By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Dino Melaye was born in Kano State on the 7th of January 1974. He is 42 years old as of 2022.
He is a former senator and house of representatives member of the Nigerian national assembly.
Melaye hails from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He is undoubtedly one of the most controversial politicians in Nigeria today.
Dino is also known as the “singing senator’ for a clip of him singing that went viral on the internet.
Education
Dino Melaye attended Abdulaziz Attah Memorial College, Okene, for his secondary school education before heading to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he bagged a degree in geography in 2000.
Career
Senator Dino Melaye’s political escapade started as an influential student union leader in his university days.
He was also a prominent member of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
Later, he served as the Secretary-General of the African Youth Council and the Commonwealth Youth Council. His activities as a student leader made the then president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed him the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on Youths.
Melaye joined partisan politics in 2007 when he was elected to the National House of Representatives to represent Kabba/Ijumu federal constituency under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He lost his reelection to the National Assembly as a House of Representatives member but would later return to the house as a Senator in 2015, representing Kogi West.
He was pivotal in the nomination of Senator Bukola Saraki to emerge as the President of the Senate in 2015.
As a senator, Melaye served as the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. He also chaired the Senate Committee on Aviation at a point before his exit from the distinguished house.
Dino was reelected to the senate in 2019 but would later be caught up in a ruling of a court injunction that annulled his election process and declared a rerun.
His opponent, senator Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressive Congress (APC), won the rerun and was declared the winner, making Dino lose his seat in the red chamber.
Marriage
Dino was formerly married to Tokunbo Melaye, who later filed for a divorce accusing Dino of subjecting her to a series of domestic abuses.
However, it was reported that Dino had a child with Nollywood actress Bisi Ibidapo Obe and another with Alero Falope, his housemaid.
Some of his children are
- Israel
- Joshua
- Oluwajomiloju
Net worth
Senator Dino Melaye’s net worth is reportedly valued at about 12 billion naira. However, this claim cannot be independently verified by NewsWireNGR.
Dino Melaye Cars
Dino is known for his obsession with mind-boggling cars, bikes and houses.
Some of the vehicles reportedly found in his garage include:
- 2020 Lamborghini Aventador Roadstar convertible $573,966
- Bugatti Veyron N616 million
- Lamborghini Gallardo – N73 million
- Polaris Slingshot – N8.7 million
- Porsche Panamera N29 million
- Range Rover N55 million
- 3 Bullet Proof Mercedes G-Wagon N70 million each
- Bentley Continental N90 million
- Chevrolet Corvette N44 million
- Ferrari N100 million
- 2 Mercedes E Class N19.2 million each
- Mazda CX 3 N8.6 million
- Rolls Royce Ghost N105.7 million, Rolls Royce Phantom N163.3 million
- Porsche Carrera 911 N34.6 million
- Lamborghini Huracan N86.7 million
- Harley Davidson Bike N52.2 million
Dino Melaye House
The former senator also reportedly owns exotic houses in and outside Nigeria. The most prominent among them is his mansion in Abuja, which is reportedly worth about $6.5 million.
Achievements
Dino is a recipient of various awards, some of which include
- Epitome of Servant award
- The Great Motivator of Students award
- Best Honorable Representative award
- Protector of the Youth award.
- Youth Libra for Award.
- Diplomatic Member of the year award
- Most performed National Legislator award.
Controversies
Dino has been caught up in a series of controversies. Some of which include:
Operating US accounts
As a sitting senator, Dino was alleged to operate savings and checking accounts in the US. This violates Nigerian law which forbids the use of foreign funds by elected and public officials.
Evidence of a transaction was presented, which also alleged that Dino paid $1,000 to Schweiger Dermatology, a medical and cosmetic company in New York.
Melaye, however, denied the allegations.
Threat to beat up a senator
While serving as a senator in the house of assembly, Dino threatens to beat and impregnate Senator Oluremi Tinubu on the floor of the distinguished senate.
Recall Process
In 2017, a process to recall Senator Melaye from the National Assembly was initiated. However, the move was unsuccessful as it was impeded by a low turnout for the verification of signatures of petitioners, as only 18,742 signatories to the recall petition could be verified of the 189,870 signatories on the recall petition.
Dino, however, accused the Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, of orchestrating the move.
Alleged shooting of a police
The Police placed a seven-day siege on his Abuja Maitama residence after he was accused of killing one of its personnel, Sgt Danjuma Saliu, in Kogi State.
Certificate Scandal
Dino reportedly claimed to bag a degree in Geography from Ahmadu Bello University and a degree from the prestigious Harvard University in the United States.
However, his claim could not be verified by Harvard University.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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Dino my best hero