Aisagbonriodion Matthew Urhoghide (born 8 August 1955) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

politician who served as the senator representing Edo South Senatorial District in the

Nigerian Senate The Senate is the upper chamber of Nigeria's bicameral legislature, the National Assembly. The National Assembly (popularly referred to as NASS) is the nation's legislature and has the power to make laws, as summarized in chapter one, sectio ...

from 2015 to 2023.

Personal life and education

Matthew Urhoghide was born on 8 August 1955 in

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Urhoghide was born into the family of Daniel Ediagbonya Urhoghide and Rebecca Avanrenren Urhoghide. He grew up in Benin City where he attended St. Matthews Primary School and obtained his First school leaving certificate. He then attended Eghosa Grammar School in

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

and finished with a

West African Senior School Certificate Examination The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education. It is administered by the West A ...

. Urhoghide studied

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

at the University of Benin and obtained his BSc.

Career

Urhoghide started his public service career in 2013 as a board chairman of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital where he served till 2014 before retiring into politics. He was also the Publicity Secretary of People's Democratic Party. In 2015, he contested to run for Senate and was elected into office on 9 June 2015 under the People's Democratic Party. He was subsequently appointed into the Senate committee on Senate Services as a member. He is also the Vice Chairman Senate committee on Health and chairman senate committee on culture and tourism. In 2017, he was named the Chairman of Public accounts committee. In 2019, he was re-elected into the senate to serve for a second term.

Bills sponsored

On 22 November 2016, Urhoghide sponsored a bill for the establishment of National institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR). The bill passed its first to third reading and was enacted by the senate.

Benin Airport attack

Urhoghide was attacked at the Benin Airport by supporters and youths of the

All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, t ...

on arrival from official duties in

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

. The attack was as a result of a motion he moved calling for the impeachment of President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

. On his arrival at the Benin Airport he was mobbed by angry youths of the

. During this attack, Governor

Godwin Obaseki Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki (born 1 July 1957) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who served as the governor of Edo State from 2016 to 2024. Obaseki was elected governor under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2016 wh ...

was present at the airport and had allegedly given the angry mob a "thumps up". According to reports, Urhoghide was trapped in the VIP lounge of the airport for over two hours before security personnel arrived to ease the attack.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urhoghide, Matthew Living people 1955 births People from Edo State Edo State politicians University of Benin (Nigeria) alumni Senators of the 9th National Assembly (Nigeria) Senators of the 8th National Assembly (Nigeria)