Nigerian academic administrator (born 1951)
Ivara Ejemot Esu OFR, (born 3 May 1951) is a Nigerian politician, academic administrator and professor and is the former Deputy Governor of Cross River State. He hails from Agwagune in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. He holds the Nigerian National Honours Award in the rank of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) conferred on him by President Obasanjo in 2005 and the Cross River State Honours Merit Award conferred on him by Governor Donald Duke in 2004 for carrying out excellent management reforms at the University of Calabar. Esu has held many positions of responsibility such as Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar (2000–2005); Honourable Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation (Jan–May 2007); Member, Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization (TCPC), Presidency, Lagos (1990–1992); Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development Cross River State (1992–1993); Chairman Federal Medical Centre Board, Owerri (2009–2011) and chairman, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi (2012–2015) and was an Elder Statesman Delegate at the 2014 National Conference of Nigeria.
Esu is a Soil Scientist (Pedologist) who has taught in various tertiary institutions, some of which include; the Kaduna Polytechnic; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Calabar, University of Uyo and the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.
Early life.
Ivara Ejemot Esu was born into the family of Jonathan and Ada Ejemot Esu at Agwagune, in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State. His father was a businessman, whose encouragement motivated him to get to the peak of his educational career. Ivara Esu received his primary education at Presbyterian Primary School Itigidi, Abi Local Government Area in Cross River State between 1957 and 1963. He attended Presbyterian Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state from 1964 to 1967, Community Secondary Grammar School, Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area from 1968 to 1969 and Mary Knoll College, Okuku, Yala Local Government Area from January–September 1970. He studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Ife, now referred to as Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife between 1970 and 1974 where he obtained a second-class honours, (upper division) in Agriculture. Between 1971 and 1974, he won and studied with the German Academic Exchange Scholarship reserved for the Best performing students in faculties. He also attended the University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus USA between 1976 and 1978 where he obtained an MSc in Soil Science. In 1982, he went ahead to obtain a PhD in Pedology from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Career.
Esu started his career in 1975 as an Assistant Lecturer in Soil Science at the Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna State and progressed steadily to the rank of a professor of Pedology in 1994, at the age of 43. During these years, he taught at the Kaduna Polytechnic, National Institute of Water Resources, Kaduna, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Calabar, University of Ghana (visiting scholar) and the University of Uyo where he was an adjunct professor. He also served as Dean of Agriculture, Provost of Okuku Campus, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) and later became the Vice Chancellor, all at the University of Calabar. He taught Pedology, Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, to different groups of students and has supervised several BSc, MSc and PhD dissertations and theses in his over 30 years teaching and research career.
Personal life.
Esu is married to Omotunde Abosede Ivara Esu, a permanent secretary in the Cross River State Government and they have four children.