The year Nelson Mandela was sentenced to prison was the very year Michael Omeri Agbo Omeri was born. The year was 1964 and the place was Adamawa province (present day Adamawa state.)
Born to the family of Mr. Agbo Omeri and Mrs. Christiana Agbo Omeri, Young Mike had his early education at Saint Patrick’s Primary School Maiduguri, Government Teachers College Gindiri and Government Teachers College Zawan from 1970 to 1982.
Mike taught briefly at Keana South Primary School from 1982 to 1983, impacting knowledge to young Keanaians most of who are well established in their various endeavours today.
The parlance that “If you want to be made, come to Uni Maid” is true. He wanted to be made and so he went to the University of Maiduguri where he bagged a B.A in Mass Communications with second class (Hons) Upper Division, perhaps one of the early Alagos to study the new dynamic course in a Nigerian university. In 1990, Mike also attended the Centre for African Family Studies in Kenya.
Even at the time that degree was revered than it is today, Mike was not satisfied with a degree and his quest for knowledge led him to enroll for a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy at the University of Jos from 1991 to 1992.
Mike worked in so many places, including Jos Steel Rolling Company as Industrial Relations Officer from 1989 to 1990, Programme Officer (Promotions) of Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, (PFN) Jos from 1990 to 1992, and was later promoted the State Manager of the PFN.
In answering his calling, Mike was the Head of Publicity, Arewa House in 1994. He also served as Director of Press Affairs in Plateau and Nasarawa states from 1994 to 1997.
In 1997 he was appointed Nasarawa state Commissioner of Social Development, Youths, Sports and Culture. He also served as Commissioner of Information and later, commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport. It is worthy of mentioning here that it was during his tenure as Commissioner of Housing and Transport that the only two government housing estate in Lafia were built, Nasara Estate and Abdullahi Adamu Estate ( a federal government project). The famous “on the move” or what we call in Keana “Moto ko foooo” the state government’s transport company’s commercial bus came on board when he was member of the state executive council.
It was during his tenure as Commissioner of Housing that new houses were constructed at the Workers Village Lafia and the old ones were renovated, the Dalhatu Specialist Hospital Lafia, and the Government House along Shendam road Lafia were constructed.
He also started the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) as Commissioner of Information.
It was in recognition of his immense contribution to Keana community that the Osana of Keana, the amiable Emmanuel Oyatikpo Elayo in 2006 turbaned him as the Obowu kha Keana, (shelter for Keanaians) and true to the meaning of the title, Obowu as he is fondly called today is providing shelter or shade to the people of Keana.
Michael Omeri Agbo Omeri had a taste of the banking sector as he served as the Public Relations Manager of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria from 1999 to 2002, State Controller of the same bank in Lafia from 2002 to 2003 and Manager Secretariat at the bank’s headquarters in Abuja from 2003 to 2004.
Mike was a partner (consultant), in the firm of Gulf of Guinea Consulting Ltd Abuja with varied experience in Sao Tome, Gabon, Angola and other countries in the region since 2005, until his recent appointment as Special Adviser to the Senate President on Politics and Governmental Matters.
The office of the Senate President is the third in hierarchy in the country. You will agree with me that the office is not only an exulted one but also strategic that requires expertise, wisdom, brilliance, hard work, statecraft and commitment.
It was against this background that the President of the Senate, our own distinguish and amiable Senator (Dr) David Mark GCON, in his own wisdom appointed an alumnus of Unimaid, a PR practitioner, a banker, a former class room teacher, consummate politician, a technocrat and a lover of his community, Mr. Michael Omeri Agbo Omeri as SPECIAL ADVISER ON POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL MATTERS.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan also realises the potentials in this Kean son, thus his appointment as the Director, Planning, Research and Strategy of the Goodluck Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation.
Omeri is a member of many professional associations like the Federation of African Public Relations Association (FAPRA), Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) and the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM)
He has traveled to United Arab Emirates, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Isreal and Kenya. UK, Soauth Africa and many other countries.
Omeri has served in about eleven committees including Assets Determination Committee for Nasarawa state from Plateau.
This man standing speaks Alago, English, Hausa and Swahili.Written by Suleiman Odapu, Personal Assistant to Mr. Mike Omeri
