Stella Omu
Encyclopedia
Stella Omu is a Nigeria
n politician who was elected as national Senator on the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) platform in 1999 for the Delta South constituency of Delta State
.
origin.
She was born on 22 December 1946.
Her husband is retired Major-General Paul Omu
, formerly Military Governor of South-Eastern State, Nigeria.
She is the mother of three daughters and three sons. She was an assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration service, and retired from the civil service as Controller of the Prisons Service.
She was a member of the committee on devolution of power constituent assembly (1994–95).
She was appointed chief whip of the Senate and vice-chairman of the Senate committees on National Planning and on Women Affairs & Youth Development.
In May 2001 Omu denied allegations of financial impropriety against the Senate led by Anyim Pius Anyim
, maintaining that they were unfounded and would have been discovered by auditors if real.
In November 2001, she received a letter containing a suspicious powdery substance, with the logo of the Federal Ministry of Communications. Other National Assembly members later received similar letters. This caused alarm as lawmakers suspected the substance to be anthrax
, an agent of biological terrorism. Letters tainted with anthrax had recently been reported in United States after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.
In June 2002, after a supreme court ruled that the National Assembly did not have the power to make laws for the governance of the local governments, Omu started the process of amending the relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution.
In August 2002 she was a target of attack by Senators who distrusted her close relationship with President Obasanjo and her statement that the one-day election clause in the Electoral Bill 2002 might be reversed.
She resigned at the end of the month.
She was a candidate to be the PDP nominee for reelection in 2003, but lost to James Manager
, a former Delta State commissioner for Works in the James Ibori
cabinet.
and Lekan Salami.
In an August 2003 interview she urged all the warring groups in Warri to lay down their arms, saying that Ijaws and Itsekiri
s are brothers and should not allow political differences or other socio-economic factors to separate them.
In December 2005 she was chair of a Presidential Committee investigating a jail break in Port Harcourt.
In September 2008 she was a member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee.
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 who was elected as national Senator on 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) platform in 1999 for the Delta South constituency of Delta State
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
.
Background
Omu is of IsokoIsoko people
Isoko people are an ethnolinguistic group that inhabits the Isoko region of Delta State, Nigeria.-Isoko Land:The Isoko Land is one of the most densely populated areas in Nigeria, with about 300 persons per square kilometre compared with the average of 198 for Delta State and 130 for Nigeria...
origin.
She was born on 22 December 1946.
Her husband is retired Major-General Paul Omu
Paul Omu
Major General Paul Ufuoma Omu was Military Governor of South-Eastern State, Nigeria between July 1975 and July 1978 during the military regimes of Generals Murtala Muhammed and Olusegun Obasanjo.-Military career:...
, formerly Military Governor of South-Eastern State, Nigeria.
She is the mother of three daughters and three sons. She was an assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration service, and retired from the civil service as Controller of the Prisons Service.
She was a member of the committee on devolution of power constituent assembly (1994–95).
Senate career
Omu was elected as national Senator on the PDP platform in 1999 for the Delta South constituency.She was appointed chief whip of the Senate and vice-chairman of the Senate committees on National Planning and on Women Affairs & Youth Development.
In May 2001 Omu denied allegations of financial impropriety against the Senate led by Anyim Pius Anyim
Anyim Pius Anyim
Anyim Pius Anyim is a Nigerian politician and currently the Secretary to the Government of the Federation . He was elected as national Senator on the People's Democratic Party platform in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State...
, maintaining that they were unfounded and would have been discovered by auditors if real.
In November 2001, she received a letter containing a suspicious powdery substance, with the logo of the Federal Ministry of Communications. Other National Assembly members later received similar letters. This caused alarm as lawmakers suspected the substance to be anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
, an agent of biological terrorism. Letters tainted with anthrax had recently been reported in United States after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.
In June 2002, after a supreme court ruled that the National Assembly did not have the power to make laws for the governance of the local governments, Omu started the process of amending the relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution.
In August 2002 she was a target of attack by Senators who distrusted her close relationship with President Obasanjo and her statement that the one-day election clause in the Electoral Bill 2002 might be reversed.
She resigned at the end of the month.
She was a candidate to be the PDP nominee for reelection in 2003, but lost to James Manager
James Manager
James Manager is a Nigerian senator who represents the People's Democratic Party in the Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State. He became a senator in 2007.-Background:...
, a former Delta State commissioner for Works in the James Ibori
James Ibori
James Onanefe Ibori was the Governor of Delta State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party . He was arguably the most vocal advocate for resource nationalism in Nigeria....
cabinet.
Later career
In June 2003 Omu called on the national Assembly to quickly pass the bill to establish a National Agency for the Social Welfare of Nigeria Citizens. While in office, she had jointly sponsored the bill with Senators Omololu MeroyiOmololu Meroyi
Omololu Samuel Meroyi was elected Senator for the Ondo South constituency of Ondo State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the Alliance for Democracy platform. He took office on 29 May 1999....
and Lekan Salami.
In an August 2003 interview she urged all the warring groups in Warri to lay down their arms, saying that Ijaws and Itsekiri
Itsekiri
The Itsekiri are an ethnic group of Nigeria's Niger Delta area, Delta State. The Itsekiri presently number between 800,000–1,000,000 people and live mainly in the Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West local government districts of Delta State on the Atlantic Coast of Nigeria...
s are brothers and should not allow political differences or other socio-economic factors to separate them.
In December 2005 she was chair of a Presidential Committee investigating a jail break in Port Harcourt.
In September 2008 she was a member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee.