Osita Benjamin Chidoka (born 18 July 1971) is a Nigerian politician, public servant and administrator. He was Nigeria's Minister of Aviation under President Goodluck Jonathan and also served as Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Early life and education
Osita Chidoka was born in Enugu, Nigeria, to Benjamin Ejikeme Chidoka and Victoria Nneka Chidoka at Charity Maternity Home, Enugu. He had his primary education at Ziks Avenue Primary School in Enugu and St. Vincent De Paul Nursery School in Enugu, and secondary education at Union Secondary School in Enugu between 1982 and 1988. He thereafter proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management. He also holds a Masters of Public Policy degree from the School of Public Policy at George Mason University in the United States of America. He has a Certificate in Global Strategy and Political Economy from Oxford University UK, and a Graduate Diploma in Maritime and Ports Management from the National University of Singapore.
Career
Osita Chidoka began his public sector career with the Federal Capital Development Authority in Abuja. Shortly after completing his National Youth Service Corps, he won the National Youth Service Corps FCT Honours Award and gained automatic employment with the Federal Capital Development Authority. As a public servant, he contributed to national development through his services as the Secretary to the National Committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Nigeria in 1998, which earned him a papal commendation. He also served as a member of the Committee for the Review of the Abuja Master Plan. Osita also led the Committee for the Drafting of Nigeria's National Policy on Non-Motorized Forms of Transportation and was the Assistant Secretary of the Committee for the Military-Civilian Handover in 1999. He also served as personal assistant to the minister of state in the Federal ministry of Works and Housing, personal assistant to the minister of transport, and special assistant to the senior adviser to the president on legal matters.
After a public sector career, Chidoka joined Mobil Producing Nigeria, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, as a senior adviser on government and business relations. It was in this role, in 2007, that the then president of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, sought him out and appointed him as the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Osita was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 as the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the age of 35, making him the youngest ever to hold the position. His leadership of the FRSC led to the transformation of the Corps into a functional lead agency for road traffic administration and safety management in the country, driven by information and communication technology. Under Osita's leadership, FRSC built a reliable offenders’ register and database of drivers and vehicles in the country, leading to ECOWAS' adoption of the Nigerian model in the planned Regional Vehicle Administration Information System for other West African countries. The creation of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (2012–2016) was achieved through an all-inclusive process that ensured inter-agency ownership of the process. He also introduced the fully biometric and globally acceptable driver’s license, revamped the number plate issuing system making it possible to search and identify vehicle owners on the go and linked to their vehicle insurance and built the ultra-modern number plate production facility in Abuja and Awka as well as a modern world-class Academy in Udi, Enugu State. Budgetary allocation to the agency also increased from 6Bn in 2007 to 31Bn in 2014. The agency also attracted $10M world bank funding to improve safety on selected corridors and build human capacity through exchange programme with California Highway Patrol and about 100 staff benefitted from the program. FRSC became the first Law Enforcement Agency in Africa to be ISO 9001Quality Management system certified.