Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/24
Who is Odey Ochicha? /23
Odey Ochicha
Cross River State
2015
A
New Dawn
Of Leadership
Leadership that Cares
Leadership for Service
Leadership for Excellence
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/22
of our Creator and pray Him to use me
mightily to serve Him and humanity in
sincerity, honesty, humility, compassion and
unflagging enthusiasm. I believe in touching
lives positively, changing peoples' situations
and circumstances, accepting destinies and
pursuing them with passion.
My hobbies include reading, travelling,
inspiring and motivating people.
My name is Odey Ochicha; and I solemnly
promise to give Cross River State and her
good people a new and better deal than they
have enjoyed so far. It is their God-given and
inalienable right. In order to make this
possible, I humbly ask that you give me your
support so that I may be your Governor, the
People's Governor, come May 29, 2015.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Odey Ochicha Represents:
O
Orderliness
D
Discipline
E
Excellence
Y
You first
O
Openness
C
Change
H
Humility
I
Integrity
C
Competence
H
Honesty
A
Accountability
Who is Odey Ochicha? /21
CONTENTS
Why I Want To Be Governor
5
9
18
I have considerable experience as an
administrator. I have also been privileged to
offer leadership training to scores of people
over the years. I am a progressive democrat
and a patriot who is genuinely committed to
making a difference by breaking with the
culture of mediocrity, inefficiency and
corruption.
I am a grateful beneficiary of sound allround education. I am also widely-travelled
and well-exposed. I call these the 3Es:
Education, Experience and Exposure. By the
grace of God, I am disciplined, principled,
humble and God-fearing. And I am poised to
translate this background into tangible
benefits for the good people of Cross River
State whom I earnestly desire to serve.
In spite of the myriad challenges that
confront Nigeria in general and Cross River
State in particular, I am confident that they
can be overcome. For, when we work
together, we achieve success and greatness.
In fact, we work better when we fix our eyes
on the ultimate GOAL: a united, peaceful
and prosperous Cross River State, a major
national player and reference point in the
comity of states.
I am quite simply an instrument in the hands
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/20
Elected: President, NNPC Cooperative
Thrift and Credit Society 2000 to 2001
Appointed: Technical Assistant to two
Group General Managers, Human
Resources (NNPC) Jan- June 2004
1
Appointed: Programme Co-ordinator,
Chief Officer’s Management Development
Programme 2005to2009
Appointed: Chairman, NAPIMS
Management Tenders Committee (NMTC)
2011 to date.
I have attended world class professional and
leadership training programmes twice in
Ghana, once in South Africa, once in Japan,
twice in Malaysia, once in Singapore, once in
the UK, thrice in the US, and eight times in
Dubai, UAE.
I am the enormously proud and happy
husband of one wife, my beautiful and only
beloved Mrs. Christiana Elu Odey Ochicha,
with whom I have four lovely and Godfearing children: two sons and two
daughters. They are Epia Francis Odey
Ochicha (24), Ochuole Kate Odey Ochicha
(19), Achalla Victoria Odey Ochicha (17)
and Ukan Emma Odey Ochicha (12)..
I
humbly seek your mandate to become
the Governor of our beloved Cross
River State because I want to deploy the
awesome machinery of government to make
a positive difference in the lives of the
average Cross Riverian. Government may
not be able to fix all of society's problems, but
it stands a great chance. This is because it
represents the collective. Therefore, I want
to use the enormous powers available to the
office of Governor to help Cross Riverians
discover their potentials, realize their dreams
and fulfill their God-designed destinies. And
I feel qualified to aspire to this position
because I have:
A Spirit of Service.
My primary motivation for aspiring to public
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/6
office is to serve my people and use the office
to better the human condition of my people.
I believe in pursuing the greater good rather
than narrow and selfish interests. For far too
long, public office has been abused by many
to pilfer the commonwealth and feather
personal nests. But we need a genuine spirit
of service, one that is humble and Godfearing; one that commends all of us to
sacrifice through the force of personal
example. If elected Governor, I will serve
you, I will serve Cross River State and I will
serve God. For, in the end, all power belongs
to God. And when we serve well, we glorify
God. I will strive to be God's ambassador, a
force for good.
Compassion.
I am always moved by the circumstances of
my fellow human and believe in God's
timeless injunction that we be our brother's
keeper. The machinery of government
cannot run smoothly unless it is oiled by
compassion. If given the mandate, I will run a
government that is sensitive and responsive
to the needs of the people. I will initiate and
deliver policies and programmes that
contribute to the well-being of our people,
not detract from them. In an era when many
Who is Odey Ochicha? /19
graduating in 1983 with a Second Class
(Upper Division). In 1991, I earned a
Masters degree in Industrial and Labour
Relations from the University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Oyo State. I am a member of the
Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM),
the Chartered Institute of Personnel
Management of Nigeria (CIPM) and the
John Maxwell Leadership Team.
Earlier, after my first degree, I took part in the
National Youth Service in 1984 and was
deployed to Boys High School, Ozalla,
Agbani, Enugu State where I served for a year
under the scheme. I secured employment
with NITEL LIMITED in 1985 and worked
there until 1991, transferring to NNPC in
1992. I am currently a staff of National
Petroleum Investment Management
Services (NAPIMS), an arm of NNPC that
supervises the Joint Venture activities of the
Oil and Gas Industry.
This is the summary of my career highlights:
Appointed: Personal Assistant to Director
of Personnel (NITEL) 1991
Elected: Secretary, NNPC Cooperative
Thrift and Credit Society 1999 to 2001
Why I Want To Be Governor /7
3
governments have been accused of not
caring enough, I will give compassion the
pride of place it deserves in governance.
Integrity
I
was born on September 9, 1959 in
Ububa Ukum, Bekwarra Local
Government Area of Cross River State.
My parents are Mr. Ochicha Odey (now
deceased) and Mrs. Idiku Ochicha Odey. My
father was a farmer whilst my mother was a
trader. In spite of their humble background,
they made sacrifices to give me a good
education.
I completed my secondary education at
Comprehensive Secondary School, Okundi,
Boki, which inculcated in me the spirit of
hard work and excellence reinforcing what
my parents had already drilled into my young
mind. After my secondary education, I went
to the University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross
River State where I studied Political Science,
Right from childhood, my parents
inculcated in me the virtue of truth, honesty
and a good and upright conscience. I have
always been true to my deep moral
convictions. I have always run away from any
path that leads to dishonor. In public office,
this is especially crucial. This is because
public office is a sacred trust and must be
discharged with honesty, dignity and a sense
of responsibility. It is a fearful thing for a
person without integrity to be given power.
As Governor, I will ensure that all my actions
pass the good conscience test, the so-called
'smell test.'
Vision
Many of the leaders we have had in the past
had power thrust on them. As such, they
carried on without the vaguest idea as to what
to do with the enormous power given to
them. But by God's grace I have the power of
vision. As the Bible says, where there is no
vision, the people perish.
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/8
God has endowed our state with so much
that it is criminal negligence for the
government to continue to fail to turn these
resources and potentialities into actual
wealth and opportunities for our beloved
people. I have a vision of what our state
should look like: a haven of peace, prosperity
and a good standard of living; the pacesetter
in educational excellence; a manufacturing
and industrial giant; a global tourism hub; a
model of government prudence and
accountability; an informed and critically
aware people, et cetera.
Competence
Indeed, I have a vision of where we ought to
be as a people. I also know how to get us
there. My life experiences, education and
exposure have prepared me for the arduous
task of taking Cross River State to the next
level. Fellow Cross Riverians, I am ready to
serve you.
My Contributions To Society /17
not out of abundance. It is my belief that the
greatest form of giving is the one that
proceeds out of sacrifice.
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/16
has gulped several millions of naira.
Contribution to National
Dialogue

I maintain a column in This Day
Newspaper where I raise serious
national issues and debate them.

I also maintain a column in NAPIMS
NEWS, the in-house magazine of my
employer, where I discuss leadership,
change management, team building
and time management issues.

In my spare time, I also make free
presentations on leadership, management, performance management and
team building to organizations that
require my services.
Community Development

I have provided my Ububa community
with three mini water schemes from my
salary as a civil servant.
I admit that the above contributions may not
amount to much. But it should be noted that
I have done all of these out of what little
resources our kind God has blessed me with,
2
I
have always tried my bit to better the lot
of my fellow humans, with a bias for
Cross Riverians. It is my belief that I owe
my station in life to society and am thus dutybound to give something back as a token of
appreciation.
I am simply an instrument in the hands of
God. My highest calling in life is to serve
humanity, contribute to positive social and
economic change in the effort to make the
world a much better place. So far, I have
contributed to the society in the following
ways:
National Leadership
Excellence
I love my state and my country deeply and
would do all I can to make them models of
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/10
My Contributions To Society /15
development and good governance. As a
responsible citizen, I have always maintained
a high sense of citizen's involvement in
leadership. I believe that our leaders do not
know it all and need our help, prayers and
good wishes if they are to lead us properly.
Moreover, good leadership goes hand in
hand with good followership. In other
words, if we must aspire to be good leaders
we must first of all be good followers.
Based on the above:

I wrote a total of twelve letters to former
President Olusegun Obasanjo on
important national issues. I also sent
him a book gift titled Purpose Driven
Life by Rick Warren.

I wrote five letters to President Musa
Yar' Adua on systems improvement.

I equally drew up and sent to President
Goodluck Jonathan a detailed roadmap
to national transformation. I have made
gifts of books to Presidents Obasanjo
and Jonathan, the Finance Minister Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former
Central Bank of Nigeria Governor,
Mallam Lamido Sanusi and different
I promote reading culture among
Nigerian children and youths through
engagement sessions during which I
discuss books and their authors with
children and make book gifts to them.
I have established an Educational
Assistance Programme for about one
hundred and sixty university students.
The programme is in its fourth year and
My Contributions To Society /11
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/14
Special Advisers to the President. This is
to afford these public officers some
guidance in their various domains and
thus help give the country a clear
direction.
Educational Assistance Scheme
50
100
145
145
N750,000
N1.25M
N1.75M
N1.75m
I organize the Odey Ochicha Annual
Public Lecture to create awareness
among the youths. We have had three
such lectures.
I am a regular motivational speaker at
youth forums, including an NNPCorganized annual children event at
Abuja.
?
2010
2011
2012
2013
Beneficiaries Amount
?
Year
I am the author of a book titled “Leading
with Courage and Integrity,” a
passionate discourse on national
leadership and national development
issues. I am also the author of “Pages and
Sages: Words of the Wise,” some
carefully chosen adages, quotes and wise
sayings on diverse subjects by top
thinkers, leaders, educators, industry
experts and other globally respected
figures.
Youth Development
I am passionate about youth empowerment
and development because of my firm belief
that we need to invest strategically in our
youths if we are to progress as a society. I
earnestly believe that the youths are at the
vanguard of progressive change and should
be nurtured, inspired, motivated,
encouraged and empowered to bring out
their highest potentials and contribute
Odey Ochicha: Touching Lives, Affecting Destinies/12
meaningfully to nation building. For this
reason, neglecting the youths will be
detrimental to the state and to the nation.
The youths constitute a BIG slice of the
population and could contribute even more
meaningfully to national development and
transformation if properly harnessed and
motivated.
My Contributions To Society /13
sporting excellence. As of April 2014,
the tournament entered its fourth year
and has gulped millions of naira in
prizes, free jerseys and free footballs for
all participating school teams.
I am simply passionate about youths and take
personal and special interest in their
development and transformation. It is my
hope that governments at all levels treat
youths specially, in view of the obvious fact
that they are the leaders of not just tomorrow
but also today.
Youths are the natural successors to the
leadership of this state and this country and,
as such, deserve special care and attention as
it is said that a leader without a successor is a
failure.
“ Winners of Our Annual Football Tournament”
To this end:

I sponsor an annual football
tournament for all Secondary Schools
in the Northern Cross River State to
promote love, unity and
understanding, competitiveness and
2011: Government Secondary School,
Okpoma, Yala
2012: Comprehensive Secondary School
Gakem, Bekwarra
2013: Community Secondary School,
Utugwang, Obudu
2014: Governemnt Secondary School,
Ishibori, Ogoja