Personal Life

Collins Nweke was born in Nigeria on 14 July 1965. He migrated to Belgium in 1993 and currently has dual Nigerian-Belgian citizenship.

Nweke has a good command of English, Dutch and some German. He lives with his wife, Tonia and two sons, Tonna Jessy (Teejay) Nweke (born 11 March 1994) and Chidi Rae Nweke (born 15 October 1996) in Ostend, Belgium. He is a frequent traveller to Nigeria, his country of origin, where virtually all members of the large Nweke family clan reside. His father, Obi (Eze) Adigwe Nweke, is a traditional ruler and member of Ndi Nze Traditional Ruling Council of his Igbuzo hometown. His mother, Loveth Nweke, died on 5 September 2014. In his speech accepting the Leadership Service Award in Berlin on 7 September 2014, Nweke dedicated the Award to his mother

Education

He trained in Mass Communications, International Business Management (BCom) and Management Social Economy (MSE) partly in Nigeria but mainly in Europe. He also holds a Belgian ‘Graduaat’ in Corporate Policy and a Doctor of Governance (Honoris Causa) awarded in 2014.^[2]

Employment and Professional activities

Before migrating, Nweke taught English Literature at Omu Boys’ Secondary School, Ibusa. He then worked for five years at the United Bank for Africa plc.

In Belgium, he worked in a team providing the European Commission Justice & Home Affairs Directorate with comparative research and analyses of ethnic minority participation in European business and politics. He later led a team of students on internship from the University College of West-Flanders in the development of a resource center with employment services tailored towards the labour market needs of ethnic minority groups in 2004, culminating in a highly successful national conference of private–public partners. From 2001 to 2004 he was employed by the Ostend civil service department of Social Welfare^[3] where he established a digital Legal Research Centre for social and policy matters. He was co-Founder and first Chairman of the Jakoeboe Refugee Welfare Association in Ostend.

Nigerians in Diaspora in Europe

Nweke served as Chief Executive of the Board of Trustees of Nigerians in Diaspora in Europe (NIDO Europe) from 2004 – 2006 and as General Secretary from 2007 – 2009, and was elected Chairman in 2011. Collaborating with Global Diaspora in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Nweke was responsible for a structure with chapters in 18 European countries representing a Nigerian emigrant community (the “Diaspora”) of around 6 million, its objective to support the national development of Nigeria. Nweke played a leading role^[4] in researching and managing the Nigerian Diaspora input in the 2005 National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC) in Nigeria. He carried out research on the concept of “Out-of-Country Voting” and submitted a briefing to the Nigerian Senate on the subject, culminating in a vote in favor of writing the concept into law.

As Chairman, Nweke focused on Trade & Investment and the engendering of sustainable strategic management processes.^[5] He led a Trade Mission involving 45 Diaspora and 13 investment projects to the State of Osun, Nigeria in August 2012. However, Nweke’s efforts to reform the Memorandum and Articles of Association of NIDO Europe at a Summit in Zurich, Switzerland, were thwarted. At the conclusion of his two-year term of office in November 2013, he disbanded the seven-man Board of Trustees ^[6] and declined to remain in office.

Political career[edit]

City Advisory board for Ethnic Minorities[edit]

Collins Nweke fought for the creation of the Ostend City Municipal Advisory Board for Ethnic Minorities in the late 1990s. He went on to be elected the founding Chairman of the Advisory Board but resigned after about a year, frustrated at the lack of opportunity provided by the municipal authority and the civil service for him to carry out his functions. He heightened his agitation as floor member, maintaining that the Council was not yet ready for a Chairman of ethnic minority background. He called for more transparency, good governance and efficiency in the running of the Advisory Board.^{[citation needed]}

City Councillor[edit]

He was elected as Councillor in Ostend City Council in 2006, becoming the first person born outside Belgium to be elected to political office in the province of West Flanders.^[15][16] Xpats.com,^[17][18] Invited by Wouter De Vriendt Collins Nweke was not a member of any political party at the time, but he was appointed the party reference person for Social Policy in the legislative period 2006 – 2012, serving also as Councillor for Social Welfare at the Council’s Public Center for Social Welfare.^[3]

He was re-elected in 2012. His portfolio includes the Economy,^[19] Social Policy,^[20] International Development and Equality Policy.^[21]

Following his election as Councillor, he had to resign his membership of the Ostend City Municipal Advisory Board for Ethnic Minorities but continued his activism as opposition politician with ethnic minority affairs under his portfolio.^[22]

In the Dutch language book De Keizer van Oostende,^[23] Nweke was credited with bringing about a spirited opposition and debate in the Council for Social Affairs which did not exist before his time. Due to being a lone opposition voice, the book argued, the issues he raised seemed to be largely ignored.