There is something quite unique about Senator (Dr) Udoma Udo Udoma. His experience spans in both the public and private sector. A lawyer, administrator, former legislator, an institutional investor, and board room guru. You can go on and on.Another striking feature about him stems from the fact that, though, not a member of the All Progressives Congress the time Buhari nominated him for ministerial position in October last year, but in the President’s nobility and liberalism and in order to form an all-encompassing cabinet made up of wise men and women, nominated Udo Udoma as his ministerial nominee.
We know him as a Cambridge University trained Lawyer from Akwa Ibom State. Do you know Honourable Justice Udo Udoma, an eminent and brilliant jurist that sat in the High Court of Lagos and the Supreme Court of Nigeria? Honourable Justice Udoma was the President General of the Calabar Ogoja State Movement that fought for the creation of the Calabar Ogoja Rivers State out of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria in the 1950/60s. Senator Udoma Udo Udoma is the eldest son.
I remember after taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999, he was appointed to committees on Public Accounts, Judiciary, Banking & Currency, Science & technology, Privatization and Drug & Narcotics. All these positions were based on merit because he was adequately qualified.
He rejected a ministerial nomination by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 even though he was already confirmed by the Senate because he said his assignment as a Minister was underneath his status as a Senator.
Born on February 26, 1954, an indigene of Awka-Ibom State, Udoma holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Jurisprudence in 1976, a Bachelors of Civil Laws Degree and a Masters of Arts in 1977 from St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University.
Udoma is an accomplished lawyer and member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He has served on several national committees and also as the non-executive Chairman of the Nigerian Securities& Exchange Commission (SEC).
He was elected Senator for the Akwa-Ibom South constituency of Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999. He was re-elected in April 2003, still under the platform of the PDP. He also served variously as Chief Whip, Chairman of the Committee on National Planning, Revenue Mobilization and Poverty Alleviation and Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Udoma Udo Udoma, CON, was a Senior Partner of Udo-Udoma & Belo Osagie. Mr. Udoma was Chairman of UAC of Nigeria Plc. He served as the first Chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission in 1991-1992 and also part time Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has served the Nation in other roles such as Special Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from 1993 to March 1994. He has been Chairman of the Presidential Committee Waivers, Incentives and Concessions since 2007. Mr. Udoma specializes in advising on Nigerian investment laws and the investment environment generally, particularly in the petroleum, energy and natural resources sectors; advising Nigerian and international companies on company law, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and the raising of financing in the capital and money markets, as well as on major construction and engineering contracts.
Udoma has been Chairman of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc since February 2013 and its Director since November 27, 2012.
He served as Vice Chairman of Linkage Assurance Plc and serves as its Director. He has been a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc since January 1, 2008 and UAC of Nigeria Plc since 1995. He served as a Director of First Hydrocarbon Nigeria Limited.
In February 2010, as chairman of the Governing Board of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Udoma was criticized for retaining the posts of Chairman of UACN, Director of Unilever and Vice Chairman of the Board of Linkage Assurance, publicly traded companies. Udoma however declared his interest in these companies before being appointed, and as required by the law excused himself from meetings where issues directly related to these companies were being discussed.
It is worthy to note that he is the recipient of the National award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
In October, 2015, he was named as one of the Ministerial nominees to be screened by the National Assembly under the President Buhari led Administration. That resulted to his present position as Minister of Budget and National Planning, at least to meet the nation’s challenges.