What you need to know about Obaseki

The Nigeria politician Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki was born 1 July, 1957 in Benin city, Nigeria. Obaseki is the third child of Late Pa Roland Obaseki and Gbinigie of Owina Street, Ogbelaka Quarters, Benin city.

He attended St. Matthew's primary school education and proceeded to Eghosa Grammar school for secondary education in Benin city.

Obaseki thereafter proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classics. For his mandatory one year National Youth Service, he served in Jos, Plateau State. He later left Nigeria for the United States to attend Columbia University and Pace University in New York, where he obtained an MBA in Finance and International Business.

Obaseki holds post graduate degrees in both Finance and International Business, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, Nigeria.

Obaseki is the founding secretary, (1992), of a US-based Africa Chamber of Commerce. He was also a Director of Junior Achievement of Nigeria – the local affiliate of international Not For Profit Organisation.

He later left local affiliate of international and began his career as a stockbroker in 1983 with capitl Trust brokers Limited, Lagos state. then he transfered his services to the international Merchant Bank.

In 1988, Obaseki moved to AVC Funds Limited where he served as a project Manager in Lagos. He moved back to New York and worked as a Principal of Equatorial Finance Company, a Financial Advisory firm. He focused on Africa and provided Structured Trade Finance for African-related transactions.

In 1995, Godwin Obaseki founded Afrinvest West Africa Limited (formerly Securities Transactions & Trust Company Limited (SecTrust), which has grown to become one of the most reputable investment banking and management firms in Nigeria.
Then he later stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afrinvest in September, 2016.

He was sworn in as the governor on 12 November 2016. He was the Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team inaugurated by former Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009.

Obaseki served as executive board member of several private companies including Afrinvest. He is the recipient of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) award for best performing Governor of the year in October 2019.

But before Obaseki become the Edo state Governor, he served as Chairman of the Economic and Strategy team. In that capacity, he pioneered a number of policy reforms that saw the state restructure its public finance, secure funding for infrastructure and improve the business envirinment to attract investment in power, agriculture and other critical sectors.

Aside these, some of his other reforms include:

-injecting a culture of regular retreats as a platform for engagement and consensus building in planning, executing and evaluating state development initiatives and their outcomes
-N25 Billion Infrastructure Development Bond from the Nigerian Capital Market in 2010
-inspiring Sector-based Economic Summits and Policy Dialogue Series

For seven years in the administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, his predecessor, he served as voluntary Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team as well as Chairman of Tax Assessment Review Committee for Edo State Internal Revenue Service (TARC) and the Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), respectively.

Before serving at the sub-national level, Obaseki served on the Presidential Committee on the Reform of the Nigerian Pension System, which facilitated the introduction of the contributory pension scheme and other novel pension reforms.

He publicly stated in October 2019 that he will be running for a second term in the State’s Gubernatorial election coming up in 2020 stating that his re-election is non-negotiable.

He was controversially disqualified from contesting in the APC primary elections by the screening committee due to his disagreements with the National chairman of the party and his predecessor in office comrade Adams Oshiomole.