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Born Okechukwu Ezea on 11 August 1963 to the family of Late Chief James Ezea from Itchi Community, Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area and Mrs. Theresa Ezea (Nee Attamah) from Ihe, Nsukka Urban, Nsukka Local Government Area, both in Enugu State.[1]
Okey Ezea attended Community Primary School, Umachi, Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area and Nsukka High School, Nsukka, for his primary and secondary schools education, respectively. Ezea is an alumnus of the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka, having studied political science and earned a Bachelor of Science degree (with 2nd-Class Honours, Upper Division) in political science in 1986. Okey Ezea also holds a bachelor's degree in law (LL.B) and a master's degree in law (LL.M), both of which he got from the prestigious University of Lagos, Akoka. Not only did Ezea perform excellently well in his master's program, he was given the distinguished award of ‘Best Graduating Student’ in his LL.M program at the University of Lagos. Okey Ezea is currently a doctoral student at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of Lagos. .[1]
On graduation from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Okey Ezea proceeded to undertake the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme wherein he passed out in September, 1987. After the mandatory service, Ezea got employment with the Nigerian Customs Service where he served meritoriously before voluntarily retiring as a Deputy Superintendent of Customs in 1994. .[1]
Upon retirement from the Nigerian Customs Service, Okey Ezea went into private business. In 1994, he founded an intermodal international logistics company named Ideke Shipping Limited which since inception has been a major player in the logistics subsector of Nigeria's oil and gas industry. Between 1995 and 2018, Ideke Shipping provided a number of intermodal logistics services to several multinational companies and International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria, including SHELL BP, Chevron, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd, NNPC, etc. Ezea also subsequently founded a number of other blue chip companies, including Ideke Engineering Limited, Ideke Overseas Limited, Damik Ventures Limited, Damik Security Limited, etc. .[1]
Student's Union Politics:
Okey Ezea's political career cannot possibly be exhaustively told without going back to his University days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. As a student politician, he was the Speaker, Political Science Students’ Parliament (1983/84), Member, SUG House of Representatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1984/85), Member, SUG Senate, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1985), Welfare Officer, SUG Executive Committee, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1984/85).
National Politics:
In 2007, Okey Ezea joined active party politics and thereafter rose to become the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate for Enugu State in the elections of that year. The election was mired in irregularities which Ezea thereafter challenged after a return was made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal at the time agreed with Ezea's argument and went ahead to cancel the election by ordering a rerun. However, the decision of the Tribunal was subsequently upturned at the Court of Appeal, at a time appeals for governorship elections were terminating at the Appeal Court level.[2]
In 2013, Okey Ezea co-founded the APC in Enugu, culminating in his becoming the gubernatorial candidate of the Party in the 2015 gubernatorial election in the State. In 2018, Ezea was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Chairman, Governing Board, Federal Medical Center, Jalingo, Taraba State, a position he held until he resigned in 2022 to join the Labour Party wherein he contested and won the senatorial ticket of the Party in 2022. On 25 February 2023, Sen. Okey Ezea was elected as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he currently represents the good people of Enugu North Senatorial District at the Senate.[3]
Sen. Okey Ezea is a: Member, Nigeria Bar Association Member, International Bar Association Member, Federation of International Freight Forwarders.
Sen. Okey Ezea has interest in: Politics as a tool for societal change, Golf, Creative Writing, Football, Community Service.