No doubt, Dino Melaye was a popular voice in the Nigerian Senate, who frequently enmeshed himself in controversy before, through a seeming huge conspiracy, was “defeated” by Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Kogi West Senatorial District rerun election ordered by the Supreme Court.
In the rundown to the 2019 elections, Melaye, known for his flamboyant lifestyle, alongside Bukola Saraki, and 13 other Senators, who defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), tirelessly fought the APC-led Federal Government, but while others in that fight lost their re-election bid, Melaye was still standing.
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However, his seat came under threat when the Supreme Court ordered re-run in his district, the result of which, Adeyemi of the APC, his major contender for the seat, was said to have polled 88,373 votes to Melaye, who secured 62,133 votes.
The questions being asked by curious fans of the ousted Senator are: now that Dino Melaye is out from the Senate, what’s next for him? After losing the Senate seat, how would he fuel the range of flashy cars he ostentatiously flaunts on social media? How would he be able to maintain his flamboyant lifestyle?
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The controversial Senator himself boasted that he is addicted to cars. His cars and houses have been the talk of the town for a lot of Nigerians! Let’s take a look at his top 10 cars, his mansion, their worth and pictures. But before then, let’s explore the timeline of Dino Melaye in politics, and his key moments in the Senate.
DINO MELAYE KEY MOMENTS IN THE SENATE
Born in the ancient city of Kano January 1, 1974, Dino Melaye began to smell the sweet scent of politics when then-President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council on Youth.
He was a Member of the House of Representatives, representing Kabba/Ijumu federal constituency, under the platform of the APC before he was elected into the 8th Senate in 2015 as Senator representing Kogi West.
He was re-elected on 19 February 2019 to return as Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, and eventually became the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, before the powers that be, who had vowed to deal with him, had their way and changed the game for him.
Dino Melaye recently declared his intention to contest for the Kogi State gubernatorial election, which he eventually lost before the election ever started. He lost the gubernatorial ticket in a keenly contested primary election where he came third with a total of 70 votes.
KEY MOMENTS IN THE SENATE
Dino Melaye was the one who seconded the nomination of Senator Bukola Saraki as a candidate for the office of President of the Senate, following a nomination made by Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima. Saraki went on to become the Senate President, and the eternal bond between the duo kick-started.
Melaye’s most shocking moment in the Senate was when in July 2016, during a closed-door session of the Senate, he threatened to beat up and impregnate Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of APC national leader, Bola Tinubu. That sparked a loggerhead between Melaye and the Tinubus.
As a Senator, Melaye had running battles with the Police. In one of the battles, he attempted to jump off of a moving police vehicle that was transporting him to a High Court in Abuja. He had already faced different trials by the Police for alleged attempted suicide and allegedly arming criminals. He had also faced allegations that he was involved in multiple robberies and murder plots.
Melaye, who likens himself to the biblical Elijah, was involved in various certificates scandals in 2017 including his claim to have obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Ahmadu Bello University and a degree from the Boston-based Ivy League Harvard University in the United States.
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Senator Dino Melaye sponsored about 20 bills and moved over 30 motions in the 8th National Assembly. One of such bills is “A Bill for an Act to provide for the Establishment of a Federal University of Agriculture, Kabba.
MELAYE’S FLAMBOYANT LIFESTYLE
If you take a mere look at the lifestyle of Senator Dino Melaye, you will be certain that being a Senator in Nigeria is a fantastic job! You would be left wondering how “I concur”, “I beg to move”, “I support the motion”, “nay” and “ayes” could make one so stupendously rich.
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Even thieves would not be able to steal as much money from the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria (if they are able to break into it anyway) as the money Nigerian Senators receive on a monthly basis. Little wonder, election is a do-or-die affair in the country.
Before you will say I am too quick to judge, Let’s take a look at Senator Dino Melaye’s top 10 cars, his mansions, their worth and pictures.
Dino Melaye caught cruising in town in one of his luxurious cars as seen in the video below:
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1. Classic Rolls Royce
Not every person in Nigeria can afford to buy this luxurious car. Not every Senator would want to show off this car to the public. Dino Melaye is an exception. He wants to make sure that every Nigerian knows that Dino Melaye owns this car! The estimated price for this extremely luxurious auto is about $400,000. Some Nigerians will need several lifetimes to buy this car. Still, Dino Melaye managed to buy it in one lifetime!
2. Porsche Panamera
You can buy this car for $80,000. It’s one of the superlatively luxurious cars in the world. There is nobody in the world who wouldn’t like to be the owner of one of these cars. Dino Melaye is also one of the lucky guys who owns this car. How is it possible that a Senator in Africa can have enough money to buy this car? It’s a mystery for now! Still, people seem to like Dino Melaye’s wealthy lifestyle and especially his cars!
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3. Polaris Slingshot
He flashed this three-wheel motorcycle in 2015. This red vehicle is estimated at a price of $24,000. It’s not the costliest vehicle in his collection, but it’s also not the cheapest car in Nigeria. Dino Melaye definitely enjoys riding this red super motorcycle.
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4. Harley Davidson
The price for Harley Davidson motorcycles starts from $100,000. Still, it’s only sold in the USA. The Senator must have had to pay a huge amount for shipping this vehicle to the destination point. We also bet that he wouldn’t want to buy the cheapest model! Therefore, you can expect that the price of his Harley-Davidson is at least $150,000.
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5. Lamborghini Gallardo
The price for this fantastic sports car is about $200,000. It was one of the Lamborghini top-selling cars from 2003 to 2013. About 15,000 of these cars have been built since 2003, and Dino Melaye has one of them. Lamborghini is not an every Jack’s car you can buy and just enjoy. This car is created for speed racing, but it’s possible to buy it just to show off!
6. Range Rover
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It’s one of the best cars if you want to overcome any rough obstacle and terrain. The price of this car starts at least $100,000. Still, it’s impossible to see Deno Melaye getting the cheapest version of this car. Therefore, we can estimate that his current Range Rover costs about $110,000.
7. Mercedes G Wagon
This car is an especially protective model. You can buy this car in Nigeria if you have at least $100,000 in your bank account. Still, you don’t want to just buy any Mercedes G Wagon, you want the best one! Therefore, you need to have a leather interior and a bullet-proof exterior. The price for Mercedes G Wagon with these capabilities may start from $200,000. Dino Melaye does not go for the cheapest version, therefore his G-Wagon may be at least $200,000.
8. Bentley Continental
How can we forget about his Bentley Continental? It’s one of the top vehicles in the world. Even the Queen of Great Britain likes this car. Dino Melaye is not from the GB Royal Family, but he also owns this fantastic car. The estimated price is about $250,000.
9. Chevrolet Corvette
This amazing car is a dream ride for every guy. You can fit almost anything into this car! It is quite spacious! You will certainly notice this car if you come across it. Dino Melaye also owns this car. It goes for at least $120,000. It must be a fantastic job to be a Senator in Nigeria, if Dino claims he funded this lifestyle from his earnings as a Senator.
10. Bugatti Veyron
According to rumours, Dino Melaye has one of the most expensive cars in the world! It’s the Bugatti Veyron! Who does not like the Bugatti? It’s one of those cars where you can hit 100km/h in 2.5 seconds!
Dino Melaye Mansion
Let’s leave his superlative array of choice cars alone for now and look at his many eye popping mansions. By his own estimation, possibly exaggerated, his jaw dropping mansion in Abuja is estimated at about $6.5 million. He has others scattered all over Abuja and in his hometown.
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Not known to own any thriving business outside politics, if you look at this ousted senator and his lavish lifestyle, you will be amazed that being a Senator in Nigeria is the dream job! For, in truth, Melaye houses and cars are something you need to see before you die. You may be led to believe that that’s how a Nigerian can live if he/she is a Senator.
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With Dino Melaye’s houses and cars’ worth rounding up to well over $10 million, it is safe to assume that his net worth, if we are to assess his jewelry and possible investments, is in the region of $20 million as a Senator, and if converted to Naira, using N360 at the exchange rate, Dino Melaye’s Net Worth will be N7.2 billion Naira.
Now that Dino Melaye is ousted from the Senate, what’s next for him? After losing the Senate seat, how would he fuel his range of flashy cars he ostentatiously flaunts on social media? What would he do now to earn enough to service his humongous lifestyle?
TheNewsGuru.com, after a careful study of the personae that is Dino Melaye, has come up with possible businesses and activities he would want to indulge in to make a semblance of continuing his bogus lifestyle.
1. NASS Lobbyist
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The former Senator, while pursuing his case at the tribunal as he has promised to do, can take advantage of his experience in the NASS to become a lobbyist to individuals or groups who want to influence the House of Representatives and the Senate towards a particular policy or campaign direction. Not everyone can lobby the NASS; however, using Dino Melaye would make it more effective since he is familiar with the terrain. People who often lobby NASS and its members include businesses, charities, pressure groups, trade unions and representatives of various sectors of industry. Dino Melaye can take advantage of this; that is, if he is not already doing so.
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2. Opposition Leader
Dino Melaye naturally passes as the biggest opposition in Kogi State. Considering the fact that he is very vocal, he can easily pass as the opposition leader in the State. He is already at daggers drawn with the controversially re-elected Governor of his state Kogi. He can truly become the virulent albatross and nightmare to the Governor.
3. General Overseer
Dino Melaye is already an “evangelist”. He heretically already likened himself to the Biblical Elijah. He could take it to a whole new dimension by opening a Church in the capital city of Abuja and become a “General Overseer”. Of course, there is an audience for whatever “General Overseer” branding there is. He could latch on his popularity, and make a living from being the “General Overseer” of Dino Melaye Ministries.
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4. Social Media Influencer
A social media influencer is a user who has established credibility in a specific industry, has access to a huge audience and can persuade others to act based on their recommendations. Dino Melaye is an Internet celebrity already, and could quickly pass for a social media influencer if he turns his follower base across social media platforms into a business venture.
Melaye boasts of 419,838 followers on Facebook, 1.3 million followers on Instagram, and 1 million followers on Twitter. Businesses, charities, pressure groups, trade unions and representatives of various sectors of industry could take advantage of this huge audience base if Dino Melaye repositions these his Internet assets. Already, businesses and brands are using the hashtag #DinoMelaye to push their products.
5. Business franchise
Dino Melaye has several customized clothing lines he can turn into a business franchise. After all, who doesn’t want to wear what Dino wears? Especially, if the Senator should make the prices of his products cheap, they could go viral, and he could be raking in millions of Naira monthly.
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6. Debt Collector
Debt collection is the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses. Dino Melaye can operate a collection agency, if he is not already doing so, and specialize in debt collection for individuals and corporate organizations, especially governments and their Ava cues. With the person of Dino Melaye, imagine him pursuing a debt of N500,000,000, and getting a 10% commission; that would amount to N50,000,000 accruing into his coffers. He could get multiples of this monthly.
7. Entertainment
Nobody doesn’t know Dino Melaye as The Singing Senator. Anything sells in Nigeria. Dino could easily pass for a musician, and take the music industry by storm. Already, he has landed the lead role in a new Nollywood movie titled ‘Lemonade’, playing the role of a distinguished senator. Dino Melaye does have a complete dossier of many names and appellations he answers, call him Dino, Mr. Fix it, Imole De, Dino Marwa, Political Machine and lots more.
He could also easily pass for a comedian as well. The man Dino is an all-round entertainer. What is he waiting for then, before making it official?
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8. Activism
At the Federal Secretariat, Abuja in 2012, Dino Melaye joined the protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan over fuel subsidy removal. To date, the fuel subsidy issue still persists, nothing has changed. As the founder of Anti-Corruption Network, and being “the voice to the voiceless”, Dino could lead activism to unravel the mystery behind fuel subsidy.
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9. Lecturer
With his educational qualification and experience, despite the scandals that trailed his certificates, Dino Melaye could be an adjunct lecturer in any of our higher institutions.
10. Politics
The least is, however, yet to be heard of the Senator as far as politics is concerned. He might still find favour in court and be restored to the Senate. He could also still become the Governor of Kogi State one day. Only time will tell. Even, he has vowed to challenge the outcome of the election that ousted him at the tribunal. But, can anything good come from that?