Mark Bako Useni, RT. HON (born 30 June 1970) is a Nigerian politician and a member of the

All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...

, representing Takum/ Donga/

Ussa Ussa is a Local Government Areas of Nigeria, local government area in Taraba State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Lissam. Ussa borders the Cameroon, Republic of Cameroon in the south; the Donga River forms its northern boundary. U ...

in the House of Representatives. He has served as the

Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly The Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly is the political head of the Taraba State House of Assembly The Taraba State House of Assembly is a branch of the Government of Taraba State, which serves as the legislative house where all le ...

in the 7th and 8th

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

. Useni has served in various capacities both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government. He has been the member representing Takum II constituency in the

Taraba State House of Assembly The Taraba State House of Assembly is a branch of the Government of Taraba State, which serves as the legislative house where all legislative decisions and lawmaking for the governance of Taraba State is emanating. It is a unicameral body with ...

since 2008.

Early life and education

Mark Useni was born on June 30, 1970, in Vom, then Benue-Plateau State to Andrew Useni Bako and Pantuvo Useni of Bete in Takum Local Government Area of

Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ...

. He began his educational pursuit at Salama Primary School, Takum in 1976 and completed in 1981; and progressed to Mbiya Government Secondary School, Takum in 1981 for his secondary education, finishing in 1986. He advanced to the College of Preliminary Studies, Yola between 1986 and 1988 for his A level certification and he later obtained a National Diploma in Mass Communication at the

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a Federal University in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. ...

in 1990. Useni began a civil service career in 1993 when he was employed as a news reporter in Taraba Television. After five years, he secured admission and proceeded to the

University of Maiduguri The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its b ...

in 1998 for a Bachelor’s Degree and completed in 2003, earning B.Sc. (Hons.) in Mass Communication. In 2004, he applied and gained admission into the Benue State University, Makurdi for a Master of Science (M.Sc.) Degree in Mass Communication and completed in 2007. While serving as a member of

, he applied and secured a postgraduate admission for a doctorate degree in 2009. He graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Mass Communication in 2014.

Political career

Useni was appointed a Caretaker Councilor in Takum Local Government. After a brief stint as a councilor, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly. In 2004, the Taraba State Government appointed him as the Sole Administrator of Takum Local Government following expiration of the tenure of elected council chairmen in the State. He later contested and was elected Executive Chairman of the Local Government Council within the same year. After his tenure, he was appointed Caretaker Chairman of the Council for a short period in 2006. Useni was appointed Commissioner for Health, Taraba State by the

Danbaba Suntai Danbaba Danfulani Suntai (30 June 1961 – 28 June 2017) was a Nigerian pharmacist and politician. He was elected as Executive Governor of Taraba State, Nigeria running for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 ...

led Administration in 2007, an appointment he later resigned to contest for the vacant House of Assembly seat for TakumII Constituency for the 6th Assembly. He won the election and re-contested the same seat in the 2011 general elections and was reelected into the 7th Assembly, a period during which he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government. Useni was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

by his colleagues following resignation of the previous Speaker and he served to the end of the 7th Assembly. Mark got elected to represent TakumII in the Taraba State House of Assembly for the third time in the 2015 general elections. On 4 February 2016, he was again elected Speaker of the Assembly, a position he later stepped down due to internal party arrangements. Useni was re-elected into the Taraba State House of Assembly in the 2019 general elections to represent TakumII State Constituency for the fourth term. He decamped to

and contested for member Takum/Donga/Ussa federal constituency. He was declared winner of the supplementary election on April 16, 2023.

Personal life

Useni is married to Christiana and they have four children; Nita, Jeffrey, Joshua and Eleora.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Useni, Mark Bako 1970 births Living people People from Taraba State University of Maiduguri alumni Members of the House of Representatives (Nigeria)