Isa Kaita

Infobox Politician (general)
name= Isa Kaita


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title= Regional Minister for Works
term_start= 1954
term_end= 1957
predecessor= Ahmadu Bello
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title2= Regional Minister for Education
term_start2= 1957
term_end2= 1966
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term_end3=
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birth_date= 1912
birth_place= Katsina
death_date=
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party= Northern People's Congress
residence=
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profession= Teacher
religion= Muslim
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Isa Kaita was a Nigerian politician from Katsina State who also held the traditional title of Madawaki of katsina and later, the Waziri of Katsina. Prior to joining politics, he was a distinguished broadcaster. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/13chapter8.shtml The Story of Africa| BBC World Service ] ]

In the 1950s and 1960s, he was a regional minister for works and education in the Northern Region of Nigeria.

Life and early career

Isa Kaita was born in Katsina to the family of the Waziri of Katsina. He attended Katsina Primary School and later went to the Katsina Training College, a notable college attended by many politicians from the North such as Ahmadu Bello, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Aliyu Bida. After completing his studies in 1922, he started teaching at the Katsina Middle School. He taught at the school for 19 years before quiting to become a radio announcer in 1941. He worked at Zoy radio station at the Radio House in Accra, Ghana. He joined the station during World War II and was known to have made broadcasts about related news items on the war. He left the radio station in 1944 to become a secretary to the emir of Katsina and the Katsina Native Authority. In 1948, he traveled to abroad to earn a diploma in public administration.

Political career

His political career started when he won a seat to the Northern Region House of Assembly in 1951. He contested the seat under the political platform of the Northern People's Congress. Prior to the election, he was a founding member and prominent campaigner for the party, he was also the party's financial secretary. In 1954, he replaced Ahmadu Bello as the regional minister for Works while also serving at as the party's financial secretary. During the Nigerian First Republic, he was the regional minister for Education and was known to have strived to promote a progressive learning environment and enlightened educational policy. [Rosalynde Ainslie, Catherine Hoskyns, Ronald Segal; Political Africa: A Who's Who of Personalities and Parties, Frederick A. Praeger, 1961. p 119-120.] He was also an important adviser to Ahmadu Bello, the regional premier and a powerful political leader. [Billy J. Dudley. Parties and Politics in Northern Nigeria, p 136.]

Later career

After the proscription of political activities in 1966. Isa Kaita retired to Kaduna where he was involved as a board member in a few companies such as the United African Company and Chellarams. During the Murtala/Obasanjo administration in the 1970s, he was chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau. He was also a lobbyist for the creation of Katsina State. [ [http://www.codeofconductbureau.com/aboutus.html email ] ] : a sport enthusiasts, he was a patron of the Nigerian Fives Association and Nigerian polo.

References

External links

*http://katsinaemirate.com/