Ararume Ifeanyi Godwin

Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume (born 16 December 1958) is a Nigerian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the Board of Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

He was the Senator representing Imo North (Okigwe) in the 9th Nigerian National Assembly, elected on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999 and was re-elected in April 2003. After joining the Senate in June 1999, he was appointed to committees on Communications, Police Affairs, Federal Character, Finance & Appropriation, Information, and Niger Delta (with a vice chair role).

In 2007, Ararume won the PDP primaries to run for governor of Imo State but was later replaced by Charles Ugwu. He successfully challenged the decision through the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor, leading to his expulsion from the party. The PDP did not field a candidate, allowing Ikedi Ohakim of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to win the governorship election.

Early life: Ararume was born on 16 December 1958 in Isiebu, Umuduru, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. His parents were Marcus Ararume and Adaezi Grace Ararume (née Anyiam). He attended Saint Christopher Primary School, Umuluwe, Ajirija, and completed secondary education at Dick Tiger Memorial Secondary School, Amaigbo. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Liberty University (Virginia, USA) and a Master of Science in international relations from the University of Benin.

Career: Ararume began his political journey in the 1990s, serving as State Treasurer for the Liberal Convention in Imo State (1988–1989). He joined the National Finance Committee of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) under General Ibrahim Babangida (1990–1993) and served as Chairman of NRC Presidential Primaries for Kwara and Delta States. He was also the pioneer State Chairman of the defunct All People’s Party (APP) and later the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Imo State (1998–1999).

Party Positions

Policy positions from the Labour Party (LP) party manifesto.

Agriculture

Will optimize agricultural value chains across all 36 states with targeted investments, addressing impediments like banditry, kidnapping, and desertification to enhance food security and advance agro-based industrialization.

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Governance & Reform

Will restructure the Nigerian federation through legal and institutional reforms to strengthen federalism by moving agreed items from the exclusive list of the Federal government to the concurrent list, ensuring effective public action for growth and sustainable livelihood.

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Security & Defense

Will implement key recommendations from previous police and security sector reform reports, including a three-level policing structure (local, state, federal) with detailed guidelines to curb abuses.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Will resolve the national minimum wage problem by replacing the extant salary structure with an hourly productivity-based national minimum wage, ensuring binding application across all sectors.

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Economy & Trade

Will reform the transport system, including logistics, ports, customs, and other agencies, to create an integrated transport system promoting inter-connectivity among ports, roads, rail, and inland waterways to reduce trade costs and enhance competitiveness.

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Enterprise grant support

Will devise programs to reskill youths, create mandatory national certification for blue-collar artisans, strengthen STEM tertiary schools, and establish a venture capital-like fund for young entrepreneurs.

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Environment & Climate

Will establish a Green Army to tap into $3 trillion in international climate finance for green growth, employment, and transition to a green economy.

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Anti-corruption

Will establish the Office of Special Counsel to investigate and prosecute executive abuses of power and corruption, with constitutional amendments to exempt its prosecutions from the Nolle Prosequi power of the Attorney General.

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Energy

Launch a solar power revolution in Northern Nigeria, ensuring uninterrupted power supply in cities and industrial parks by the end of 2024 through re-engagement of 14 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and resolving financial impediments to reach $2.5 billion in PPAs for 1,125 MW of solar capacity.

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Technology & Digital

Support private sector-led fiber-optic backbone projects connecting tertiary institutions and state capitals to enable free broadband access for digital transformation.

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Infrastructure

Creation of national multi-utility transport tunnels (MUT) to integrate masterplans for gas, road, railway, urban mass transit, telecommunications, water, sewage, and electricity for cost efficiency and streamlined infrastructure development.

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Education

Will implement a Marshall Plan-style education reform program with compulsory technical and vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and digital training from primary to secondary level, with strategic partnerships for incubators and seed funding.

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Healthcare

Expand health insurance coverage to 133 million poorest Nigerians (including pregnant women, children, the elderly, and disabled) through strengthened NHIS with private sector involvement, ensuring accessibility and affordability.

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Foreign Policy

Engage in Afro-centric diplomacy to protect Nigerian citizens abroad and advance economic interests through trade, investment, and diplomatic leverage.

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