Uju Ndubisi was born on the 26th of April 1966 into the family of Late Dr. B.E.C. and Late MaryElms (Lady May) Ndubisi as the 4th child out of six children; first girl after 3 boys. Her birth was greeted with much joy as Lady May finally had a companion after a long wait for a girl and of course, she heralded the arrival of two additional girls.
Uju was educated at Ekulu Primary School, had a short stint at Abbot Girls Secondary School, Ihiala and completed her secondary school education at Queens College Enugu. She thereafter proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Library Science in 1988. She also obtained a Masters in Business Administration from the prestigious ESUT Business School in 2000.
Hers was a rich and diverse career. Her last management post was with the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) where she assumed duty on the 9th April 2016 as the Deputy Director General from her last position as the Executive Secretary, Institute of Directors (IoD). Prior to this, she had worked at Marsh & Mclenean Companies, (a leading global risk and reinsurance specialist) mainly in Nigeria, UK and the United States of America; her job was in a very competitive and contrasting market environments and took her to over three continents. She also worked as Marketing Controller at Pearl Insurance Brokers, General Manager Multicorp at Prestige Insurance Brokers and Managing Director, Chrome Insurance Brokers (Member of Chrome Oil Group).
A leader par excellence, Uju led the remarkable transformation of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria Library Project, as the Chairman of the Library Committee. One of her recent legacies is the CIIN Breakfast Seminar Series, a program that has become a feature in the insurance industry. She was a professional to the core and had considerable experience in the promotion and development of Professionalism and Best Practices in Management, Insurance etc. with special focus on emerging markets..
Her professional affiliations include the following:
Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London (by examination).
An Ex-council member and Current Committee Member of the National Council of Registered Insurance Brokers,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria,
Active member of the Professional Insurance Ladies Association (PILA) in which she served as the Education Secretary,
Associate of Chartered Institute of Management,
Member of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing,
In her capacity as a Professional insurer, she taught Insurance and Risk Management at the West African Insurance Institute in The Gambia, Access Banking School of Excellence in Lagos and WAPIC Insurance Plc.
She sat on the Boards of a number of Companies including Benetton Ltd, Prohouse & Systems Limited. In recognition of her contributions in Insurance, she received a number of awards from various organizations such as Corporate Media Africa Communication Ltd, African Voice Magazine, PSR Magazine etc.
Uju, to her every employer, was a very rare asset. Her uniqueness was derived from her positive attitude and versatility, plus the richness of her diverse exposure, and Christian background. She believed strongly that “life is for the living and once there is breath, we must soldier on”. Blessed with the gift of ideas, Uju had a solution to every man-made problem brought to her for resolution. She was calm and mild mannered and always sought the path of peace with all men.
Her Christian faith was worthy of emulation, she had deep roots within the Anglican Communion and practiced her faith with deep conviction. She attended the Resurrection Parish of Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos and served in God’s vineyard as an Usher.
On the homefront, she was the best Mum Jideofor could wish for. Always ready to sacrifice her time and resources to ensure her son and family were comfortable and lacked nothing.
As a sister, she was “obialu n’uju”, an iroko- the glue that held us together. She was the ‘Fada’ who held everyone’s secret; she would reprimand you and shower you with love the next minute. As we became orphans in May 2015, she strengthened her role as the ‘assistant parent’ to everyone. Uju was a listener; she had soothing words for every life issue – passed no judgement until she heard all sides. Uju was of few words; laconic, quiet and controlled yet her laughter was boisterous and her voice sonorous. She was quick to acknowledge an error, make amends and simply move on.
