All you need to know about Valentine Ozigbo as next Anambra Governor

Profile of Valentine Ozigbo, BSc, MBA, MSc, FCA, FCIT, FICA, FITP, JP

Valentine Ozigbo is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 2021 governorship elections in Anambra State.

A natural crowd-puller and inspirational figure, Val is a consummate business leader and entrepreneur with over twenty-six years of experience in corporate transformation, power, hospitality, energy, and banking (commercial, retail, investment, and international).

In March 2020, Mr Ozigbo resigned from his job at the helm of Transcorp Plc to dedicate the next chapter of his life to public service. He joined the race for the governorship of Anambra State in the same year.

In less than two years, he had built one of the most efficient and impactful political organisations in Nigeria. His Ka Anambra Chawapu (a better and brighter Anambra) message resonated with the people, igniting the most significant political movement in South-East Nigeria.

On June 26, 2021, Valentine won the keenly contested gubernatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A grassroots favourite, he has been rated as “most likely to win the November 6 election” by analysts. His emergence as the party’s flag-bearer is one of the most inspirational stories in Nigeria’s recent political history.

A multiple-award-winning global CEO, Mr Ozigbo is the immediate past President and Group CEO of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), one of Africa’s largest conglomerates which includes Transcorp Power, one of the largest power generation companies in Nigeria with 972MW installed capacity; Transcorp Hotels, the owners of Transcorp Hilton Abuja (the leading business hotel in Africa) and Transcorp Hotels Calabar; and Transcorp OPL281, an oil and gas company.

He stepped down from the role in March 2020 and retained his seat on the Board of Transcorp Plc, the Board of Transcorp Hotels Plc, and the Board of Transcorp Power Limited. He finally resigned from all Transcorp board positions in April 2021.

Mr Ozigbo was elevated to the role of President and CEO of Transcorp Plc after holding the position of Managing Director/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc for 7 years, during which he led a $100 million project that saw Transcorp Hilton Abuja undergo a globally celebrated transformation and upgrade.

He won several internationally coveted awards in the hospitality industry, including the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality CEO of the Year 2016, which he received in Spain. In October 2019, the respected business leader was voted Seven Stars Hospitality Personality of the Year in Athens, Greece.

He began his career as an Executive Trainee in the banking industry. In 17 years, he had attained the top position of General Manager, where he was Director of the Global Transaction Banking Division of a leading bank.

His decorated career spanned United Bank for Africa Plc, FSB International Bank Plc (now part of Fidelity Bank Plc), Continental Trust Bank Ltd (now part of UBA), and Diamond Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc), and Keystone Bank Limited (formerly Bank PHB) from where he was headhunted into Transcorp.

An award-winning graduate, Valentine Ozigbo has an impressive track record for academic excellence.

In 2003, he was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office to study for a Masters of Science in Finance at the Lancaster University, UK, where he graduated with a Distinction.

At its 2019 graduation ceremony, Lancaster University recognised him as a Distinguished Alumni. Valentine also holds an MBA in Banking & Finance and a B.Sc. in Accounting, both from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he was the best graduating student in his faculty.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, the Institute of Credit Administration, and the Institute of Tourism Professionals.

He is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigeria and the Board of Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt.

A prominent change leader who advocates for excellence in every sphere of life, Valentine Ozigbo is a leading individual promoter of sports, youth development, and community building in Nigeria.

He is the founder of the Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation, a philanthropic endeavour that focuses on youth empowerment and capacity building.

He chaired Unusual Praise 2018, the largest Catholic gospel concert in Africa. He currently chairs Unusual Entrepreneur, one of the most impactful faith-based entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria.

He is also the Chairman of Feet and Tricks Limited, the exclusive promoters of Freestyle Football in Africa in partnership with the World Freestyle Football Association.

Valentine is married to Ojiugo and they have four children.