IMO STATE COMMISSIONER RES PONSIBLE FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE Mr. Oji OdoOkereke, son of H.R.H Eze Isaiah Odo Okereke and Madam Oyinnaya Okereke, was bom on July 3, 1936 in Akanu Ohafia, Ania Com munity in Arochukwu, Ohafia Local Government area. Hehad his primary education at the Church of Scotland Mission School, Akanu Ohafia (1943-1947) and pro ceeded to HopeWaddell Training Insti tute, Calabar (1948-1954) where he obtained CambridgeSchool Certificate Grade 1. Mr Okereke, in quick succession, went to Technical Institute Yaba for the Institute's Diploma in Mechanical Enginerring (1954-1955), and also studied at University College Ibadan (1955-1960), where he obtained B.Sc (London) with honours in Physics. At Brace Research Institute, Barbados, West Indies, he did research on new energy sources as a Ford Foun dation Research Fellow in 1964, and was finallv elected member of the Institute of Physics (M. Inst. P.) Lon don in 1975. Back home in Nigeria, Mr Okereke was appointed Research Officer in the Federal Institute of Research, Oshodi in 1960, and through hard work, he rose in 1964, to Senior Research Offi cer and Head of the Physics Labora tory. In 1966 he returned to Enugu and served in the Industrial Research Divi sion of the Ministry of Industries and also in the Research and Production (RAP)respectively. At the inception of the East Central State Project Development Agency (PRODA) in 1971, he was appointed Principal Research Officer from where he rose to Chief Research Officer in charge of the Laboratories in 1976. However, he voluntarily withdrew from the Public Service temporarily and was appointed General Manager ONIK PLASTICS LIMITED. Mr. Okereke, has made some useful contribution in the technological field. While working, in 1961, at the Tropi cal Products Institute, London, as a visiting Research Fellow, he establi shed in a paper published that Gmelina (Aroborea) a tropical hardwood can be used for making low grade writing paper. This subsequently led to the establi shment of Gmelina planatations in several parts of the country. He built and tested the first solar water heater in Nigeria in 1962. He was among the team that built and tested the first garri making machine at F.I.l.R. Oshodi. In his other services to the nation, he was a member of the three man Nigerian delegation to the United Nations Conference on New Sources of Energy held in Rome, also was among the Nigerian participants in the Summar Institute of Cornell Univer sity USA on Development of Science and Technology in Developing Nations Mr. Oji Okereke, has served his community as secretary, Ohafia Im provement Union, Secretary Akanu Development Association and Chair man of the Planning Committee of the Ohafia Improvement Union. He enjoys reading, playing droughts chess and billiards. Mr. Okereke is happily married to Mrs. Akanele Okereke (nee Akanele Okoroafor) and is blessed with six children, five boys and a girl.
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