David Mark re-emerges as Senate President

David Mark on Monday re-emerged as the Senate President of the 7th Senate of the federation.

His return as the Senate President followed a motion moved by Sen. Ndoma Egba and seconded by Sen. Smart Adeyemi.

Mark became unanimous candidate without opposition from 109 senators and as such there was no election to return him.

He was sworn in immediately by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa.
    
His Profile

Born in Otukpo, a popular town in Benue State on April 8, 1948, and married with children, Mark is a dogged and patriotic Nigerian.

He attended primary school at St. Francis Catholic Practising School Otukpo, Benue, between 1956 and 1961, before he proceeded to the Nigerian Military School Zaria, Kaduna, beginning in 1962 and passed out in 1966.

He enrolled at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna on the 3rd Regular Course in 1967 and graduated in 1970 to become a Communications Engineer in the Nigerian Army after a period of four years.

During the intense military training course, he graduated tops in his class as one of the best students. He was offered admission by the School of Signals Blandford, England.

On his return from England, he enrolled for a College programme simultaneously in the College of Military Engineering Poona and Military College of Telecommunication Engineering Mhow in the year 1971 to broaden his knowledge more on Signal and Telecommunications and graduated 1975.

Consequently on his promotion to the rank of a Senior Officer in the Army, he was called to the Command and Staff College Jaji, Kaduna State, from 1978 to 1979 to receive leadership training for senior duties.

David Mark hit national limelight's as a young army major when he was appointed Chairman of the Abandoned Properties Implementation Commission.

It was a very sensitive and politically explosive issue, and therefore a most difficult assignment to implement the Federal Government White Paper on the controversial properties abandoned as a result of the civil war.

Mark was retired from the Nigerian Army in the year 1993 by Nigeria's maximum military ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha. He fled the country and went on exile to England; to return when Abacha died in 1998.

He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and contested elections to the Senate. He was subsequently elected to be the representative for Benue South Senatorial District under the umbrella of the PDP during the Senatorial election of April 1999 in which he won.

Again in April 2007, he was re-elected and on June 3.

On June 5, Mark went through a keenly contested election on the floor of the Senate, and emerged Senate President.

He was consequently sworn in as the president of the Sixth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In addition he is currently Chairman Senate Committee on selection and Chairman Joint National Assembly.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly was on Monday cordoned off, restricting movement to the complex.

The 109 and 360 senators and members of representative elect were sworn in with the inauguration of the 7th National Assembly.

A combined team of mobile, regular police officials, NSCDC and road safety mounted check points at the entrance of the complex.

Armed mobile police officers were seen at strategic points at the gate while police bomb experts frisked both invited guests and staff before they were allowed into the complex.

Canopies were erected at the open car park for quests to avoid congesting the chambers of the National Assembly.
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