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The governor-elect of Kebbi State, Senator Atiku Bagudu sold bean cake, popularly known in Hausa as ‘kosai’ while he was growing up. A former Commissioner for Finance, Mr Garba Muhammad Dandiga, who was a classmate and a childhood friend of the governor-elect, revealed this to our reporter when he spoke on the governor-elect’s background last week in Birnin Kebbi. Making bare some of the unknown story of the governor-elect, Dandiga said “Just like the governor-elect has been saying, as a struggling child, he used to hawk kosai (bean cake), panke (fried flour balls (kpof-kpof) in a motor park in Karaye, Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State, where he grew up.”
He was born in 1961 into a reputable family of a seasoned educationist, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim Bagudu, who was the headmaster of Karaye Primary School and taught in many primary schools. The former commissioner said Senator Bagudu is the second child in the family. His elder brother is Bello Bagudu. His other younger brothers are Farouku Bagudu, Ibrahim Bagudu, Shehu Bagudu and his other younger sisters. “His elder brother, Bello, was actually my mate before Senator Bagudu got accelerated promotion due to his outstanding performance. At the end of the day, we became classmates. We took school leaving exams together. He also attended same Government Secondary School, Kontagora in Niger State,” he added.
He said the governor-elect became lecturer after his first degree at the Department of Economics, Usman Danfodio University (UDU), where he graduated because of his excellent performance. But later went into banking. He added, “From the banking job, he travelled abroad for further studies and returned to become the special assistant to a finance minister during General Sani Abacha’s reign. He worked closely with the late head of state’s children. That was his last stint in government service and continued to be an economic consultant.”
Ganduje: Herdsman becomes governor-elect in Kano
While growing up, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the governor-elect of Kano State, like other Fulani children in the country, herded livestock from their community in Ganduje, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area to other areas. With his stick, the governor-elect, who has been in the corridors of power for over three decades in the state, took care of the livestock of his late father to graze around their farming community, an act that exposed him to the nitty-gritty of animal rearing.
Born to the late Mallam Umar, the district head of Ganduje in 1949, the Kano governor-elect started his education at Dawakin Tofa Primary School in 1956. But his close aides said even at school, he never stopped the rearing of animals. During holidays, he returned to his father’s cattle ranch. From the primary school, he went to Government Secondary School, Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State. He proceeded to Advanced Teachers’ College, Kano, where he bagged the Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE).
To enhance his academic base, he went to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he bagged B.Sc in Education in 1975. He obtained a master’s degree in Psychology in 1979. In 1993, he crowned it with a Ph.D in Public Administration at the University of Ibadan in Oyo State. After his NYSC in Delta State in 1976, Ganduje started his working career at the Kano State Ministry of Education. After a year, he joined the services of Advanced Teachers College in Gumel.
He had an inroad to the political terrain in 1981 when he moved his services to the Federal Capital Development Authority as he held several positions during his 12 years sojourn. In 1994, he was appointed Commissioner for Works, a position he held for four years until 1998 when he resigned and joined politics. He was elected as the running mate of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Since, he has been around the corridors of power in the state. Sunday Trust gathered that despite his political growth, Ganduje is still addicted to cattle rearing as he has a gigantic cattle ranch that is being managed by the herdsmen.
Ortom: From motor park to Benue Government House
For many people, the Benue State governor-elect, Dr. Samuel Ortom, is the immediate past Minister of State for Trade, Commerce and Industry, who aspired to become governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in December, 2014 but lost the bid. He defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he finally achieved his dream. Beyond this mere knowledge of his triumph, Ortom, who is today an industrialist, a farmer, a businessman, a politician, a philanthropist, an administrator and an employer of labour, rose steadily in life from what can best be described as “grass to grace.”
Born on April 23, 1961 in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, young Ortom was enrolled into St. John’s Primary School, Gboko in 1970 but moved to St. Catherine’s Primary School, Makurdi in 1974, where he completed primary education in 1976. He was later admitted into Idah Secondary Commercial College, Idah in Kogi State that same year, where he spent only two years before his father’s retirement in 1979 brought an abrupt end to his dream of completing formal secondary school education on account of inability to pay school fees.
It was about this time, he once testified, he knew Jesus Christ and became a born again Christian. So, the story has never been the same from one stage to another. From a tout to bus conductor, taxi driver, and salesman, he rose steadily by God’s help.As a hardworking teenager, he began to strive for a living, working as a tout at Gboko motor park, where he met a good spirited Nigerian, who taught him how to drive on account of his honesty and dedication to duty. Another one helped him to obtain a driver’s license. Soon, he was employed as a professional driver.
He became the driver and confidant of a prominent Gboko-based Christian leader and politician, Pa Samu Ihugh. In his usual manner, he normally waited for his boss after closing from work every day with a view to assisting his benefactor. One day, he hung around voluntarily in the house, sitting on a bench when the wind blew a piece of paper, which was an advert for enrolment into the National School of Salesmanship, Manchester, towards him.
Ortom picked the paper, read the content and decided to enroll for a course by correspondence. Soon, he obtained the General Certificate of Education (GCE) as well as Diploma in Salesmanship. Thereafter, he enrolled at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and obtained both the Interim Joint Matriculation Board Certificate, in 1995 and Diploma in Journalism in 1998.
He also attended the Benue State University, where he obtained Advanced Diploma in Personnel Management in 2001 as well as Masters of Public Administration in 2004. He crowned his educational pursuit with a Doctor in Philosophy, Ph.D, from the Commonwealth University, Belize, through distant learning.He rose from salesman to sales manager in Gyado Foods Coy. Ltd, before his election as executive chairman of Guma Local Government Area between 1991 and 1993 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He held various party positions in different political parties. He was a PDP national auditor before his appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011.
Source: S-Trust
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