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MARK B. USENI
Mark B. Useni is a partisan politician and legislator whose legislative interest includes making laws that will lead to rural transformation, educational development and human empowerment. He has served Nigeria (Taraba State) in various capacities both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government.

Early life
Rt. Hon. Mark B. Useni was born on the 30th of June 1970 in Vom, then Benue-Plateau State to the family of Late Reverend Andrew Useni Bako and Mrs Pantuvo Useni of Bete in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State. Mark began his educational pursuit at Salama Primary School, Takum in 1976 and completed in 1981; and progressed to Mbiya Government Secondary School, Takum in 1981 for his secondary education, finishing in 1986.

Career
On completion, he advanced to the College of Preliminary Studies, Yola between 1986 and 1988 for his A level programme. In 1990, Mark enrolled and secured admission into the University of Jos where he obtained a Diploma in Mass Communication.

Before veering into partisan politics, Mark B. Useni began a civil service career in 1993 when he got employed as a News Reporter in Taraba Television. After five years of gainful service, he secured admission and proceeded to the University of Maiduguri in 1998 for a Bachelor’s Degree programme and completed in 2003, earning B.Sc. (Hons.) in Mass Communication.

The civil service career path of Mark B. Useni was short-lived to pave way for his political career as he was appointed a Caretaker Councilor in Takum Local Government in the same year he completed his Bachelor’s Degree programme. After a brief stint as a councilor, Mark was appointed Special Assistant to the Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly.

In 2004, the Taraba State Government appointed Mark as the Sole Administrator of Takum Local Government following expiration of the tenure of elected council chairmen in the State. He later contested and got elected Executive Chairman of the Local Government Council within the same year. Upon completion of his term as the Executive Chairman in 2006, he was appointed Caretaker Chairman of the Council for a short period.

Though tasking, Mark did not allow the challenges of Office of the Executive Chairman to distract or thwart his quest for higher educational attainment. Thus, in 2004, he applied and gained admission into the Benue state University, Makurdi for a Master of Science (M.Sc.) Degree programme in Mass Communication. Through dint of hard work and commitment, he was able to cope and successfully completed the programme in 2007.

Mark B. Useni was appointed Commissioner for Health, Taraba State by the Danbaba Suntai led Administration in 2007, an appointment he later resigned to contest for the vacant House of Assembly seat for Takum II Constituency for the 6th Assembly. He won the election and re-contested the same seat in the 2011 general elections and was reelected into the 7th Assembly, a period during which he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government.

While serving as a Member of the Taraba State House of Assembly, he applied and secured a postgraduate admission for a doctorate degree in 2009. He combined his legislative work with his academic pursuits and successfully graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Mass Communication in 2014. Apart from serving on many Committees within the 7th Assembly, Mark B. Useni was elected Speaker by his colleagues following resignation of the previous Speaker and he served to the end of the 7th Assembly. Mark got elected to represent Takum II in the Taraba State House of Assembly for the third time in the 2105 general elections. On 4th February 2016, he was again elected Speaker of the Assembly a position he later stepped down due to internal party arrangements.

Rt. Hon. Mark B. Useni, a grassroots politician and philanthropist who has served his people meritoriously over the years got elected into the Taraba State House of Assembly in the 2019 general elections to represent Takum II State Constituency for the fourth term. As an experienced legislator and technocrat, Mark has particularly influenced the development of his constituency by attracting construction of several infrastructure and other projects and has also directly built schools, culverts, clinics and drilled boreholes for several communities within Takum and beyond. Married with four children, Rt. Hon. Mark B. Useni is a rallying point of stability in the Taraba State Legislature. He is widely travelled.