Degi-Eremienyo Biobarakuma Wangagha

Degi-Eremienyo Biobarakuma Wangagha (born 22 February 1959), is a Nigerian politician and the senator representing Bayelsa East senatorial district of Bayelsa State at the 9th National Assembly. In 2019, he was appointed the vice chairman senate committee on gas resources and vice chairman senate committee on special duties.

Degi is from Basambiri, Nembe, Bayelsa State. In 1990, he graduated from Rivers State University with a degree in agricultural economics/extension, before proceeding to receive a master of business administration from the same university.

Degi started his political career in the 1980s. In 1990, he became a member of the local chamber in Nembe Local Government Area, becoming the vice-chairman in 1993 and chairman of the local government area in 1999.

Later in his career, he served as a commissioner for rural development and chieftaincy affairs and also as a commissioner for health in Bayelsa State. He served as a member of the governing council of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and as executive director of human resources in FERMA.

In the 23 February 2019 general elections in Nigeria, Degi was elected as the senator representing Bayelsa East, receiving 43,303 votes against the PDP candidate, Ipiganai Izagara, who got 32,363 votes.

On 10 September 2019, Degi was announced as David Lyon's running mate in the 16 November 2019 Governorship Election in Bayelsa State. On 12 November 2019, the federal high court in Abuja disqualified Degi as Lyon's running mate for the Bayelsa State governorship election on the basis of falsification of academic documents. The Court of Appeal halted the judgement disqualifying him for allegedly filing false academic information on 15 November 2019.

On 16 November 2019, he was declared the deputy governor-elect of Bayelsa State by INEC. On 13 February 2020, a day prior to his swearing-in as deputy governor, his election was invalidated by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on grounds that he submitted a fake certificate to INEC.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.

Agriculture

Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.

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Security & Defense

Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.

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Environment & Climate

Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.

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Economy & Trade

Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.

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Infrastructure

Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).

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Enterprise grant support

Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.

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Energy

Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.

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Governance & Reform

Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.

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Education

Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.

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Healthcare

Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.

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Technology & Digital

Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.

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