Joseph Akaagerger
Encyclopedia
Lt. Colonel Joseph Iorshagher Akaagerger (born 5 May 1956) was the Military Administrator of Katsina State
, Nigeria
from August 1998 to 29 May 1999.
After the return to democracy, in April 2007 he was elected to the Senate representing Benue North East.
local government area of Benue State
, of Tiv
origins.
He attended Government Secondary School, Gboko
(1969–1973).
Joining the army, he attended the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
(1976–1977), the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom
(1977–79).
He also obtained LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Jos
and a doctorate degree in International Economic Law from the Ahmadu Bello University
, Zaria.
He holds the traditional title of Ambe u Konshisha (the Konshisha Crocodile).
He is a kinsman of former Attorney-General and Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa
.
He was a Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College
, Zaria
when he was appointed Military Administrator of Katsina State during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
in August 1998.
He was said to have provided state funding for the successful Katsina governorship campaign of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
(later to become president), who took office at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic
in May 1999.
After the handover it was found that the state had a liability of N35 million fom the ministries, N174 million from the parastatals and an overdraft from Bank of the North in the region of N75 million, as well as other debts.
Following the return to democracy, as a former military administrator he was required to retire from the army.
In the 2003 elections, he was UNPP candidate for election to the Senate in Benue State
for the Benue North East constituency, but was not elected.
In June 2004 he crossed over to the People's Democratic Party
(PDP).
In the 2007 elections he ran again for Benue NE, this time on the PDP platform.
In the primaries, he did not obtain the required 2/3 majority, but was elected as candidate on a straight majority, as was Senator David Mark
in the Benue South senatorial zone.
Unongo gave him his support, and he was elected, taking office in May 2007.
In January 2008 an election petition tribunal in Makurdi
nullified his election on the basis that there had been massive allocations of votes, as opposed to actual voting, and ordered fresh elections to be held. He appealed the finding.
In February 2008 Akaagerger was named Publicity Secretary for the Northern Senators Forum.
Akaagerger made provision of health care his priority.
In December 2008 he stated that his free medical scheme in the state, which was being executed in partnership with the Grassroots Doctors Society, had spent N50 million and had benefited 23,000 people.
In October 2009 he raised the alarm over the Lake Nyos
natural dam, located in the Cameroons
, which drains into the Benue River
. The lake site on a magma chamber and is saturated with CO2, which has reupted in the past. The dam wall has been weakening, and a seismic event could cause a disaster in downstream Nigeria. Akaagerger called for precautions including speeding up work on the Kashimbilla buffer dam project.
In May 2009 he and nine other senators were referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for investigation in regards to a controversial expenses paid trip to Ghana.
In July 2009 a Senate Committee named ex-directors of 13 failed banks as being involved in credit abuse which had led to the banks' failure. Akaagerger was opposed to making the names public, since they included the chairmen of boards of some Federal Government agencies.
A list issued in October 2009 by the Central Bank of Nigeria
of non-performing loans in five banks that had to be bailed out showed that Akaagerger was indebted by N534 million to Spring Bank Plc.
In a March 2010 interview he expressed optimism that the proposed electoral reforms would be resolved before the 2011 elections.
Katsina State
Katsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from August 1998 to 29 May 1999.
After the return to democracy, in April 2007 he was elected to the Senate representing Benue North East.
Background
Akaagerger was born on 5 May 1956 in KonshishaKonshisha
Konshisha is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Tse-Agberagba.It has an area of 1,673 km² and a population of 225,672 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 971....
local government area of Benue State
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
, of Tiv
Tiv
Tiv are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. They constitute approximately 2.5% of Nigeria's total population, and number over 5.6 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Tiv language is spoken by about 6...
origins.
He attended Government Secondary School, Gboko
Gboko
Gboko is a town in the Benue State of North-central Nigeria. The population is over 500,000, mostly Tiv people. It is the traditional capital of the Tiv tribe and it has the official residence of the Tor-Tiv, who is the paramount traditional ruler of the Tiv people spread in Benue, Taraba, Plateau...
(1969–1973).
Joining the army, he attended the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
(1976–1977), the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(1977–79).
He also obtained LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Jos
University of Jos
The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. The school offers courses in law, medicine, pharmacy, natural sciences, social sciences, the built environment as well as arts and humanities....
and a doctorate degree in International Economic Law from the Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria and second largest in Africa, second only to Cairo University, Egypt. It is situated in Zaria. It was founded on October 4, 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria....
, Zaria.
He holds the traditional title of Ambe u Konshisha (the Konshisha Crocodile).
He is a kinsman of former Attorney-General and Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa
Michael Aondoakaa
Michael Kaase Aondoakaa was Nigeria's justice minister from July 2007 to 10 February 2010.-Background:Michael Kaase Aondoakaa was born in Benue on 12 June 1962. He attended the University of Maiduguri, where he studied law...
.
Military career
Akaagerger held various posts in the army, rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel.He was a Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
when he was appointed Military Administrator of Katsina State during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
Abdulsalami Abubakar
General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar is a Nigerian general who was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. It was during Abubakar's leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which provided for multiparty...
in August 1998.
He was said to have provided state funding for the successful Katsina governorship campaign of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria and the 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May...
(later to become president), who took office at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
in May 1999.
After the handover it was found that the state had a liability of N35 million fom the ministries, N174 million from the parastatals and an overdraft from Bank of the North in the region of N75 million, as well as other debts.
Following the return to democracy, as a former military administrator he was required to retire from the army.
Political career
Akaagerger joined the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP).In the 2003 elections, he was UNPP candidate for election to the Senate in Benue State
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
for the Benue North East constituency, but was not elected.
In June 2004 he crossed over to the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP).
In the 2007 elections he ran again for Benue NE, this time on the PDP platform.
In the primaries, he did not obtain the required 2/3 majority, but was elected as candidate on a straight majority, as was Senator David Mark
David Mark
David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark is the President of the Senate of Nigeria and Senator for the Benue South constituency of Benue State. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party ....
in the Benue South senatorial zone.
Unongo gave him his support, and he was elected, taking office in May 2007.
In January 2008 an election petition tribunal in Makurdi
Makurdi
Makurdi is the capital of Benue State in Nigeria. The city is located in central Nigeria along the Benue river bank and was the base for the Nigerian Air Force's MiG 21 and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft squadrons...
nullified his election on the basis that there had been massive allocations of votes, as opposed to actual voting, and ordered fresh elections to be held. He appealed the finding.
In February 2008 Akaagerger was named Publicity Secretary for the Northern Senators Forum.
Akaagerger made provision of health care his priority.
In December 2008 he stated that his free medical scheme in the state, which was being executed in partnership with the Grassroots Doctors Society, had spent N50 million and had benefited 23,000 people.
In October 2009 he raised the alarm over the Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity...
natural dam, located in the Cameroons
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
, which drains into the Benue River
Benue River
The Benue River is the major tributary of the Niger River. The river is approximately 1,400 km long and is almost entirely navigable during the summer months...
. The lake site on a magma chamber and is saturated with CO2, which has reupted in the past. The dam wall has been weakening, and a seismic event could cause a disaster in downstream Nigeria. Akaagerger called for precautions including speeding up work on the Kashimbilla buffer dam project.
In May 2009 he and nine other senators were referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for investigation in regards to a controversial expenses paid trip to Ghana.
In July 2009 a Senate Committee named ex-directors of 13 failed banks as being involved in credit abuse which had led to the banks' failure. Akaagerger was opposed to making the names public, since they included the chairmen of boards of some Federal Government agencies.
A list issued in October 2009 by the Central Bank of Nigeria
Central Bank of Nigeria
The Central Bank of Nigeria was established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on July 1, 1959.The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN act of 1958 is to: issue legal tender, maintain the external reserves of the country, promote monetary stability and a sound...
of non-performing loans in five banks that had to be bailed out showed that Akaagerger was indebted by N534 million to Spring Bank Plc.
In a March 2010 interview he expressed optimism that the proposed electoral reforms would be resolved before the 2011 elections.