By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya was born on 16 June 1952 at Alkala quarters Gaya LG, of Kano state to the family Magajin Garin Gaya Sani.
Education
Young Gaya attended Gaya Primary School from 1961-1964 and Tsangaya Primary School where he finished his primary school in 1968 his senior brother was then the Headmaster and Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila was the Assistant Headmaster who taught him maths at the primary school.
Gaya proceeded to Government College, Birnin Kudu from 1969 – 1973 where he obtained the West African School Certificate in a flying colors, College of Advanced Studies from 1974 to 1975.
He obtained a bachelors degree in architecture from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 1977.
In his quest for education,Gaya remained at the university,(ABU ZARIA) where he later bagged a masters degree in architecture in 1980.
After graduating, young Kabiru lectured at the Kano State Polytechnic. In 1985, he became a board member of Kano State Environmental Planning and Protection Agency.
Early political career
In 1992, during the transition to the Third Nigerian Republic, he was a member of the Centre -right National Republican Convention (NRC) on whose platform he was elected executive Governor of Kano State from 1992–1993.
In 1997, during the General Sani Abacha transition, he joined the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and was a member of the National Caucus Committee.
AMong his political associates in UNCP included politicians such as Vice President Atiku Abubakar, warlord, Dem Emeka Ojukwu, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Mohammed Daggash Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, ex-Govs Ibrahim Saminu Turaki and Attahiru Bafarawa.
Incumbents Governors of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, and that of Imo, Hope Uzodinma, respectively.
Others are; two term Kebbi state Governor Adamu Aliero,former Senate president, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim amongst others.
In 2003, Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya ran for the National Democratic Party (NDP) in the 2003 gubernatorial election in Kano State.
He is a pragmatist and an objective philanthropist whose passion for societal and human development cannot be questioned. Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya was elected to the Senate for Kano South in 2007.
He was appointed to committees on Gas, Local and Foreign Debts, States & Local Government, and Upstream Petroleum Resources and Works.
In a mid-term assessment of the performance of Senators, as an astute politician,Gaya sponsored the Finance Management and Accountability Bill, 2009, and the Millennium Development Agency Bill, 2009.
He co-sponsored five motions and contributed well to debates in plenary.
In May 2008, as chairman of the Senate committee on works, Kabiru Gaya lamented that some projects were going very slowly, but said the Senate would never subscribe to the idea of privatising Nigerian roads.
In November 2009 he supported a motion by the Kano chapter of the ANPP to allow the then state Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, to nominate the ANPP candidate for the 2011 governorship elections. The presumptive nominee was Sheikh Ibrahim Khaleel.
Gaya ran for election as Senator for Kano South on the platform of ANPP in April 2011, and was reelected.
Due to his political sagacity, Senator Gaya was elected by his collegues as the Senate’s Deputy Minority Whip from 2007 until 2011. He was re-elected three times into the Senate in 2011, 2015 and 2019 election
.
Among his several competences are his knacks for Leading for Results , Managing Change and Innovation, Effective and Efficiency when it comes to Team work, his business acumen, and building of coalitions. Others are effective implementation of ethics and policies, critical thinking, conflict management and commitment to development
Based on the above mentioned qualities, Senator Kabiru Gaya was elected vice president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for Africa at the 135th general assembly of the union in Geneva, Switzerland October 2016.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and the Nigerian Large Scale Farmers Association (NLSFA). He was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree by the University Of Science And Applied Management, Porto-Novo, Benin Republic. He is also a member of the committee on Marine
The kano born politician,was described as an elder stateman who continued to work tirelessly for the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria as a build bridges across the various divides.
Malam Isah Madigawa, once described the former Governor as an astute politician with political dexterity, strong administrative acumen and good team spirit.
He noted that the senator had successfully represented his constituent within the period under review.
Madigawa noted that Gaya is committed to the development of Kano state and Nigeria, just as he devoted his time and energy towards the growth and development of the rulling party,(APC.)
”No wonder you are often called upon in matters of building peace and reconciliation in our party”he said.
While speaking at a forum,a youth activist,Comrade Abdullahi Usman Dawakin Tofa called on senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya to answer the Clarion calls of the good people of Kano state to succeed Governor Ganduje.
“He should answer the clarion call to come out and contest for the Governor of our great state come 2023 in order to complete the good work of our amiable Governor and Khadimul Islam,HE. Dr Umar Abdullahi Ganduje is doing because he is the only candidate that can transform Kano from this present position to a developed state.
Kabiru Gaya is a leader who is well committed to his followers and he also believe in the youths,” he said.
Musa Tanimu Nasidi is a journalist and publisher of an online Newspaper, THEANALYSTNG,he writes from Lokoja,Kogi state.
