Ahmed Lawan sworn-in as Senate President

Senator Ahmed Lawan has been sworn in as the President of the ninth Senate by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori.

This followed Lawan’s defeat of Senator Ali Ndume by 79 votes to 28 in an election that saw 107 senators vote.

Sani-Omolori administered the Oaths of Allegiance and Office to Lawan before he assumed the seat of the Senate President.

“You now have a seating Senate President. I can no longer hit the gavel,” Sani-Omolori told the senators-elect.

With his election, Ahmad is now to oversee the election of other principal officers of the ninth Senate.

Born in 1959, Mr Lawan completed his primary education at Sabon Gari Primary School, Gashua in 1974 and then enrolled at Government Secondary School, Gashua where he obtained his O’Level in 1979.

From there, he proceeded to University of Maiduguri where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Geography in 1984.

Same year, he moved to North Central State, Benue, to do his one-year compulsory service under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

He later enrolled and had his Master’s degree in Remote Sensing from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Doctorate degree in Remote Sensing/GIS from Cranfield University, UK, in 1990 and 1996 respectively.

Before venturing into politics, Mr Lawan had had experience in civil service and the academy.

Between 1985 and 1986, he worked in the Yobe state civil service, as an Education Officer in the Ministry of Education.

From there he moved to the University of Maiduguri where he lectured for 10 years from 1987 to 1997. He was employed as Assistant Lecturer 1 in 1986.