Henry Odein Ajumogobia

Henry Odein Ajumogobia, SAN
Minister of State for Petroleum
In office July 2007 – March 2010
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 6 April 2010 – 9 July 2011
Preceded by	Ojo Maduekwe
Succeeded by	Olugbenga Ashiru
Personal details
Born	29/06/1956 Rivers State, Nigeria
Political party	People's Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Awuneba Ajumogobia FCA

Henry Odein Ajumogobia (born 29 June 1956) was appointed Nigerian Minister of State Petroleum Resources between 2007 and 2009 during President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration. And was later appointed minister of Foreign Affairs on 6 April 2010, when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan announced his new cabinet.^[1] In July 2011, following a cabinet reshuffle, he was replaced by Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru.^[2]

In August 1983 Ajumogobia entered a partnership with Christopher Nonyelum Okeke, the basis for the legal firm of Ajumogobia and Okeke.

Known as much for his flourishing 30-year-old law partnership of Ajumogobia & Okeke, as for his time in public service as Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum) and Head of Nigeria's delegation to OPEC (July 2007- December 2008) during which period he made the removal of subsidies on petroleum products, and deregulation of the downstream; building of strategic petroleum reserves gas utilisation, monetization & flare reduction, and alternative funding structures in the upstream petroleum sectors, in particular his priorities; Later Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (January 2009 - March 2010): Head of Nigeria's delegation to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF); Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria (6 April 2010 - 29 May 2011) where as President of the UN Security Council in August 2010, he introduced a well received debate in the Council on 'Preventive Diplomacy'.

Personal

Odein Ajumogobia is an Ijaw (Kalabari) from Abonnema in Rivers State. He is married to Awuneba Ajumogobia FCA (née Iketubosin) also from Abonnema, Rivers State. They have a son and three daughters aged between 27 and 19

President Barack Obama exchanging a warm handshake with Ajumogobia

President Goodluck Jonathan sharing thoughts with Ajumogobia at an African Union summit

Ajumogobia, President Goodluck Jonathan and former French President, Nicolas Sarzoky exchanging pleasantries

Education & Awards

LL.B (Lagos) Faculty (Prizes for best graduating student, and subject prizes; Federal Government of Nigeria merit award for Academic Excellence at the University of Lagos [1975-1978]); B.L Nigeria Law School (1979); LL.M (Harvard) (1988) University of Lagos Law Society Award for distinction in the legal profession; Fellow Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London 1996); LL.D (Honoris Causa) Rivers State University of Science and Technology; (2012) Career: Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (1979–80); Associate, Fred Egbe & Co, Barristers & Solicitors (1980–83); Founding/Senior Partner, Ajumogobia & Okeke, Barristers & Solicitors- one of the leading business & investment law firms in Nigeria (since1984); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (1996); Member ICC Court of Arbitration and Commission of Arbitration; (2001-2006);

Public service

Ajumogobia became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2003, and was appointed Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice for Rivers State in 2003.^[3] Member, Council of Legal Education; Member Executive Committee of NBA; Member, Body of Benchers (2003- 2007); Chairman, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (2005-2007); Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum) and Head of Nigeria's Delegation to OPEC (July 2007-December 2008); He was appointed Minister of State of Petroleum Resources and Supervising Minister Ministry of Power and Head of Nigeria's delegation to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) ^[1] (January2009-March 2010); Member National Economic Management Team; Member, Honorary Investment Council; Member, National Privatisation Council; Member, National Independent Power Programme; (2007- 2010) Minister of Foreign Affairs (April 2010 - May 2011): Member, National Security Council, President UN Security Council (2010) Chairman Council of Ministers of Ecowas States; Co- Chairman (with H.E. Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain of Political Dialogue between EU and ECOWAS Luxembourg (2010); Co-Chairman (with H.E. George Rebela Chicoti Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola), International Contact Group on Guinea Bissau at UNGA (September 2010);

Non-profit work

Chairman, International Law Institute-African Centre for Legal Excellence (ILI-ACLE) high level Oil and Gas Advisory Board; Resource person ILI-ACLE; Chairman, Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC); Chairman, Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme(NSRP); Chairman, Oando Foundation (intervention in education); Member, Advisory Board, Impact Your World Leadership Initiative (IYWLI); Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEESS Institute), Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti;

Member Board of Trustees Ajumogobia Science Foundation (to promote science education) and Rivers State Community Foundation (community development and capacity building); Patron/Trustee Choral Voices of Port Harcourt (founded in 1970) Foundation Business interests in Oil & Gas, Telecom, Real Estate development and aviation: Chairman, First E & P Ltd; Chairman, Capcomm Ltd and Multilinks Ltd; Chairman Bestman Games Ltd; Chairman,Tropical Arctic Logistics Ltd; Director, New Festac Property Development Company Ltd; Director, The Play Pen Ltd; Director, The Daisy Management Centre Ltd; Director, Glory Airlines Ltd Leisure & interests: Member, Ikoyi Club 1938; Lagos Motor Boat Club; Lagos Lawn Tennis Club; Metropolitan Club; MUSON; Port Harcourt Club; Wide musical interests - piano, organ and voice; and recently taken up the guitar and saxophone; keen chess, squash and table tennis player Publications: Chapters in Aircraft Finance, Registration Security & Enforcement ed. Mcbain & Hames (Longman 1990); Aircraft Liens and detention rights ed. Graham S. McBain (Sweet & Maxwell 2001); Contributor to WIPO publication "Preparation of Franchising Guide for Developing Countries; Enforcement of Foreign Judgements; edited by Louis Garb and Julian Lew(Kluwer); International Product Liability (Aspatore 2004)

Others

As Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum he pushed for deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry. He said that deregulation would eliminate shortages of petroleum products while saving taxpayers over N687 billion in annual subsidies.^[4]

References