Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, fondly referred to as ‘Okey’ by his family members, hails from Ofeme village in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State. The village is about 25 kilometers away from Umuahia town.
A visit by Daily Trust to the village showed that he is from a family of five and the first son of his mother, and second of his father, who was a Reverend of the Methodist Church.
Local sources say, however, that he is not very well-known in his community, probably because he has not sought political office before. Efforts were made to locate some extended family members, but most of them were said to have gone to their farms.
Daily Trust met Ekeleme Nwosu, a cousin of Dr. Enelamah’s. The senior citizen said the family excitedly received the news of their cousin’s ministerial nomination.
“We all prayed hard that he accepts the nomination. To us, it was a surprise because he is not a politician, and he has never contested any election before. I also recall that he has rejected several political appointments in the past,” Nwosu said, adding that Dr. Enelamah was an ‘old boy’ of Government College Umuahia.
At university, he first graduated as a medical doctor before qualifying as a chartered accountant. He has an MBA from the prestigious Harvard Business School, Massachusetts, USA and is also a chartered financial analyst.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of African Capital Alliance Limited (ACA), a leading private equity firm – a terrain he was adequately prepared for after, working with Zephyr Management L.P in New York and South Africa Capital Growth Fund in Johannesburg.
Dr. Enelamah, who also worked for leading outfits – Arthur Andersen and Goldman Sachs and currently serves on the boards of several companies and not-for-profit organizations. (Daily Trust)
