Educated in Canada, Germany, and Nigeria, Prof. Ikechi Mgbeoji earned a Doctorate Degree in Law from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, graduating as the best overall student. His Master’s degree earned him the Governor-General of Canada academic gold medal. Prof. Mgbeoji is one of the world’s leading experts in Intellectual Property Rights law and Public International Law. He is also admitted to the Bar of Ontario, Canada; and Nigeria. Ikechi is the Izaak Walton Killam Scholar and Professor of Law at Canada’s prestigious Osgood Hall Law School where he lectures on Patent Law; International Aspects of Intellectual Property law; and Public International Law. The author of six books and dozens of articles in reputable law journals.
Prof. Mgbeoji is a Managing Partner at Blackfriars LLP. His areas of specialties are Capital Market Transactions, Corporate and Commercial Law, Trade Marks, Electricity/Energy, Doing Business in Nigeria, Labour and Employment law. He is frequently consulted by corporate groups, governmental and non-governmental agencies across the world. He is a member of following professional bodies; The Nigerian Bar Association, Law Society of Upper Canada, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, International Trademark Association. He attended Township Primary School, Aba; Eziama High School Aba, and University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. He hails from Obuda, in Aba South LGA of Abia State. He is happily married with kids and also a proud Seventh Day Adventist.
Having presented his resume, I strongly believe Prof. Mgbeoji is going to do well for the people of Aba. I am not also forgetting his impacts in the Abia State Ministry of Education and Agriculture when he served as commissioner. We will do justice to that of Education today. At his assumption of office in November 2015, it may interest you to know that Prof. Mgbeoji commenced a familiarization tour of the Abia education sector, his findings were worrisome, hence initiated a way forward; The following were his achievements and they are verifiable;
◾32 schools renovated across the three (3) senatorial zones and the project is still ongoing.
◾The ministry of education under his watch sank fifteen (15) boreholes at different schools to provide good drinking water to Abia school children
◾50 modern school toilets built across the state
◾The ministry of education under his watch built a modern staff quarters at Ibeku High school Umuahia
◾He supervised a home grown free school feeding program
◾He launched the education for employment (E4E) program that is currently training Abia youths to make them employable
◾He organized coding training for secondary school children in Abia State.
◾10,000 school desks distributed to schools in Abia.
◾He initiated Education laws that would strengthen our educational system
◾Over 42 Motor bikes distributed to area/zonal inspectors for effective supervision of our rural schools.
The climax of his achievements was the Abia State International education summit that held in June, 2017, where stakeholders in the education sector brainstormed on the challenges bedevilling the Abia State education system. The communique that emerged from that summit formed the new education policy of Abia State. Of course you already know that Abia has maintained 1st position in WAEC, but that did not stop Prof. Mgbeoji from carefully studying the weaknesses in our educational sector and applying his first class brain, local and international experiences to cut out the weak links and expand opportunities for sustainable great performances.
Abia school system is a healthy blend of private and public investment from cradle through to university. We have almost as many private primary and secondary schools as public ones. All run on same curriculum approved by the ministry of education. We also have four (4) tertiary institutions (ABSU, Abiapoly, COED & CHT) and four private tertiary institutions namely Gregory University, Rhema University, Clifford University and Covenant Polytechnic. Sadly, there is only one federal government owned tertiary institution in the number one education state in Nigeria; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. He also advocated for one more Federal University for Abia and a polytechnic in the state to balance with other states in the South East and the minimum in most states of Nigeria.
Just like the Governor, Prof. Mgbeoji believed that getting foundational education right is key to delivering sustainable growth and development. In preparation for deploying computers to all primary and secondary schools in Abia state, Prof. Mgbeoji partnered with Australian educational services providers to train our teachers to serve as retrainers. The training and exchange program focused on students and teachers evaluation methods as well as establishing appropriate learning systems for gifted children and their physically challenged peers.
Under his watch, a home grown e-learning software developed by young Abia ICT experts, led by Ugochukwu Brown, using our school curriculum and our local teachers as tutors was launched as application for parents to make available to their children at home pending the full implementation of the state’s school computerization program.
Prof. Mgbeoji also reformed Guidelines for Registration of Private Schools in Abia State and rationalized the posting of teachers and as well devolved powers to Zonal SEMB offices for more efficient monitoring and coordination.
Education inspectors in the state received motorcycles for rural areas monitoring while best performing teachers in the three senatorial areas received cars from the Governor as gifts under Prof.Mgbeoji’s watch. In addition, due recognition was accorded to exceptional performers in our school system to encourage healthy competition and best performing WAEC students were feted and the best awarded scholarships by the Governor. Under his watch, Abia State Scholarship Board was inaugurated.
Prof. Mgbeoji also introduced the internationally acclaimed Bell Curve to the grading of students in tertiary institutions. The Pilot program is currently running at ABSU faculty of law Umuahia. He also improved workers attitude to work through supervision, monitoring and implementation of disciplinary measures, provision of computer aided school data and attendance regulator to the schools. Teachers and workers who used to stroll to work at 9am had a rethink. The long abandoned regular staff promotions was regularized under his watch.
Beloved friends and well wishers, I present to you this worthy son of Aba for the upcoming Aba North & South Federal Constituency Bye-Election. He is a performer and I strongly believe he will not disappoint the people of Aba. Stay tuned for his impacts in Abia’s Agric sector. Thank you so much and Best regards.
— E. V. Onyembi, MNIM
