Rabiu Kwankwaso

Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Governor, Kano State, Nigeria
In office 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2003
Preceded by	Colonel Aminu Isa Kontagora
Succeeded by	Malam Ibrahim Shekarau
Governor, Kano State, Nigeria
Incumbent
Assumed office May 2011
Preceded by	Malam Ibrahim Shekarau
Personal details
Born	1956 Kwankwaso Village, Madobi
Nationality	Nigerian
Political party	People's Democratic Party (PDP)
Relations	Married
Children	8 Children
Residence	Kano
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Politician
Religion	Islam
Website	http://www.kwankwaso.com/

Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is a Nigerian politician who was Governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003.^[1] He was reelected for a second term as Governor on 26 April 2011.^[2]

Background

Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was born in Kwankwaso village of Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State in 1956. He was re-elected as Kano state governor on 27 April 2011 and will be sworn in on 29 May 2011 for a second term in office.^{[citation needed]}

His father Musa Salihu was the village head of Kwankwaso. Young Rabiu attended Kwankwaso Primary School, Gwarzo Boarding Senior Primary School, Wudil Craft School and Kano Technical College before proceeding to Kaduna Polytechnic for his tertiary education. He also did his post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom.He was an active Student leader during his school days and was an elected official of the Kano State Students Association. He started work in 1975 with WRECA. He joined partisan politics in the aborted Third Republic where he contested elections to the House of Representatives.He became the Deputy Speaker. He belonged to the Peoples Front faction of the SDP Led by Late General Shehu Yar'adua. During the 1995 Constitutional Conference He was elected to be one of the representatives from Kano at that time he belonged to the Peoples Democratic Movement led by Late Shehu Yar'adua. He joined the PDP in 1998 under the platform of Peoples Democratic Movement in Kano led by Mallam Musa Gwadabe,Senator Hamisu Musa and Alh. Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila.The group were able to have symphatisers from the PSP group such as Alh. Datti Wudilawa and ANC such as Mallam Abba Dabo who all supported his candidature.He therefore had a landslide victory in the primary elections. The People's Democratic Movement consisted of majority of the Tabo Faction of the P.R.P. and a few loyalists of the Santsi faction of the P.R.P. such as Alh.Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila their Secretary and Alh. Dodo Fagge and a host of others hence Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is now seen as the heir apparent to the political Dynasty of Mallam Aminu Kano.^{[citation needed]}

Governor

He was elected as the Executive Governor of the northern Nigerian state of Kano between 1999 and 2003, under the flag of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). He lost re-election to Malam Ibrahim Shekarau whom he removed from the highest civil service position of permanent secretary to a Lecturer in a higher institution(College of Arts and Science, Kano). His tenure as the Governor of Kano State was very eventful because there were several groups opposed to his high handed governorship, and his attempt at supporting president Obasanjo who hails from a different tribal group. His party the PDP also became split between his supporters and those who opposed him.^{[citation needed]}

Later career

His 2003 bid to serve for a second term was unsuccessful.Despite his termondous achievements in the areas of Education,Rural Electrification and Health.He was able to establish a State University of Technology at Wudil,He introduced Free Feeding for Primary School Students in the State which led the United Nations to recognise his effort in that direction.His electrification programme in the rural areas recorded a great success.He was able to give the Federal Government a property that was turned into the Nigerial Law School at Bagauda.He built a number of bridges in the rural areas and introduce free natal programme for pregnanent mothers. He was then appointed as the Minister of Defence in President Olusegun Obasanjo's cabinet in 2003. In 2007, he was appointed as the Presidential Special Envoy to Somalia and Darfur by the Obasanjo administration after losing the bid from his party to contest the 2007 general governorship election. He continued to use his influence at the Federal level to undermine his opponents especially the Kano State Government. He resigned his ministerial position to contest the election in 2007 but he lost because he had been indicted by a Government White Paper.His running mate in the elections Alh.Ahmed Garba Bichi contested the elections with Alh.Jibril Gwale as a running mate.^{[citation needed]}

Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is now the party leader in Kano and is currently nominated into the party's most powerful political circle in PDP, the Board of Trustees. Recently, he has also been shortlisted for ambassadorial appointment by the Yar'adua administration.But refuse to accept the ambassadorial which consider the position stoneblock for dominating his political rivalry of his home state but later 2009 accept to serve as a board member representing Northwest region of Nigeria in the Niger Delta Development Commission(NNDC).He is presently one of the leading politicians in Kano with a large followership.^{[citation needed]}

In late 2007, his term became controversial as he awarded Mallam Musa Rabiu a $500 million dollar contract to set up oil factories all over the state.^{[citation needed]}

Kwankwaso was reelected for a second term as Governor on 26 April 2011. He won with a difference of sixty three thousand plus votes, his party successfully won 3/4 of the house of assemble seats, by winning 30 out of the total 40 seats in the state. Some youths are begging him to contest for president in the forth coming election.

References

1. ^ Bisalla, Suleiman M. (11 January 2011). "Kwankwaso, Yuguda, Albishir win tickets". Daily Trust (Abuja: Media Trust Ltd). http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9839:kwankwaso-yuguda-albishir-win-tickets&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8. Retrieved 29 May 2011. 
2. ^ Sulaimon Olanrewaju and Olayinka Olukoya (28 April 2011). "GOV ELECTION: The winners are Ajimobi, Fashola, Amaechi, Amosun, Abdulfatah, Akpabio, Aliyu, Dakingari, Orji, Chime, Kwankwaso...". Nigerian Tribune. http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/21115-gov-election-the-winners-are-ajimobi-fashola-amaechi-amosun-abdulfatah-akpabio-aliyu-dakingari-orji-chime-kwankwaso. Retrieved 2011-04-28. 

Persondata
Name	Kwankwaso, Rabiu
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1956
Place of birth	Kwankwaso Village
Date of death
Place of death