Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi, is an Associate Professor and Nigerian politician. He was born on the 10th day of December, 1950, in Argungu, in the present Kebbi State of Nigeria. He is the Senator representing Kebbi North Senatorial District of Kebbi State at the 9th National Assembly. He is Senate Majority Leader of the Nigerian 9th National Assembly.

Early life and education

Early life

He began his early education at the Dankoji Primary School, Argungu, from 1959 to 1964; after which he attended the Nagarta College, Sokoto, from 1965 to 1969.

Education

Yahaya attended the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, from 1970 to 1971 and continued in the same University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences, and a Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D, in Rural Sociology from 1976 to 1983.
Dr. Abdullahi also holds the Certificate of Development Oriented Research in Agriculture, ICRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1985.

Professional life

Prior to his engagement in the Nigerian Civil Service and later politics, Dr. Abdullahi was a busy academic at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Lagos, Lagos State, during which he held various teaching and research positions, namely;

• Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Social Work, (Institute of Child Health, University of Lagos), 1974–1975.
• Graduate Assistant, Institute of Agricultural Research, (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, (January to September, 1976).
• Assistant Research Fellow, ABU, Zaria, (October 1976 to September 1978).
• Research Fellow 2, (October 1978 to 1981).
• Research Fellow 1, (October 1981 to September 1987).
• Senior Research Fellow, (October 1987 to September 1990).
• Associate Professor/Principal Research Fellow, (October 1990).

He taught Rural Sociology, Agricultural Institutions, Extension, Rural Community Institutions and Economic Development at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, at undergraduate and post-graduate levels, from 1976 to 1990.

As the head of department, he supervised or co-supervised many masters and doctorate programmes, including the coordination of both teaching and research programmes of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Zaria.

He undertook Rural Development Research independently, jointly and as a member of the Multi-disciplinary Teams, both within and outside Nigeria.

Political life

In the 2015 elections, Dr. Yahaya A. Abdullahi contested and won the Kebbi North Senatorial seat, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In the February 23, 2019 elections, he was announced winner of the Kebbi North Senatorial District election having polled 170,624 votes as Usman Bello Suru of the PDP polled 66,815 votes.
On 3 June 2019, He was announced as the 9th National Assembly Senate Majority Leader.

Committees

• Vice-chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation.
• Vice-chairman, Senate Committee on FERMA.
• Member, Senate Committee on Public Account.
• Member, Senate Committee on Finance.
• Member, Senate Committee on Niger Delta.
• Member, Senate Committee on Land Transport.
• Member, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream.
• Member, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

Legislative activities

Sen. Yahaya A. Abdullahi has sponsored, and co-sponsored several Motions and Bills, including;

• The Federal College of Education, Illo, (Establishment) Bill: The Bill sets out to establish the Federal College of Education, Illo, Kebbi state. The key rationale for this legislation is to ensure that Kebbi state is given the needed capacity to improve its quality of teaching personnel, at the most critical level. Being a border community, the college at Illo will ensure Federal Government presence and curb the practice of parents sending their children across the borders, in search of tertiary education.

• The National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015 (Amendment) Bill: The Bill seeks to amend certain provisions of the Principal Act, regarding strict issues of public and environmental health in the management and control of GMO crops, animals and products in the country.

• Prohibition and Prevention of Electricity Theft, Vandalisation of Public Power Infrastructure and Personnel Protection, (Establishment) Bill: The Bill is meant to deter and curb illegal use of public electricity, protect power company staff and infrastructure from hostile and violent reaction by some members of the public.

• National Technical Board for Alternative Energy Projects, (Establishment) Bill: The Bill provides for legal, management and operational framework for national investment in five, (5) key areas of alternative energy, so as to develop national capacity for smart energy mix, namely;

1. Hydropower 2. Solar 3. Wind 4. Coal, and 5. Biomass and associated projects.

• Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Act, 2007, (Amendment) Bill: This Bill is to amend and streamline the operational activities of the Commission, focusing on its basic statutory role of traffic control and life-saving duties. Bearing in mind certain pronouncements of the various law courts, the Bill seeks to define and ensure clear cut scope of duties, powers and limits of the Commission, in the course of delivering and enforcing its institutional mandate on the highways.

• Federal Inland Revenue Service Act, 2007 (Amendment) Bill: This Bill is intended to centralize and ensure coordinated granting of corporate tax waivers, holidays and investment incentives, to encourage transparency and accountability. Accordingly, the Bill provides for due parliamentary approval of all such requests.

• A Bill for an Act to repeal the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004, and to enact the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020: This Bill seeks to provide for the incorporation of companies, limited liability partnerships registration of business names, along with the incorporation of trustees of certain communities, bodies, associations, etc.

In April 2019, the Nigerian Senate Committee on Privatisation called for the review of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) budgeting structure to reflect cost of transactions. Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, serving as Vice Chairman of the Committee, stated this at the BPE’s 2019 budget presentation at the National Assembly in Abuja. He noted that since the funds generated by the bureau yearly are remitted wholly into the Federal Government’s account, the government should adequately fund the agency’s activities and the cost of the transactions which generate the revenue. He held that reviewing the BPE’s budgeting structure will ensure that provisions for transaction costs are made in the bureau’s budget which would ensure a more efficient privatisation process to reflect the President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic plans.

Awards and recognitions

Senator Abdullahi has been honoured with some awards and recognitions by some groups and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, some of which include:

• Federal Civil Service Merit Award in the Director Category 2006
• Officer of the Order of Niger, OON 2008
• Turbaned Mallamawan Kabi, by the Emir of Argungu 2017