Uzodimma’s cerebral security chief, Ugorji, returns to opportunities-creating foundation, OFO
The Imo State pioneer and immediate past Commissioner for Homeland Security, and Vigilante Affairs, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji, has returned to Organizing For Opportunities (OFO), a Foundation he founded.
Dr. Ugorji was given a specific assignment to establish the state’s Ministry of Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs.
Having done that, he has returned to OFO, an Educational Foundation with offices in Owerri and Abuja.
To avoid a conflict of interest when he was appointed into Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration in 2020, he (Ugorji) resigned from full-time engagement with the Foundation.
The primary purpose of OFO is to create opportunities for young people in all sectors of the economy, including public service.
Inspired by his most recent job, Dr. Ugorji has added “Peace and Security” to the programs of the organization.
“In addition to what OFO has been doing, I want to work with Governments and Communities to create soft power programs that would engender enduring peace and security in our communities,” he said.
When he served as Governor Uzodimma’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security and Intelligence, and later as the Pioneer Commissioner for Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs, Dr. Ugorji was reported to be the thinking man’s security operative as the government faced dire security challenges in the State.
If Uzodimma is the hard charging lion in the state, Ugorji was his soft power strategist and dove, who willingly used his personal and private resources in pursuit of peace and security in Imo State.
While he worked closely with the security agencies, Ugorji insisted that no nation or government can shoot its way to peace and security.
He complimented the work of the security agencies with soft power initiatives to propagate alternative narratives and outside-the-box solutions to the peculiar security situation in the state.
“The peace of the grave is no place for the living – not for security officers and not for the citizens,” he said to reporters in Owerri recently.
OFO Foundation has offered scholarships to Secondary and University students, donated laptop computers to University students, established a Computer Training Centre, and provided training and seminars on effective and Africa-centered leadership in communities in Imo State.
The Foundation has also embarked on building a community center at Lorji (the Odoziobodo Community Centre), as well as a Plaza at Eke-Ukwu Lorji Market, dedicated to Ugoeze Anastasia Ngozi Ugorji, a retired Major of the Nigerian Army.
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Dr. Ugorji returned from the United States of America in 2020 to serve his fatherland.
Governor Hope Uzodimma took notice of his background in Homeland Security and invited him to join his government.
“The offer to serve in my home state was one I could not refuse.
“It was an honour of a lifetime to bring ideas and programs that the people’s governor backed, including but not limited to the conceptualization and establishment of the governor’s signature Ministry of Homeland Security,” he said.
As he returns full-time to OFO, Dr. Ugorji will also handle some assignments for the Abuja-based Savannah Center for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development (SCDDD). The Center was founded and is chaired by global statesman and scholar, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, CFR.
According to Ugorji, he will also do consulting work, speaking engagements, and write some additional books.
The Author of ten books is currently working on three book titles: “Peace and Security in Nigeria: Lessons From Imo State,” “Coming Home and Climbing Up the Rough Side of the Mountain: A Memoir,” and “The Jagaban and The Heartland: Tinubu’s History and Relationship with Ndigbo.”
“Working with civil society organizations is another important form of public service,” Ugorji assures, promising to dedicate the rest of his life to improving and uplifting the human condition in Nigeria and on the African continent.
Dr. Ugorji holds a Doctorate degree in Educational Administration from Rutgers University, New Brunswick (New Jersey) and a Master’s degree in Homeland Security from the George Washington University, Washington DC.
He also holds a second Master’s degree in Counseling and Personnel Management, as well as two Bachelor’s degrees (one in Biology and the other in Psychology), all from The College of New Jersey (formerly known as Trenton State College).
The former Commissioner is a formidable leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State. He delivered his Lorji Ward and helped deliver Aboh Mbaise LGA to Uzodimma and the APC in the November 11, 2023, gubernatorial election.
It was the first time the APC had prevailed at Lorji and Aboh Mbaise, beating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).
The activities and projects of the OFO Foundation can be seen at the organization’s website.
