Who is Nkiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha?
Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha is a Nigerian businesswoman and politician who currently serves as Nigeria’s Minister of State, Labour and Employment after her appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and confirmation by the senate.
Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha was born on 23rd November 1969 to . She is a businesswoman and a prominent member of the House of Representatives.
Age
Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha was born on November 23, 1969. She is currently 53 years old and will be 54 years old on November 23, 2023.
Tribe
She was born in Isuochi, Abia State.
Family
Parents
Nkiruka Onyejeocha’s mother died early in an accident, and then her father, Eze Bob Ogbonna, remarried.
She grew up with her grandmother after her mother’s death.
Husband
Nkiruka Onyejeocha is married to High Chief (Sir) Kingsley Onyejeocha.
How she met her husband
“After my university education, I was on my way to youth service when I married my husband.
“I married him when he was staying in a one-room apartment at Ilasamaja area in Lagos.
“In the morning, we had to queue up to use the toilet. Even when he said he could not marry me, I said please marry me, because I was already a graduate and was confident that after my youth service, I would get a job. I was confident that with my certificate, I would get a job.”
Husband shot by armed robbers
“Few weeks after my marriage, armed robbers shot my husband and then I entered another phase of suffering, because the people he was working with started treating him as if he was dead already.
“One day, I called the typist and learnt how to type. One day, the driver refused to take us to the hospital because he said he had to close for the day.
“I said to myself, this man did not go to school and I am a graduate. It was only when he wanted to drive us to the hospital that we would go. So, I started asking him questions and he was teaching me without knowing it.
“One day, when he repeated his action, I took the vehicle and took my husband to the hospital. But when we got there, to reverse the car became a problem and it caused a lot of traffic hold up. I told them it could not enter the reverse gear and somebody came and reversed the car for me. Today, I can drive from here to Lagos.”
Education
She attended Isuochi Central School for primary school, then proceeded to Isuochi Secondary School, but after class three, she changed to Ovim Girls High School, then proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and later got her Masters from Imo State University.
Life struggle
Narrating her ordeal in early life, Onyejeocha in an interview said; “My father was what you could call a rich man, but my mother died early and my father remarried. So, I didn’t have that support from him because the woman would not let him.
“I can tell you that I graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, without paying fees because I could only raise the money for hostel accommodation, which was N110 at that time. After paying for hostel, I would not have enough money to pay my tuition fees, which was N45.
“Whatever money I had left, I would use it to do 0-0-1, meaning that I would only eat at night. Sometimes, I would eat in the morning and skip the rest of the day.
“Any time the school authority came to check the receipts for tuition, I would find a reason to go out, and once they left, I would come in.
“So, I can tell you that I am somebody who graduated without paying school fees. But I paid after I had graduated and done with my youth service, because you had to pay your fees to get your certificate.
“Thank God for University of Nigeria, Nsukka, because they were lenient enough not to push people like me out of the exam hall.”
Business career
She ventured into the clearing and forwarding business after her husband became bedridden after being shot by armed robbers.
Onyejocha was Managing Director of Nikkings and Kingzol International Ltd, a family-owned company that deals in baby and household items
Political career
During her undergraduate studies, Onyejocha was active in student unionism and politics. Her experience in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s (UNN) students’ union government kickstarted her political career.
- Commissioner for Resource Management and Manpower Development, Abia State
- Onyejocha was first elected to Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives in 2007 on the platform of PDP. She has served four terms since then, making her a ranking member of the House of Representatives.
- Onyejocha worked in the protocol office of the governor of Osun State during her one-year Nigeria National Youth Service in 1993.
- Transition Executive Chairman of Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
She was elected as the House of Representatives member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi constituency in the 2019 election. She also served as the deputy chief whip of the House.
However, she lost her re-election bid to Chief Amobi Ogah, Labour Party (LP) candidate during the 2023 general elections.
