Council Members

Dr. (Mrs.) Christiana Vincent Njorbuenwu Atako (fondly called Christy by friends and family), a former Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission, a renowned educationist, a seasoned administrator, a highly acclaimed management professional, a passionate philanthropist and a dedicated Minister of the Gospel, was born on August 21, 1959 and hails from Asang Eniong, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State.

She had her early education at Primary School, Mayne Avenue, Calabar where she got her First School Leaving Certificate in 1970. In 1971, and later attended Union Secondary School, Ibiaku, in present Akwa Ibom State and obtained her West African School Certificate in 1975. Christy immediately proceeded to the College of Education, Uyo to study English and French and in 1978, she obtained the National Certificate of Education.

At age 18, Christy was posted to Oshogbo for the National Youth Service Corps and became the youngest Corps member at the time. After the mandatory one year service, Christy was employed by the Cross River Teaching Service Commission and was posted to Immaculate Conception Secondary School, Itak in present Akwa Ibom State as a teacher. Due of her diligence and commitment to service, Christy was sponsored by the Cross River State Government to do a French Language course in Lomé, Togo in 1981.

Not satisfied with her achievement, she proceeded to the University of Sokoto in 1982 to study Modern European Languages. In 1984, Christy graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in English. She was adjudged the best graduating student with several awards to her kitty. She represented all the graduands at the graduation ceremony.

With her brilliant performance, Christy was given automatic employment in the University as a Graduate Assistant with sponsorship for a Masters and Ph.D studies in any University of her choice. However, due to some family reasons, she had to return to her home in Cross River State.

In her continuous quest for knowledge, Christy decided to explore other professional areas. This took her to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos where she obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations with Distinction in 2000. She later went to the prestigious University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 2002 for a Post Graduate Certificate in Cross – Sector Partnerships (PCCP); Coventry University, United Kingdom in 2006 for a Post Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution Skills Training; and to the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA in 2014 for a Graduate Certificate in Finance and Accounting. She is also a recipient of the Honourary Doctor of Arts Degree from the European American University, Republic of Dominica in 2010. In 2022, she attended the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Pastoral College to become a Pastor.

Dr. Christy has attended several training and capacity building courses in a number of academic institutions within and outside the country and obtained several certificates in different fields including Leadership and Management. Notable among them are the  National Career Development Training for Federal and State Inspectors, Principals and Teachers in 1991; the Advance Proficiency Management Course at the Administrative Staff College, ASCON, Lagos in 1993; The Executive Leadership Programme, Manchester Business School, UK  in 2010; Programme on Negotiation for Senior Executives at Harvard Law School, Massachusetts, USA in 2011; Mastering Human Resource Management and Turning Strategy into Action at the Lagos Business School, Lagos, Nigeria in 2011 and 2012 respectively; Leading Organizational Change Programme at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 2012; The Soul of Leadership at Kellogg Business School, Chicago, Illinois, USA in 2012; Entrepreneurship Development for Retiring Officers at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Lagos, Nigeria, in 2012; Leadership Training at The University of Texas at Austin, USA in 2013, among others.

In 1993, Dr Christy joined the then Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) as Assistant Director, Community Affairs and was later appointed Head of the newly created Public Affairs Department to manage the corporate image of the Organization; a position she held until 2001 when NDDC was set up.

Due to her efficient professional and managerial capabilities coupled with her commitment and dedication to duty, she was made the Acting Head of the Directorate of Community and Rural Development in the newly established Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and in 2007, she rose to head the Corporate Affairs Department of the Commission. She was later promoted to the position of Director, Community and Rural Development Directorate and then Director, Education, Health and Social Services Directorate, a position she occupied until her appointment as the Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission in 2013.

As the CEO of the Commission, Dr Atako brought her proven managerial competency to bear in carrying out the very arduous assignment. An astute administrator with a reputation of discipline, integrity hard-work, productivity and professionalism, she exhibits an unparalleled knack for excellence in all her assignments. She stands for integrity, transparency, accountability and fairness having piloted the NDDC to a safe shore during her tenure. With verifiable evidence, the Niger Delta Region, during her administration, enjoyed the full impact of governance as the NDDC recorded remarkable milestone in the area of the socioeconomic and environmental development of the people. She did not relent in ensuring that the vision, mission and objectives of the Commission were aggressively pursued and realized to the admiration of all sections of the country. It is on good record that even the National Assembly at the time noted that she did a good job as the NDDC boss. The Committee Chairman said “We are very okay with her, we appreciate her, she is doing a wonderful job. We have come to realize that one of the challenges that the Commission is facing is monitoring of projects and she is doing that very well”.

Her exploits earned her The Woman of the Year Award by the Niger Delta Awards Forum and The Award of Excellence in Good Governance by the Niger Delta Youth Forum in 2013.

All through her career, Dr Atako handled sensitive assignments and influenced a number of policies that positively impacted the Niger Delta Region. She was a member of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan Completion Team that ensured that the Niger Delta region had a roadmap for its sustainable development. For a long while in her career, Christy served as the NDDC liaison officer to the European Union as well the Chairman of the NDDC/OPTS (Oil Producers Trade Section) Partnership.  She was also made Team lead of the External Stakeholders Review for the Shell Petroleum Development Company in 2004 after serving as member in the 2002 and 2003 sessions; among several other offices.

Dr. (Mrs.) Atako has attended several courses, seminars and conferences within and outside the country and has also presented scholarly papers in several training programmes and workshops.

She has attended several seminars and conferences and has presented scholarly Papers within and outside Nigeria.  In 2010, Dr Atako was at the Commonwealth Business Forum, Perth, Australia on the President’s team to represent the Niger Delta Region. At the United Nations Summit in New York in 2014, she presented a powerful Paper on the Niger Delta region. She also delivered several Capacity Building and Sensitization lectures on the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan between 2011 and 2013. Her presentation on “Media Ethics: The Nigerian Experience”, at the Workshop organized by NUJ/SPDC for practicing journalists in Rivers State in 2002 was highly acclaimed as impactful.

On retirement, Dr Atako founded Sleek Angels International School, Port Harcourt and took over the management of Esuabana International Schools, Calabar, a school bequeathed to her by her father, all with a total of over 170 staff on her employment.

She is a strong advocate of women empowerment and believes that women have equal capacity as their male counterpart to achieve greatness. While in service, she influenced a number of policies geared at empowering women in the Niger Delta Region and giving them a voice. She also ensured several young ladies got scholarships to study outside the country under the NDDC Post Graduate Scholarship Scheme. Many other women got entrepreneurial skills training with starter packs to boost their financial status.

She has carried out sensitization programmes at ensuring women’s participation in national development. Her remarkable presentation of a Paper on “Women’s Participation in Nigerian Politics: Trend, Constraints and Remedies” in 2010 at Enugu influenced women full participation in the 2011 election. At the 2022 Women in Management and Leadership Programme in Abuja, Dr. Atako presented an impactful Paper on ‘Closing the Leadership Gap and Developing Women’s Leadership Abilities’.

A versatile professional, Dr. Atako is a Fellow of several professional bodies such as the Nigerian Institute of Management; Institute of Strategic Management; Certified Institute of Public Administration and Management; Certified Directors Institute, and Institute of Corporate Managers and Public Administrators. She is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Nigerian Institute of Personnel Management and Nigerian Institute of Management Consultants.

Dr. Atako who joined in the Institute in 2000 has served in different capacities at Port Harcourt Chapter and Rivers State Branch as well as national level where she has been in Council Member since 2013. In recognition of her sterling contributions to the development of the Institute and growth of the management profession, she was elected the National Treasurer in 2019, Deputy President in 2021 and following the sudden death of the 23^rd President and Chairman of Council, Major General Abdullahi Muraina (rtd.) in September 2022, she was appointed the Acting President of the Institute, the first person to hold the position in the Institute’s history. On Monday, December 19, 2022, she was unanimously elected the 24^th President and Chairman of Council of the Institute.

Christy was married to Hon (Prince) Vincent N. Atako from Ogbunabali in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State, who went to be with the Lord in August, 2014. Blessed with two hardworking, industrious and amiable children and six healthy and charming grandchildren, Dr. Christy’s hobbies are reading, researching and traveling.