Lemma Megersa ( om, Lammaa Magarsaa, am, ለማ መገርሳ; born 26 July 1970) is an Ethiopian politician who served as the

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

2019 to 2020. He was also the president of the

Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benish ...

and deputy chairman of the ruling party in the region, the

Oromo Democratic Party The Oromo Democratic Party ( om, Paartii Demokraatawaa Oromoo, ODP) was a political party in Ethiopia, and part of the alliance with the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front and the Tigrayan Peopl ...

. Since the formation of the

Prosperity Party The Prosperity Party ( am, ብልጽግና ፓርቲ, Bilits’igina Paritī; om, Paartii Badhaadhiinaa) is a political party in Ethiopia that was established on 1 December 2019 as a successor to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic F ...

, Lemma has been independent.

Background

Lemma Megersa was born in the

Welega Province Welega (also spelled Wollega; ; am, ወለጋ) was a province in western Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nekemte. It was named for the Wollega Oromo, who are the majority of the population within its boundaries. Welega was bordered on the ...

. He completed his secondary education at General Tadesse Biru Secondary School. He received a bachelor's degree from Addis Ababa University in Political Science and International Relations, and later graduated with a master's degree in International Relations from the same university. Lemma served as speaker of Caffee, the Oromia regional parliament, before becoming regional president in October 2016..

Reforms

One of the first reforms Lemma tried to undertake was to prevent the interference of the federal police in the state affairs of

Oromia Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benish ...

region. He called for respect of the constitution and let the region exercise its constitutional power. In this regard, Lemma managed to limit and prevent the interference of the military in regional demonstrations, and regulating investments within Oromia Regional State. Lemma also took measures on investment projects that were operating in violation of rules or not benefiting the region. The regional government terminated the operating license of such businesses. Besides, a number of

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the ca ...

companies were shut down. His efforts to introduce reform and to unite the country led to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' describing him as "the country’s most popular politician". His disagreements with the government made him not want to join in the formation of the

, led by the Prime Minister. In 2020, he was replaced from his post as defense minister after openly criticizing the government's political reforms. As of December 6, 2020 Lemma has been placed under house arrest.

Personal life

Lemma is a board member of the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

in Ethiopia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemma Megersa 1970 births Living people Defence ministers of Ethiopia Presidents of Oromia Region People from Oromia Region Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front politicians Oromo Democratic Party politicians Addis Ababa University alumni Ethiopian Pentecostals Assemblies of God people 21st-century Ethiopian politicians