Rahma Ahmed
By Ahmed Rahma
A foremost lawyer, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Mr Chinedu Munir Nwoko, popularly known in business, entertainment and political world as Ned Nwoko, has been selected as the grand patron of the National Association of Online Security Reporters (NAOSRE).
A statement from the group explained that Mr Nwoko, in his new role, is expected to play an advisory role in guiding the leadership of NAOSRE in key security information dissemination for a safer Nigeria.
NAOSRE is an association made up of the finest hands in Nigeria’s security reportage. The team is led by Mr Oyewale Femi, a seasoned journalist with many years of experience.
He led the association to the Abuja residence of the former lawmaker from Delta State to confer him with the honour. It was disclosed that this was on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Mr Nwodo, the husband of the popular actress, Regina Daniels, is a businessman, who turns 60 later this month.
According to his profile on Wikipedia, he was born into a royal family in Idumuje Ugboko kingdom in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
He had his early education in Nigeria before moving to the United Kingdom, where he had his first degree in law and history at the University of Keele, Staffordshire and was called to the English bar, at Lincoln’s Inn.
Mr Nwoko is the founder of the tourism destination Mount Delta, one of 21 tourism sites approved by Delta state government comprising a museum, farm, zoo, fishponds, poultry and a 9-hole golf course.
The former member of the House of Representatives is a strong advocate of Malaria eradication in Africa. He is the initiator of the Ned Nwoko Malaria Eradication Foundation and flagged off the Ned Nwoko Malaria Eradication campaign via a symbolic expedition to Antarctica in January 2020.
The foundation is supporting the existing efforts of vaccine development by funding research for the anti-malaria vaccine through a partnership with leading universities in Africa.
Mr Nwoko is reputed to have helped Nigeria for the London and Paris Club loans as he authored the reports that led to Nigeria government’s discontinuation of monthly deductions from states’ allocations and commencement of refunds to states.
Through his law firm, Ned Nwoko Solicitors and his company, he investigated the multinational creditors and discovered discrepancies in loan repayments, and this resulted in the refund of the first tranches of loan during President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
He also charged the federal government to court on behalf of 774 Local governments for the refund of illegal deductions and obtained judgment of $3.2 billion for the local governments and the refund began in line with the court judgment of 2013.
