Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji was on the 10th day of June,2019, inaugurated as the 11th Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly. He was first elected as the Lawmaker representing Umuahia Central State Constituency in 2015, when he served as the Majority Leader, and got re-elected at the 2019 general elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji was born on December 25, 1970, to the family of a renowned retired civil servant turned politician, former Governor of Abia State and current Senator representing Abia Central at the National Assembly, His Excellency, Theodore Ahamefule Orji and Chief Mrs Odochi Orji of Amaokwe in Ugba village, Ugba Autonomous Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State.

The Speaker attended Ugba Community Primary School, Umuahia Ibeku between 1976 and 1982, from where he proceeded to Government Secondary School, Owerri, between 1982 and 1987. He gained admission to the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1996.

Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji is a Member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE), the umbrella organization for the Engineering Profession in Nigeria.

Before he threw his hat into the ring of politics, Rt Hon Chinedum E. Orji MNSE had carved a niche for himself as a philanthropist extraordinaire who touched the lives of the people through his numerous philanthropic gestures that saw to the execution of meaningful projects and donation of gift items that impacted directly to the lives of the people through his Direct Touch Initiative, as Speaker and as Lawmaker representing Umuahia Central State Constituency, which also saw to the empowerment of many Abians particularly the youth and women through skills acquisition, attracting several projects and executing several others, for which he has received many awards and commendations.

Such projects and empowerment programmes include:

1.Drilled and Reticulated Water Borehole Projects

i. World Bank Estate, Health Centre Road water project

ii. Finbarrs Road water project

iii. Umuagom water project

iv. Amaokwe Ugba water project

v. School Road Primary School water project

vi. Amuzukwu Mbaraukwu water project

vii. Orie Ogwu Okwulaga Afaraukwu water project

viii. Amuzukwu Girl’s Secondary School water project

ix. Ohobo Afaraukwu water project

x. World Bank Primary School water project

xi. Methodist Primary School, Umuwaya Road water project

xii. Umuobasi Ugba water project

xiii. Union Primary School, Afaraukwu water project

xiv. Awolowo Street by Okigwe Road, Urban Ward 3 water project

xv. Ugwunchara Primary School, Urban Ward 3 water project

xvi. Saint Stephen’s, Urban Ward 2 water project

xvii. Ohokobe Enyiukwu water project

xviii. Umuohu Ndume water project

xix. Mission Hill water project

xx. War Museum junction water project

xxi. Afara Correctional Centre water project

xxii. Holy Rosary Girls’ Secondary School water project

2. Sporting Facilities

i. A mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at St Stephen’s Urban School II

ii. A mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at St William’s Memorial Secondary School, Afugiri

iii. A mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at Umuabali Primary School, Umuopara

iv. A mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at Ubakala Primary School, Old Umuahia

v. Olokoro Mini Stadium of 1,000 capacity opposite Santa Crux Secondary School, Olokoro, Umuahia

vi. Mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at Ikwuano Local Government Headquarters

vii. Mini stadium of 1,000 capacity at Isieke Community Model High School, Isieke Ibeku

3. Road Projects

i. Afaraukwu Road

ii. Amuzukwu Internal roads

iii. Amuzukwu Umuokoo Road

iv. Umueze Road

v. Ugba Road

vi. Amuzukwu to Umuezeagwu Road

vii. Umuezearota Road

viii. Umuwaya Mbaraukwu Link Road

4. Educational Facilities

i. Ugba Primary School

ii. Urban Mission Hill Nursery/Primary School

iii. Union Primary School, Afaraukwu

iv. School Road Primary School

v. Saint Stephen’s Primary School

vi. World Bank Primary School

vii. Amuzukwu Girls’ Secondary School

viii. School of the Blind, Afaraukwu

ix. Urban Primary School 2

x. Ugwunchara Primary School

xi. Umuwaya Primary School

xii. City Nursery/Primary School

xiii. Saint Michael’s Primary School

xiv. Methodist Girls’ High School

xv. Afara Techincal School

5. Electricity

i. Isieke Ibeku

ii. MbaraUkwu Amuzukwu

iii. Saint Stephen’s Cathedral

iv. Umuobasi Ugba

v. Nkata Ibeku

vi. Ubakala Street

vii. Uwalaka Street by Enugu Road

viii. Igbo Street by Uzuakoli Road

ix. UmuUkwu

x. Afara Technical School

xi. Electrification project at Palm Lane Extension, Urban Ward 3

xii. Refurbishment of Dysfunctional Electric Transformers at:
a. Awolowo Street by Owerri Road
b. Kaduna Street by Umuwaya Road
c. Item Street by Niger Road
d. Isieke
e. Ugba na Nkata

6. Medical

i. Free Eye/Medical Outreach

ii. World Bank Health Centre

7. Abia State House Of Assembly

i. Renovation of House of Assembly Complex

8. Empowerment Programmes

i. Free ICT Traiining For Abia Youths

ia. Sponsorship of over 500 youths trained in the following ICT areas:

✅Website Development
✅Graphics Design
✅Digital Marketing
✅Computer Appreciation
✅Mobile Application Development

ii. Scholarships awarded to indigent students

iii. Start-up capital given to young entrepreneurs

iv. MSME operators empowered with needed working tools like power generating sets, barbing kits, grinding machines, hairdressing equipment etc

v. Vehicles/tricycles gifted youths

vi. Rt Hon Engr Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji has given out several Toyota Sienna minivans to various youths and leaders of his Constituency and beyond for their empowerment

Since he became Speaker of the 7th Abia State House of Assembly, the Assembly complex has been renovated to a world class complex and the Members have been working together in peace and harmony among themselves and also with the Executive Arm leading to a calm political atmosphere in the State.

Under his leadership, the Abia State House of Assembly passed the 2020 and 2021 Budgets right in time before the beginning of the New Year, for the first time in the history of the State, thereby giving the Executive Arm the impetus to implement its vision without any hinderance.

The 7th Abia State House of Assembly is also the first House of Assembly in the entire federation to pass the Diaspora Commission Law thereby drawing global accolades including from The Presidency.

The Speaker also ensured that the House passed into Law the financial autonomy bills for both the legislature and the judiciary to further deepen practice of democratic principles in the state.

These and many more of such people-oriented Bills and Motions are why the 7th Abia State House of Assembly is called an “Assembly of Many Firsts”.

In recognition of these feats and several others, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji was honoured as winner of The Sun Newspaper Public Service Award 2020 at an epoch making event held on October 16, 2021 at the Expo Convention Centre of the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Also, for his support to the youths, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, honoured him as Patron of the PDP National Youth Movement, PDP NYM, on the 29th of January, 2022, at the Party’s national headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, fondly called Ikukuoma Abia by his admirers because of his renowned generousity and kind gestures to humanity, has been bestowed with chieftaincy titles among which is as ‘Ubazuoke Nke Ndi Abia’ by the Eze Amara 1 of Eziama Ntigha Ancient Kingdom and Chairman, Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Eze Ndubuisi J. Nwabeke. He is a Knight of the Anglican Communion, happily married and blessed with children.