President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Nze Chidi Duru, the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as Chairman of the Governing Board for the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The appointment, effective from January 9, 2025, was formally communicated through a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Nze Duru, who holds the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), is a respected grassroots politician and accomplished businessman. His career in politics spans significant achievements, including his tenure as a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, where he represented Aguata Federal Constituency.
During his time in the legislature, Nze Duru played a pivotal role in the transformation of Nigeria’s economic landscape. Notably, he was instrumental in the passage of the Pension Reform Bill, which unlocked the potential of Nigeria’s contributory pension scheme, helping the industry grow its assets to an estimated 16 trillion Naira by 2025. As Chairman of the House Pension Reform Ad-hoc Committee, Nze Duru’s leadership was critical in ensuring the bill’s swift passage and President Olusegun Obasanjo’s subsequent assent.
Nze Duru also made significant contributions to Nigeria’s power sector. As Chairman of the House Committee on Privatization, he led reforms that unbundled the power sector into separate entities for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. His introduction of a technical competence-first approach to the bidding process helped remove political interference and resulted in the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) generating 300 billion Naira for the federal government.
Beyond his political career, Nze Duru has been a trailblazer in the business world. In 2004, he founded First Guarantee Pension Limited, one of Nigeria’s first licensed pension fund administrators. The company was eventually acquired by Access Bank and merged with Sigma Pension to form Access ARM Pension. He also founded CallPhone Limited, Nigeria’s first fintech company granted a Payment Solution Service license by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
As a businessman, Nze Duru has built a diverse portfolio through his Grand Tower Holding Company, which has interests in real estate development, hospitality, and distribution. He is also known for introducing the ShopRite supermarket franchise to Abuja, where he established the first outlet in the Federal Capital Territory.
Nze Duru is an alumnus of prestigious institutions, including Ambrose Alli University, Lagos Business School, the University of Navarra in Spain, and Harvard University.
The new appointment reinforces Nze Duru’s stature as a leader both in the political and business sectors.
