Robert Akonobi
Encyclopedia
Colonel Robert (Bob) Nnaemeka Akonobi was appointed military governor of Anambra State
, Nigeria
from December 1987 to August 1990 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
.
On 27 June 1988 Akonobi reconstituted the board of Nigeria Mineral Water Industries, empowering it turn the company into a profitable private venture.
In 1989 he established the Anambra State Oil Palm Development Agency.
He officially commissioned the Anambra State University of Technology Teaching Hospital, since renamed the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, on 19 July 1991.
Akonobi got entangled in the struggle between the Wawa (Anambra North) and Ijekebee (Anambra South) groups, which had reached its peak in a bloodbath at Nkpor junction in 1983.
In a controversial book titled Akonobi Brothers and Sisters (ABS), a later governor of Anambra State Christian Onoh
accused Akonobi of using his position to acquire property in Enugu
.
Onoh, who himself owned 510 undeveloped lots of land, described "monumental corruption" and said the Akonobi brothers had stolen huge amounts of Federal funds. Akonibi denied the allegations.
After the restoration of democracy with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
, Akonobi joined the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) and became a force in Anambra State politics.
In 2002, he was coordinator of President Olusegun Obasanjo's Campaign Organization in Anambra State for the 2003 elections.
He became a member of the New Anambra Elders Forum, set up after a political crisis that followed the 2003 elections.
In February 2008 Akonobi's home in Enugu
was destroyed by fire.
Anambra State
Anambra is a state in south-eastern Nigeria. Its name is an anglicized version of the original 'Oma Mbala', the native name of the Anambra River. The Capital and the Seat of Government is Awka. Onitsha and Nnewi are the biggest commercial and industrial cities, respectively. The state's theme is...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from December 1987 to August 1990 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
.
On 27 June 1988 Akonobi reconstituted the board of Nigeria Mineral Water Industries, empowering it turn the company into a profitable private venture.
In 1989 he established the Anambra State Oil Palm Development Agency.
He officially commissioned the Anambra State University of Technology Teaching Hospital, since renamed the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, on 19 July 1991.
Akonobi got entangled in the struggle between the Wawa (Anambra North) and Ijekebee (Anambra South) groups, which had reached its peak in a bloodbath at Nkpor junction in 1983.
In a controversial book titled Akonobi Brothers and Sisters (ABS), a later governor of Anambra State Christian Onoh
Christian Onoh
Christian Onoh, popularly known as CC Onoh, was a Nigerian businessman and lawyer who became governor of Anambra State in 1983 at the end of the Nigerian Second Republic.. He was also the father in law to Colonel Ojukwu....
accused Akonobi of using his position to acquire property in Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
.
Onoh, who himself owned 510 undeveloped lots of land, described "monumental corruption" and said the Akonobi brothers had stolen huge amounts of Federal funds. Akonibi denied the allegations.
After the restoration of democracy with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
, Akonobi joined the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) and became a force in Anambra State politics.
In 2002, he was coordinator of President Olusegun Obasanjo's Campaign Organization in Anambra State for the 2003 elections.
He became a member of the New Anambra Elders Forum, set up after a political crisis that followed the 2003 elections.
In February 2008 Akonobi's home in Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
was destroyed by fire.