Chidi Izuwah: The man that came ahead of his time
Today in Amaede village, Ovungwu, Isiala Ngwa South Loc a l Government of Abia state, the remains of Engr Chidi Kennedy Chikezie Izuwah (Snr), the late Director-general/chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure Concessions Regulatory Commission (ICRC) would be laid to rest after a successful career in the public service. Aged 56 years, Izuwah could be described as the one of the best experts on Public-private Partnership Nigeria ever produced. He saw far ahead of his time.
Fondly called ‘Izuwah C’ by friends and admirers, he was born to HRH Eze Augustine E.N Izuwah (KSJI) and Professor Lucy U.N Izuwah on the 23rd March 1965 at Umunko in Isiala Ngwa LGA, Abia state. The circumstances surrounding his birth and survival was the first streak of resilience shown by Chidi, as many children may perhaps have not survived that trauma. He was the first of seven siblings
According to family history, growing up, Chidi was a boisterous, happy and very active young boy. When the Biafran war broke out in 1966, his parents were involved in the distribution of food relief in their village and he witnessed first-hand, at a young age, the impact of humanitarian service. This formed an impression in his young mind and filled him with a passion to serve; a passion that guided him throughout his life. As the civil war intensified, his father evacuated the entire Izuwah family to Mbaise (in Imo State) where they remained until the war ended in December 1969.
After the war, young Chidi started his primary school education in the local church which had been demarcated to serve as a make-shift school. Due to the nature of his father’s work as a civil servant and a divisional officer, the family moved to Ogwu in Ogbaru LGA and later Enugu. but following the creation of Imo state, they relocated to Owerri in 1976 and was enrolled into Shell Camp primary school, Owerri.
An extremely intelligent student, he passed his secondary school entrance examination and was offered a place at Government College Umuahia (GCU), one of the foremost secondary schools established by the then British colonial government. Chidi excelled academically and sat for the West African School Certificate Examination (WASC) in his fourth year, a year earlier than usual. Although he passed all his papers, his father insisted he must complete his fifth year because he was very young. The next year, he secured admission into the University of Nigeria Nsukka to study Civil Engineering and graduated with second class degree upper division.
He completed his National Youth Service programme in 1986 at Dowell Slumberger Oil Service Company in Rivers state and later went on to work as a lecturer in fluid mechanics, fluvial hydraulics and hydropower Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt from 1987. While working there, he won a place to proceed for his master’s degree in Hydraulics Engineering at the University of Newcastle.
On his return from England, he secured a job in Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 1989. Engr. Chidi had a very successful 20 year career in the oil and gas sector. Some of the projects he managed include; the Bonny Terminal Major Tank Rehabilitation Project, Port Harcourt Industrial Area Standby Central Power Plant High Pressure Gas Supply Project, Bonga floating production Storage and Offloading (FPSO)
Mooring and Installation etc. He was the Contract Asset Manager for the EA FPSO Offshore Bayelsa State and Corporate Pipelines Asset Manager responsible for Shell´s entire crude oil evacuation and export network in Nigeria. During the peak of the infamous Niger Delta militancy, Chidi and his team were responsible for keeping Nigeria’s crude flowing.
Izuwah joined the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission in 2009 as the pioneer Executive Director, Public Private Partnership Resource Department (ED P3RD) and rose to the position of Acting Director General (DG) in 2017 and substantive DG in 2019. As ED P3RD, he was responsible for catalyzing Public and Private expertise and resources towards putting in place a worldclass Public Private Partnership (PPP) precontract regulatory framework and guidelines for driving the preparation and development phase of Federal PPP Projects. He excelled in this role. He set up a highly functional and result oriented Department from scratch.
He facilitated the initiation and continuous collaboration of ICRC with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to establish PPP Units in Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAS) principally to facilitate infrastructure service delivery through well-prepared and viable PPP projects. In fact, as at 2020, about 59 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS) had inaugurated their PPP units, which are manned by experienced professionals in the field of PPP courtesy of the capacity building they received from ICRC under him.
He equally championed the formation and establishment of the Nigerian Public Private Partnership Network (NPPPN). The NPPPN was established as a collaborative platform for knowledge and experience sharing amongst PPP agencies at the Federal and sub-national level.
As Acting DG of ICRC in 2017, Izuwah worked with the ICRC and World Bank Group to build and launch the first ever in the world - PPP Contracts Information Disclosure Web Portal. One of the key objectives of the disclosure portal is among others is to entrench accountability, integrity and transparency in PPP transactions in Nigeria.
In 2019, also under his leadership, Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) gave approvals for several projects which were earlier granted the Full Business Case Compliance Certificates by the ICRC. More projects that made significant progress in 2019 include the Federal Ministry of Health Warehouse in a Box (WIB) Project contract signing, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development concession of 19 silos in various parts of the country agreement signing, the Federal Ministry of Power Headquarters Roof Top Solar Power Project commercial close, signing of a $629 million financing facility by the Lagos state government for the completion of the Lekki Deep Seaport project through PPP, ongoing construction of DICONSUR Military Clothing Joint Venture (JV) PPP Factory in Kaduna state.
Other PPP projects include the Ajaokuta Kaduna-kano (AKK) Natural Gas Pipeline Project being developed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Bonny Deepwater Port FBC Certification, Ibom Deep Water Port in Akwa Ibom State nearing commercial close, signing of concession agreement for the Gurara 1 Hydropower Plant in Kaduna state and PPP for Nigeria’s National Highway Development and Management Initiative being driven by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to transform highways.
Izuwah ensured OBC certification to the Federal Ministry of Aviation for the concession of four International Airports in Abuja, Lagos,
Kano and Port. Other aviation projects to be handled by PPP, include the Development of a Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) Facility and Establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company (ALC), both in their procurement phases.
In addition, the ECOWAS Biometric Cards project, which proposes the adoption of smart card and biometric technology to secure the identification of migrants and enhance regional security, was approved by FEC in November 2019 and has proceeded to contract signing under his steer.
Another major milestone ICRC recorded under Izuwah was the opening, activation and operationalization of the Special Concession Account (SCA). The activation of this account has helped the Federal Government of Nigeria to determine the exact amount accruing from PPP projects for the purpose of transparency, accountability and probity.
To consolidate on its PPP knowledge and capacity through training programmes, the Commission under the guidance of Engr. Chidi established a PPP Academy with the name Nigeria Institute of Infrastructure and Public Private Partnership (NII3P). NII3P is the first dedicated infrastructure and PPP capacity building institute in West Africa and runs world class PPP trainings. It is noteworthy that no challenge was insurmountable for Engr. Izuwah
Under Chidi’s leadership as DG, ICRC team won the Africa Infrastructure Regulator of the year award in 2018 (named by Africa Investor Magazine) and became Number one (1) with respect to Freedom of Information amongst all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government in Nigeria. ICRC was also named the African PPP Champion in 2020.
Engr. Chidi was a man of excellence in everything he did; he continually sought to acquire knowledge and complementary skills needed to represent Nigeria and remain competitive on the world stage. He was an alumni of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he undertook an executive education course on, Infrastructure in a market Economy in 2010.
In 2011, he participated in the Finance and Accounting for Non Finance Executives course in Columbia Business School. He acquired a level 1 Certificate from the International Finance Faculty in London and passed the APMG certified PPP Professional (CP3P) Foundation Examination in September 2017. Chidi is also an alumni of the Harvard Wharton, Columbia University and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad having participated in many executive education trainings.
Engr. Chidi also partnered in other PPP initiatives across the globe. He was member of the strategic steering committee of the World Association of PPP Professionals (WAPPP), the co-president for the African Public Private Partnership Network (AP3N).
He got married to Dr. Doris Ngozichukwuka Duruewuru on the 11th of November 2000 and their marriage is blessed with three children. Together they co-founded the OLG Autism Foundation, one of the foremost education centres for children with special needs in Nigeria. Until his death, Chidi served as the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the foundation while his wife serves as the Clinical Director. He was also the Co-founder/chairman of the Defeat Autism in Nigeria (DAIN) Advocacy Project.
Sadly, Chidi became sick last November and despite every effort to save him he died on the 16th of March 2021and is being buried today in his home town in Abia state. Adieu great Nigerian patriot.