Date Published: 07/02/11

Jonathan's Cabinet: Why New Minister, Stella Oduah-Ogie​mwonyin, Stopped Her Ex Husband, Chris Ogiemwonyi​n

Fresh facts have emerged as to why former minister of state for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyin, was dropped from the ministerial list.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that the former minister was a sure bet from Edo state, who had been guaranteed a retention of his former portfolio, but his ex wife, well connected, highly influential and wealthy Stella Odua- Ogiemwonyin, threw spanner in the works.

According to our source, when President Goodluck Jonathan wanted to put together his cabinet in the last dispensation, Stella was pencilled down as a potential minister. But at that time she was still the third wife of Chris.

So in the interest of family, Stella agreed to step aside for her husband to fill her slot. At the end of the day Chris who is from Edo state picked the Junior minister 's portfolio in the works ministry, while Stella was compensated with the position of " Chief Accounting Officer" for the Jonathan/ Sambo Campaign Organization. She sat on billions of campaign cash.

Pointblanknews.com sources also hinted that Stella was also supposed to be Women Affairs minister in the last dispensation a position later filled by Josephine Annenih. Josephine who is a junior wife to PDP top gun, Tony Annenih, was later kicked aside so that Stella would emerge from Anambra.

Annenih's chances of returning paled sequel her alleged embezzlement of funds meant for female candidates in Anambra. . This development angered first lady, Patience Jonathan, who vowed Josephine would never return. Our source also hinted that Josephine was also in the habit of mocking the first lady at women gatherings, most especially her use of the English language.

According to our source, few months after Chris Ogiemwonyin became minister, he reconciled with his first wife, and concluded plans
to dump Stella, both of whom had used the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the Nigeria Gas Company( NGC) to enrich themselves.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that after the reconciliation, Chris went public to distance himself from Stella. The Ex minister was infuriated by reports linking him with Stella.

First , Stella who is President of Sea Petroleum and Gas (SPG), was alleged to have pocketed N 3.2 Billion meant for the training of repentant militants in the oil and gas sector. She was also fingered in sundry deals involving Zarkhem International which got dodgy contracts worth over $1. Billion from the NGC, a subsidiary of the NNPC, when Chris was the Managing Director.

When it was time for Jonathan to pick new ministers, Stella told him and the PDP she was ready to be minister, so Chris Ogiemwonyin was dropped. Curiously, She and Zainab Maina have been directed to see the SGF ,Pius Anyim, who will allot the portfolios. Our source said she may be sent to her ex husbands office, minister of state, Works, or women affairs ministry where Anenih held sway.

Said our source" Stella was supposed to be minister in the last dispensation, but she decided to step aside for her husband , Chris. She elected to face the running of SPG, and other deals. But few months after, Chris reconciled with his first wife. Stella felt used and did not like. Even then Josephine ( Anenih), was not supposed to pick the Anambra slot. "

Continued the source " when the story broke about the N 3 Billion alleged sca m involving Stella , and the Zakhem International shady deals involving her, Chris felt really embarrassed because his name kept coming up. They continued to call her minister's wife. No one is sure if their divorce is final, but she wanted Stella to stop using his name..she felt dumped. The irony is , both of them benefited from these deals because both worked with NNPC, he was MD of NGC."

Stella Oduah Ogiemwonyi has managed to keep her feet firmly on the ground. A blue-blood, Stella Oduah is the daughter of Igwe D. O. Oduah, Akili Ozizo of Ogbaru. Born on January 5, 1962 in Onitsha, Anambra State, knew exactly what she wanted from her early age. After her studies at St. Paul’s College, Lawrence Ville, Virginia in the United States in 1983, Oduah joined the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Speaking in an interview three years ago, Oduah explained why she joined the government owned corporation. “I wanted to be in oil and gas, and I felt my first leg should be in a national company and NNPC happened to be the in-thing at that time. It was either NNPC or banking and I just didn’t go into banking. I wanted oil and gas and so I was lucky I passed the interviewed at NNPC and I went in,” she had responded. In 1992, she took a bold step which confounded many of her colleagues, when she floated Sea Petroleum and Gas with a N200, 000 bank facilities. Her reason: “I don’t think I left NNPC to set up SPG.

"I left NNPC because I wanted to do something more challenging. I left NNPC because I wasn’t getting enough job satisfaction. That’s why I left."

A beautiful woman with a fearless gut that could make so many men question their masculinity, today, Oduah’s SPG, with a dodgy track record, has become an octopus in the oil and gas.