, in Accra,
Ghana.
Mr. Chuck Nduka-Eze, an Asaba indigene and lawyer, was born
in the U.K., but returned with his parents to Nigeria as the Civil War started.
His father was a lawyer and nationalist politician, but was compelled by the exigencies
of the crisis to fight on the Biafran side. His mother died in the Asaba massacres.
He practiced as a lawyer in the U.K. before returning to practice in Nigeria in
1999. In the U.K., he was involved in a few celebrated cases, such as artistic dispute
between an Oxford art curator and the artist Damien Hirst. He presented a petition
as Counsel on behalf of the Asaba community at the Oputa Panel. He holds chief
titles, including the title of Ogbueshi in Asaba, but prefers to be known as Chuck.
Mr. Okey Ofili is Head of Service, Delta State Government.
Mrs. Martina Osaji is Permanent Secretary for the Asaba
Zone of the Post Primary Education Board (PPEB), Delta State Government.