Engineer Benson Abounu was born on the 3rd of July, 1949 and attended Methodist Primary School, Upu-Icho in Otukpo, his birthplace, from 1957 to 1963.
After primary education, he proceeded to Government College, Makurdi, where he had a brief stint between 1964 and 1966, after which he transferred to Government Technical College, Ilorin, in 1967. He completed ordinary levels in 1969.
From 1971 to 1975, he studied at the Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, before leaving for the United Kingdom where he attended the Cardiff University, Bedford, England, between 1967 and 1978.
Between 1980 and 1984 he was at the University of Ibadan before proceeding to Ashridge Management College for postgraduate studies in 1989.
From these educational pursuits, Engr. Abounu obtained Diploma in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering and Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering; Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Administration as well as Master of Business Administration, MBA, Finance and Operations Management.
His membership of professional bodies include corporate membership of the Institution of Production Engineers, London; Chartered Engineer, London; Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE, and Management Consultants.
Engr. Abounu’s working experience spans both the private and public sectors.
From 1975 to 1976, he worked with John Holt Group where he rose from Manager-in-training to Production Manager before switching over to Nigerian Breweries, Lagos, where he was Technical Manager from 1979 to 1980.
At the Okin Bottling Company Ltd, Kaduna, he was General Manager from 1982 to 1988.
Thereafter, he served as Director, NAL Merchant Bank PLC, Lagos between 1986 and 1990, at the end of which he became Principal Partner, Abounu Benson and Company, Chartered Engineers and Management Consultants.
In early 1990, Engr. Abounu was appointed Sole Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos, from where he moved to become an Executive Director of the Nigerian Coal Corporation, Enugu between late 1990 and the whole of 1991.
He came to public limelight in Benue State when he contested the governorship of the state on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and thereafter served as Special Adviser to Governor Moses Adasu from 1992 to 1993.
Engr. Abounu was appointed Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment by Governor George Akume in 1999, re-appointed and assigned to the Ministry of Solid Minerals and later Science and Technology where he served from August 2003 to June, 2007.
He chaired the board of the Nigeria Television Authority between 2009 and 2011.
Married to Justice Mary Abounu, a High Court Judge in Benue State, and blessed with five children, Engr. Abounu is a widely travelled man whose hobbies include Badminton and Lawn Tennis
