Introduction
With effect from January 2022, Mr. James Ogbuka Umekwe is the President of the Council of Igbo States in America (CISA).
In the Abam/Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria, Mr. Umekwe was born into the family of Chief & Lady Matthias Umekwe Ogbuka, the (Ezeji) 2nd of Abam Onyerubi Ancient Kingdom.
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Early Life/Education
He received his early elementary and senior education in Central School and Abam High School, Ozu Abam, respectively.
James studied at Federal Polytechnic in Nekede, Owerri, where he earned a diploma in civil engineering. Prior to relocating to the University of District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., he pursued his education at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
Having completed the Maryland State Department Transportation Graduate Engineering Training Programme (GETP), he obtained a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and a Graduate Engineering Certificate from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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The American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and the American Association of States Highway Transportation Officials all include him among their members.
Career
He now leads the Maryland State Intelligent Transportation Systems installations at Truck Weigh and Inspection Stations for the Maryland State Department of Transportation (MDOT) as Assistant Division Chief.
His kind leadership resulted in the founding of the Ogbuka Umekwe Hope Foundation (OUHF).
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He is the founder and President of Clarron Call Inc. USA, a nonprofit organisation that provides aid to the underprivileged and impoverished, particularly in rural regions.
The “Upon This Rock Medical Centre,” Ozu Abam, which provides free medical and surgical treatment to the most vulnerable among us, would not have been possible without the support of this foundation.
For children in remote regions, his dedication to building boreholes to provide clean water at community high schools has given them hope.
The James OUHF Micro-finance Programme provides microloans at 0% interest to widows and women in rural regions so they may launch businesses in their communities.
The first kidney transplant in Southeast Nigeria’s history took place at the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia thanks in large part to his humanitarian network and collaboration with the University of Toledo Medical Centre in Toledo, Ohio.
Kidney transplants are still offered under his programme in FMC Umuahia, St. Nicholas, Lagos, Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, ORS Ogun State, and other locations.
James is the President of the Abam National Organisation in the Americas and a co-founder.
At the moment, he is the president-general of the Americas Division of the Abia State Development Union. (Metropolitan Washington, DC Area)
Family/Others
He has three amazing and gifted children: Madlen, Ogechi, and Onyinyechi. He is married to his sophisticated wife Oluchi Umekwe.
However, James has a great deal of discipline, is trustworthy, generous, altruistic, and has a great compassion for his people.
His commitment to improving healthcare, education, and human capacity development in Nigeria and Abia is amazing.