: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies
Transcription
: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/24 Who is Odey Ochicha? /23 Odey Ochicha Cross River State 2015 A New Dawn Of Leadership Leadership that Cares Leadership for Service Leadership for Excellence Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/22 of our Creator and pray Him to use me mightily to serve Him and humanity in sincerity, honesty, humility, compassion and unflagging enthusiasm. I believe in touching lives positively, changing peoples' situations and circumstances, accepting destinies and pursuing them with passion. My hobbies include reading, travelling, inspiring and motivating people. My name is Odey Ochicha; and I solemnly promise to give Cross River State and her good people a new and better deal than they have enjoyed so far. It is their God-given and inalienable right. In order to make this possible, I humbly ask that you give me your support so that I may be your Governor, the People's Governor, come May 29, 2015. Thank you and God bless you all. Odey Ochicha Represents: O Orderliness D Discipline E Excellence Y You first O Openness C Change H Humility I Integrity C Competence H Honesty A Accountability Who is Odey Ochicha? /21 CONTENTS Why I Want To Be Governor 5 9 18 I have considerable experience as an administrator. I have also been privileged to offer leadership training to scores of people over the years. I am a progressive democrat and a patriot who is genuinely committed to making a difference by breaking with the culture of mediocrity, inefficiency and corruption. I am a grateful beneficiary of sound allround education. I am also widely-travelled and well-exposed. I call these the 3Es: Education, Experience and Exposure. By the grace of God, I am disciplined, principled, humble and God-fearing. And I am poised to translate this background into tangible benefits for the good people of Cross River State whom I earnestly desire to serve. In spite of the myriad challenges that confront Nigeria in general and Cross River State in particular, I am confident that they can be overcome. For, when we work together, we achieve success and greatness. In fact, we work better when we fix our eyes on the ultimate GOAL: a united, peaceful and prosperous Cross River State, a major national player and reference point in the comity of states. I am quite simply an instrument in the hands Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/20 Elected: President, NNPC Cooperative Thrift and Credit Society 2000 to 2001 Appointed: Technical Assistant to two Group General Managers, Human Resources (NNPC) Jan- June 2004 1 Appointed: Programme Co-ordinator, Chief Officer’s Management Development Programme 2005to2009 Appointed: Chairman, NAPIMS Management Tenders Committee (NMTC) 2011 to date. I have attended world class professional and leadership training programmes twice in Ghana, once in South Africa, once in Japan, twice in Malaysia, once in Singapore, once in the UK, thrice in the US, and eight times in Dubai, UAE. I am the enormously proud and happy husband of one wife, my beautiful and only beloved Mrs. Christiana Elu Odey Ochicha, with whom I have four lovely and Godfearing children: two sons and two daughters. They are Epia Francis Odey Ochicha (24), Ochuole Kate Odey Ochicha (19), Achalla Victoria Odey Ochicha (17) and Ukan Emma Odey Ochicha (12).. I humbly seek your mandate to become the Governor of our beloved Cross River State because I want to deploy the awesome machinery of government to make a positive difference in the lives of the average Cross Riverian. Government may not be able to fix all of society's problems, but it stands a great chance. This is because it represents the collective. Therefore, I want to use the enormous powers available to the office of Governor to help Cross Riverians discover their potentials, realize their dreams and fulfill their God-designed destinies. And I feel qualified to aspire to this position because I have: A Spirit of Service. My primary motivation for aspiring to public Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/6 office is to serve my people and use the office to better the human condition of my people. I believe in pursuing the greater good rather than narrow and selfish interests. For far too long, public office has been abused by many to pilfer the commonwealth and feather personal nests. But we need a genuine spirit of service, one that is humble and Godfearing; one that commends all of us to sacrifice through the force of personal example. If elected Governor, I will serve you, I will serve Cross River State and I will serve God. For, in the end, all power belongs to God. And when we serve well, we glorify God. I will strive to be God's ambassador, a force for good. Compassion. I am always moved by the circumstances of my fellow human and believe in God's timeless injunction that we be our brother's keeper. The machinery of government cannot run smoothly unless it is oiled by compassion. If given the mandate, I will run a government that is sensitive and responsive to the needs of the people. I will initiate and deliver policies and programmes that contribute to the well-being of our people, not detract from them. In an era when many Who is Odey Ochicha? /19 graduating in 1983 with a Second Class (Upper Division). In 1991, I earned a Masters degree in Industrial and Labour Relations from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State. I am a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) and the John Maxwell Leadership Team. Earlier, after my first degree, I took part in the National Youth Service in 1984 and was deployed to Boys High School, Ozalla, Agbani, Enugu State where I served for a year under the scheme. I secured employment with NITEL LIMITED in 1985 and worked there until 1991, transferring to NNPC in 1992. I am currently a staff of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), an arm of NNPC that supervises the Joint Venture activities of the Oil and Gas Industry. This is the summary of my career highlights: Appointed: Personal Assistant to Director of Personnel (NITEL) 1991 Elected: Secretary, NNPC Cooperative Thrift and Credit Society 1999 to 2001 Why I Want To Be Governor /7 3 governments have been accused of not caring enough, I will give compassion the pride of place it deserves in governance. Integrity I was born on September 9, 1959 in Ububa Ukum, Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State. My parents are Mr. Ochicha Odey (now deceased) and Mrs. Idiku Ochicha Odey. My father was a farmer whilst my mother was a trader. In spite of their humble background, they made sacrifices to give me a good education. I completed my secondary education at Comprehensive Secondary School, Okundi, Boki, which inculcated in me the spirit of hard work and excellence reinforcing what my parents had already drilled into my young mind. After my secondary education, I went to the University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State where I studied Political Science, Right from childhood, my parents inculcated in me the virtue of truth, honesty and a good and upright conscience. I have always been true to my deep moral convictions. I have always run away from any path that leads to dishonor. In public office, this is especially crucial. This is because public office is a sacred trust and must be discharged with honesty, dignity and a sense of responsibility. It is a fearful thing for a person without integrity to be given power. As Governor, I will ensure that all my actions pass the good conscience test, the so-called 'smell test.' Vision Many of the leaders we have had in the past had power thrust on them. As such, they carried on without the vaguest idea as to what to do with the enormous power given to them. But by God's grace I have the power of vision. As the Bible says, where there is no vision, the people perish. Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/8 God has endowed our state with so much that it is criminal negligence for the government to continue to fail to turn these resources and potentialities into actual wealth and opportunities for our beloved people. I have a vision of what our state should look like: a haven of peace, prosperity and a good standard of living; the pacesetter in educational excellence; a manufacturing and industrial giant; a global tourism hub; a model of government prudence and accountability; an informed and critically aware people, et cetera. Competence Indeed, I have a vision of where we ought to be as a people. I also know how to get us there. My life experiences, education and exposure have prepared me for the arduous task of taking Cross River State to the next level. Fellow Cross Riverians, I am ready to serve you. My Contributions To Society /17 not out of abundance. It is my belief that the greatest form of giving is the one that proceeds out of sacrifice. Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/16 has gulped several millions of naira. Contribution to National Dialogue I maintain a column in This Day Newspaper where I raise serious national issues and debate them. I also maintain a column in NAPIMS NEWS, the in-house magazine of my employer, where I discuss leadership, change management, team building and time management issues. In my spare time, I also make free presentations on leadership, management, performance management and team building to organizations that require my services. Community Development I have provided my Ububa community with three mini water schemes from my salary as a civil servant. I admit that the above contributions may not amount to much. But it should be noted that I have done all of these out of what little resources our kind God has blessed me with, 2 I have always tried my bit to better the lot of my fellow humans, with a bias for Cross Riverians. It is my belief that I owe my station in life to society and am thus dutybound to give something back as a token of appreciation. I am simply an instrument in the hands of God. My highest calling in life is to serve humanity, contribute to positive social and economic change in the effort to make the world a much better place. So far, I have contributed to the society in the following ways: National Leadership Excellence I love my state and my country deeply and would do all I can to make them models of Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/10 My Contributions To Society /15 development and good governance. As a responsible citizen, I have always maintained a high sense of citizen's involvement in leadership. I believe that our leaders do not know it all and need our help, prayers and good wishes if they are to lead us properly. Moreover, good leadership goes hand in hand with good followership. In other words, if we must aspire to be good leaders we must first of all be good followers. Based on the above: I wrote a total of twelve letters to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on important national issues. I also sent him a book gift titled Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I wrote five letters to President Musa Yar' Adua on systems improvement. I equally drew up and sent to President Goodluck Jonathan a detailed roadmap to national transformation. I have made gifts of books to Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan, the Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi and different I promote reading culture among Nigerian children and youths through engagement sessions during which I discuss books and their authors with children and make book gifts to them. I have established an Educational Assistance Programme for about one hundred and sixty university students. The programme is in its fourth year and My Contributions To Society /11 Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/14 Special Advisers to the President. This is to afford these public officers some guidance in their various domains and thus help give the country a clear direction. Educational Assistance Scheme 50 100 145 145 N750,000 N1.25M N1.75M N1.75m I organize the Odey Ochicha Annual Public Lecture to create awareness among the youths. We have had three such lectures. I am a regular motivational speaker at youth forums, including an NNPCorganized annual children event at Abuja. ? 2010 2011 2012 2013 Beneficiaries Amount ? Year I am the author of a book titled “Leading with Courage and Integrity,” a passionate discourse on national leadership and national development issues. I am also the author of “Pages and Sages: Words of the Wise,” some carefully chosen adages, quotes and wise sayings on diverse subjects by top thinkers, leaders, educators, industry experts and other globally respected figures. Youth Development I am passionate about youth empowerment and development because of my firm belief that we need to invest strategically in our youths if we are to progress as a society. I earnestly believe that the youths are at the vanguard of progressive change and should be nurtured, inspired, motivated, encouraged and empowered to bring out their highest potentials and contribute Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/12 meaningfully to nation building. For this reason, neglecting the youths will be detrimental to the state and to the nation. The youths constitute a BIG slice of the population and could contribute even more meaningfully to national development and transformation if properly harnessed and motivated. My Contributions To Society /13 sporting excellence. As of April 2014, the tournament entered its fourth year and has gulped millions of naira in prizes, free jerseys and free footballs for all participating school teams. I am simply passionate about youths and take personal and special interest in their development and transformation. It is my hope that governments at all levels treat youths specially, in view of the obvious fact that they are the leaders of not just tomorrow but also today. Youths are the natural successors to the leadership of this state and this country and, as such, deserve special care and attention as it is said that a leader without a successor is a failure. “ Winners of Our Annual Football Tournament” To this end: I sponsor an annual football tournament for all Secondary Schools in the Northern Cross River State to promote love, unity and understanding, competitiveness and 2011: Government Secondary School, Okpoma, Yala 2012: Comprehensive Secondary School Gakem, Bekwarra 2013: Community Secondary School, Utugwang, Obudu 2014: Governemnt Secondary School, Ishibori, Ogoja