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Senate Orders Screening Of Onochie, 14 Others For NDDC Board Amid Protest

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The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Niger Delta Affairs to commence the screening of President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees for the position of chairman and 14 others as members of the board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

President Buhari had on November 25 written the Senate, seeking for the confirmation of his Special Assistant on New Media, Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie from Delta State as the chairman and 14 others as members of the NDDC board.

Other nominees are Dimgba Erugba (Abia State representative), Dr. Emem Wilcos Wills (Akwa Ibom State), Hon. Orok Duke (Cross River), Dr. Pius Obuluku (Edo), Engr. Anthony Okanne ((Imo), Hon. Gbenga Edema (Ondo) and Elekwachi Dinkpa (Rivers).

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The rest are Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Abubakar (North Central zonal representative), Alhaji Sule-Iko Ssmi (North West), Prof. Tahir Mamman (North East), Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku from Bayelsa State (Managing Director for a term of two years, to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor in office), Major General Charles Airhinvbere from Edo (Executive Director, Finance) and Charles Ogunmola from Ondo (Executive Director, Projects), respectively.

READ ALSO: Groups Drag President Buhari To Court Over New NDDC Board

The Senate Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC Sokoto East) read the Executive Communication from President Buhari that the upper legislative chamber do consider the request on the confirmation for the appointment as chairman and members of NDDC in accordance with the provisions of section 2( 2)( a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (Establishment) Act, Cap N86 LFN.

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Consequently, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, referred it to the Committee on Niger Delta Affairs to carry out an expeditious screening and report back to plenary next week Tuesday.

With the absence of Senator Nwaoboshi in the Senate, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Bulus Amos, (APC Gombe South) will preside over the screening.

The committee is, however, yet to fix a day for the screening.

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Why I Picked Amupitan As INEC Chair – Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday explained that his choice of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission was based on his apolitical stance, integrity and impeccable record of service.

“President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical,” a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted him as saying.

The President spoke at the State House, Abuja, during the meeting of the National Council of State, which unanimously endorsed the nomination of Amupitan to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman ended on Tuesday.

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Tinubu told council members that Amupitan, a professor of law from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the top electoral job.

READ ALSO:Meet New INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan

Council members, including serving and former leaders, backed the nomination, describing the professor as a man of proven integrity.

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Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, said Amupitan’s track record “reflects a deep commitment to justice, knowledge, and national service.”

Following the council’s approval, the President is expected to transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.

Aged 58, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

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READ ALSO:BREAKING: Council Of State Approves New INEC Chairman

A professor of law at the University of Jos, Plateau State, he is currently the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees in law from the University of Jos, after earlier studies at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

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Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988, Amupitan has built an extensive academic and administrative career spanning over three decades.

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014 and has written extensively on company law, corporate governance, and evidence law.

His published works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013).

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Council Of State Meets As Tinubu Presents Nominees For INEC Chair

Beyond academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the Council of Legal Education.

He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.

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The Kogi-born scholar, described by colleagues as “a jurist of quiet influence,” is married with four children.

When confirmed by the Senate, Amupitan will become Nigeria’s 15th INEC chairman.

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Meet New INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan

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President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appointment, which was confirmed by the National Council of State on Thursday, follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu from the electoral body.

According to a statement issued by Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a native of Kogi State will head Nigeria’s election management agency.

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The law professor hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi state.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Council Of State Approves New INEC Chairman

Amupitan, who currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, has spent more than three decades in academia and legal practice.

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He joined the institution in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a Reader in 2003 and a Professor of Law in 2008.

Details from the University of Jos website show that the new INEC boss obtained all his degrees, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate, in Law from the same university.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after completing his programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

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Amupitan’s areas of academic and professional interest include Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.

READ ALSO:Things To Know About Late Elder Statesman Christopher Kolade

He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession.

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Beyond academics, Amupitan has held several administrative and national positions.

He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Public Law, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos.

He has also represented the institution on several boards, including the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, where he served as a member of the Governing Council.

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He was, until his nomination, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Council Of State Approves New INEC Chairman

The legal scholar has authored and co-authored over 50 academic publications, with research spanning corporate governance, electoral law reform, and petroleum industry legislation.

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He has supervised more than a dozen doctoral and master’s students in law.

Professor Amupitan is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the National Association of Law Teachers.

Outside academics, he has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, Riss Oil Limited, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council.

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He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.

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Elder Statesman Christopher Kolade Dies

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Veteran broadcaster and former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 92.

The family announced the elder statesman’s death in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the late former Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria died peacefully on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

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We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement read in part.

Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and corporate governance, among other things.

Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Kolade was the son of an Anglican missionary. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he completed his higher education.

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READ ALSO: South African Ambassador Found Dead Outside Paris Hotel

Kolade began his career in broadcasting, eventually rising to the position of Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

He later became Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, where he was widely recognised for his ethical leadership and corporate reforms.

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The deceased also served Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, leaving behind a legacy of diplomacy, integrity, and professionalism.

READ ALSO:Retired DIG Parry Osayande is dead

Kolade taught Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at the Lagos Business School and Leadership & Conflict Management at the School of Media & Communication, both part of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

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Kolade, a former member of the university’s Governing Council, also served as its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, and was later Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.

Deeply committed to promoting ethical standards in business, Kolade chaired several integrity-driven organisations, including Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.

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