SENATOR LIYEL IMOKE – GOVERNOR OF CROSS RIVER

SENATOR LIYEL IMOKE – GOVERNOR OF CROSS RIVER Senator Liyel Imoke was born on July 10, 1961 at Ibadan in the then Western Region of Nigeria. He had his early education in a number of primary schools: Santa Maria Primary School, Enugu, Ireti Primary School Lagos and Government Primary School, Itigidi where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1973. He proceeded to Mary Knoll College, Okuku, Ogota for his secondary education where he earned his West African School Certificate from Federal Government College, Enugu, 1877.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (Major) and Economics (Minor) at the University of Maryland, College Park in the United States. He graduated in 1982 and went on to study Law at the University of Buckingham, England, earning an LLB degree in 1985. He obtained Master’s in Law at American University in Washington D.C. and completed his legal training at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1988.
Senator Liyel was thrust into national prominence when he was appointed as a Special Adviser by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. He also served as Executive Chairman of OMPADEC, Chairman of the Technical Board of the then NEPA.
In July 2003, Senator was appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Power and Steel. He implemented the comprehensive reforms in the Power Sector Reform Bill in 2005, which resulted in the promulgation of Nigerian Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 that led to the establishment of the Nigerian Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Rural Electrification Agency
Senator Imoke was elected Governor of Cross River State on April 14, 2007. Although the election was annulled by Election Appeal Tribunal in July 2008, which necessited a re-run in August the same year, his previous victory was validated as he won again with a landslide.
Governor Liyel Imoke has received many awards including the Thisday Award as Best Governor in Tourism Development for 2008. He is a member of the Nigeria Bar Association, Honorary fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, amongst others.