Musiliu Obanikoro
Encyclopedia
Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro (popularly known as Koro) is a Nigeria
n politician. He served as Senator
for Lagos State
from 2003–2007, and was later appointed High Commissioner to Ghana
.
. He is from Bakare family of Ita-Ado in Lagos Island
, Ikare
and Ilashe in Amuwo Odofin Local Government of Lagos State, the Obanikoro (Ajayi-Bembe) family of Lagos and Idoluwole (Ojo Local Government of Lagos), and the Eletu-Odibo (Oshobile) family of Isale-Eko, Lagos.
He attended Saint Patrick Catholic School, Idumagbo, Lagos and Ahmadiyya College (Anwar-ul/Islam College) Agege
. He worked briefly as a Clerical Officer at LSHMBS, and at Union Bank as a Clerk before traveling overseas for further studies. While in the US
, he attended Texas Southern University
where he earned his B.Sc degree in Public Affairs and Master's Degree
in Public Administration
(M. P. A).
He served as an intern with Houston adult Probation Department, Houston, Texas
. He worked as a social work
er and later as the Head of the adolescent unit with Little Flower Children Service (an agency affiliated with New York City Department of Social Service).
He is an honorary citizen of Glenarden, Maryland
and Little Rock, Arkansas
.
Local Government (National Republican Convention
); he was elected as the State Deputy Chairman (NRC); appointed by Governor Otedola’s administration as Director, LASBULK (Lagos State Bulk Purchasing Corporation); and member, Lagos State Football Association. He has served as Delegate to Local Government Congress, State Congress, and National Convention. He has also served as Elected State Secretary, Justice Forum. He was also the Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government.
He was a national Executive member, Grassroots Democratic Movement
(GDM) under the military government of General Sani Abacha
.
He was appointed State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture in 1999 and served for four years before he was elected Senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria.
Musiliu Obanikoro was elected senator for Lagos Central in April 2003, running for the Alliance for Democracy
(AD).During the election, each side accused the other of hijacking ballot boxes. He later defected to the People's Democratic Party
(PDP).
He was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as a member of the 2004 Amirul-Hajj Committee.
In February 2005, Obanikoro was among senators who urged the African Union
chairman, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to use military force if necessary to restore democracy in Togo
.
As Senator, Musiliu Obanikoro proposed motions on the surge and overflow of the Atlantic Ocean along the Bar beach shoreline, to stop the incessant increment in the pump price of petroleum products, to protect Lagos State from the menace of flood, to probe into the condition of the velodrome at the National Stadium, Abuja and for the resolution of the clash between men of the Nigerian Police Force and men of the Nigerian Army in Lagos State].
He also sponsored several bills, calling for acts to regulate and control public Buildings, to regulate and control Dredging and Excavation of land, to provide for the Re-certification of Fuel Pumps, to prevent Casualisation in public and private Establishment and to amend the Federal Capital Territory Act.
During the flagging off of OPP (Obanikoro Priority Projects), hundreds of items were given out to his constituents, including motor bikes, milling machines, popcorn machines, sewing machines, assorted farming tools, telephone lines and phones, etc.
In making education a priority, the Senator established the Senator Obanikoro Leadership and Education Project (SOLEP). Under this programme he supplied textbooks, notebooks, forms and scholarship funding.
He initiated an Urban renewal bill that is designed to give a face-lift to selected cities in Lagos.
He set aside funds to help children and women who need financial assistance during surgery. Dozens of Lagosians have benefited from this fund.
He is currently in partnership with a US-based NGO
(AWHPI) to set up a mammogram centre that will enable women to test for breast cancer
for free in Lagos.
In July 2006, Engineer Funsho Williams
, who was seeking to become PDP candidate for the Lagos State governorship election, was murdered. Police investigating the case arrested all gubernatorial aspirants of the party including Musiliu Obanikoro, but were all later released for non involvement.
on the PDP ticket, but lost the election to Babatunde Fashola
of the Action Congress
.
The election was marred by violence. In one incident, Musiliu Obanikoro was said to have narrowly escaped death in an armed attack on his car in Ikeja.
His nomination as PDP candidate was controversial. Hilda Williams, widow of the murdered Engineer Funsho Williams, had been declared winner of the Lagos PDP primaries, but the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) led by Ahmadu Ali gave the ticket to Obanikoro. The disunited PDP under Bode George
also lost the Lagos State Senate and all but one House of Representatives and 37 State House of Assembly seats to the AC.
In a newspaper interview in July 2007, Obanikoro called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Lagos State, claiming that infrastructures and values had completely collapsed.
President Umaru Yar'Adua appointed Musiliu Obanikoro as Nigerian High commissioner to Ghana in May 2008.
Divisions between factions in the Lagos State PDP which had surfaced before the 2007 elections continued until a series of meeting in October 2009, where the differences were resolved.
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...
n politician. He served as Senator
Senate of Nigeria
The Senate is the upper house of the National Assembly of Nigeria. It consists of 109 senators: the 36 states are divided in 3 senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital Territory elects only one senator....
for Lagos State
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
from 2003–2007, and was later appointed High Commissioner to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Background
Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro was born in LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
. He is from Bakare family of Ita-Ado in Lagos Island
Lagos Island
Lagos Island is the principal and central local government area of the Metropolitan Lagos in Nigeria. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 in an area of 8.7 km²...
, Ikare
Ikare
Ikare is a town in Ondo State, Nigeria.Ikare-Akoko , city in southwestern Nigeria, located in Ondo state. Ikare is about 100 km from Akure, the Ondo State capital. The city was the divisional headquarters of the old Akoko Division, comprising Oka-Akoko, Isua-Akoko, Okeagbe-Akoko etc...
and Ilashe in Amuwo Odofin Local Government of Lagos State, the Obanikoro (Ajayi-Bembe) family of Lagos and Idoluwole (Ojo Local Government of Lagos), and the Eletu-Odibo (Oshobile) family of Isale-Eko, Lagos.
He attended Saint Patrick Catholic School, Idumagbo, Lagos and Ahmadiyya College (Anwar-ul/Islam College) Agege
Agege
Agege is a suburb and local government area in the Ikeja Division of Lagos State, Nigeria.- External links :*...
. He worked briefly as a Clerical Officer at LSHMBS, and at Union Bank as a Clerk before traveling overseas for further studies. While in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he attended Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
where he earned his B.Sc degree in Public Affairs and Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
(M. P. A).
He served as an intern with Houston adult Probation Department, Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He worked as a social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er and later as the Head of the adolescent unit with Little Flower Children Service (an agency affiliated with New York City Department of Social Service).
He is an honorary citizen of Glenarden, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Early political career
He returned to Nigeria in 1989 and started his political career immediately. He was appointed as Caretaker Committee Chairman of SurulereSurulere
Surulere is a residential and commercial area, and a Local Government Area located on the Lagos mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of 23 km². It is part of Metropolitan Lagos...
Local Government (National Republican Convention
National Republican Convention
The National Republican Convention was a Nigerian political party established by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida and ultimately disbanded by the incoming military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1993.-Alignment:...
); he was elected as the State Deputy Chairman (NRC); appointed by Governor Otedola’s administration as Director, LASBULK (Lagos State Bulk Purchasing Corporation); and member, Lagos State Football Association. He has served as Delegate to Local Government Congress, State Congress, and National Convention. He has also served as Elected State Secretary, Justice Forum. He was also the Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government.
He was a national Executive member, Grassroots Democratic Movement
Grassroots Democratic Movement
The Grassroots Democratic Movement was a Nigerian political party that was one of the five state-sanctioned political parties allowed by the government of General Sani Abacha to participate in state assembly elections held in December 1997, and in parliamentary elections held in April 1998.The...
(GDM) under the military government of General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
.
He was appointed State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture in 1999 and served for four years before he was elected Senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria.
Senate career
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)
The Alliance for Democracy was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on September 9th 1998. At the 2003 legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 8.8 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives and six out of...
(AD).During the election, each side accused the other of hijacking ballot boxes. He later defected 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).
He was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as a member of the 2004 Amirul-Hajj Committee.
In February 2005, Obanikoro was among senators who urged the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
chairman, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to use military force if necessary to restore democracy in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
.
As Senator, Musiliu Obanikoro proposed motions on the surge and overflow of the Atlantic Ocean along the Bar beach shoreline, to stop the incessant increment in the pump price of petroleum products, to protect Lagos State from the menace of flood, to probe into the condition of the velodrome at the National Stadium, Abuja and for the resolution of the clash between men of the Nigerian Police Force and men of the Nigerian Army in Lagos State].
He also sponsored several bills, calling for acts to regulate and control public Buildings, to regulate and control Dredging and Excavation of land, to provide for the Re-certification of Fuel Pumps, to prevent Casualisation in public and private Establishment and to amend the Federal Capital Territory Act.
During the flagging off of OPP (Obanikoro Priority Projects), hundreds of items were given out to his constituents, including motor bikes, milling machines, popcorn machines, sewing machines, assorted farming tools, telephone lines and phones, etc.
In making education a priority, the Senator established the Senator Obanikoro Leadership and Education Project (SOLEP). Under this programme he supplied textbooks, notebooks, forms and scholarship funding.
He initiated an Urban renewal bill that is designed to give a face-lift to selected cities in Lagos.
He set aside funds to help children and women who need financial assistance during surgery. Dozens of Lagosians have benefited from this fund.
He is currently in partnership with a US-based NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(AWHPI) to set up a mammogram centre that will enable women to test for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
for free in Lagos.
In July 2006, Engineer Funsho Williams
Funsho Williams
Funsho Williams was a Nigerian civil servant and politician.-Early life:Born Anthony Olufunsho Williams in Lagos, he attended the St. Paul's Catholic school at Ebute Metta and later St. Gregory's college, Lagos. In 1968 he started at the University of Lagos, attaining a degree in civil engineering...
, who was seeking to become PDP candidate for the Lagos State governorship election, was murdered. Police investigating the case arrested all gubernatorial aspirants of the party including Musiliu Obanikoro, but were all later released for non involvement.
Later career
In April 2007 Musiliu Obanikoro ran for governor of Lagos StateLagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
on the PDP ticket, but lost the election to Babatunde Fashola
Babatunde Fashola
Babatunde Raji Fashola is the thirteenth governor of Lagos State, Nigeria. As a candidate of the Action Congress party, Fashola succeeded Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on April 14, 2007, and was sworn in on May 29, 2007....
of the Action Congress
Action Congress
The Action Congress of Nigeria , formerly known as Action Congress , is a classical liberal Nigerian political party formed via the merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political parties in September 2006. The party...
.
The election was marred by violence. In one incident, Musiliu Obanikoro was said to have narrowly escaped death in an armed attack on his car in Ikeja.
His nomination as PDP candidate was controversial. Hilda Williams, widow of the murdered Engineer Funsho Williams, had been declared winner of the Lagos PDP primaries, but the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) led by Ahmadu Ali gave the ticket to Obanikoro. The disunited PDP under Bode George
Bode George
Olabode Ibiyinka George is a Nigerian politician who became Military Governor of Ondo State, and later Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, then national vice-chairman in the southwest zone of the People’s Democratic Party...
also lost the Lagos State Senate and all but one House of Representatives and 37 State House of Assembly seats to the AC.
In a newspaper interview in July 2007, Obanikoro called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Lagos State, claiming that infrastructures and values had completely collapsed.
President Umaru Yar'Adua appointed Musiliu Obanikoro as Nigerian High commissioner to Ghana in May 2008.
Divisions between factions in the Lagos State PDP which had surfaced before the 2007 elections continued until a series of meeting in October 2009, where the differences were resolved.