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Chief Mike Okibe Onoja

Chief (Dr). Mike Okibe Onoja (Born September 29th, 1948) is a Nigerian Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Politician and administrator . He hails from Agila, Ado, Benue State. He retired from the public service in 2003 after spending 31 years in the service. He is actively involved in politics and is the chairman and CEO of Monsoons Resources Investment International Limited . He also holds chieftaincy titles as the Agama of Agila and Akanaba K'Idoma of Idoma land.

Education

Mike Okibe Onoja began his education in the Roman Catholic mission School in Agila district, Ado Local government, Benue State in 1954. He left for Methodist Central School Igumale where he studied for a year before leaving for Saint Mary's Primary School Otukpo where he completed his primary education in 1961. After his primary education, he proceeded to Saint James Junior Seminary, Keffi in 1962 and graduated in 1966. In 1969, he was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU) and studied Economics before graduating in 1972. He later embarked on a Diploma programme in Econometrics at the University of Colorado, U.S.A in 1975. He then obtained his Master's degree in Development Economics from Williams College, Massachusetts, U.S.A in 1976.

Career

Mike Onoja's first employment was as an account clerk in John Holt plc Jos between 1967 and 1969. He began his public service career in the Federal Ministry of National Planning now Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning in 1972 as a Planning officer Grade II. He was promoted to Planning Officer I in 1974. After undertaking a course in U.S.A, he was later promoted again upon his return to Senior Planning Officer in 1976. In 1979, he was promoted to Principal Planning Officer. After a year, he was promoted to Chief Planning officer. After the military coup of Muhammadu Buhari rigime, there was a shake up in the public service which led to his transfer to the Federal Ministry of Transport as an under secretary and later promoted to Deputy Secretary. He was again transferred to the Federal Ministry of Industries now Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in 1984. In the same year, he was transferred to Special Military Tribunal, Kaduna zone as secretary of the Tribunal. He was reassigned to the Ministry of Defence (Nigeria) and deployed to the army department as Deputy secretary and later promoted to Principal secretary in 1987. He got another promotion to Deputy director of the Ministry of Defence (Nigeria) in 1990 and was further promoted to Director in 1992 by the then Minister of Defence, Sani Abacha. In 1994, he was promoted to Director General/Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence (Nigeria). He remained in the Ministry of Defence (Nigeria) until 1999, and was transferred to the Ministry of Power and Steel now Ministry of Power, Works and Housing . His next stop was the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , as the Permanent Secretary on Economic Affairs where he remained until 2001. He later returned to Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning and retired from public service in 2003. During his career, he attended United Nations sessions in New York from 1988 to 1999. He attended meetings of the United Nations Trade and Development UNCTAD in Manila, Philippines and Group of 77 in Arusha, Tanzania. He attended and represented the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning on ECOWAS meetings between 1978 to 1980.

Politics

Mike Onoja's first emergence on the political scene was in 2007, where he contested for the Governorship primary election in Benue State under the then ruling political party People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) against the likes of Gabriel Suswam, Steven Lawani, Patrick Abba Moro . He contested again under the same party in 2015 for the Benue South Senatorial primary election but later stepped down from the race for Senator David Mark who was the incubent Senate President at the time for the best interest of the Idoma nation. . After the defeat of the People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) at the 2015 general election in Nigeria by the All Progressives Congress he, and other political big wits of the People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) later decamped to the All Progressives Congress in 2016. He decamped back to People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) in the run up to the 2019 Benue south Senatorial election. After the PDP's Senatorial Primary election in 2018, Mike Onoja again decamped from the party to Social Democratic Party (Nigeria) after expressing his dissatisfaction with the PDP's conduct of the primary election.

Business activities

Mike Onoja is the Chairman/CEO of Moonsons Resources Investment International, which is a holding company with various subsidiary companies specializing in Imports and Exports, general contracts,general distribution, real estate, petroleum services and general investment . He is also the Chairman/CEO of the subsidiary companies which include;

1. Monasons Ventures
2. Dominion Investment Resources
3. Moon Court Property
4. Century Petroleum
5. Fairmount Consolidation limited.

Philanthropic activities

Mike Onoja has been said to have a great impact in his community. He constructed 2km stretch of road from Agila to Akpoge.. He is also known to have helped indigenous students to fund their education, as well as sponsoring some of the sick for treatment abroad. Apart from his community, he is known to be a major funder in educational institutions, most notably University of Mkar and Benue State University. Churches have also benefitted from his funding.

Awards

Mike Onoja was conferred the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 1999 by General Abdulsalami Abubakar. In 2009, he was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Management Science (D.Sc)Honoris Causa from the University of Mkar. The Benue State University, Makurdi conferred on him an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree Honoris Causa.

Personal Life

Mike Onoja is married to Chief Mrs Justina Onoja of which they have five children. He is a devout Catholic and even considered becoming a priest as he stated in his auto biography 'The Living Seed'.