Saminu Turaki
| Ibrahim Saminu Turaki | |
|---|---|
| Constituency | Jigawa North West |
| Governor of Jigawa State | |
|
In office 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Abubakar Maimalari |
| Succeeded by | Sule Lamido |
| Senator Jigawa North West | |
|
In office 29 May 2007 – May 2011 |
|
| Succeeded by | Danladi Abdullahi Sankara |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 July 1963 |
| Political party | All Progressives Congress (APC) |
| Profession | Politician |
Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki is a Nigerian politician and former governor of Jigawa State in Nigeria. He was a Jigawa state chairman of SDP (Social Democratic Party) and UNCP (United Nigeria Congress Party).
Ibrahim Saminu Turaki was born on 14 July 1963. He attended the Federal Government College Kaduna and the Ahmadu Bello University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science in 1985.
He was governor of Jigawa State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He was elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 on the platform of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP). In 2000, Turaki decentralized the Jigawa state government, allocating many aspects to the five Emirate councils of Hadejia, Dutse, Gumel, Ringim and Kazaure.
Turaki championed the development of ICT stressing the importance in nation building and that was largely one of his priorities as a governor. He established what was known as the biggest biotechnology centers in Nigeria then in Kazaure, a town situated outside the state capital, Dutse. Some of these attracted the number one British developmental agency, DFID to co-fund the Jigawa State microcredit scheme to provide funding for small scale businesses. The DFID also partnered with the then state government to sponsor its student for extensive education on informatics abroad, mostly Japan.
In year 2000, Turaki established a free trade zone in Jigawa, the first to be achieved by any state, to boost the ease of doing business and attract prospective investors. Taking cognizance of the importance of electricity in the success of any form of development, Turaki established various solar powered power plants of up to 7.5 MW at various Local Government Areas at a time most state governments and indeed the Federal Government has not even mulled the idea investing in renewable energy sources. This prompted the CNN to feature Jigawa State in its programme 'Global Challenges' acknowledging the governor's developmental strides and the effects on the lives of the Jigawa citizens. The short documentary was aired on November 25, 2006 and earned Turaki accolades from his peers in Nigeria and around the world.
Jigawa state pioneered the of Universal Basic Education UBEC to ensure compulsory basic education for pupils and students in the state which was later adopted by the then federal government. The state became the first to introduce the contributory pensions scheme in 2001 long before Lagos State in 2004 and subsequently the Federal government in 2006. During this same era, Jigawa State introduced the first housing mortgage by any state of the federation with the establishment of Jigawa Savings and Loans bank to cover mortgage for intending house owners thereby drastically tackling the problem of housing in the state. Some of these laudable feats earned the state the label 'Jigawa, a State of Firsts'
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