Tonye Princewill

Early life and education

Prince Tonye Princewill was born in the UK to the family of King (Prof) T.J.T. Princewill, the Amanyanabo of Kalabari Kingdom of the Amachree Dynasty of Rivers State. His father was a Professor of Medical Microbiology before he became a monarch.

Tonye Princewill started his early education in the United Kingdom, before returning with his parents to Nigeria. In Nigeria, he was enrolled at Hillcrest High School in Jos from 1976–1980. He then attended Federal Government College (Port Harcourt) where he obtained his West African Senior Certificate/ General Certificate of Education O'Level in 1985. He took his BSc in Petroleum engineering at the University of Port Harcourt. He did a master's degree in Mineral Resources Engineering at the Imperial College London.

Oil and gas

Tonye Princewill started off his career with Royal Dutch Shell as a Reservoir and Well-site Petroleum Engineer. He also worked briefly with the UK's Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency, the Department of Trade and Industry. He later moved into private business and established the Riverdrill Group of Companies (Nigeria) where he is chairman.

Entertainment

Prince Tonye Princewill is a film producer. He premiered the film Kajola, a film which explored the implications of the continuous neglect of the poor as well as the widening gulf between the rich and poor and the ensuing catastrophic outcomes stemming from such neglect. Tonye Princewill also sponsored the premiere of the film Nnenda which was geared towards creating awareness for the less-privileged in society. He has also premiered other movies such as The Figurine and Valour, a movie that deals with the Niger Delta and Boko Haram issues

Currently, he is one of the executive producers of the first movie in Nigeria on celluloid camera titled '76 (film) hinged and anchored on the coup of 1976 in Nigeria aimed at preserving a remarkable part of Nigeria's history for the incoming generation.

Politics

Princewill's political career started when he was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress for the governorship of Rivers State in 2007. He was supported by the then former Vice-President of Nigeria and the AC Presidential candidate in 2007 elections, Atiku Abubakar and former Governor of Lagos and National Leader of ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Tonye Princewill's campaign attracted significant grassroots support. He lost the election under contested circumstances to the People's Democratic Party's candidate, Celestine Omehia.

Tonye Princewill launched a legal challenge against the newly elected governor shortly after the election results were released. He offered evidence to prove to the electoral tribunal that the election was rigged. In a newspaper interview, he alleged that Celestine Omehia offered him a Naira 1.5 billion (approximately USD 10 million) bribe to withdraw the case before the tribunal, which he rejected.

Following a Supreme Court decision to replace Celestine Omehia with another People's Democratic Party candidate Rotimi Amaechi, he withdrew his case at the tribunal following a local party decision of the Action Congress in Rivers State, a move which drew criticism from his supporters. Tonye Princewill said in a report that "we took the decision at the time that the enemy of your enemy is your friend," noting that he was in battle with Celestine Omehia and his 'godfather', Dr. Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, when Rotimi Amaechi was installed by the court."

Tonye Princewill later led members of the opposition parties in Rivers State under the banner of the Forum of Organized Opposition Political Parties to form a unity government with Amechi's administration. Tonye Princewill's support of the Amaechi's government received mixed reviews. Some viewed it with scepticism, while others saw it as necessary for the development and stability of Rivers State. His announcement in 2010 that he was returning to the People's Democratic Party was controversial and weakened opposition in the state.

In 2013, he joined the management committee of People's Democratic Movement (PDM), the founding movement behind the People's Democratic Party, where his serves as the Director of Organisation.

In first months of 2014, after several months of speculation on his political future, Tonye Princewill indicated his interest to succeed Rotimi Amaechi, the current governor of Rivers State. Then in April 2014, he announced the formation of an Exploratory Committee to explore the viability of his candidacy of running for governor of Rivers State. Tonye Princewill was a governorship aspirant candidate for the People's Democratic Party, but in November 2014 announced that he had been disqualified on the instruction of Nyesom Wike, former minister of State for Education and fellow Governorship aspirant on the grounds of "not being a PDP member".

In January 2015, he became the Rivers State governorship candidate of the Labour Party on a single-issue manifesto; job-creation.

Public affairs and engagement

Tonye Princewill writes about confronting corruption, infrastructure development, behaviour change, security, health, academic advancement and ethnic harmony in his weekly column in the Vanguard newspaper As a leading advocate of youth empowerment in Nigeria, he has expressed concern about the use of youth in Nigeria, particularly during elections, for violence and thuggery.

Following the heavy floods that ravaged parts of Nigeria in 2012, he organised relief activities for Niger Delta communities through the Princewill Trust.

He has launched several initiatives to support Nigerian youth, rural women, orphans and widows. In June 2012, Tonye Princewill sponsored Nigerian youth delegations on tours to Dubai and Ghana to learn about entrepreneurship, governance, leadership and self-development. In January 2013, in celebration of his 44th birthday, Tonye Princewill released a documentary titled "Man. Mentor. Maverick" in which he speaks about his vision of equal opportunities for all.

Tonye Princewill is an advocate for open government and effective public service delivery using modern technology. This earned him the nickname, the "Digital Politician."

Tonye Princewill sponsored several baseline studies in 2013, covering the state of education, environment, and health in Rivers State. In education, research showed that a large number of Model Secondary and Primary Schools were not finished and had been abandoned. The management of oil spillages in Rivers State, a catalyst for youth restiveness, was seen as ineffective across local governments in the State. Survey respondents reported that funds which ought to have gone into cleaning and sanitisation of their communities were diverted by local officials. These findings also support press reports about corruption in government allocations to oil producing areas. In the area of health, there is widespread disenchantment about the lack of improvement within the sector. Weak health service delivery in Rivers State is forcing many patients to seek medical attention at unregulated traditional medicine shops. Challenges associated to HIV/AIDS, the lack of qualified health professionals, and unfinished health projects, are serious concerns among respondents. These findings substantiate reports in the press that raise questions about the efficacy of funds injected into the sector by the Rivers State administration.

Personal life

Tonye Princewill is married to Rosemary, and has a daughter and twin boys.