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Benson Abounu (born 3 July 1949) is a Nigerian politician who served as the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Nigeria from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023. [1] He was elected as the running mate to Governor Samuel L. Ortom in 2015 under the All Progressive Congress (APC). He is an engineer, a management consultant and a politician. [2]
Abounu was born on 3 July 1949 in Otukpo in Benue State. He is an engineer, an administrator and a politician who has served on various boards in the public and private sectors. He is married to Justice Mary Abounu, a High Court judge in the Benue State Judiciary, and has five children. Abounu is a widely traveled man whose hobbies include badminton and lawn tennis. [3]
He attended the Methodist Primary School Upu-Icho in Otukpo, his birthplace, from 1957 to 1963. He proceeded to Government College, Makurdi, where he had a brief stint, between 1964 and 1966. Engr. Abounu transferred to Government Technical College, Ilorin in 1967 and completed the O’levels in 1969.
From 1971 to 1975, he studied at the Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, before leaving for the United Kingdom, where he attended the Cranfield University, Bedford, England, between 1976 and 1978. Between 1980 and 1984 he was at the University of Ibadan before proceeding to the Ashridge Management College in England for postgraduate studies in 1989.
From these academic pursuits, 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.
From 1975 to 1976, he worked with John Holt Group, where he rose from manager-in-training to production manager before switching over to Nigeria 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, Abounu was appointed sole administrator and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos, from where he moved to become an executive director at the Nigeria Coal Corporation, Enugu, between late 1990 and 1991. He came to public limelight in Benue State when he contested for governor on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and thereafter served as special adviser to Governor Moses Adasu from 1992 to 1993.
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, where he served from August 2003 to June 2005. He chaired the board of the Nigerian Television Authority between 2009 and 2011.
Abounu contested the 2015 general elections as running mate to the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate for Benue State, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom successfully. [4] Consequently, He was inaugurated as the deputy governor of Benue State on 29 May 2015. In 2018 he moved with Governor Ortom to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and both were reelected in March 2019. [5] He was succeeded by Samuel Ode at the 2023 Benue State gubernatorial election.
He is a chartered Engineer (CEng) and registered with the Engineers Registration Board, a UK equivalent of COREN. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, British Institution of Production Engineers and the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria. It is also the eponymous name of a subgroup of the Idoma people. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It is the headquarters of the Idoma Nation, and remains an important town in Idomaland, an area mainly populated by the Idoma speaking people, though with numerous local dialects spoken in the diverse reaches of Idoma land. Otukpo Idoma language is the umbrella lingua.
Chief Steven Lawani was the Deputy Governor of Benue State, Nigeria, he was the National Deputy Chairman of National Republican Convention (NRC), he was elected as a Senator under the United Nigeria Congress Party during the Sani Abacha transition program.
Abdullahi Shelleng was the first Military Governor of Benue State during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, after Benue State had been split from the old Benue-Plateau State. He ruled from 3 February 1976 to July 1978.
Kashim Shettima Mustapha is a Nigerian politician who is the 15th and current vice president of Nigeria. He previously served as senator for Borno Central from 2019 to 2023, and as the governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019.
Samuel Ioraer Ortom is a Nigerian politician, businessman, administrator and philanthropist. He was a Minister of State Trade and Investments in Nigeria during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. Ortom was elected governor of Benue State as a member of the All Progressives Congress in 2015, though later defecting to the People's Democratic Party. He was re-elected as governor on 29 May 2019. Ortom's tenure ended on 29 May 2023, succeeded by a Catholic priest of the opposition party, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia.
Michael Ornguga Mku, better known by the mononym "Mike" or "Mike Mku" is a Nigerian Politician, Businessman and Philanthropist from Gboko, Benue State in central Nigeria. He is the son of Late Chief Aul Mku, who was the District Head of Yandev-South, from Yandev - a suburb of Gboko town in the North-West province of Benue State.
The following lists events that happened during 2016 in Nigeria.
Events in the year 2017 in Nigeria.
Terhemen Tarzoor is a Nigerian Economist and Real Estate Developer from Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State in North Central Nigeria who currently serves as Nigerian Ambassador to Namibia. He previously served as Speaker in the Benue State House of Assembly in which he represented his constituency. Tarzoor came to prominence when he ran unsuccessfully for the seat of the Governor of Benue State, losing to Samuel Ortom in the 2015 General Elections. He finished runner-up despite running as a favorite candidate on the platform of the then ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He went on to challenge the result of the election in a petition filed to the Benue State Governorship Tribunal claiming that the winner, Governor Samuel Ortom, was not validly nominated to contest for the seat. His claim was however dismissed by the court of appeal on grounds that it lacked merit.
The following lists and talks about events that happened in 2019 in Nigeria.
Mike Okibe Onoja is a Nigerian Businessman, and a public administrator from Ado LGA, Benue state. The Chairman (CEO) of Monsoons Resources Investment International Limited and Century court Apartments, Century Petroleum Ltd, Shipping line, Shares with Valero Energy, ConocoPhillips, COSCO Shipping Universe, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), Zenith Bank, British Airways, ExxonMobil and many more. "Monsoons resources Investment International". Monsoons Resources Investment International. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2018.</ref> He also holds chieftaincy title as the Akanaba K'Idoma.
The 2019 Benue State gubernatorial election occurred on March 9, 2019. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom won re-election for a second term, defeating APC Emmanuel Jime and several minor party candidates. Samuel Ortom emerged PDP gubernatorial candidate after scoring 2,210 votes and defeating his closest rival, John Tondo, who received 475 votes. He picked Benson Abounu as his running mate. Emmanuel Jime was the APC candidate with Samuel Ode as his running mate. 3 candidates contested in the election.
The 2019 Nigerian gubernatorial elections were held for state governors in 31 out of 36 Nigerian states. All but three were held on 2 March 2019 with the election for Rivers State being postponed until 4 April, while the Kogi State and Bayelsa State elections were both held on 16 November. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all states were in 2015.
The 2015 Benue State gubernatorial election was the eighth gubernatorial election of Benue State. Held on April 11, 2015, the All Progressives Congress nominee Samuel Ortom won the election, defeating Terhemen Tarzoor of the People's Democratic Party.
The 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections were held for state governors in 31 out of 36 Nigerian states. All but three elections were held on 18 March—concurrent with elections to every state house of assembly, three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections—while the Imo State, Kogi State, and Bayelsa State elections will be held on 11 November. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all states were in 2019. All states have a two term limit for Governors which makes 18 incumbent governors ineligible for re-election.
The 2023 Benue State gubernatorial election took place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Benue State, concurrent with elections to the Benue State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election — which was postponed from its original 11 March date — was held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term. Hyacinth Alia — a suspended Catholic priest — gained the office for the APC by a 33% margin over PDP nominee House of Assembly Speaker Titus Uba.
The 2023 Kaduna State gubernatorial election will take place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Kaduna State, concurrent with elections to the Kaduna State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election—which was postponed from its original 11 March date—will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent APC Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.
The 2023 Nigerian Senate elections in Benue State will be held on 25 February 2023, to elect the 3 federal Senators from Benue State, one from each of the state's three senatorial districts. The elections will coincide with the 2023 presidential election, as well as other elections to the Senate and elections to the House of Representatives; with state elections being held two weeks later. Primaries were held between 4 April and 9 June 2022.
Samuel Ode is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who has served as the deputy governor of Benue State since 2023.