Godwin Ogbaga is a Nigerian politician and seasoned administrator who served as Minister of State for Power and Steel during the short administration of Maj. Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Early Life and Education
Godwin Ogbaga was born in October 1956 in Ebonyi State, South Eastern Nigeria. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics in 1979 from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He proceeded for his one-year compulsory National Youth Service in the same year at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), University of Ibadan.
In 1995, he earned an LLB (Hons.) degree in Law from the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. He was called to the bar in March 1996, becoming qualified to practice as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Abubakar Cabinet
Godwin Ogbaga was appointed Minister of State for Power and Steel in August 1998. He served for nine months and was credited with bringing electricity to numerous towns across Nigeria, particularly in Ebonyi State. Key electrification projects attributed to him include:
Ebonyi State:
- Iboko – Nwofe electrification
- Nwofe – Mbeke electrification
- Mbeke – Effium electrification
- Odomoke – Ugbodo electrification
- Oriuzor – Ebiaji – Achiagu electrification
- Folk Tech College – Ikwo electrification
- Akpoha – Afikpo electrification
- NEPA permanent District office, Abakaliki
- Transformers installed in Abakaliki, Afikpo, Effium, Ikwo, and other towns
Enugu State:
- Awgu electrification
- Akpakpume – Nze electrification
- Umuchigbo – Abakpa – Nike electrification
- Transformers in Trans-Ekulu, GRA, Ukehe, and other towns
Anambra State:
- Transformers in Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, and surrounding areas
Later Career and Public Service
- In November 2005, Ogbaga was appointed Clerk of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
- In 2015, he declared his intention to run for the Ebonyi North senatorial seat, though he was ultimately unsuccessful in the election bid.
Honours
- On 11 October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on him the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in recognition of his contributions to national development.
References
To be added.