BIOGRAPHY OF HON. REMY CHIDI CHUKWUNYERE

It is our pleasure to bring to you the making of this emerging young leader of our

generation, Hon. Remy Chidi Chukwunyere, who hails from Ohaji/Egbema Local

Government Area of Imo State of Nigeria.

Early childhood days

As the only son and last child of his parents, his birth on December 12, 1975 was

heralded with great celebrations, the type that was never seen in that community.

In 1981, he started his Primary school education at the Umuokanne Central School,

where he first began his leadership career when he was appointed the first Senior

Prefect of the School between 1985 and 1986. In practical demonstration of the high

intellect God Almighty created him with, he was the only pupil from that school who

passed the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1986 at Credit level.

Between 1987 and 1989, he completed his Junior Secondary Education at the

Umuokanne Comprehensive Secondary School. There again, his leadership qualities

found him out and he was a Class Prefect all through the Junior Classes and finally

became the School Regulator, a position he held until he left the school for the Imo

State Senior Secondary School for Science, Etiti after obtaining an excellent Junior

Secondary School Certificate in 1989.

In 1990, he got admitted into one of the best Secondary Schools in Nigeria, the

Imo State Senior Secondary School for Science, Etiti. Even though, the school was a

collection of best brains from all over the country, his determination to make a mark in

the history of this generation equally made him graduate as one of the best students of

that great college.

University days

At the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, where he studied Industrial

Biochemistry, Hon. Remy Chukwunyere was as popular as the Vice Chancellor. As a

student’s union leader, activist and Editor of the FUTO Hotline, he was loved by all and

sundry.

While still a student, he had several work experiences from the various companies he

was attached to during his Students’ Industrial Work Experience Schemes. In 1995,

he was attached to the Operations Department of Lever Brothers Nigeria PLC (now

Unilever PLC), Apapa, Lagos for a period of three months. In 1997, he also worked with

the Shipping Department of Panalpina World Transport Nig. Ltd, Port Harcourt, Rivers

State for six months. Within this period, his leadership qualities equally manifested in

the various positions he occupied in different organizations.

Passion for development work

In 1999, during his one year National Youth Service at the Pipelines and Products

Marketing Company (a division of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) in Kaduna,

this call to lead and serve humanity became full blown and could no longer be hidden.

There in Kaduna, in 1999, he founded a non-governmental development organization

known as the African Youth Development Foundation (AFRYDEF). With the meager

resources at his disposal as a youth corps member, he established and funded the

activities of the organization, which maintained membership strength of over fifty

young people, before he left the city after his National Youth Service coupled with the

outbreak of the Sharia crisis in 2000.

Back in Owerri, Imo State, in 2000, his foundation, AFRYDEF in collaboration with the

Committee for Advancement of Justice facilitated the training of fifty youths from

the oil producing communities of Imo State in peace building and conflict resolution

with funding from the United States Agency for International Development/Office of

Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI).

Today, AFRYDEF has grown to become an internationally recognized organization

with offices in Nigeria, South Africa and USA. With the NGO, he has impacted on the

lives of several youths, women and children through a popular project they call “Put a

Smile on Someone’s Face” and other community and youth development programs.

More information about the activities of AFRYDEF is available on its website at http://

http://www.inspireyouths.org.

Early political career

Between 2001 and 2003, he served as a Member of the Local Government Monitoring

Committee of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) in Ohaji/Egbema

Local Government Area of Imo State.

In 2002, his leadership potentials attracted the attention of the Imo State Government

under the administration of Governor Achike Udenwa who approved his appointment

as a Member of the Imo State Education Task Force and Chairman of the Education

Task Force in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area.

In 2004, he was appointed the Secretary to the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government

Council of Imo State. As the Head of the Policy Department between 2004 and 2007,

he was responsible for supervising the activities of the six departments of the Council,

viz: Works, Housing and Transport; Youth and Sports; Administration; Finance;

Agriculture and Health. In fact his contributions to the administration was what won

his boss, Chief Luke Chukwu, the Best Performed Local Government Chairman in

Nigeria, an award conferred on him by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in

2006.

As an entrepreneur and consultant

At the end of his service at the Local Government in 2007, he returned back

to AFRYDEF as well as established his first private company, Zenith Computer

Technologies, an Information Technology and computer services company based in

Owerri, Imo State. Today Zenith Computer Technologies is a one-stop computer-shop

providing such services as website development, professional training, computer

maintenance and networking, etc. Its clientele list has such big names as Imo State

House of Assembly, Owerri; Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission;

Imo State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport; Imo State Ministry of Public

Utilities and Rural Development; etc.

As a development consultant, Hon. Remy Chukwunyere has consulted for the USAID/

Office of Transition Initiatives; UNESCO/Nigerian Office; Actionaid International;

Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER); Imo State Education

Management Board; Global Health Council; etc.

Hon. Remy Chukwunyere is an entrepreneur, a political strategist, a public speaker,

an online newspaper publisher, writer and development consultant and has spoken

in several conferences and workshops on entrepreneurship, youth development,

peace and conflict resolution, leadership development, etc. He has also contributed his

opinions in several national and international issues through print, electronic media

and internet.

A strategic planner and political strategist

As a new generation politician, Hon. Remy Chukwunyere is one of the strong men in

Ohaji/Egbema politics, who combines his strategic planning with advocacy skills to

deliver his choice candidates. Current beneficiaries of this political expertise are His

Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the Executive Governor of Imo State and Hon.

Luke Chukwu, the member representing Ohaji/Egbema State Constituency at the Imo

State House of Assembly, Owerri.

His appointment as the Director-General, Imo State Directorate for Employment by

His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s administration is a well deserved one. The

Government has rightly put a square peg in a square hole. With his wide experiences in

development advocacy, youth empowerment and job creation as well as his contacts

with international development agencies, Hon. Remy Chukwunyere is taking the issues

of youth unemployment and job creation to the front burner in the State affairs.

As an innovator and an entrepreneur, he has introduced a number of job creation

programs in the agency, including the Imo Jobs Online and Unemployment Database,

Imo Jobs Fair, Graduate Enterprise Challenge, Creative Enterprise Academy, among

others in partnership with both national and international organizations in the country.

Conclusion

As an emerging leader of this generation we are convinced that Hon. Remy

Chukwunyere will do all within his reach to ameliorate the sufferings of the

unemployed in Imo State. If he could put smiles on the faces of several youths, women

and children as the Executive Director of the African Youth Development Foundation,

we believe he will transform the unemployment crisis in the State and empower Imo

youths with the skills they need to build sustainable enterprises.

Finally, Hon. Remy Chukwunyere is a dedicated Christian, a Deacon and a

philanthropist. He is married to his lovely, beautiful wife and partner, Engr. Linda

Chukwunyere and their union is blessed with three handsome boys: Remy Jnr., Favour

and Destiny.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!