Magnus Odion Ugbesia (born 28 January 1949) is a Nigerian politician who was
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...
to the
Nigerian Senate
The Senate is the upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly of Nigeria. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's highest legislature, whose power is to make laws, is summarized in chapt ...
in 2007 representing the
Edo Central Senatorial District
Edo Central Senatorial District in Edo State covers five local governments areas which include Esan South-East, Igueben, Esan North East, Esan West and Esan Central
Esan Central Local Government Area is a Local Government Area of Edo State, N ...
of
Edo State
Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...
on the platform of
People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to:
* People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
*People's Democratic Party (Belize)
*People's Democratic Party (Bhutan)
*People's Democratic Party (Chile)
* People's Democratic Party (Dom ...
(PDP).
Background
Odion Ugbesia was born on 28 January 1949 in
Ubiaja
Ubiaja is a community in the Esan South-East Local Government Area (LGA), Edo State, Nigeria. It is at an altitude of 221 m. Most of the people belong to the Esan tribe, one of the major ethnic groups in Edo State.
Ubiaja is in a rain fores ...
, Edo State. He gained a BA in political science from the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
, and an MA in international relations from
Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is a Hispanic-serving institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park wi ...
, United States. From 1978 to 1989, he was a lecturer in political science at the
University of Benin. He also served as Edo State Coordinator, and was a member of the Presidential Policy Advisory Committee on
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...
and other Oil Producing Areas.
Government positions
Ugbesia was appointed Commissioner for Information in Edo state, then became special assistant to the Federal Minister of Housing. He was promoted to Minister of State at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In July 2003, President
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...
appointed him Minister of Solid Minerals.
In a November 2003 interview, he stated that Nigeria had great mineral wealth, including gold,
tantalite
The mineral group tantalite Fe,_manganese.html"_;"title="iron.html"_;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese">Mn)Tantalum">Ta2oxygen.html" ;"title="manganese">Mn)Tantalum.html" ;"title="iron">Fe,_manganese.html" ;"title="iron.html" ;"title="iron">Fe, manga ...
,
barite
Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...
,
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
, and
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
. These resources had not been sufficiently explored. The government had a seven-year development plan, including revival of the Geological Survey Agency, conducting a full Airborne Geophysical Survey, and improving mining infrastructure and facilities. An important consideration was reducing environmental damage. The government planned to formalize artesanal mining, training miners and monitoring their activity. The
Nigerian Coal Corporation
The Nigerian Coal Corporation (NCC) is a Nigerian parastatal corporation responsible for mining and selling coal. It is based in Enugu.
Origin
In 1909, coal was discovered in Enugu, Nigeria. The Ogbete drift mine opened six years later. The Ogbe ...
was being privatized, and foreign investment was welcomed.
[
As early as July 2004, Ugbesia was being considered as a potential candidate for governor of Edo State in the 2007 elections.
He was the favorite of Chief ]Anthony Anenih
Anthony Akhakon "Tony" Anenih (4 August 1933 – 28 October 2018) was a Nigerian politician who was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in 1999.
Background
Anenih was born in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi. In 1933, he joined the Nigeria Police For ...
, one of the most powerful men in the state, having once been Anenih's personal assistant.
In December 2007, his daughter, Omozuwa, married Iriaobe Anenih, son of Chief Tony Anenih.
However, President Obasanjo insisted that Professor Oserheimen Osunbor
Oserheimen Osunbor, (born 5 October 1951), is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who was a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007 and the Governor of Edo State of Nigeria from 29 May 2007 to 11 November 2008.
E ...
, cousin to his late wife, Stella, would be the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Senate career
Ugbesia (Ighalo) was elected to the Senate for Edo Central in April 2007 for the People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to:
* People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
*People's Democratic Party (Belize)
*People's Democratic Party (Bhutan)
*People's Democratic Party (Chile)
* People's Democratic Party (Dom ...
(PDP). He was appointed to committees on Employment, Labour & Productivity, Air Force, Navy, National Planning and
National Identity Card & Population.[
In July 2009, Ugbesia withdrew his opposition to President ]Umaru Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 20 ...
's nominee, Jude Ise-Idehen of the Action Congress
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), formerly known as Action Congress (AC), was a List of political parties in Nigeria, Nigerian political party formed via the merger of a faction of Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria), Alliance for Democracy, th ...
(AC), as the Commissioner representing Edo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission
The Niger Delta Development Commission is a federal government agency established by Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in the year 2000 with the sole mandate of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
In September 2008, Preside ...
(NDDC), although his colleague Senator Ehigie Uzamere of Edo South maintained opposition to the appointment.
In November 2009, Ugbesia described the achievements he had made as senator in attracting projects to his Senatorial district. They included the Northern Ishan regional water project, work on the Ebu-Ahia-Asaba Road, a primary health centre with beds and medical equipment and borehole, contracts for control of erosion, farmland irrigation at Ilushi and rural poverty alleviation schemes.
Ugbesia ran successfully for reelection as Edo Central Senator on the PDP platform in the April 2011 elections.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugbesia, Odion Magnus
People from Edo State
Living people
University of Illinois alumni
Northeastern Illinois University alumni
1949 births
Peoples Democratic Party members of the Senate (Nigeria)
Federal ministers of Nigeria
21st-century Nigerian politicians