Download - Meet Our Guests and Distinguished Panelists
Meet Our Guests and
Distinguished Panelists
@ the 1st Gallery Colloquium on
Budgetary Reforms
organized by OrderPaper.ng on
September 26, 2016 in Abuja
Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Distinguished Guest of Honour
Yakubu Dogara is the Speaker of
the House of Representatives. He
was first elected into the House in
2007 making the current tenure
his third consecutive mandate to
represent Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-
Balewa Federal Constituency of
Bauchi State. A graduate of Law
(LLB Hons.) from the University
of Jos, Dogara was called to the
Bar in 1993 and then later obtained a Masters (LLM) in International
Commercial Law at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland.
In addition, he has taken courses at Oxford University and Harvard
Kennedy School, USA. During his close to a decade in the House of
Representatives, Dogara has sponsored many motions and numerous
bills and served on many committees including chairmanship of
Customs and House Services Committees in the 6th
and 7th
Assemblies respectively. A recipient of several recognitions and
awards, Dogara is married with two children.
Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Chief Presenter Senator Ike Ekweremadu, CFR is the
Deputy President of the Senate, Federal
Republic of Nigeria, and former Speaker
of the Parliament of the Economic
Community of West African States,
ECOWAS Parliament. Ekweremadu has
been consecutively elected into the Senate
in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015 and is
serving a historic third consecutive tenure
as the Deputy President of the Nigerian
Senate, having been so elected by his
colleagues in 2007, 2011, and 2015.
A native of Mpu, Aninri Local
Government Area of Enugu State, Senator
Ekweremadu holds both Bachelor of
Laws and Master of Laws degrees from
the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN.
He also holds a Ph.D. in Law, University
of Abuja in addition to Leadership Certificates from Harvard University and
Oxford University. He is a career legal practitioner and was an Associate
Lecturer at the UNN, where he taught Constitutional Law and Labour Law
before venturing into politics.
He held several elective and appointive positions before coming to the
Senate, namely, the Legal Adviser, National Republican Convention, Enugu
State, 1990-1993; pioneer Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area,
Enugu State, 1997-1998; Chief of Staff, Enugu State Government House
from 1999-2001; and Secretary to Enugu State Government, 2001-2002. But
he holds close to his heart his days as the Chairman of his age grade
association at the age of 10 and many years of community leadership as the
town union President in his native Mpu town, which served as part of his
tutelage in politics and leadership
Ikeoha, as his people and associates fondly call him, has brought these
versatile grassroots experiences to bear on his work at the Senate, initiating
many Bills and Motions that address the challenges of governance and the
common
man. His Bills include the Civil Process Servers Bill, Private Detectives and
Investigators Bill, Federal Land Registry (General Provisions) Bill as well as
the State of the Nation Address Bill and River Basins (Amendment) Bill both
of which have been passed by the Chambers of the National Assembly. His
co-sponsored Bills include Nigeria Police Act (Repeal and Re-
enactment) Bill, Abolition of Discrimination Against Women Bill; National
Human Rights Commission Act (Amendment) Bill, and the Legal Aid Act
(Amendment) Bill. Key among his solely sponsored Motions include
―Absence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria‖, ―The Surging
Incident of Kidnapping and Hostage-taking in Nigeria‖; ―Outbreak of
Hostilities in Jos‖, ―The Menace of Gully Erosion and Landslide in the South
East‖.
He has also chaired many important Committees in the Senate, including the
Senate Committee on Constitution Review, which he has headed for a record
two terms. Senator Ekweremadu has received recognitions and awards for
piloting the first successful amendment to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
The amendment resulted in elaborate electoral reforms that laid the
foundation for the widely applauded 2011 and 2015 general elections. As
Chairman of the Joint Steering Committee of the Policy Analysis and
Research Project, PARP, of the National Assembly from 2007, he effectively
steered the Project to a resounding success, resulting in its transformation
into the National Institute for Legislative Studies, NILS. He is the lead author
of the book ―Constitutional Review in an Emerging Democracy: The
Nigerian Experience‖.
He is a recipient of several awards, honours, and commendations, including
the Nigerian National Honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal
Republic (CFR) while his people of the South East of Nigeria have conferred
several traditional titles on him in recognition of his contributions to the
development and championing of the interest of the geopolitical zone. This
includesOchiagha Ndigbo conferred on him by Eze-Nri, the custodian of
Igbo cultures and traditions as well as Ikeoha Ndigbo conferred on him by
South East Council of Traditional Rulers. Senator Ekweremadu is married to
Lady Nwanneka Ekweremadu, Ph.D. and they are blessed with four children.
Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, CFR, Chairman of the Event
Aminu Waziri Tambuuwal is the
Governor of Sokoto State. Hitherto, he
served as Speaker of the House of
Representatives between 2011 and 2015.
He is a graduate of law from Usmanu
Danfodio University and a member of
the Bar. Tambuwal had an early
exposure to the legislature as Personal
Assistant to the then Senate Leader,
Senator Abdullahi Wali. He left that job
to contest for and won the House of
Representatives seat for Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto
State in 2003 and remained a member of the Green Chamber till 2015. He
served the House as Minority; Deputy Chief Whip and eventually attained
the position of Speaker on his third consecutive tenure as Member of
Parliament. It is to his credit that the 7th Assembly was devoid of the
controversies, banana peels and jostles for power that characterized the
tenure of his predecessors. He is an alumnus of Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard, USA; Oxford University; Stanford Graduate School
of Business, USA; and Tulane University, USA. Tambuwal has received
several awards, recognitions and chieftaincy titles including the Commander
of the Federal Republic (CFR); and the Mutawalle of Sokoto Caliphate.
Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, CON, Keynote Speaker
Senator Udoma Udo Udoma is Nigeria’s
Minister of Budget and National
Planning. Until his appointment as
Minister, Senator Udoma was the
Chairman of UAC of Nigeria Plc, as well
as Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and until
2000, was a director of the Economic
Summit Group (NESG). He also served
for four years as the part time Chairman
of the Nigerian Securities & Exchange
Commission (SEC) after prior service as
chairman, Presidential Committee on
Waivers, Incentives and Concessions.
Udoma was elected twice into the Nigerian Senate (1999 and 2007) where he served
among others as Vice Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee (1999 – 2001), Chairman
of the Appropriation Committee (2001 – 2003), and Senate Chief Whip (2004 –
2007). He piloted the Bill to Abrogate the On-shore/Off-shore Dichotomy in Revenue
Allocation through the Senate and till it was signed into law by the then President,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2004. Senator Udoma is a graduate of Oxford
University, England where he obtained a B.A. (Law) degree in 1976 and
subsequently, a postgraduate B.C.L. degree in jurisprudence (1977). His legal
expertise includes company law, banking & finance, securities law and capital market
transactions. He is a recipient of several honours including the national Honour of
Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Udoma was represented at the event by
the Director of Economic Growth at the Ministry of Budget and National Planning,
Mr. Kayode Obasa.
Eze Onyekpere, Guest Speaker
Eze Onyekpere is a lawyer,
called to the Nigerian Bar 28
years ago. He is a specialist
in development law
including fiscal governance,
human rights and
constitutional reforms. He is
the acclaimed father of the
Nigerian Civil Society
Budget Movement. Over the
last twenty eight years, he
has worked on electric
power sector reforms,
privatisation, gender and
trade policy and
liberalisation of education. He has tremendous experience in the area of
public finance management reforms involving fiscal and legal issues and
economic governance. The assignments undertaken are in areas of fiscal
responsibility, procurement and audit reforms, budget analysis, etc. He has
also worked on economic and social rights including the rights to
education, health, housing and social security. He has led debates on the
constitution reform process on the minimum core obligation(s) of the state
in economic and social rights and fiscal challenges in a federal system. He
has also worked in economic policy and legal issues for poverty reduction.
He is the author of over 30 publications and over five hundred media
articles. He served on the Editorial Board of the Independent newspaper
and currently writes a weekly column every Monday in the Punch
Newspaper and on Wednesday in Daily Independent Newspaper.
Anthony Ubani, Distinguished Moderator of Panel Session
Anthony Ubani has over 25
years of leadership experience
in building strong program
development platforms, driving
qualitative governance and
leadership projects in Nigeria.
An alumnus of Manchester
Business School, Manchester
University; University of
Lagos; Lagos State University;
University of Lagos and
Nigerian Institute of
Journalism. He also received
other continuous training
development from the Center
for Parliamentary Studies, UK; Mediation Training Institute, UK; and
Mississippi Consortium for International Development, USA. Ubani who
currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at Africa Leadership
Advantage, had prior to this time, served as Director General, Peoples
Democratic Institute (PDI); Ag. Country Director, Mississippi Consortium
for International Development, (MCID); Executive Director, Campaign for
A New Nigeria (CANN); Country Director, Global Office Nigeria and
Program Director, Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI), etc. In addition to
membership of several professional associations, Ubani is also a Fellow of
the Chartered Institute of Administration and Professional Member of the
Institute of Directors, London. In 2006, President Olusegun Obasanjo
commended Ubani as ―a young Nigerian who epitomizes the extraordinary
creative and productive capacities that come naturally to the
quintessential Nigerian.” And in 2015, he also received an Excellence
award for contributions to the education industry in Nigeria. Ubani is a
highly sought after and respected thought leader in leadership and
governance programming. He is married with children.
Senator Shehu Sani, Distinguished Member of Panel
Comrade Shehu Sani is the Chairman,
Senate Committee on Local and
Foreign Debts and Vice Chair of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was
elected on March 28, 2015 to represent
Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
Sani attended Kaduna Polytechnic,
where he earned his HND in
Agricultural Engineering in 1993. He
has a rich history in activism and civic
advocacy began early in his student
days and has stretched through
different epochs including the period of
the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections when he led Northern pro-
democracy and Civil Society groups into the mainstream of the Nigerian pro-
democracy and civil rights movements for the first time in Nigeria’s post-
civil war era. Between 1999 and 2003 he served in several government
boards, while concentrating the bulk of his time and energy to strengthening
and entrenching civil rights/civil society advocacy in Nigeria, and serving
humanity through his charity organization, Hand-In-Hand Africa, a pan-
African civil society response to humanitarian crises. Sani He has received
numerous cultural, literary and professional awards and has authored ten
books, and several plays.
Senator John Owan Enoh, Distinguished Member of Panel
John Enoh represents Cross River
Central Senatorial District and is
currently Chairman, Senate
Committee on Finance. An alumnus
of the University of Calabar, he
graduated as the Best Graduating
Student in the Department of
Sociology class of 1988. He holds an
M.Sc (Hons) Demography; Post
Graduate Diploma in Management
(PGDM); and MBA. Enoh began his
legislative career in 1999 when he was elected into the Cross River State House of
Assembly where he served as Minority Leader and Chairman, Committee on
Information. By 2003 he was elected a member of House of Representatives and
served as Deputy Chairman, Committee on Culture & Tourism (2003 – 2005);
Deputy Chairman, Committee on Appropriation (2005 – 2007). Upon his re-
election into the House in 2007, he became Chairman, Committee on Finance, a
position he held for four years after which he got appointed Chairman, Committee
on Appropriation by the time he returned to the Green Chamber in 2011. John
Enoh has attended several courses on capacity building in aid of his legislative
work from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (Executive Education);
and Stanford Graduate School of Business, amongst others. Sen. Enoh was listed
as one of Nigeria’s 50 most Outstanding Legislative Icons (1999 – 2010).
Dapo Olorunyomi, Distinguished Member of Panel
Dapo Olorunyomi is the
Publisher/Chief Executive
Officer of Premium Times,
one of Nigeria’s most
respected online newspaper
horned in high-end
investigative journalism with
great impact across Africa and
beyond. Mr. Olorunyomi is a
recipient of the International Editor of the Year Award and winner of the
Freedom to Write Award from PEN (West); and co-founded the News
Magazine in Lagos. He had also worked as Senior Fellow, Africa, at the
Washington DC offices of Panos Institute, and then as the Nigeria Project
Director for Freedom House in the 1990s and early 2000 respectively.
Olorunyomi, also a winner of the Press Freedom Awards from
the National Association of Black Journalists in the United States, was
enterprise editor at the defunct Next Newspapers, and founded the Wole
Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). He also worked as
Director and chief of staff at the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) from 2005 until 2008, under former Chairman, Nuhu
Ribadu.
Lawal Abubakar Garba, Distinguished Member of Panel
Lawal Garba represents Yola North,
Yola South, Girei Federal Constituency
of Adamawa State and is Chairman,
House of Representatives Committee on
Constituency Outreach. He graduated
from the Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria with LLB (Hons.) in 1987 and the
Nigerian Law School, Lagos after
which he was called to the bar in
November 1988. He subsequently
obtained his Masters Degrees in
Business Management (MBA) and Laws (LLM) respectively at the
University of Maiduguri. He worked in a Legal firm of S. A. Nasir &
Co. as a private Legal Practitioner, Ministry of Justice of the defunct
Gongola State, as a State Counsel, Adamawa Investment & Property
Development Company, Yola as Assistant Company Secretary/Legal
Adviser, Bank of the North Limited, Head Office, Kano; Sigma
Pensions Limited, Abuja as Head of Compliance and Internal Control.
He served as Managing Director/CEO – Adamawa Homes and
Savings Limited, (Primary Mortgage Bank) Yola, from 2008 to 2014.
Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, Distinguished Member of Panel
Kingsley Chinda
represents Obio/Akpor
Federal Constituency
and is Chairman of the
Public Accounts
Committee of the
House of
Representatives. He
holds a law degree
from Rivers State
University of Science
& Technology, Port
Harcourt and was
called to the Bar to begin many years of private legal practice. He had
previously served as Legal Adviser to Social Democratic Party (SDP);
Grassroot Democratic Movement (GDM) and People Democratic Party
(PDP) at various times in Rivers State. He was also appointed as the
Commissioner for Environment in Rivers State, a position he held until
December, 2010 when he resigned his appointment to contest for election
into the House of Representatives. He is a returning member of the House.
Mac Imoni Amarere, Distinguished Member of Panel
Amarere is the current
Managing Director Daar
News Services (AIT and
Raypower) since August
20, 2014. Mr. Amarere had
previously served as
Executive Director, News
and Executive Director of
International Operations of
Daar Communications Plc. His journalism career started as a reporter
with Nigeria Television Authority, Benin in 1980 and he became an
Editor for the Observer in 1991 and then Editor for the Sunday
Publication in 1992. Mac was a Commissioner in the National Human
Rights Commission and rapporteur on the environment and Niger
Delta. He has attended several courses and workshops both within and
outside the country. He has several papers and publications on the
media and human rights. Mr. Amarere is a graduate of the University
of Benin from where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in
Political Science in 1985 and a Master of Science degree in
International Relations in 1988. He is currently on the Board of
ActionAid Nigeria.
Sen. Chris N. D. Anyanwu, Distinguished Member Of Panel
A two-term Senator, Chris N. D.
Anyanwu represented Imo East Senatorial
district effectively from 2007 to 2015.
Before veering into politics, she was a
renowned journalist, of NTA fame and
first female Nigerian to set up a national
weekly magazine, TSM and again, first
female Nigerian to set up a private radio
station, Hot fm. While at the Senate, she
was one of the most vibrant and articulate
Senators of her time. She was once the
Vice-Chairman of Senate Committee on
Army and Defence and in the 7th Senate,
the Chairman of Senate Committee on
Navy.
Senator Chris Anyanwu had her
university education at the University of
Missouri, Columbia, and Florida State
University, USA, where she obtained a
Bachelors Degree in Journalism and Masters Degree in Mass Communication
respectively. She also attended Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education on
Leadership for the 21st Century, 2008; Strategic Leadership for Women by IMD
Switzerland, 2009; CPA UK Conference on International Migration and Human
Trafficking, 2009; the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, 2012; the
Oxford High Performance Leadership Program by Said Business School,
University of Oxford, 2012 and Influence & Negotiation Strategies Program in
Stanford University, 2013.
A prolific writer and author, she has published six books, amongst which are The
Days of Terror - a political novel on Nigeria’s historic encounter with military
dictatorship, Power Sharing in Nigeria - a book highlighting the imbalance in
power equation in Nigeria, and The Lawmakers Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She is the founder of Spectrum Broadcasting Company, which owns a chain of
radio stations in Nigeria: Hot fm Abuja, Hot fm Owerri and Hot fm Asaba.
Barr. Victor Muruako
Victor Chinemerem Muruako is the
Acting Chairman of the Fiscal
Responsibility Commission (FRC).
A graduate of Law from the Imo
State University (now Abia State
University Uturu), he attended the
Nigerian Law School, Lagos and
was called to the Nigerian Bar and
admitted as a Solicitor and advocate
of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in
1993. His working career spans
engagements at AdApalm Nigeria
Limited Ohaji Imo State (1989),
M.I Ahamba (Iwuoha Chambers)
(1993), Legal officer, National
Fertilizer Company (NAFCON)
Onne, Rivers State (Dec 1993 –
October 1994), Resident Counsel, Amity Chambers Port-Harcourt River
State (1994 -1996), Managing Solicitor V.C Muruako & Associates
(Ako Chambers) Owerri, Imo State. He was elected Vice Chairman
Owerri West Local Government Council, Imo State, Transition
Committee Chairman Owerri West LGA 2003 – 2004, and Executive
(elected) Chairman of Owerri West LGA 2004 – 2007. In January 2008,
he was appointed Special Assistant (Legal Matters) to the then Deputy
Speaker, House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Usman Bayero Nafada; and
was reappointed in that Position in the House when Rt. Hon. Emeka
Ihedioha CON was elected as the Deputy Speaker. He continued in this
Position until he was appointed Commission Secretary, Fiscal
Responsibility Commission in February 2012. In December 2013, then
President, Jonathan appointed him Acting Chairman of the Fiscal
Responsibility Commission.
Chido Onumah, Head, Team of Rapporteurs
Chido Onumah has worked for
over two decades as a journalist,
rights activist and media trainer
in Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, India,
the USA and the Caribbean. He
has been involved for more than
a decade in media training for
professional journalists as well as
promoting media and information
literacy in Africa. He is currently
a doctoral candidate in
Communication and Journalism
at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain and
coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy
(AFRICMIL), Abuja, Nigeria.
Onumah has worked as Director of Africa programmes, Panos
Institute, Washington, DC, U.S.A., helping journalists in West Africa,
as well as the Caribbean, report in depth on issues that are frequently
underreported or misreported — issues such as HIV/AIDS,
environmental degradation, and ethnic and religious conflicts. He was
educated at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, as
well as Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, where he
earned an MA in journalism. He was associate editor of Weekly
Insight newspaper, and assistant editor of African Agenda magazine
both in Accra, Ghana. He served as coordinator, West African Human
Rights Committee, Accra, Ghana, and correspondent for African
Observer magazine, New York, and AfricaNews Service, Nairobi,
Kenya.
Between 2006 and 2008, he served as pioneer coordinator of the
crime prevention unit (Fix Nigeria Initiative) of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, working on a civil
society anti-corruption agenda for the country, and in partnership with
the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism developed
programmes on ethics and investigative reporting for Nigerian
journalists. Between 2001 and 2002, Onumah volunteered for the
London Cross Cultural Learner Centre, London, Ontario, Canada,
working on integration and provision of information for refugees and
new immigrants to Canada. Since 2005, he has been a volunteer for
the World Computer Exchange (WCE), Hull, Massachusetts, USA,
seeking donations of used computers from corporations, universities,
and non-profit organizations, and assisting in recruiting community
organizations, universities, and secondary schools in Africa that
benefit from the services of the WCE.
Onumah has earned a number of awards, including the Clement
Mwale Prize for courage in journalism, AFRICANEWS SERVICE (Kenya)
1997; Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) Award for excellence
and courage in journalism (Nigeria), 1999; Alfred W. Hamilton
Scholarship (Canadian Association of Black Journalists), 2001;
William C. Heine Fellowship for International Media Studies
(Canada), 2001; and the Jerry Rogers Writing Award (University of
Western Ontario, Canada), 2002.
Onumah is the author of We Are All Biafrans (2016), Nigeria is
Negotiable (2013) and Time to Reclaim Nigeria (Essays 2001-
2011) 2011. He has edited books on various subject, includingMaking
Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Children & Youth
(2004); Anti-Corruption Advocacy Handbook (with Comfort Idika-
Ogunye) 2006; Youth Media: A Guide to Literacy and Social
Change (with Lewis Asubiojo) 2008; Understanding Nigeria and the
New Imperialism(with Biodun Jeyifo, Bene Madunagu, and Kayode
Komolafe) 2006; and Sentenced in God’s Name: The Untold Story of
Nigeria’s “Witch Children” (with Lewis Asubiojo) 2011.
Oke Epia, Chief Host Mr. Oke Epia is the Founder/CEO of
OrderPaper.ng, Nigeria’s premier multi-
media company dedicated to reporting the
Parliament and providing platforms for
citizens’ engagement with the National and
State Assemblies of Nigeria. He had served
as Special Adviser on Media to the Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives
between 2011 and 2015 where he
coordinated media and public relations for
the principal and ultimately, contributing
towards a positive image and public
relations profile for the House of
Representatives generally. He had
previously worked as Special Adviser with
the Ministry of Information, Government of
Delta State between 2007 and 2011 where
he played both advisory and implementation roles in the management of official
communications and supervision of information gateway channels, including
broadcast, print and social media channels of the Government. Before his foray
into public service, he worked at ThisDay Newspaper, one of Nigeria’s leading
national dailies where he was groomed in active journalism and in the process
gained sufficient knowledge, versatility, and reputation for industry in the
profession for almost a decade.
With a first degree in Political Science and Masters of International Law and
Diplomacy at the post-graduate level both from the University of Lagos,
Nigeria, Oke has varied experiences in media, public communications and
international relations. He also holds a post-graduate Diploma in Public
Diplomacy from the prestigious University of Southern California (USC), USA.
He has made presentations to and participated in several professional and
academic fora both in Nigeria and internationally. These include the 2006
international conference by the Centre for the Study of Globalization and
Regionalization (CSGR) of the University of Warwick, UK; and the 2007
Global Leaders’ Summit in South Africa; among others.