Born on January 7, 1974, Dino Melaye is a politician, entrepreneur, and social activist hailing from Ayetoro Gbede in Kogi State’s Ijumu Local Government Area in Nigeria.
He was elected to the 8th Nigerian National Assembly to represent the Kogi West Senatorial District. He has previously served as a senator and as a member of the House of Representatives.
Dino Melaye is a supporter of the PDP. After months of political disputes with the governor of Kogi State, he switched to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 but subsequently returned to the PDP in the lead-up to the 2019 elections.
He chaired the Senate’s FCT (Federal Capital Territory) Committee in Abuja and briefly held the position of chairman of the Senate Committee on Nigerian Aviation. He also acted as the spokesperson for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign in 2023.
Early life and education
Dino Melaye was born in Kano State, Nigeria. For his secondary schooling, he attended Abdulaziz Attah Memorial College, Okene. He graduated with a degree in geography from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 2000. He served as president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and later took on roles as secretary general of both the Commonwealth Youth Council and the African Youth Council. President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him to lead the Presidential Advisory Council on Youths.
Political career
He joined the People’s Democratic Party in 2015, where he was re-elected to the House of Representatives to represent the federal district of Kabba/Ijumu. He was selected to represent Kogi-West in the Nigerian Senate during the 2015 senatorial elections.
Following Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima’s nomination, he supported Senator Bukola Saraki’s candidacy for Senate President. On February 23, 2019, he secured re-election to the 9th Senate and will continue to serve as a senator for the Kogi-West senatorial district.
Governorship Aspirations
The Kogi State governorship election took place on November 16, 2019, where Dino Melaye contested. In a fiercely fought primary on September 3, 2019, he finished in third place, 70 votes behind Engr. Musa Wada, thus losing his governorship bid. Musa Wada garnered a total of 748 votes and emerged victorious.
In the Kogi state’s 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election, he was declared the winner alongside his deputy Hon. Habeeb Allah.
Proposed Bills and Motions
During the 8th National Assembly, over 30 motions were initiated by Dino Melaye, who also sponsored around 20 bills. Among these laws was a proposal to establish a federal university of agriculture in Kabba. His administration made essential provisions for management, administration, and related matters during his term in office.
His administration also endorsed other legislation he sponsored, such as the “Bill for the Prohibition of Lynching, Mob Action, and Extrajudicial Executions,” aimed at affording legal protection to criminal suspects against extrajudicial and summary executions. Other measures sponsored by Sen. Melaye include the domestic violence prevention act and the disability integration bill.
He introduced the bill to prevent the NNPC from withholding funds from the Federation Account, addressing discrepancies in subsidy payments in 2017.
It was reported that Dino expressed regret for supporting Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
Personal Life
Currently, Melaye is unmarried. He was previously in a ten-year marriage with Tokunbo Melaye. Following an incident of domestic violence, she sought a divorce. Together, Dino and Tokunbo have three children.
Honors and Recognition
Melaye has been awarded numerous honors and recognitions, including Best Honourable Representative of the Year by Global Youth Awareness and Development Initiative, Protector of Youth by the PDP National Youth Vanguard, Epitome of Servanthood by the National Association of Kogi State Students, Youth Libra for Award from the Visioners Club of Kogi State, Great Motivator of Students by the Nigerian Economic Student Association, Icon of Good Leadership by the Kogi Peoples Forum, and 2008 Diplomatic Member of the Year by St Monica’s College Kabba, as well as the Most Performed National Legislator by the Vision 2020 Youth Group. He was also recognized as the Most Vibrant Honourable Member at the Abuja Merit Awards and African Parliamentarian of the Year 2005 in the U.S.A. Melaye received the ‘Senator of the Year’ award in both 2017 and 2018.
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