By joshua 
Prof Stephen Ikani Ocheni, PhD, FCNA, FCTI, FCPA, is a Professor of Public Sector Accounting who served as Minister, Federal Reupblic of Nigeria under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari during his first tenure in which he distinguished himself outstandingly. He has also served in different capacities in the Federal Civil Service.
Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni, is a competent academic scholar and has distinguished himself as a public servant in different capacities such as Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration under late Prince Abubakar Audu from 1999 to 2003.
He has also served as Chairman, Presidential Visitation Panel to the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, April-June, 2021.
He has been actively involved in curriculum development in the Country’s tertiary institutions.
Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni, holds the following Traditional Titles:
The Omachi Attah-Igala Kingdom (Waali), confered on him by The Attah-Igala and Chairman Kogi State Council of Chiefs in 2010.
The Olimene Etemahi of Igalamela (Dogaa), conferred on him by the Etemahi and chairman, Igalamela/Odolu Traditional Council.
The Oga-EJEH Dekina (Edee), conferred on him by the then Ag. Chairman, Igala Area Traditional Council in 2020.
Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni have robust educational background from Enugu State University of Science and Technology where he obtained Master’s Degree in Finance in 1990, proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and graduated with the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance Management in 2004. Professor Ocheni has served as a Professor of Accounting, Kogi State University, Anyigba and Visiting Professor to other Universities including, Nile University, Abuja and the University of Calabar.
Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni also went to Haward University in Washington DC, United States of America where he obtained a certificate in “Strategies for Home Ownership”.
Professor Ocheni has the following Profesional recognitions and awards:
Fellow, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (FCNA);
Fellow, Charted Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCTI)
Fellow, Charted Institute of Economics of Nigeria (FCE);
Fellow, Charted Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria (FCPA)
Fellow, African Business School (FABS); Fellow, Association of forensic and investigative Professionals of Nigeria (FAFIP),
Fellow, Nigeria Accounting Association (FNAA).
He was elected twice as Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba and won full Accreditation for the Faculty between 2015 and 2017.
Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni is an extraordinary prolific writer who has published widely in national and international journals, and has written many academic books.
He was appointed by His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello as Chairman, Kogi State Ad-hoc Committee on Fiscal Responsibility in 2016 to work out Strategies for the Introduction and Implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Professor Ocheni’s Fiscal Responsibility Report led to the introduction of the government policy on Treasury Single Account (TSA) and contributory Pension Scheme in Kogi State 2017.
His report is also instrumental to the newly established Kogi State Pension Commission, a Single Pension Administrative body in the state.
As a member of the Federal Executive council, Professor Ocheni gave a good account of himself through remarkable memos to the Federal Executive council drawing attention to the development needs of the people of Kogi state .
Chiefly among them are, the memos to the federal Executive council seeking for the completion of the Idah-Odolu -Nsukka road and the control of the deadly erosion site in Dekina town,Dekina Local Government Area of kogi State.
His efforts, especially the memo for the erosion control in Dekina paid off as the Ecological Fund Office under the Secretary to the Government of the Federation awarded the contract and the project successfully completed within record time.
As a matter of fact, the people of the area whose houses would have gone into extinction as a result of the ravaging erosion menace will remain ever grateful to Professor Ocheni for bringing their plight to the attention of the Federal Government.
Also during his period as Minister, Professor Ocheni influenced the siting of a Federal Government Skills Acquisition Center at Uwowo in Igala mela/Odolu local government area. This project has been fully completed with the state of the art facilities and set to take in students from different parts of the state that are willing to acquire necessary skills that will make them to become self reliant and employers of Labour.
Similarly, he used his position as Minister of State for Labour and Employment to influence Job opportunities for numerous youths of the state both in the formal and informal sectors.
Even outside public office, Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni has leverage on his goodwill, which has enabled him to continue to attract more job opportunities for youths that are not gainfully
employed.
He has aptly demonstrated this popular saying that, “it is not how long ,but how well”. This is against the backdrop of the fact that Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni spent just a short period in the federal Executive Council. Many of his admirers believed that he could have done more for the people of the state if he had stayed longer in Office.
The clamour therefore for Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni to join the race to Lugard House come 2023 is not a misplaced call. The call on Professor Ocheni to come out and vie for the number One seat in Kogi state is so novel that it has no ethnic or religious colouration, a phenomenon that has denied the emergence of good leadership in Nigeria.
For instance, a group, the Bliss Foundation whose primary objective is the promotion and advancement of democracy and good governance in the Country, at a press conference in Lokoja, enjoined Professor Ocheni to contest the Kogi state Governorship position.
According to the Foundation, Professor Ocheni is eminently qualified to occupy the Governorship seat given his academic and administrative experiences.
The Foundation added that Professor Ocheni has within the period of his public service demonstrated genuine service ,which has made him an outstanding kogite who is believed to have the capacity to properly govern the state, if given the opportunity.
Also a political Movement group from Kogi Central, while honoring Professor Ocheni in Lokoja with a meritorious service award, said the University Don was best fitted for the Lugard House in Kogi state.
The spokesperson of the Group, Alhaji Ibrahim, noted that the antecedent of excellence and selflessness in service over the years, makes Professor Ocheni the best choice for the job of Governor of Kogi State.
Other prominent individuals and stakeholders of Kogi state in their separate calls, advised the people to give Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni a chance in view of the fact that, in the leadership ladder,there must be room for succession for those who have learned the ropes.
As the All Progressives Congress, APC, get set for it’s Governorship primary election, the Party must present credible, knowledgeable, experienced and committed personality in the person of Professor Stephen Ikani Ocheni to fly its flag in the November 2023 Governorship election.
This is not the time for experiment, but the period to frontally confront how best Kogi state can occupy its pride of place in the commity of States in Nigeria.