Sociologist, Anthropologist, Public Health Technocrat
Who was Elder Ozaka Bob Francis?
Born in 1942 in Igbogene town, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, he attended the famous Enitonna High School, Borikiri, Port Harcourt. Thereafter, he secured a scholarship and studied in the United States of America in the 1970s. He graduated with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, and also obtained an M.Sc. in Health Service Administration from the University of North Carolina.
In 1975, he was employed by the old Rivers State government and rose through the ranks to become a substantive director in the old Rivers State Civil Service. With the creation of Bayelsa State on October 1, 1996, he was appointed Director-General and later Permanent Secretary. In 1998, he was appointed Head of Service of Bayelsa State and retired untarnished in 2002. From 2003 to 2012, he served as a Federal Commissioner at the Federal Character Commission representing Bayelsa State. He was then appointed Chairman of the Bayelsa State Civil Service Commission from 2012 to 2017.
Elder Ozaka Bob Francis was a devoted Christian, being a staunch member of the Church of God Mission in Bayelsa State. He was married for 46 years and had five children. In 2023, he passed on peacefully at the age of 81.
Parents
He was born on July 5, 1942, to the Christian family of the late Mr. Francis Asigbibia Ozaka of Igbogene Epie and Mrs. Idoghu Marian Ogon of Agudama Epie, Yenagoa District, Eastern Nigeria, now Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Education
Young Bob Ozaka began his primary education in several schools during the late 1940s. Firstly, he attended St. Barnabas School, Igbogene-Epie (1948-1952), then St. Luke’s School, Agudama-Epie (1953-1954), and finally, between 1955 and 1956, he attended Central School, Okordia Zarama, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate. He was an intelligent student at Central School, Okordia Zarama, and distinguished himself among his peers. His tutors noticed his potential and funded his education, including paying for his Common Entrance Examination to enable him to access post-primary education. A notable teacher who sponsored him was the late Mr. S.S. Ojoko.
In 1957, he was admitted into the famous Enitonna High School, Port Harcourt, one of the oldest secondary schools in Eastern Nigeria, though privately owned. He completed his secondary education in 1961 and earned his Cambridge West African Certificate.
From 1962 to 1964, he attended the School of Hygiene, Lagos, where he obtained the Royal Society of Health Diploma for public health inspectors, now known as superintendents. Mr. Bob Ozaka briefly worked with the Federal Ministry of Health as a Port Health Officer in Lagos for five years before resigning to further his education.
In 1967, he secured a scholarship to study at Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA, an institution owned by the Presbyterian Mission. He majored in Sociology and Anthropology, graduating in 1971 as the second-best graduating student. He also won the Mrs. Kline Award for the best graduating student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
With high spirits and academic enthusiasm, he became the first African to enter the University of North Carolina’s Public Health Administrative Programme. He received encouragement from his home state, Rivers State, which awarded him a scholarship. He graduated in 1974 with an M.Sc. in Health Service Administration. He also served briefly as Programme Administrator for the Primary Healthcare Teaching Programme at Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee. He attended the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) in 1991.
Career Life
Elder Ozaka’s desire to serve his fatherland led him to relinquish his prestigious and white-collar job as a Trainee Manager with Beacon Blankets Company Limited in Swannanoa, North Carolina, the largest blanket company in the world at the time, and return to Nigeria in 1975.
In the civil service, he began his career with the old Rivers State government as an administrative officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, where he worked for three years before being posted to the Ministry of Finance. In 1978, he resigned from the civil service and took up an appointment with the defunct Delta Rubber Company Limited in Umuayagu/Okomoko, Etche, a Rivers State-owned company. He served as the firm’s secretary and was later promoted to become the first Secretary of the Rivers State Health Management Board, Port Harcourt.
In 1981, he was redeployed to the mainstream of the civil service, serving as Vice-Principal at the School of Health Technology, Port Harcourt, while Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo was the Principal. However, his relationship with Dr. Banigo was not harmonious, as he was relegated to the background administratively and stripped of duties. This frustration led him to seek assistance from his kinsman, Mr. Iti Thomas Ibitimi, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, who helped him secure a redeployment to the Ministry of Health as Deputy Director, responsible for Budget Management.
He later served in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism after the demise of the Director, Mr. Sunny Joe. When Bayelsa State was created in 1996, he was appointed one of the pioneer Director-Generals and later became one of the pioneer Permanent Secretaries when Director-Generals were re-designated as Permanent Secretaries.
Head of Service
On October 18, 1998, he was appointed Head of Service by the late DSP Alamieyesiegha-led government, where he served until his retirement in July 2002. In 2003, he was appointed as a member of the Federal Character Commission, where he represented Bayelsa State until 2012.
Commission Chairman
In 2012, Elder Ozaka was appointed Chairman of the Bayelsa State Civil Service Commission by former Governor Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, serving until 2017. Despite health challenges, he continued to contribute his expertise to the state’s civil service.
Family/Faith
Elder Ozaka was married to Elder Salome Ozaka in 1977, and they enjoyed 46 years of marriage, blessed with five children. He was a loving father who instilled discipline and academic excellence in his children.
In February 1991, he gave his life to Christ and became a committed member of the Church of God Mission International, Port Harcourt. He contributed to the establishment and construction of the Church of God Mission in his hometown, Igbogene, Igurubia City. He was ordained Deacon and later Elder by Archbishop Margaret Idahosa on December 19, 2001.
Awards
- In 2000, Merit Award from the Institute of Personnel Management, Rivers/Bayelsa Branch, for outstanding performance in leadership and people management.
- In 2001, Distinguished Sanitarian Award from the Professional Association of Environmental Health Officers of Nigeria.
- In 2002, Excellent Performance in Public Administration, RATTAWU, Eastern Zone.
- In 2006, Award in Recognition of Role as Pillar in the Church, PFN, Bayelsa State Chapter.
His Death
Elder Ozaka Bob Francis passed away on February 26, 2023, at his Igbogene residence, due to natural causes. He was 81 years old. He was interred in his hometown, Igbogene, on April 28, 2023.
