Godwin Obaseki Biography

Governor Godwin Obaseki is a Nigerian politician under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was Reelected on September 19, 2020, after defeating Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu win a second term as governor of Edo State.

Governor Obaseki was re-elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling the highest number of votes in the keenly-contested poll conducted on Saturday.

Read the Complete Godwin Obaseki Biography, Age, Education, Net worth, including How he started his political career.

Advertisment

Governor Obaseki was re-elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling the highest number of votes in the keenly-contested poll conducted on Saturday.

Read the Complete Godwin Obaseki Biography, Age, Education, Net worth, including How he started his political career.

Advertisment

Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is a Nigerian politician and businessman, who is currently the Governor of Edo State. He was sworn in as the governor on 12 November 2016.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers of Nigeria and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive Programme. He was also nominated as a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) by the World Economic Forum in 2001.

Early Life & Education

Godwin Obaseki was born on the 1st of July, 1957, in Benin city into a descendant of the famously illustrious Obaseki family in Edo State, Nigeria. The third Child Of Late Pa Roland Obaseki And Madam Stella Gbinigie (MON). He spent most of his childhood in his home state.

He had his primary education at St. Matthews Anglican Primary School. He attended Eghosa Anglican Grammar School, Benin City, before he proceeded to Ibadan to study at the University of Ibadan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics.

Godwin, after that, did his National Youths Service Corps primary assignment in Jos, Plateau state.

However, his education did not stop there. Obaseki then went to New York, United States, where he studied at Pace University and Columbia University. He earned himself a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business.

Obaseki is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, Nigeria and an Alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive Program. At the 2001 World Economic Forum, he was nominated to be a Global Leader for Tomorrow.

Obaseki is the founding secretary (1992) of a US-based Africa Chamber of Commerce. He was also a Director of Junior Achievement of Nigeria – the local affiliate of international Not For Profit Organisation.

Career

Over the last 37 years, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has excelled in his chosen career, becoming an internationally renowned expert in Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Securities Trading.

Mr. Obaseki began his career as a stockbroker in 1983 with Capital Trust Brokers Limited in Lagos and later moved on to International Merchant Bank. In 1988, Obaseki was employed by AVC Funds Ltd., where he worked as a Project Manager. In 1992, Godwin Obaseki became the founding secretary of the US Africa Chamber of Commerce.

He moved back to New York and worked as a Principal of Equatorial Finance Company, a Financial Advisory firm. He focused on Africa and provided Structured Trade Finance for African-related transactions and Trust Company Limited, SecTrust, and became the Managing Director.

After that, Godwin Obaseki became an entrepreneur when he established Afrinvest West Africa Limited (then SecTrust) in 1995.

Godwin Obaseki founded Afrinvest West Africa Limited, formerly Securities Transactions & Trust Company Limited (SecTrust), which has grown to become one of Nigeria’s most reputable investment banking and management firms.

Obaseki later stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afrinvest in September 2016, to contest the gubernatorial election in Edo State.

Politics

Godwin had served as the chairperson of the Economic and Strategy Team of Edo State Government from March 2009 to September 2016. Before that, he was a member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange Council from 2006 to 2009. Other organizations he had worked with include Seric Impianti International Ltd., Dorman Long Engineering Ltd., Junior Achievement of Nigeria, Pillar Oil Ltd., and many others.

On 29 September 2016, Obaseki was elected as the Governor of Edo State under the All Progressives Congress since he has been sworn in as the Executive Governor of Edo State on 12 November 2016.

During his time in office, Godwin Obaseki worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people of Edo State. By implementing various reforms, schemes, and projects, he has already achieved positive results in education, industry, agriculture, and other spheres.

Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki has enacted projects to make the state an investment hub. Such projects include: The Benin River Port Project (Gelegele Seaport), The Benin Industrial Park, Modular Refinery Project, Technology hubs and Edojobs

During the 2020 Edo Gubernatorial Election, Obaseki sought for re-election under the APC but was controversially disqualified by the party’s Primary Election Screening Committee from contesting the primary elections, citing missing letters on the governor’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and what other observers described as spurious excuses surrounding the governor’s university admission.

The governor had a running battle with his predecessor, Comrade Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the APC, who headed the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at the time, which constituted the screening committee. Political analysts argue that the former governor acted out a script, with the ultimate aim of denying the governor a second-term ticket under the APC. Comrade Oshiomhole was eventually sacked as the National Chairman of the APC.

The governor had his West African Examination Council (WAEC) High School Certificate (HSC), which the committee said was absent from the governor’s credentials. Simultaneously, the NYSC reissued a corrected version of the governor’s NYSC discharge certificate while apologizing for being responsible for the initial error. The Federal High Court in Abuja eventually struck out a certificate forgery case instituted against the governor.

On 16 June 2020, Obaseki resigned his membership from the All Progressives Congress. On 19 June 2020, Obaseki decamped to the People’s Democratic Party and declared his intentions to seek re-election on the platform.] PDP described him as a big catch. On 20 September 2020, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Obaseki as the Edo State gubernatorial election winner. He won against his primary opponent from the All Progressives Congress Osagie Ize Iyamu, with a total number of 307,955 votes, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu scored 223,619 votes.

INEC Returning Officer for the poll, Professor Akpofure Rem-Rukeh, declared the governor as the winner on Sunday at the electoral umpire office in Benin City, which doubled as the final collation center.

“That Godwin Obaseki of PDP having satisfied the requirements of the law in meeting the 25 percent in two-third of the local government areas in the state and having a margin of lead higher than the canceled votes is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” Professor Rem-Rukeh who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Petroleum Resources, stated.

Personal Life

Obaseki was the founding secretary of a New York-based US Africa Chamber of Commerce in 1992, which promoted US organizations doing business in Africa. He was a Director in Junior Achievement of Nigeria – the local affiliate of the worldwide Not for Profit organization, which trains students to appreciate market economy values.

He also participates actively and serves as Trustee in the Dr. Jackson Owen Obaseki Foundation, a family-owned NGO that provides free education and health services to the less privileged.

Godwin Obaseki is married to Betsy Bene Obaseki, a financial expert. She holds BSc and MSc in Accounting from the University of Lagos, and an alumnus of the Kellog’s School of Business Executive Management Programme, USA.

Betsy Bene Obaseki comes from Buguma, Kalabari kingdom, Rivers State, where she was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ayibo Amachree.