Anthony Ukpo
Encyclopedia
Stephen Anthony Ukpo was Minister of Information and Culture, and then Governor of Rivers State
, Nigeria
from August 1986 until July 1988 during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida
.
, Yala
, Cross River State
on 16 July 1947.
Joining the army, he was appointed Company Commander (1968), Battalion Commander (1969 and 1971 - 1973), Brigade Major (1970) and Instructor, Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
(1973 - 1974).
He was a member of the inner circle of army officers who arranged the bloodless coup on 27 August 1985 when General Muhammadu Buhari
was replaced by General Ibrahim Babangida
. After the coup he was appointed a member of the AFRC.
He was appointed deputy director, Defence Intelligence Agency (1985).
On 12 September 1985 he was sworn in as Minister of Information and Culture.
He was appointed military governor of Rivers State on 26 August 1986.
In this post, he inaugurated the provisional council of the Rivers State Polytechnic
.
He reassigned to become principal staff officer to President Ibrahim Babangida
in July 1988.
In this role in April 1990 Ukpo told reporters that 10 officers and more than 150 soldiers from the lower ranks had been arrested in an attempted coup attempt against Babangida.
He was retired as a Brigadier.
After retirement, he became a member of the board of directors of Skye Bank.
When Cross River state Governor Donald Duke
put up the Metropolitan Hotel for sale, Ukpo was said to have made the highest bid of N600 Million. His offer was turned down, and the hotel later sold for N200 Million.
In September 2008 he presented the results of a feasibility study for a mono-rail system of transportation in Port Harcourt. Ukpo was the leader of a partnership to construct the railway.
In October 2009 the Rivers State government
signed an agreement with TSI Property and Investment Holdings to undertake the project at a cost of $318 million. Ukpo said that the mono-rail would be the first of its kind in Africa.
In an interview in July 2009, Ukpo protested strongly against the recent transfer of 76 oil wells from Cross River State to Akwa Ibom State, and expressed hope that a committee set up by President Umaru Yar'Adua would find a politically reasonable solution.
Rivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from August 1986 until July 1988 during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
.
Military career
Ukpo was born in OkpomaOkpoma
Okpoma is the headquarters of Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. It is home of the Ukpo , Senator Gregory Ngaji, John Ogar Odey, Rose okoji oko,Prince AB Odey,Monsgnr. Patrick Idiku, Cyprian Oko and more...
, Yala
Yala, Nigeria
Yala is a Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Okpoma in the east of the area at.It has an area of 1,739 km² and a population of 210,843 at the 2006 census...
, Cross River State
Cross River State
Cross River State is a coastal state in southeastern Nigeria, bordering Cameroon to the east. Its capital is at Calabar, and it is named for the Cross River , which passes through the state...
on 16 July 1947.
Joining the army, he was appointed Company Commander (1968), Battalion Commander (1969 and 1971 - 1973), Brigade Major (1970) and Instructor, Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
(1973 - 1974).
He was a member of the inner circle of army officers who arranged the bloodless coup on 27 August 1985 when General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
was replaced by General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
. After the coup he was appointed a member of the AFRC.
He was appointed deputy director, Defence Intelligence Agency (1985).
On 12 September 1985 he was sworn in as Minister of Information and Culture.
He was appointed military governor of Rivers State on 26 August 1986.
In this post, he inaugurated the provisional council of the Rivers State Polytechnic
Rivers State Polytechnic
Rivers State Polytechnic is a tertiary learning institution in Bori, Khana Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. It has two campuses, one for the School of Management Sciences and the other for the School of Engineering....
.
He reassigned to become principal staff officer to President Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
in July 1988.
In this role in April 1990 Ukpo told reporters that 10 officers and more than 150 soldiers from the lower ranks had been arrested in an attempted coup attempt against Babangida.
He was retired as a Brigadier.
Later career
His wife, Sally Ufuoma Ukpo, was a teacher and in 2006 was running a travel and tours company.After retirement, he became a member of the board of directors of Skye Bank.
When Cross River state Governor Donald Duke
Donald Duke
Donald Duke was the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He received LLB degree in 1982 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Nigeria, the B.L in 1983 from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and the L.L.M...
put up the Metropolitan Hotel for sale, Ukpo was said to have made the highest bid of N600 Million. His offer was turned down, and the hotel later sold for N200 Million.
In September 2008 he presented the results of a feasibility study for a mono-rail system of transportation in Port Harcourt. Ukpo was the leader of a partnership to construct the railway.
In October 2009 the Rivers State government
Rivers State government
The Rivers State government consists of elected representatives and appointed officials responsible for the government of Rivers State, Nigeria....
signed an agreement with TSI Property and Investment Holdings to undertake the project at a cost of $318 million. Ukpo said that the mono-rail would be the first of its kind in Africa.
In an interview in July 2009, Ukpo protested strongly against the recent transfer of 76 oil wells from Cross River State to Akwa Ibom State, and expressed hope that a committee set up by President Umaru Yar'Adua would find a politically reasonable solution.