Monguno Mohammed Tahir
Monguno Mohammed Tahir is a Nigerian politician from Borno. They have contested 1 election (1 win) across 1 party. Most recent: 2023 Nigerian Senate Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Biography
Mohammed Tahir Monguno (born 12 February 1966) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is the chief whip of the 10th Senate. He has served as the senator representing Borno North since 2023.
He was a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria representing Marte/Monguno/Nganzai Federal Constituency of Borno State from 2007 to 2023, and served as the chief Whip of the 9th House of Representatives.
Mohammed Tahir Monguno was born on 12 February 1966. He had his primary education in Monguno Central Primary School and later attended Government Secondary School (GSS) Ngala, Borno State where he obtained his Senior School Certificate.
He studied law at the University of Maiduguri where he graduated in 1989. He attended Nigerian Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990.
In 1992, Monguno contested and was elected as a member of the House at the age of 26. He was re-elected member of the House of Representatives representing Marte/Nganzai/Monguno federal constituency of Borno State in 2007.
He was a member of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th assemblies. Monguno previously served as the chief whip of the 9th House of Representatives and presently Chief Whip of the 10th Senate.
Before 2007, he served as Honorable Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Borno state from 2003 to 2005. He also had a small stint as Honorable Commissioner for Education (2005–2006) and Honorable Commissioner for Water Resources (2006–2007) in Borno state.
Prior to his appointment as a commissioner in 2003, he had a career in private legal practice. He was the Principal Solicitor at Monguno Kura Chambers between 1992 and 2003.
He was also a senior lecturer of law at Borno State College of Legal Studies (now Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies) up until 1999.
In 2000, he served as a committee member on the Application of Sharia law in Borno State.
Monguno, a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), emerged winner in the 2019 general elections to return to the lower chamber for the fourth consecutive term to represent Marte, Monguno, and Nganzai Federal Constituency of Borno state.
He was previously elected to the House of Representatives in 1992, representing the Marte, Monguno, and Nganzai federal constituency of Borno state before the 1993 military coup.
In 2015, during the House leadership tussle of the 8th assembly, Monguno stepped down to run for the post of deputy speaker under a joint ticket with Femi Gbajabiamila but was defeated by Hon. Sulaiman Lasun.
In the 9th assembly that began in 2019, Monguno was initially a top contender for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives within the APC caucus but later withdrew to endorse Femi Gbajabiamila.
Monguno chaired the adhoc Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill in the 9th assembly, which passed the bill into law after 20 years of back-and-forth efforts.
He moved motions alongside 14 other representatives asking the President to sack the Service Chiefs due to worsening security and Boko Haram insurgency.
He also moved a motion to declare an emergency on security. In May 2020, he sponsored a bill to alter the 1999 Constitution to allow for independent candidacies in Nigeria, arguing it would provide equal opportunities for all Nigerians.
Political Career
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
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.
