Ezenwo Nyesom Wike is a Nigerian politician who is serving as the Governor of Rivers state in Nigeria. His political interests are invested in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Nyesom Wike belongs to the Ikwerre tribe, the biggest ethnic group in Rivers State. The tribe is also known as the Iwhuruoha tribe, which is a subgroup of the Igbo group. He was born in the tribe in Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State.
Wike has a profile of a lawyer and has attended Law School. He is married with three children.
He has had different roles in the politics of his home state, Rivers State in Nigeria. Wike served as the Executive Chairman for the local government of Obio Akpor Area, Minister of State for Education, and Acting Minister of State for Education.
He did run for the office of the President of Nigeria, representing the party that long supported him from the beginning, in the 2023 General Election.
Nyesom Wike’s Education: What Did He Study?
Nyesom Wike has a Master of Arts degree in Political and Administrative Studies from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. (RSUT)
Before that he pursued an undergrad degree in Bachelor of Laws from RSUT. Further, in 1997 he proceeded to Law School.
He completed his primary education at the Government Secondary School Eneka in Obiakpor, Rivers State. He attended his O’level exams from there.
Nyesom Wike: How Did His Political Career Begin?
Wike debuted in politics in 1997 as the Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers. He stood for re-election in 2003 for a second term and was elected again.
He completed the second term in 2007. Upon the end of the successful second term, he got appointment to become the Chief of Staff to the Governor of River State, Rotimi Amaechi, between the time period 2007 and 2015.
He was selected for the role of the Minister of State for Education by the then-president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. It was in 2011 and two years later in 2013, he got a promotion to the position the Federal Minister of Education.
He served in the position for the two years that followed. In 2015, he made a decision to remove himself as the Federal Minister of Education and to run in the gubernatorial elections in Rivers state, the state in which he was born and brought up.
While serving in the position, in 2014, he won the primary election of his party and was selected as the deputy governor candidate. The candidate was Ipalibo Banigo, the previous Secretary to the State Government.
In the 2023 General Election in which he ran for the position of Nigerian President, he was defeated by Atiku Abubakar in the primary election of the People’s Democratic Party. He was in second position with 237 votes while Abubakar had an additional 134 votes.
2015 Governor of River State Election
Nyesom Wike is the sixth governor in the office of Rivers State. He assumed office on May 29, 2015. Ipalibo Banigo whom Wike chose as his running mate is serving as the Deputy Governor to him.
In the election, he won over the candidates Tonye Princewill of the Labour Party and Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressive Congress Party (APC).
Peterside approached the Election Tribunal of Rivers State demanding the nullification of the victory of Nyesom Wike as the governor. He accused election malpractices were carried out in the poll results and that it was not in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
At end of the prolonged legal complications and procedures, Nyesom Wiki started to serve his first term as the governor of Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike: Political Career
Wike is an advocate for educational reform measures in Rivers state that had an impact on the whole of Nigeria. As a major step of the reform, he announced that he would make arrangements to provide free education in primary and secondary sessions of school.
He made the announcement while attending a Monday meeting at a government house in Port Harcourt on June 24, 2019.
The decision was supported and it also had its own opponents. He got support from the parents and guardians of the school-going children as well as the former Principals and headmasters of Rivers state. Wike led the government through the conflicts and finally implemented the plan.
Later in 2019, he made another announcement to make the registration without cost for those who are participating in the annual JAMB examination of the state.
Recently in 2022, he gave approval to a bill that reinforced women’s right to inherit land, property, and assets. He signed the bill in big news and asked the women of the state to come forward and claim what was theirs.
He added that women should never be afraid to make the claim because it happens to be their legal right.
While serving as the governor on his second term Wike had initiated the simultaneous construction activities of three huge flyovers in Port Harcourt.
The flyovers are under construction in the locations such as Garrison, Rumoukoro, and Artillery. He planned to construct three of the flyovers within a time period of 16 months.
He made the announcement of construction while he was inaugurating three roads as part of the celebration of his completing the initial 100 days of being the governor a second time in a row.
The construction was stopped for an indefinite period during the global pandemic of COVID-19.
Nyesom Wike: Wife And Children
Ezenwo Nyesom Wike is married to his wife Eberechi Suzzette Wike. They have three children named Joaquin, Jazmyne, and Jordan.
He was born as the son of Rev. Nlemanya Wike and Mrs. Nlemanya Wike in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State.
His wife is serving as a justice in the High Court of Justice of Rivers State. She has membership in the International Bar Association, National and International Association of Women Judges, and Chartered Insitute of Arbitrators, and former member of the Magistrate’s Association of Nigeria Rivers State.
The couple is residing at Port Harcourt the capital city of Rivers State.
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Nyesom Wiki: Net Worth And Car Collection
Nyesom Wiki is estimated of having a net worth of around 600 million US Dollars. He is the second richest governor of Nigeria.
He has a wide car collection including the Bulletproof Range Rover Autobiography, Bulletproof 2019, Lexus LX570, Toyota Highlander, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, five Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs, and three Toyota Hilux trucks.
