Abiye Precious Sekibo | |
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Federal Minister of Transportation | |
In office 2003–2007 |
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Preceded by | Ojo Maduekwe |
Succeeded by | Diezani Allison-Madueke |
Personal details | |
Born | 1958 Okrika, Rivers State, Nigeria |
Political party | People's Democratic Party (PDP) |
Dr. Abiye Precious Sekibo in a Nigerian doctor and politician who was Federal Minister of Transportation in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed in April 2003.[1]
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Abiye Precious Sekibo was born in 1958 in Okrika, Rivers State. He attended the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. He was doctor in charge of St. Michael’s Clinic in Port-Harcourt (1986–1999). He was a director of West African Glass Industry Plc. and Chief Executive of Precious Life Medical Centre. He was appointed a Special Assistant to the Governor of Rivers State, and then Secretary to the Rivers State Government (1999–2003).[2] In July 2008 the former Governor of Rivers State, Rufus Ada-George, accused Abiye Sekibo of having been in the habit of clothing Rivers State cultists and thieves in Nigeria Police uniforms.[3]
In August 2003, Sekibo said the Federal Government was considering a scheme to support local shipping in the oil and gas industry.[1] In September that year he spoke out against corruption in the ports, saying the Federal government was committed to stamping out the problem.[4] Sekibo said the planned port reform would increase private sector involvement in port operation, and that government had no business being in business.[5] He claimed that the government was not going to privatise the ports. However, the government would make private operators responsible for terminal operations, and for terminal buildings and equipment.[6]
In June 2005, a train carrying 390,000 litres of gasoline to the north derailed in the Bodija Ojurin areas of Ibadan. Three of the tankers emptied their contents, and residents were forced to evacuate. Sekibo supported the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) chief Abdulrahman Abubakar, who said the people were not entitle to compensation since they had been squatting on railway land.[7]
In September 2005, Sekibo said that the government had approved in principle setting up a special authority to manage a 25-year railway development plan. It would administer a N396 billion fund to improve the ailing railway system, two-thirds of which would be provided by the Chinese government as a "grant loan". The new authority would encourage private sector participation under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) drive of the Ministry.[8]
In June 2008, Abiye Precious Sekibo appeared in Federal High Court to argue that Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi had not been legally elected, despite a Supreme Court judgement in his favor of October 25, 2007.[9] By November 2009, Dr. Abiye Precious Sekibo, had become Chairman of the Forum of Organised Opposition Political Parties (FOOPP) in Rivers State, a group of small political parties that had joined up with the Action Congress (AC) to oppose the PDP.[10]
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