Queen Of England Appoints Nigerian-Born, Ugbana Oyet House Of Common Serjeant At Arms

Queen Elizabeth II has appointed a 43 year old Nigerian-born, Ugbana Oyet as the United Kingdom House of Common Serjeant at Arms.

The appointment was announced on Tuesday by the Speaker, House of Commons, John Bercow.

Oyet who is a chartered engineer was appointed following the retirement of Mohammed Kamal El-Hajji in July this year.

With this appointment, Oyet become the new ceremonial head of security and the only person legally allowed to carry sword in the House of Commons.

It was gathered that Ugbana Oyet  was already well known to many members of the House through his role as Parliament’s Principal Electrical Engineer and Programme Director for the Estate-wide Engineering Infrastructure and Resilience (EWEIR) Programme – which aims to make the parliamentary estate carbon neutral by 2050.

With the responsibilities of his new office,  Oyet would become even more visible as the carrier of the House of Commons mace during the Speaker’s procession, and into the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament.

In reaction to his appointment, Oyet said, “It is a great honour to serve in such a historic role, which combines the needs and challenges of the modern era, while also maintaining the dignity and essential traditions that have helped Parliament endure”.

Oyet said he is a type of person that love working closely with MPs, staff and members of the public, and so he will do his  best to enhance morale and improve the excellent service already provided by the Serjeant’s office.

John Bercow said, he had known Oyet for many years and have always been impressed by his ability, his attitude and his approach to other people. He added that his longstanding impression of him was confirmed when he won a diversity and inclusion award for being an ‘inspiring role model’.

Ugbana Oyet was born in Nigeria but moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 1991.