David Mark
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Sen. David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark |
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|---|---|
| Governor of Niger State | |
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In office January 1984 – 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Awwal Ibrahim |
| Succeeded by | Garba Ali Mohammed |
| Senator for Benue South | |
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In office May 1999 – May 2003 |
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| President of the Senate | |
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In office 6 June 2007 – 6 June 2015 |
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| Deputy | Ike Ekweremadu |
| Preceded by | Ken Nnamani |
| Succeeded by | Bukola Saraki |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1948 (age 69) Zungeru, Niger State |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party | PDP |
| Residence | Abuja |
| Alma mater | Nigerian Defence Academy |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Nigerian Army |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, GCON (born April 1948) is a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General and politician who was President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2007 to 2015 and is the Senator for the Benue State constituency. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Prior to his senatorial career, Mark was a military governor of Niger State and a former Minister of Communication.
Mark was born in Zungeru Niger State in April 1948. He attended St. Francis Catholic Practicing School before attending the Nigerian Military School then he attended the Nigerian Defence Academy. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1970 and became a Captain in 1971. He was Commandant of Static Communications in 1974, then later held a political post as Chairman Abandoned Properties Implementation Committee in the Eastern region in 1976.
Mark headed the Communications Ministry and its two major parastatals: NITEL and NIPOST. As Minister of Communications Mark was sometimes known for his blunt talk; during a two-day walking tour of facilities in Akure in 1989, some union workers complained that some of its members had not been promoted since 1978, Mark's response was that those who have not been promoted may have to be retired, basing his argument that unproductive workers will have to be let go. He also espoused the opinion of death penalty for telecom cable thieves and a policy of dismantling under-utilized telecom facilities citing political considerations for giving allocations to towns with limited use of phone networks.
Mark was elected to his position as President of the Senate of Nigeria on June 6, 2007.
David Mark ran for re-election to the Senate for Benue South in April 2011 and was elected for a fourth term. David Mark noted that the polls pointed to his decisive victory, and called for his opponents to work together to improve Nigeria.
When leading the review of the Constitution, Mark reportedly urged his colleagues to set their personal interests and focus on the interests of the Nigerian people. After the UK criticized Nigeria's Prohibition of Same-Sex Marriage bill, threatening to pull their foreign aid, Mark responded that they "should keep [their] aid." Mark called Nigeria's National Football Federation the "centre of corruption in the country", suggesting that they may need to temporarily disband to allow for reconstruction.
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Wikipedia