Sprent Dabwido facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Sprent Dabwido
Dabwido in 2012
President of Nauru
In office 15 November 2011 – 11 June 2013
Deputy	Kieren Keke
Preceded by	Freddie Pitcher
Succeeded by	Baron Waqa
Member of the Nauruan Parliament for Meneng
In office 23 October 2004 – 8 May 2019
Preceded by	Nimrod Botelanga
Personal details
Born	Sprent Arumogo Dabwido (1972-09-16)16 September 1972 Nauru
Died	8 May 2019(2019-05-08) (aged 46) Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Nauru First (nominally Independent)
Spouse	Luci Dabwido ​ (m. 2019)​

Sprent Arumogo Dabwido (born September 16, 1972 – died May 8, 2019) was an important politician from the island nation of Nauru. He served as the President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013. Before becoming president, he was also a talented weightlifter.

Sprent Dabwido was first elected to the Parliament of Nauru in 2004. He represented the Meneng Constituency, which is a voting area in Nauru. He also worked as a minister in the government, helping with different areas like telecommunications.

Weightlifting Career

Before he started his political journey, Sprent Dabwido was a successful weightlifter. He was the best weightlifter in Nauru in 1995 and 1996.

He also competed for Nauru in international events. He won a silver medal at the 1995 Samoa Games. He also took part in the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships.

Political Career

Sprent Dabwido's father, Audi Dabwido, was also a politician. Sprent worked in public insurance before he entered politics. He helped start the Naoero Amo political party.

In the 2004 elections, he won a seat in the Parliament of Nauru. He was re-elected in 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2009, he became the Minister for Telecommunications. During this time, he helped bring mobile phones to Nauru for the first time.

In November 2011, he joined the group of politicians who were against the current president.

Becoming President of Nauru

After a vote of no confidence against the acting president, Sprent Dabwido was chosen as the new president. The parliament voted, and he won with nine votes.

As president, Dabwido was in charge of the Cabinet of Nauru. He also held several other important roles in the government.

One of his first big international meetings was at a climate change conference in South Africa in 2011. He spoke for the Pacific Islands, which are small island nations. He talked about the dangers of rising sea levels for these islands. He asked for stronger actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

In June 2012, President Dabwido changed his cabinet. He wanted to pass a new law to improve the constitution. This law would change the number of members in parliament. It would also create an Ombudsman Commission and a code of ethics for politicians.

In September 2012, Dabwido spoke at the United Nations General Assembly. He asked the UN to do more about climate change. He also said that international cooperation needed to be more effective.

Sprent Dabwido did not run for president again in the 2013 elections. Baron Waqa became the next president.

Life After Presidency

After his time as president, Sprent Dabwido continued to be a member of parliament. He joined the opposition group. He spoke out about what he believed was corruption in the Nauru government.

In 2015, Dabwido and other opposition members took part in protests. They were accused of rioting. This led to a court case known as "Nauru 19." In 2018, the Supreme Court of Nauru found Dabwido innocent of any wrongdoing.

Personal Life

Sprent Dabwido was in a long-term relationship with Luci. They had been together for at least eight years. He proposed to her in the hospital after he was diagnosed with cancer. They had a special ceremony in Sydney in 2019.

Illness and Death

In 2018, Sprent Dabwido was diagnosed with throat cancer. He traveled to Australia for treatment. He passed away from the illness on May 8, 2019, at the age of 46.

See also

In Spanish: Sprent Dabwido para niños

• Politics of Nauru