Edward David Unekwuojo Onoja was born into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Amodu Onoja on the 9th of August, 1974. His alma-nature is Odidoko-Emonyoku in Ogugu District of Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He started his early academic sojourn (Primary School) in Lagos state and maintained as one of the top graduating pupil until completion. Consequent upon his intellectual proficiency, the young Edward Onoja was interviewed and passed his examinations into Federal Government College, Kwali, Abuja, FCT in 1985.
Edward Onoja sustained his academic prowess through secondary school finishing from FGC Kwali with an excellent result in 1991.
He then proceeded to the University of Jos to study Geology and Mining, graduated in 1999 with a Second Class (Upper Division) Degree in 1999 and invariably was one of the top graduating students in his class.
Edward Onoja’s excellence in academics must not be mistaken to mean that he was a bookworm who did nothing else but read in school. On the contrary, he was an all-rounder of a student who also excelled in sports, clubs, student unionism and sundry other extracurricular activities. He was an active member of the National Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the student representative for the Society of Exploration Geophysics (SEG).
It is easy to spot the chick which will grow into a rooster right from infancy by its carriage and command among its peers. Edward Onoja was one of the founders and the pioneer President of Natural Science Students Association (NASSA), University of Jos Chapter. Edward broke a jinx in the University of Jos which has persisted from the very beginning of student Unionism in the institution when he singlehandedly installed the first Student Union (SUG) President from the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
He did not contest himself, but finding a suitable candidate he believed in, coincidentally a fellow Igala, he presented him to the student community, then leveraged his own resources, personality and popularity to campaign for him. His candidate defeated all comers to emerge the SUG President of Unijos that year. That record stands till date.
Work Place Experience
With a 20 year work experience out of his 45 years on earth, he has worked at Guarantee Trust Bank Nigeria (GTBANk), Access Bank Nigeria, Televeras Group of Companies (Oil and Gas) and his own personal merchandise. Summarily, criss-crossing Banking, Oil and Gas, Entrepreneurship and Politics.
In details, upon graduation, Edward Onoja proceeded for the one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps programme at Port Harcourt. He scaled through the highly competitive rigors of interviewing for a place with Total Fina-ELF Petroleum Nigeria Limited and succeeded as usual. Our man served with his customary excellence in the Exploration Department of the multinational organisation as a Trainee Geologist and Subsurface Engineering Personnel.
The experience kindled Edward’s interest in the oil and gas sector, particularly the role of Nigerians in the Nigerian energy market. As we shall see later, he would return to that original interest to carve out a distinguished career for himself.
However, after completing the one year mandatory youth service, he cross-carpeted to the banking industry, starting with Guaranty Trust Bank in 2001.
Edward was sent to the premier bank’s Training School in Lagos where he again graduated top of the class and won a prize for his efforts. He was then posted to Guaranty Trust Bank, Jos Branch as a Customer Service Officer where he played ample roles at both administrative and management levels.
A year and 11 months after joining GTB, Edward Onoja was promoted to Operations Manager and posted to a new Branch opening in Makurdi, Benue State. Edward Onoja’s background in the sciences helped him to bring innovation and new skills to bear on every posting job, helping him and his team-mates to break new grounds. With the new Makurdi Branch up and flourishing in no time at all, Edward’s employers identified him as a useful man for setting up new branches. In rapid succession, they moved him around to set up GT Bank branches in Lokoja, Obajana, Okene and Lafia.
Soon, he was not just an Operations Manager but was saddled with the responsibilities of Training Officer for the whole of Northern Nigeria (on-the-job weekly training). In 2009, Edward was head-hunted for his competencies by GTB’s arch-rival, Access Bank Plc, and upon coming to agreeable terms, he resumed as the Branch cum Relationship Manager at Lokoja Branch of Access Bank where he handled both the commercial and corporate banking groups of the bank. His duties included analysis of the investment profiles of the bank’s numerous portfolio.
In Access Bank, he raised the balance sheet from less than 30 million when he came on board to over half a billion naira in 9 months, a feat which prompted his promotion from the Lokoja Branch to the much bigger Asokoro Branch in Abuja, again, as a Relationship Manager.
By June 2011, he founded the On and On Global Resources Limited where he gave consulting on risk and financial investments as well as consultation in the power and energy sectors.
Edward’s stint in the oil and gas sector drew the attention of the management of Taleveras Exploration and Production Company Limited n July, 2013 with his appointment as the General Manager Exploration and Production which gave him the opportunity to handle roles such as building a strong exploration and production in an arm of the company to managing the company’s international and domestic partnerships. With his vast experience in energy and cooperate finance, he was able to help the company in curbing excessive waste thereby reducing investment risk exposures in its entirety. While at Taleveras, Edward was part of the team of experts that was tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the exploration of 3 Oil Blocks in Ivory Coast and also the Gas Terminal contract in Equatorial Guinea.
While serving as the General Manager in this company, he also operated as the company representative for reviewing PSC terms in all their assets around the world, travelling far and wide having high level business negotiations in almost all the continents of the world.
His strong relationship, ability to read and understand people and situations made it easy for him to handle the company’s relationships with NPDC on shared assets. Later on, Edward Onoja was appointed as the Commercial Representative on the Management Committee on joint asset where he worked closely with NPDC staff.
JOURNEY INTO POLITICS
His penchant for politics started right from his days in the university where he was the President of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. That has been alluded earlier. In 2011, he resigned from Access Bank to vie for the State House of Assembly to represent Olamaboro Constituency under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). It is worthy of note that Hon. Edward became the candidate of the party the same day he resigned and left Access Bank (14th February, 2011 to be precise).
That was his first stint at politics outside the university campus environment. In same year, from July to December 2011, he was the State Director and was fully in charge of Project 3R — Rescue, Restore, Rebuild Kogi on behalf of late, Prince Abubakar Audu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as at then. They gave the PDP a good fight at the polls that year.
In 2015, he was the State Director of Kogi Youth Arise Group for Buhari/
Osinbajo, the group that worked earnestly and assiduously and whose hardwork led to victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 Presidential Election. That was the first time an opposition party won a presidential election in Kogi State.
It was thereafter he moved on to becoming the Chief Strategist and Director-General of the Alhaji Yahaya Bello Campaign Organization in preparation for the 2015 gubernatorial election in Kogi State. Hon. Edward Onoja led young men who were considered political new kids on the block round the 3 senatorial districts canvassing for support for AYB; they were believed and their voice heard to a great extent as the delegates produced the votes which put Alhaji Yahaya Bello far ahead of other seasoned politicians with long experience in politics and made him the runner up in the primaries.
As divine providence would have it, Alhaji Yahaya Bello became the governor of Kogi State after the abrupt but sad passing away of Prince Abubakar Audu.
As a reward for his hard work and diligence in delivering results, Gov Yahaha Bello appointed Edward Onoja as his Chief of Staff.
In the second tenure of His Excellency Yahaya Bello, Edward Onoja is Became the Deputy Governor of Kogi State.
Chief Edward Onoja is married to Mrs. Ejura Mercy Onoja
Edward Onoja new appointment
Edward Onoja is now a Governing Board Member of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).