By Our Correspondent
Pastor Usani, Usani Uguru was born in 1961 In Nko, Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Married with children, Usani is currently a PHD student with the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA Kaduna State with a thesis topic on Economic Growth and Human Development in Rural Communities of Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
He attended Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London between 2004 – 2005 were he obtained an M.Sc degree in Globalization and Development.
He was a student of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt between 1998 – 2003 were he also obtained a Masters degree in Environmental Management.
An Alumni of University of Calabar, Usani also obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the school between 1995-1997.
The ministerial nominee is a graduate of the University of Jos with a Bachelor of Science, B.Sc in Geography and postgraduate Diploma PGD in Management between 1982 and 1986 and 1990-1991 respectively.
A Core Professional:
As a professional, He is a Member, Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered) – NIM, and the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (IPMN).
Usani attended several workshops, seminars and conferences as a resource person and a participant in a wide range of professional sectors including Change Management, Project Evaluation, Speech and Script Writing held in Nigeria, United Arab Emirate UAE and the United Kingdom (UK).
Usani As a Politician:
Usani Uguru Usani until his new appointment was the Chairman of APC in Cross River State. He was also the state coordinator of National Unity Club (one of the associations that formed the Grassroot Democratic Movement (1994).
In 1998 and 1999 when the current political dispensation came into being, Usani was one of the pioneer members who formed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Cross River State, he however left the party in 2001 due to irreconcilable differences within the party, based on principle.
He contested the seat of Governorship of Cross River state in 2003 and 2012 under the opposition political platform of National Democrats ND and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.
Working Experience:
He was the Coordinating Director – Fuzel Mining and Construction Company Ltd. 2012 till Date.
Principal Director – Maleen Nigeria Limited, a Research and Evaluation Consulting between 2010 – 2011
Real Estate property investments 2007 – 2010
Lecturer (part time) – London Academy of Management Sciences, London 2004 – 2006
Lecturer (part time) – London Academy for Higher Education 2004 – 2006
Member, Governing Board – Nigeria Copyright Commission 2001 – 2004
Commissioner, Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development. 1997 – 1999
Commissioner, Cross River State Ministry of Information Youth Sports, Social Development and Culture 1995-1996
Commissioner, Cross River State Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development July, 1995– Dec 1995
Director, Oban (Nigeria) Palm and Rubber Estates Limited 1994 – 1995
Sole Administrator, Nigerian Legion, Cross River State council 1993
Secretary, Task Force on Structural Adjustment Programme SAP relief 1992 – 1993
Personal Assistant to Governor Clement Ebri of Cross River State on Speech Writing and Policy Matters 1992 – 1993
Secondary school Teacher 1988 – 1991
NYSC – Government Science Scecondary School, Kagara, Niger State 1986 – 1987
Special Tasks and ad-hoc commitments:
Procurement and installation of equipment for granite quarrying valued at Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira 2012 – 2015
Evaluation of NDDC projects for 2009 Budget in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States worth Two Hundred Million Naira in 2010
Procurement of USD116 million Africa Development Bank ADB funded water project for Cross River State 1997 – 1999
Member, Cross River State Petroleum Trust Fund PTF project monitoring committee 1996 – 1997
Member, Project monitoring and evaluation committee; Yakurr Local Government Area 1992
Research and Publications:
Hard rock quarry seismicity and face bursting fly rock range prediction in the granite and migmatites rocks of north central Nigeria in International journal of Engineering research and applications (IJERA), volume 4 – Issue 12, December 2014. Pp1 – 6.
Globalisation and the Future of Geography in Contour the RGS-IBG Postgraduate e-journal of geography, UK. (2006) pp 62 – 75.
(www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/groups/pgrg/docs/contour_jan06.doc)
The future of intra city motor transport in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria (2005) in C. A. Brebbia and L. C. Wadhwa (eds.) Urban Transport XI: Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century. Southampton, WIT Press. Pp.65-72.
Academic Dissertations:
-United States trade relations and their economic impacts on poor trading partners (MSc Dissertation for Globalisation and Development, submitted in September, 2005).
-Solid waste management in Calabar Municipality: generation, composition and disposal (M. Phil. Dissertation, 2003).
-Pricing Policy of Oil Palm products in Calaro Oil Palm Estate (PGDM Dissertation, 1991)
-Journey to School by Secondary School Students in Jos Metropolis (B. Sc Dissertation, 1986).
Conference presentations
The challenge of environmental governance: ethical options, at the Centenary conference of the Department of Sociology of the University of Liverpool, UK, 8 – 9 September, 2005.
Usani Uguru Usani is a born again Christian and a Pastor who believes in equity, justice and fair play.
Usani is seen as a grassroot politician and admired by many people as a man of integrity, probity and accountability. He has traveled far and wide and is an advocate of war against corruption.