Abdullahi Adamu - National Chairman, All Progressives Congress

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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu, CON, (Turakin Keffi), who is popularly called The Bridge, was born on July 23, 1946 at Keffi. He started his education at the age of 7 in 1953 at Abdu Zanga Primary School, Keffi and completed at the Laminga Senior Primary School, Nasarawa in 1959.

His Post-Primary education started at the Government Secondary School, Makurdi from 1960-1962, from where he proceeded to Government Technical College Bukuru from 1962-1965.

Because of his strong desire for western education, and blessed with a sharp calculating mind, he proceeded to the Kaduna Polytechnic where he read and obtained a National Diploma in Building and Civil Engineering and graduated in 1968. While at the Kaduna Polytechnic, he was elected President of the Kaduna Polytechnic Students Union Government between 1967/68. At the same time (1967/68) he contested and won elections as the National Vice-President of the National Association of Nigerian Students after the merger of the two National Student bodies - National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) and National Association of Technological Students (NATS) in 1968.

He had a short employment after the diploma course with the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (1967/70) as a maintenance supervisor. He later took up another appointment with the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC) Kaduna, 1972. Thereafter, he moved to the private sector where in 1973 he became a Consultant Area Manager with AEK, a firm of consultants in the Henry Fajimirokum group of Companies.

In 1974, he was appointed Project Manager for the construction of Durbar Hotel and Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, edifices which were put in place for the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC).

In 1975, he was appointed the Executive Secretary of BEPCO (Benue/Plateau Construction Company) by the Benue/Plateau State Government. While in BEPCO, he was also appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the NTA Zone D in 1976 and served up to 1978. Between 1980-83 he served as the Chairman of Benue Cement Company, Gboko.

His career in politics began in earnest 1977 when he was elected into the Constituent Assembly, a body that drafted the country's Second Republic Constitution of 1979. Thereafter, he became a pioneer member of the National Movement which later metamorphosed into the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was the first Secretary of the Party from December 1978 and later Chairman of the Party in Plateau State from 1982 up to 1983 when the military terminated the life of the Second Republic. He also served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Party.

In 1980, on the death of his father and in consideration of his enormous contribution to the society, he was conferred with the prestigious title of Sarkin Yakin Keffi by His Royal Highness, the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Chindo Yamusa II. He therefore inherited his father's traditional title.

At the demise of the 2nd Republic in 1983, he went back to the academics and in 1987 enrolled in the pioneer class of the part-time Law degree of the University of Jos. By 1992, he added yet another feather to his academic cap with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Jos. He enrolled into Nigeria Law School, Lagos, where he obtained his BL and was called to the Nigerian bar in December 1993 as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He was appointed a member of the National Constitutional Conference convened by the General Sani Abacha Administration for the drafting of a constitution for a new democratic government (the Fourth Republic), i.e. Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu has participated in the writing of the Nigerian Constitution twice (1979 & 1999 constitutions).

In March 1995, he was appointed a Minister of State in the Ministry of Works and Housing of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he served up to November 17, 1997. During his tenure, he actively participated in the UN-sponsored programme for urban housing, the environment and sustainable development. He led the Nigeria delegation to all the Habitat Preparatory conferences at the United Nations and the main Habitat II conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in June/July 1996. He was in 1996 elected Chairman of Shelter Afrique (an OAU Umbrella for housing development in Africa). He represented Nigeria at the United Nations heads of state and government conference to review the charter of the Earth Summit in June1997 in New York.

At the lifting of the ban on politics he became a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and was one of its leading gubernatorial contenders in Nasarawa Sate. His efforts did not materialize as the party, alongside others, was dissolved at the death of General Sani Abacha. At the onset of the current political dispensation in 1999, he became the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State. At the gubernatorial elections held throughout the country on April 19, 2003 Alhaji (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu was elected for a second term of four years as the Chief Steward and Executive Governor of Nasarawa State. He thus becomes the first person in the history of the State to be elected by popular mandate of the people to serve twice in the exalted position of Governor.

As Governor of Nasarawa State, Adamu was committed to a total reform of the educational development of Nasarawa State. He remains the only Governor in Nigeria who committed not less than 28% of the state fiscal appropriation to education. In appreciation of his educational reform agenda, he was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Engineering by the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt in March 2003. In the same vein, in November 2004, the Federal University of Technology, Akure conferred on him an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering for his contributions to the field of Engineering. On the 11th of March, 2006, the Federal University of Port Harcourt honoured him with yet another Doctorate of Science degree in Public Administration, to be followed a week later on 18th March 2006 with a Doctorate degree in Law by the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Anambra State. He has thus received four doctorate degrees from various universities in appreciation of his strides in the field of education.

Senator Adamu has been honoured with the keys to the cities of Harlem in New York, 1981; Hamburg in Germany, 1982; Soweto in South Africa, 1995 and the Plaque of Los Angeles in USA, 2000 by the Los Angeles County Council.

In September 2010, Senator Adamu declared his intention to run for the Nasarawa West senatorial seat which was schedule to hold in the April 2011 general elections. An election which he eventually won and has since then been serving as a senator in the Red Chamber to date. He won a third term in the February 23, 2019 senatorial elections under the flag of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

After holding the traditional title of Sarkin Yakin Keffi for thirty-nine (39) years, on June 6th, 2019, a day after the Feast of Fasting (Eid el-Fitri), Senator Abdullahi Adamu was conferred with the new title of TURAKIN KEFFI at a grand ceremony conducted by the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Chindo Yamusa II.

During his time in the Senate, he contributed significantly to the passage of many national legislations for the good governance of Nigeria. Indeed, he became a father figure among his peers in the upper legislative chamber. During his period, he served for several years as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

In the months prior to the 2022 National Convention of the APC, Senator Adamu was called upon by the party to head its National Reconciliation Committee. The appointment afforded him the opportunity to interact with the existing grievances in the party, its triggers and possibly mitigating factors. Senator Adamu performed creditably in the reconciliation assignment and was able, alongside other members, to resolve many of the mis-understandings existing in the party. The assignment also afforded him the opportunity to have a hand-on feel of the challenges facing the party in various states of the federation, as well as warm himself up among the party members.

Having finished the assignment to the satisfaction of party members, and with the National Convention of the APC only months away, Senator Adamu began to consult widely on his interest to assume the Chairmanship of the Party. Coming after his sterling success in the National Reconciliation assignment, the response he got was overwhelming. He formally declared interest in the office of National Chairman by mid-February, 2022.

At the National Convention of the Party held at the Eagle Square in Abuja on 26 March 2022, Senator Adamu was unanimously elected as the National Chairman of the APC. He comes into the office with a wealth of political experience spanning over 50 years during which he has served in all branches and strata of government. His vision is to make the APC a smart and responsive political party, able to fulfill the aspirations and hopes of all Nigerians.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu is a lover of sports, especially Football, Lawn Tennis, Squash, Cricket, Hockey and Athletics.

His hobbies include Current Affairs, Farming and Music.

Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu has visited the following countries, amongst others: Great Britain, USA, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Canada, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Jamaica, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Kenya, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa.

A well-rounded man, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Lawyer, Engineer, Technocrat, Farmer and consummate politician is married and has six children.