A Brief Biography of the Founder of the Foundation
CHIEF OMUYA was born on February 9, 1954, in Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He attended the Government Secondary School, Okene, between 1968 and 1972, where he obtained Division One (Distinction) in the West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC). Between 1973 and 1974, he was at Offa Grammar School, Offa, Kwara State, where he graduated with distinction in the Higher School Certificate Examinations (HSC).
A man with a long record of distinctions, Chief J.O. Omuya (as he is fondly called) graduated with a First Class (B.Sc.) Honors degree in Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria in 1977 and a M.Sc. in Accounting and Finance from the same institution in 1980.
Chief Omuya is the recipient of several honors, prizes, and awards. He won the Best Arts Students Scholarship at Offa Grammar School, Offa, in 1974; the Isa Dutse Memorial Prize for the best all-round performance in the Faculty of Administration at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1975; the National Merit Award (Scholarship) in 1977; the Bruce Great Batch Prize for the outstanding all-round performance by a graduate in the Faculty of Administration; and the Bank of the North Prize for the top graduating student in Accounting at ABU, Zaria, in 1977.
He is a man with a voracious appetite for professionalism. He is a Fellow or Member of many professional bodies, among which are the British Institute of Management (MBIM), the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, United Kingdom (FCCA), the Institute of Management Consultants (MIMC), the Nigeria Institute of Management (MNIM), the Institute of Directors (MIoD), and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCITN), among others.
Chief J.O. Omuya is a recipient of a Certificate of Merit for selfless service as Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, Editorial Board, Money Market Association of Nigeria (1995) and Chairman, Advisory Committee, Money Market Association of Nigeria (1996). The list is not exhaustive, but the icing on the cake was when he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, “for his contributions to the development of humanity, his entrepreneurial acumen, and his intellectual ingenuity,” by the Kogi State University, Anyigba, in 2005.
In the course of Chief Dr. Omuya’s working experience, he traversed both the public and private sectors as a trainee accountant, senior consultant, lecturer, assistant general manager, deputy general manager, director, managing director, and chief executive officer (CEO) of first-class organizations. He has served as a member of the boards of directors and trustees of about seventeen (17) nationally and internationally acclaimed financial organizations, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He has written books on accounting and presented papers at conferences, workshops, and seminars. Chief (Dr.) Joshua Ozigi Omuya is happily married and blessed with children, among whom are professional engineers, lawyers, pharmacists, and accountants, to the glory of God.
