Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for nominating the chief executive of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA), Mr Umana Okon Umana to the Senate for confirmation as minister.
Speaking on behalf of the leadership of the party in the state over the weekend , Chief Don Etiebet, former minister of Petroleum Resources, said President Buhari has done the right thing for the party and the state for nominating Umana for the position of minister.
Etiebet described Umana as a technocrat of no mean repute who is “eminently qualified to be a minister of the Federal Republic,” adding that Akwa Ibom people are happy with the President for recognising Umana, who has served the party and the nation with distinction in various capacities.
“Given Umana’s antecedents,” Etiebet said, “I have no doubt he will perform creditably wherever he is assigned.”
He said from a relatively humble beginning, Umana has broken record after record in the course of his life, amassing a host of sterling academic achievements as well as career accomplishments.
An old boy of St. Patrick’s College, Calabar, Umana holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Calabar and an MBA in Finance from the University of Port Harcourt.
Umana has participated in numerous professional courses at Ivy League schools, including the International Law Institute, Washington DC; London Business School; Columbia University Graduate School of Business, New York; RIPA International, London.
In 2019 Umana received Executive Certificate in “Public Policy” from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, for studies in “Leading Economic Growth,” Mastering Negotiations and Driving Government Policies.
He contested for the office of Governor of Akwa Ibom State on the platform APC in 2015. In 2019 he was made the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Planning Committee for the APC Presidential Campaign Rally. At the national level, Umana was appointed Deputy Director, Logistics, for the APC Presidential Campaigns in 2019
Umana joined the public service in Akwa Ibom State as Principal Budget Officer in 1989, and rose through the ranks to the position of State Director of Budget in 1998, a post he held till October 2000 when he was appointed Permanent Secretary in charge of the State Budget Office.
In August 2003 he retired from Akwa Ibom State Civil Service when he was appointed by the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, to serve as the Hon. Commissioner for Finance.
Under Chief Godswill Akpabio, Umana was again called upon to serve his State and was appointed Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, a position he held from June 2007 to 2013.
Having firmly established himself as an experienced and seasoned technocrat, Umana received a national call in September 2016 from President Muhammadu Buhari to serve as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of OGFZA, an Office he still occupies.
Under Umana’s leadership, OGFZA has witnessed a series of achievements which include the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Award in 2018 as the best Federal Agency (among 44 Federal Government Agencies in Nigeria) in the implementation of Executive Order 001 on Transparency and Efficiency in the business environment.
In 2019 OGFZA was ranked as the best Federal Agency in cumulative compliance with the Easy of Doing Business protocols. OGFZA, in the same year, received the Award of Excellence in Productivity and Innovation in e-government from the National Productivity Centre. OGFZA has won the following awards from the FDi Magazine (a publication of Financial Times of London): Free zone of the year 2018 and bespoke free zone incentives.
Special assignments and responsibilities: Some of Hon. Umana’s Special Assignments and Responsibilities include: Chairman, Steering Committee, Akwa Ibom State/World Bank Community-Based Urban Development Project; Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Direct Labour Jobs; Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Committee on Micro-Credits; Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Programme Co-ordinating Committee (SPCC) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP); Member, State Development Trust Fund, UNDP-Assisted Micro Credit Scheme; Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Chess Association; President, Ibom Central Lions Club, Uyo; Region 12 Chairman, International Association of Lions Club, Akwa Ibom State; Member, Akwa Ibom State Economic and Development Planning Commission; Member, Akwa Ibom State Administrative Panel of Enquiry into the Affairs of Anchor Insurance Co. Ltd.; Member, Administrative Panel of Enquiry into the Management of Akwa Ibom State Property and Investment Ltd; Member, Akwa Ibom State Finance and General Purposes Committee.
Special awards: Umana was the best graduating student in the 1976 class at St. Patrick’s College, Calabar. He received the University of Calabar Foundation Scholarship on account of distinguished academic performance in 1980. In 1991, Umana received the Akwa Ibom State Public Service Award for outstanding performance.
Professional memberships: His Professional Memberships include: Member, Nigerian Economic Society; Fellow, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
Hobbies: An avid golfer, Umana, when he is not on the golf course, spends his time reading, playing Chess and Squash, and listening to music.
Family life: Umana is married to Pastor (Mrs) Florence Umana, who are both blessed with four children, three boys and one girl.
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