Edward Onoja
Edward David Onoja is a Kogi State politician, sworn in as the deputy governor to the State governor of Kogi on October 21, 2019. He was the former Chief of Staff to Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello. Before joining politics, he was a banker, and Oil and Gas personnel and Political Movement leader.
Edward David Unekwuojo Onoja was born into the family of Amodu Onoja on the 9th of August, 1974 in Odidoko-Emonyoku in Ogugu District of Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He started his Primary School education in Army Children School, Ikeja, Lagos, he also attended Wasiru Community Primary School in Lagos before proceeding to Government College, Kwali, Abuja, FCT in 1985 and finished in 1991.
He proceeded to the University of Jos to study Geology and Mining, graduated in 1999 with a Second Class (Upper Division) coming out as a top graduating student in his class.
While he was in University of Jos, Edward Onoja was one of the founders and the pioneer President of Natural Science Students Association (NASSA), University of Jos Chapter. He independently installed the first Student Union (SUG) President from the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
He did his one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps programme at Port Harcourt. He did his primary assignment at Total Fina-ELF Petroleum Nigeria Limited.
He got employed into the services of Guaranty Trust Bank in 2001. He started as a Customer Service Officer at the Jos branch of the bank and later became the Operations Manager within two years of joining the bank, after which he was transferred to the Makurdi branch of GTB the pioneer Manager of the branch. Management of the bank took a keen interest in his prowess for being able to open new branches and soon he was used in set up GT Bank branches in Lokoja, Obajana, Okene and Lafia.
In 2009, Edward moved to Access Bank Plc as Relationship Manager of the Lokoja Branch where he handled both commercial and corporate banking affairs of the branch.
He reportedly raised the balance sheet of his new branch from less than 30 million within his take off has manager to over half a billion naira in 9 months, a feat which prompted his promotion from the Lokoja Branch to the much bigger Asokoro Branch in Abuja, as a Relationship Manager.
In June of 2011 he left the banking industry and founded On and On Global Resources Limited.
In July 2013, Edward, whose profile and exploits as a private Consultant had been steadily climbing, attracted the attention of the Taleveras Group, an Oil and Gas industry stalwart in Nigeria. He was subsequently engaged as the General Manager, (GM), Exploration and Production in the Taleveras Exploration and Production Company Limited.
At Taleveras, he built a strong Exploration and Production arm for the Taleveras Group and managed the Group’s International and Domestic Partnerships. He was in charge of Taleveras Group’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in all their assets around the world.
Edward also managed Taleveras’ domestic relationships with the National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) on shared assets.
He was later appointed the Commercial Representative on an NPDC/Taleveras/Others Management Committee for a Joint Asset. Edward was part of the team of experts tasked with overseeing the exploration of 3 Oil Blocks in Ivory Coast as well as a Gas Terminal contract in Equatorial Guinea.
He soon became Director of Exploration & Production of Taleveras in January 2015 from where he retired to join politics.
His political journey began in July 2010 when he and some friends in the financial sector sought audience in Kaduna with President Muhammadu Buhari, then of the Congress for Progressive Change, at which Edward proposed a Project 50-50-50 to actualize his ambition.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari was unsuccessful in the 2011 Presidential Elections, he gained lifelong disciples in Edward and his friends who saw in him the leader who will achieve Nigeria’s rebirth.
In the build-up to the 2015 Presidential Elections, Edward became Project Director of the Kogi Youths Arise Group (KYAG) under the Chairmanship and Sponsorship of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, now the 4th democratic Governor of Kogi State.
The group mobilized thousands of Youths to campaign for the Change Agenda of the APC in Kogi State and beyond.
Later that same year, Edward became Head of Campaigns and Chief Strategist for the Alhaji Yahaya Bello Campaign Organization. When Yahaya Bello became the governor of Kogi State, Edward was appointed the Chief of Staff to the governor.
In the 2019 General Elections in Kogi State, Edward Onoja was appointed the Director-General, APC Campaigns. APC won 25 out of the 25 state constituency Assembly seats in Kogi State. The party also won seven (7) out of the nine (9) federal constituency seats in the state and 2 out of the 3 senate seats.
In line up to the November 16, 2019 Kogi State Governorship election, Edward is picked as the running mate to Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the incumbent governor of the State.
The State House of Assembly impeached the deputy governor, Achuba on basis of corruption and Edward Onoja was sworn in as the State deputy governor on October 21 2019.
Edward is married to Mercy Ejura Onoja (Née Okee), and blessed with 3 children.
Edward David Unekwuojo Onoja was born into the family of Amodu Onoja on the 9th of August, 1974 in Odidoko-Emonyoku in Ogugu District of Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He started his Primary School education in Army Children School, Ikeja, Lagos, he also attended Wasiru Community Primary School in Lagos before proceeding to Government College, Kwali, Abuja, FCT in 1985 and finished in 1991.
He proceeded to the University of Jos to study Geology and Mining, graduated in 1999 with a Second Class (Upper Division) coming out as a top graduating student in his class.
While he was in University of Jos, Edward Onoja was one of the founders and the pioneer President of Natural Science Students Association (NASSA), University of Jos Chapter. He independently installed the first Student Union (SUG) President from the Faculty of Natural Sciences. He did his one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps programme at Port Harcourt. He did his primary assignment at Total Fina-ELF Petroleum Nigeria Limited.
He got employed into the services of Guaranty Trust Bank in 2001. He started as a Customer Service Officer at the Jos branch of the bank and later became the Operations Manager within two years of joining the bank, after which he was transferred to the Makurdi branch of GTB the pioneer Manager of the branch. Management of the bank took a keen interest in his prowess for being able to open new branches and soon he was used in set up GT Bank branches in Lokoja, Obajana, Okene and Lafia.
In 2009, Edward moved to Access Bank Plc as Relationship Manager of the Lokoja Branch where he handled both commercial and corporate banking affairs of the branch.
He reportedly raised the balance sheet of his new branch from less than 30 million within his take off has manager to over half a billion naira in 9 months, a feat which prompted his promotion from the Lokoja Branch to the much bigger Asokoro Branch in Abuja, as a Relationship Manager.
In June of 2011 he left the banking industry and founded On and On Global Resources Limited.
In July 2013, Edward, whose profile and exploits as a private Consultant had been steadily climbing, attracted the attention of the Taleveras Group, an Oil and Gas industry stalwart in Nigeria. He was subsequently engaged as the General Manager, (GM), Exploration and Production in the Taleveras Exploration and Production Company Limited.
At Taleveras, he built a strong Exploration and Production arm for the Taleveras Group and managed the Group’s International and Domestic Partnerships. He was in charge of Taleveras Group’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in all their assets around the world.
Edward also managed Taleveras’ domestic relationships with the National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) on shared assets. He was later appointed the Commercial Representative on an NPDC/Taleveras/Others Management Committee for a Joint Asset. Edward was part of the team of experts tasked with overseeing the exploration of 3 Oil Blocks in Ivory Coast as well as a Gas Terminal contract in Equatorial Guinea.
He soon became Director of Exploration & Production of Taleveras in January 2015 from where he retired to join politics.
His political journey began in July 2010 when he and some friends in the financial sector sought audience in Kaduna with President Muhammadu Buhari, then of the Congress for Progressive Change, at which Edward proposed a Project 50-50-50 to actualize his ambition.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari was unsuccessful in the 2011 Presidential Elections, he gained lifelong disciples in Edward and his friends who saw in him the leader who will achieve Nigeria’s rebirth.
In the build-up to the 2015 Presidential Elections, Edward became Project Director of the Kogi Youths Arise Group (KYAG) under the Chairmanship and Sponsorship of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, now the 4th democratic Governor of Kogi State.
The group mobilized thousands of Youths to campaign for the Change Agenda of the APC in Kogi State and beyond.
In the 2019 General Elections in Kogi State, Edward Onoja was appointed the Director-General, APC Campaigns. APC won 25 out of the 25 state constituency Assembly seats in Kogi State. The party also won seven (7) out of the nine (9) federal constituency seats in the state and 2 out of the 3 senate seats.
In line up to the November 16, 2019 Kogi State Governorship election, Edward is picked as the running mate to Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the incumbent governor of the State.
The State House of Assembly impeached the deputy governor, Achuba on basis of corruption and Edward Onoja was sworn in as the State deputy governor on October 21 2019.
Edward is married to Mercy Ejura Onoja (Née Okee), and blessed with 3 children.
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