Progressive Governors Forum

Progressive Governors Forum (PGF)
Chairman	Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha
Founded	August 2013 (August 2013)
Headquarters	Abuja
Ideology	Social Democratic
Politics of Nigeria Political parties Elections

The Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF) first materialized in 1981 during the Second Republic when the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) held sway. Governors on the platform of the opposition, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), then formed a forum through which they intended to project and implement what they believe are "progressive ideals".^[1] With the re-emergence of democracy in 1999 and the eventual decision, in 2013, by elements in the opposition to merge into a mega party,^[2] the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) once again emerged.^[3]

Now, in the Fourth Republic, the PGF is a forum comprising all state governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the mega party which was borne of a merger between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and members from the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), among others.^[4] The Forum was formed in the wake of the merger of legacy parties which merged to form the APC and at inception in August 2013, the PGF had 11 member governors comprising Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Lagos, Nassarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Yobe, and Zamfara states; this number increased later when five additional governors from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the APC^[5] after a crisis that gave rise to a faction known as the new-PDP.

Sequel to the new merger with members from the new-PDP, the PGF comprised sixteen governors (Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states), this number, however, reduced to fourteen after Ekiti's Kayode Fayemi lost his re-election bid and Adamawa's Murtala Nyako was impeached, in June and July 2014 respectively.

The APC recorded overwhelming victory in most states and the number of member governors increased to 22 after the April, 2015 gubernatorial elections.

Aims and Objectives

Addressing newsmen in October, 2013, the governors of the All Progressive Congress, APC, described their main goal as organising all APC state governments in order to implement policies which would develop human capital in their respective states and improve the quality of life through job creation, which would, in turn, eradicate poverty.^[6] The objectives of the Forum include;

1. Promoting the APC’s social democratic ideals as enshrined in the party’s constitution and manifesto by undertaking policy actions which reflect these in APC-governed states
2. Partnering with other progressive governors in Nigeria, irrespective of whether or not they are members of the APC, in order to promote good governance and deepen the democratic process in the country.
3. Setting a uniform agenda especially with respect to healthcare and education across all APC states, with the aim of establishing and replicating results across board
4. Carrying out initiatives which would make the electioneering process credible and that results truly reflect the wishes of the people
5. To support the party, the APC, in engaging other stakeholders with the aim of strengthening democracy and accountability in government
6. To support the party in its leadership orientation efforts across the country
7. To implement initiatives which would aid the development of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and enable it take its rightful place as a democratic institution not prone to partisan influences.^[7]

Principles

The PGF is founded upon principles which include being social democratic, people-oriented, leading with accountability and being responsive to the needs of the people.^[8]

Structure

Members of the PGF meet monthly, with meetings sometimes rotated among states governed by APC Governors while a secretariat in charge of the Forum’s day-to-day activities is run by a Director-General. This secretariat is saddled with the responsibility of implementing the decisions reached by the governors from member states and generating programmes, proposals and recommendations for consideration by the governors.

The current Chairman of the PGF is Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, the Imo State governor, who was elected to occupy this position in December, 2013.^[9]

The Secretariat

The Director-General of the PGF since its inception in August 2013 is Mallam Salihu Lukman,^[10] a development economist. He is an alumnus of the College of Advanced Studies, Zaria, and the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; his foray into activism began during his undergraduate years, during which he emerged as the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), a position he held from 1988-1989. A former national secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and founding Deputy General Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), he has had an extensive career in advocacy and policy development, having also served as a Research Officer at the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), and in other capacities including educational secretary to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) (a position he held from 2002–2006) after which he resigned from the NLC to form the Movement for a Better Future as a platform for community organizing and development in Zaria, Kaduna State. He also served as group organising secretary of the Good Governance Group (3G), a group which was established with the aim of institutionalizing values of effective, efficient and responsive leadership in Nigeria. Between December 2009 and March 2010, following the leadership vacuum created by the mismanagement of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s sickness, he was among the group of 54 Nigerians who formed the Save Nigeria Group (SNG),^[11] coordinating its activities in Abuja. He also contested for the seat of the Kaduna North Senatorial District in 2011 on the platform of the ACN (one of the parties which merged to form the APC), and one of his published works includes State Governance in Nigeria: Challenges and Way Forward (Triokreations Ltd, 2013).^[12]

Departments at the PGF include the Finance and Administrative department, the Programs Department – which is further broken into the Governance Program Unit and the Legislative Program Unit), and the Communications Department.

Members

The PGF is made up of governors on the platform of the opposition party, APC. Members are as follows;

1. Governor Muhammad Bindow Jibrilla of Adamawa State A former senator (representing Adamawa North), Jibrilla is a businessman and industrialist, with companies in the Adamawa town of Mubi which reportedly employ over 400 people.^[13]

He defeated the PDM’s Markus Gundiri and the PDP’s Nuhu Ribadu to emerge as winner of the 2015 gubernatorial election in Adamawa.^[14]

2. Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, ESQ, Governor of Bauchi State^[15]

Barrister Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar was born on 11 December 1956. An alumnus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he served as Senior State Counsel at the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice in 1983, then went on to occupy other positions including Principal State Counsel and Secretary/Legal Adviser at the Yankari Games Reserve. He later became the Director of Public Prosecution in 1988.

He was appointed as the Bauchi state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in 1990. He held this position until 1993, and went into private practice as a managing partner at Fortuna Chambers after the military intervention. In 1996, he emerged as the Chairman of the Bauchi state chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association, and served in this capacity until 1998.

Subsequently, he was appointed as Resident Electoral Commissioner and served in Delta, Kogi, Plateau and rivers states, until he was promoted to the position of a National Electoral Commissioner at the INEC headquarters, Abuja, where he was placed in charge of the legal Services department and also supervised the Commission’s operations in Borno, Jigawa and Yobe states. He retired as INEC National Electoral Commissioner in 2008, and went back to private legal practice. In 2013, he was appointed a member of the National Judicial Council.

His foray into politics dates back to 1997, when he served as Deputy National Secretary of the Democratic Peoples' Party (DPP). He contested for and won the Bauchi state gubernatorial election in April, 2015.^[16]

3. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State

Dr. Ortom was born on April 23, 1961, in Benue state. He holds a Diploma in Journalism from the Ahmadu Bello University (1998), an advanced diploma in Personnel Management (2001), and a Masters in Public Administration (2004), both from the Benue State University. Subsequently, he obtained a PhD from the Commonwealth University, Belize.

In 1993, he was elected as Chairman of Guma Local Government on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and has remained in active politics since then. A former Minister for State (Industry, Trade and Investment),^[17] he was elected as governor of Benue State on the platform of the APC in April, 2015.^[18]

4. Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State

Kashim Shettima, governor of Borno State, was born on September 2, 1966, in Maiduguri, Borno State. He graduated in 1989 with a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maiduguri, and was once a lecturer of Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri.

Shettima worked with the Commercial Bank for Africa, the African International Bank Limited, and Zenith Bank. In 2007, he was appointed Commissioner of the Borno State Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, and then he served as Commissioner in the Ministries of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Education, Agriculture and later Health under his predecessor, Ali Modu Sherriff.^[19]

In April 2011, Shettima was elected governor of Borno State.^[20] His administration is responsible for many road construction projects linking the rural areas to urban areas, youth empowerment programmes, agricultural development, among others.^[21]

He was re-elected in April, 2015 and is currently serving his second term as governor.^[22]

5. Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State

A former labour leader, Governor Adams Oshiomole has a solid reputation as a man of the people. Born April 4, 1952 in Iyamoh, Edo State, he began working after his secondary school education at the Arewa textiles Company and was elected union secretary. He became a full-time trade union organiser in 1975. He is an alumnus of Ruskin College, Oxford, United Kingdom, and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.^[23] Oshiomole represented African Workers for two terms on the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); serving on the committee on Freedom of Association, and was also a member of the Executive Board of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. In April 2007, Adams Oshiomhole ran for governor of Edo State but allegedly lost to Oserheimen Osunbor. However, in March 2008, an Edo State election tribunal nullified the election of Oserheimen Osunbor and declared Oshiomole the winner.^[24] In 2012, he was re-elected by the people of Edo State.

6. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State

Governor Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha, a businessman and philanthropist, also doubles as the chairman of the PGF. He was born September 22, 1962 in Ogboko, Imo State. He obtained a diploma and an advanced diploma in Public Administration from the University of Jos, and has served in various capacities such as the president of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Founder, Rochas Foundation Inc., President, Rochas Group of Companies Limited, among others. He also served as commissioner on the Federal Character Commission and was a member of the National Constitutional Conference.^[25]

In 2011, Okorocha contested for the seat of Imo State governor and won,^[26] and his tenure has been able to record several achievements, most notably with respect to social welfare and infrastructural development.^[27] His re-election bid proved successful and he is currently serving his second term as governor of Imo state.^[28]

7. Alhaji Badaru Abubakar(MON), Governor of Jigawa State^[29]

Born in 1962, he is an alumnus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (where he studied Accounting), and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). Abubakar is also a member of the National Council on Privatisation, and the second Vice President of the Federation of West Africa Chamber of Commerce (FEWACCI).

He emerged as the winner of the 2015 gubernatorial polls in Jigawa state.

8. Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State^[30]

Born 16 February 1960, in Daudawa of Faskari Local Government Area (Katsina state), he attended Barewa College, where he excelled academically. He would later go on to bag a First Class Honours degree in Quantity Surveying at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and several other degrees from the Harvard Business School, Georgetown University, the University of London and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

His professional career reached its peak through his work at his quantity surveying and project management consulting firm which he established in 1982 with two partners. Mallam Nasir ElRufai has also had an extensive public service career which kicked off with his appointment as an adviser in the transition government of General Abdussalami Abubakar. In November 1999, he was appointed as the Director of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) – he also served as Secretary of the National Council of Privatisation – and held this position until 2003, when he was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. He recorded many achievements while serving in both capacities, and is especially remembered for reviving the Abuja Master Plan. His tenure as Minister expired in May, 2007.

ElRufai has been actively involved in the APC from the party’s inception and eventually emerged as the party’s flagbearer in Kaduna state at the December 2014 primaries. In April 2015, he won the gubernatorial election, defeating the incumbent Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, who was also the PDP candidate.

Although still in its early stages, his administration has taken a number of steps aimed at improving the level of governance in Kaduna state. He also made history when he partnered with BudgIT, a body which advocates for accountability and transparency in government, for the state's budget to be made open.^[31]

9. Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State^[32]

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was born in kano in 1949. He obtained the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) from the Advance Teachers’ College, Kano in 1972, and went on to the Ahmadu Bello University, from where he got a bachelor's degree in science education in 1975. In 1979, he obtained a master's degree in Applied Educational Psychology from Bayero University Kano, and another in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University. In 1993, he got a Ph.D in Public Administration from the University of Ibadan.

His foray into politics began with the (now defunct) National party of Nigeria (NPN) and he has remained in active politics since then. He served as deputy governor of Kano State during Senator Kwankwaso’s two terms (i.e. both in 1999-2003 and 2011-2015). During their 1999-2003 tenure, he also served as the state’s Commissioner for Local Government, and proceeded to be a special adviser on political affairs to Kwankwaso during his run as Minister for Defense.

He won the 2015 gubernatorial election the state and it is expected that the experience he has garnered over the years will translate into a consolidation of and further improvement upon his predecessor’s achievements.

10. Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State^[33]

Born 29 May 1950, Aminu Bello Masari served as Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives from 2003-2007. He is an alumnus of the AWS Training School, Middlesex Polytechnic, London, and the Administrative Staff College, Badagry, from where he obtained the AWS certificate in 1973, a Post Graduate Diploma in Water Quality Control Management in 1982, and a senior management certificate in 1990.

From 1991-1993, he served as the Katsina state Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, and was elected a member of the Constitutional Review Conference in 1994. Subsequently, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1999, and became Speaker during his second tenure as a lawmaker in 2003. Upon formation of the APC in 2013, Masari also served as the party’s interim National Deputy Chairman for the Northern region.

He first contested the gubernatorial election in Katsina in 2011 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, one of the legacy parties which merged to form the APC. His gubernatorial bid eventually proved successful in April, 2015.

11. Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State

A former senator, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu was born on 26 December 1961. He was elected to the Senate in 2008, in a by-election after his predecessoror, Adamu Ailero was appointed as FCT Minister.

He won the 2015 gubernatorial election in Kebbi state after he emerged as the APC’s flagbearer at the state primaries.

12. Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was born in December 1963, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. An alumnus of Government College Funtua, and the school of Basic Studies of Kwara State College of Technology, with a B.Sc. in Chemistry and an MBA from the University of Ilorin, he worked as a lecturer at the Federal College of Arts and Science, Sokoto, and later as a banker; as Assistant Manager at District Savings and Loans, Lagos as well as with Guaranty Trust Bank and Societe Generale Bank Nigeria.

Ahmed also served as a Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Commissioner of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and Chairman, Budget Formulation Committee and Economic Team of Kwara State.^[34] He was elected Governor of Kwara State in the April 26, 2011 elections and as a governor, has built on the legacies of his predecessor, Abubakar Bukola Saraki. Ahmed also won re-election in 2015.^[35]

13. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State^[36]

Ambode was born on 14 June 1963. He is alumnus of the University of Lagos, where he bagged a degree in accounting in 1984. By 1987, he had become a chartered accountant and obtained a Masters’ degree in Financial Management.

His began his public service career with his job as Accountant Grade II at the Lagos State Waste Disposal Board, after which he was appointed as Assistant Treasurer of Badagry Local Government. In 1991, he proceeded to Shomolu Local Government, where he served as Auditor, then to Alimosho Local Government where he assumed the role of the Council Treasurer.

In 1998, he was a recipient of the US Fulbright Scholarship for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme in Boston University. Here, he studied Public Leadership and also interned with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Cabinet Office of Administration and Finance, the City of Boston Treasury Office, and the World Bank.

When he returned to Nigeria, he was appointed as the acting Auditor General for Local Government; his appointment was confirmed by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2001 and notable improvements in the state’s finances were recorded during his stay in office. He emerged as the APC’s flagbearer for the Lagos state gubernatorial election and was duly elected in April, 2015.

14. Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State

Tanko Al-Makura, born in 1952, was elected Governor of Nasarawa State, Nigeria in April 2011.^[37] He attended Keffi Teachers’ College, Government Teachers College of Education, Uyo and then Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in education. In 1978, he started his own company, Almakura Nigeria Limited, which was involved in importing and servicing agricultural machinery. Subsequently, he diversified into real estate and property development, with property within and outside Nigeria. In 1980, he ventured into politics, becoming the youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Plateau State. In April 2011, he defeated the incumbent governor of the state, Aliyu Akwe-Doma, to become the governor of the Nasarawa State.^[38]

As governor, he has made efforts to boost power supply in the state, improve water supply, and rehabilitate roads and schools.^[39] He also won the governorship poll in April 2015 and is currently serving his second term.^[40]

15. Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State^[41]

Abubakar Sani Bello was born on 17 December 1967, into the family of Col. Sani Bello (Rtd.), a renowned businessman and industrialist. He has a BSc in Economics from the University of Maiduguri. In 2009, he was appointed Commissioner of Commerce and Investment in Niger State, but later resigned and re-emerged as the APC’s flagbearer in Niger State.

16. Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State

Ibikunle Amosun is the current governor of Ogun State. He was born on January 25, 1958 and schooled at the Ogun State Polytechnic, graduating with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in 1983. He also has an MA in International Finance from the University of Westminster in London, United Kingdom.

Amosun, a chartered accountant, worked as an auditor and was Principal Partner of his own firm, Ibikunle Amosun & Co. (Chartered Accountants) in Lagos.^[42] Amosun was elected governor in the April 2011 Ogun State gubernatorial elections.^[43] His most notable achievements have been in the areas of infrastructural development and providing free education to students in the state.^[44]

He also emerged victorious in the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election and is serving his second term as governor of Ogun state.^[45]

17. Governor Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State

Abiola Ajimobi, the governor of Oyo State was born on December 16, 1949. He has a degree in Business Administration and Finance from the State University, New York, and an MBA in Operations Research and Marketing. Ajimobi worked in the oil industry for 26 years and retired as the Marketing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the National Oil and Chemical Marketing Company. In 2003, he was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and served as the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate.^[46]

In 2011, he was elected governor of Oyo State, and re-elected in April, 2015,^[47][48] and his tenure has been credited with an increase in the urbanisation of the capital city, Ibadan.

18. Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State

Governor Rauf Aregbesola was born on May 25, 1957. Before becoming governor, he was an engineer and an activist. He also served as the Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and finally ran for the position of governor of his state in April 2007.^[49] Although his victory was at first denied, an election tribunal ruled that he was the rightful winner of the 2007 gubernatorial election in Osun state and he was sworn in as governor on November 27, 2010.^[50]

Some achievements recorded during his tenure include improvements in Education, agricultural development and youth empowerment through the O'YES programme, among others. Aregbesola was reelected for another term as governor of Osun in August, 2014.^[51]

19. Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State^[52]

Simon Lalong was born on 5 May 1963, and like many other members of the PGF, he is also an alumnus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the university in 1990 and a master's degree in law (LLM) in 2006. In 1992, his professional career began at T-Obot & Co. Legal Practitioners, and later became a managing partner at Victor Fomwul & Co, both law firms in Jos. Subsequently, he established his firm, Simon B. Lalong & Co. Legal Practitioners.

His foray into public service officially began when he was elected to the Plateau State House of Assembly in 1999, and he served as Speaker from October 2000 until 2006, the longest tenure for any Speaker in the history of the state.

He polled 537,050 votes to emerge as the winner of the state’s gubernatorial election in April, 2015.

20. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State^[53]

Aminu Tambuwal, a native of Tambuwal village in Sokoto, was born on 10 January 1966. He studied law at the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, and graduated in 1991, and was called to the bar in 1992 upon completion of the mandatory one year legal studies at the Nigerian law School, Lagos.

As a lawyer, he was actively involved in the activities of the Nigerian Bar Association, and served in various capacities both in the Sokoto state chapter and the national body. Upon Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, he was appointed as Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to the then Senate Leader, Abdullahi Wali. In 2003, on the platform of the ANPP, he threw his hat in the ring, seeking to represent the Kebbi/Tambuwal Federal Constituency and was duly elected by his people. He was re-elected twice, and in 2005, he became the Minority Leader of the House, then went on to become the Deputy Chief Whip in 2007.

During his third term as a legislator, he emerged as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, and stirred a bit of controversy when he decamped from the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the All Progressives Congress in October, 2014.

He eventually emerged as the party’s flagbearer in the state, and won the gubernatorial election in a landslide victory. Recently, he proposed a bill to criminalise denying children education in Sokoto state.^[54]

21. Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State

Governor Ibrahim Geidam was born on September 15, 1956, in Bukarti village, Yobe State. He has a degree in Accountancy from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has spent decades in public service. He worked in several government ministries in the old Borno State, and later in Yobe State. He was Assistant Director of Finance in the Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure' acting Director of Finance and Supplies in the Yobe Information and Culture Ministry, Commissioner for Youths and Sports and then Commissioner of Commerce and Industries.

From 1997 to 2007, he was a director in the state Finance Ministry and Permanent Secretary in various other ministries. In April 2007, Ibrahim Geidam was elected Deputy Governor of Yobe State but was sworn in as Executive Governor in January, 2009 following the death of Governor Mamman Bello Ali.^[55] He was officially elected as governor in 2011 and re-elected for his second term in office in 2015.^[56][57] As governor, he has had to work hard at keeping the state together due to violence unleashed by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the region.

22. Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara State

Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar was born in January 1969, and was elected governor of Zamfara State, Nigeria on April 26, 2011.^[58] He has been politically active since 1999, when he was elected to represent Talata Mafara/Anka Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He was also the Zamfara State Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a member of the cabinet of former Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima.^[59] he was also re-elected in April, 2015.^[60]

Past members

Past members of the PGF are as follows;

1. Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Former Governor of Ekiti State

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State was born on February 9, 1965. He obtained degrees in History, Politics and International Relations from the University of Lagos and the University of Ife, both in Nigeria, and got a Doctorate degree in War Studies from King’s College, University of London, England, specialising in Civil-Military Relations.

Fayemi, who worked as a journalist, researcher and lecturer, is also a former Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, a research and training institution dedicated to the study and promotion of democratic development, peace-building and human security in Africa. While Nigeria was under military rule, Fayemi was a leader of the Nigerian opposition to military rule in exile. In that capacity, he founded and managed opposition radio stations and played a vital role in the opposition’s diplomatic engagement in exile. Kayode Fayemi is a fellow of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Ibadan, Adjunct Professor of the Security Studies at the African Centre for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., USA, and serves on the boards of the following: the Governing Board of the Open Society Justice Institute, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, and the management Culture Board of the ECOWAS Secretariat.

Fayemi was sworn in as Governor of Ekiti State on October 16, 2010. Since that time, his administration has been on a mission to transform Ekiti based on an 8-point agenda centred around: Governance, Tourism Development, Care Services, Infrastructural Development, Industrial Development, and Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.^[61] Fayemi, on 21 June 2014, lost his re-election bid, an occurrence which was challenged by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).^[62]

2. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Former Governor of Kano State

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was born in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State on October 21, 1956. He attended the Kaduna State Polytechnic, where he obtained both his National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Civil Engineering. He also studied in the United Kingdom at Middlesex Polytechnic, Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham.

For nearly two decades, Kwankwaso worked with the Kano State Government, rising to the rank of Principal Engineer. In 1992, he ran for and was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Upon return to democratic rule in 1999, he was elected as the Executive Governor of Kano state and served a four-year term from 1999-2003. From 2003 to 2010, he served the Federal Government in several capacities and in 2011, returned to Kano State to vie, once more, for the seat of the state governor.^[63]

As governor of Kano State, he has been running a free education program that has gone a long way in reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.^[64] Kwankwaso has also put in place programmes to create jobs for youths.^[65]

He is currently a serving senator, representing Kano central Federal Constituency.^[66]

3. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); Former Governor of Lagos State

Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) was born in Lagos on June 28, 1963. Fashola, who succeeded former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2007, attended Birch Freeman High School and Igbobi College, Lagos. He graduated from the University of Benin with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. (Hon)) degree in 1987, and was called to the Nigeria Bar in November 1988, after attending the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.

Fashola has had a successful law career spanning over 15 years, and received several honours and awards, including that of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He served as the chief of staff to Bola Ahmed Tinubu while the latter was governor of Lagos State, and was overwhelmingly voted into office in 2007.

Fashola became governor of Lagos in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, and made great strides in the area of infrastructural development of the state. In 2013, Lo Spazio della Politica (LSDP), a global personality assessment organisation, listed Babatunde Raji Fashola among the top 100 global thinkers.^[67]

4. Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi; Former Governor of Rivers State

Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the governor of Rivers State, Nigeria, was born on May 27, 1965, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. He graduated from the University of Port-Harcourt in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) in English Studies and Literature. Amaechi served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State from 1992–1994, and was the secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) caretaker committee. From 1999 to 2007, Amaechi was the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and was elected the Chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of the State Assemblies. In 2007, he was elected governor of Rivers State and then re-elected for a second term in office in 2011.^[68]

During his tenure as governor, his administration focused on infrastructural development of the state, providing qualitative education, and modernisation of transportation services. His tenure also made power supply a priority in the state.^[69][70]

5. Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko; Former Governor of Sokoto State

Governor Aliyu Wamakko was born on March 1, 1953 in Wamakko, Sokoto State. He attended Sokoto Teachers’ College, worked as a teacher for a few years, before going to the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, graduating with a B.Sc. in August 1980.

Wamakko worked as a public servant, starting out as a Principal Assistant Secretary of Zurmi Local Government Area and later as Director-General, Careers and Special Services, Governor’s Office, Sokoto in March 1992. From 1999 to 2006, Wamakko served as deputy governor of Sokoto state while Attahiru Bafarawa was governor. He resigned as Deputy Governor of Sokoto on 15 March 2006 and contested for governorship in 2007. Although he was declared winner, this election was annulled. In the 2008 re-run, he, once again, emerged victorious.^[71] As governor, he focused on poverty alleviation schemes, better housing and improvement of the economy of Sokoto State.^[72]

In March, 2015, he won the senatorial election and is currently a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Sokoto North.^[73]

6. Vice-Admiral (Rtd.) Murtala Nyako; Former Governor of Adamawa State

Born on August 27, 1943, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako was elected Executive Governor of Adamawa State in May 2007. However, the Election Petition Appeal Tribunal nullified his election in February 2008 and ordered the conduct of fresh polls. Nyako was re-elected in a landslide victory and he resumed office on 29 April 2008.^[74]

Nyako has served in various capacities, both during the military era and in the present democratic dispensation. He was once the military administrator of Niger State between 1976 and 1977, after which he became the Chief of Naval Staff in December 1989. In 1991, he rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, after which he retired in September 1993 as a Vice-Admiral.^[75] Dr. Nyako is also widely acclaimed for his immense contributions to agricultural development in Nigeria. He owns one of the largest dairy farms in the country, Sebore (EPZ) Farms, and also owns the largest mango farm in the country. He is the President of the Horticultural Crops Growers Association of Nigeria, the Practicing Farmers Association of Nigeria and the Apex Farmers Association of Nigeria, and a patron of numerous farmers' commodity associations in the country.^[76] Nyako has received honorary Doctorate Degrees in Agriculture from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; University of Technology Minna, (2008); University of Technology, Yola (2009).^[77] He has also received national awards of Commander of Federal Republic (CFR) in 1993, Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON) in 1999 and another Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2002.

The major hallmark of Nyako's tenure was his passion for agricultural development, having used his office to encourage and foster the growth of agriculture as a tool for development in Adamawa. Nyako was impeached on Tuesday, 15 July 2014, after a protracted political battle with members of the Adamawa State House of Assembly.^[78]

Events and Activities

First Progressive Governance Lecture

On February 24, 2014, the Progressive Governors converged in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the first Progressive Governance Lecture, which was tagged “Unemployment and the Crisis of Governance in Nigeria: The Way Forward’’. The aim of the lecture was to examine the unemployment crisis in Nigeria in order to proffer solutions which would result in mass job creation. At the event, the governors stated that they would work on recommendations gathered in order to help direct policy formulation and implementation within APC states.^[79]

Progressive Governors/Legislators/CSOs Roundtable

On Monday, 24th March 2014, the PGF held a roundtable session with legislators within the APC and select Civil Society Organisations. The theme of the roundtable session was ‘Improving governance through transparent budgeting, accountability and effective public financial management'. The event was chaired by the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and some of the issues it was convened to tackle include the lack of transparency and accountability in budget implementation, budget and budget process in the National Assembly, the role of public finance management in good governance, and the 20 billion Dollars reported missing in the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC).

A communiqué was issued and some of the recommendations made include establishing a budget timetable in order to ensure that the budgeting process is not dependent upon the Federal Government, strengthening institutions in order to promote accountability in budgeting, designing the budgeting process based on sector plans and not statements of intended expenses (as is currently being done) and making provisions for a closing figure for the previous year before presenting a new budget, among others.^[80]

Second Progressive Governance Lecture

Sequel to the first Progressive Governance Lecture, a second lecture took place in Kano State in May 2014, titled: “Crisis in Nigeria’s Education: Addressing the Connect between Unemployment and Insecurity”. At this event, the host, Governor Kwankwaso of Kano State, elucidated on the steps being taken by his administration to reduce the spate of crime by encouraging youths to become educated. This, he said, had been achieved through a free education programme in the state. The Chairman of the PGF, Governor Rochas Okorocha, also asked that politicians work together to combat the scourge of terrorism irrespective of party affiliation.^[81]

Visit and Donation to Victims of Nyanya Bomb Blast

The PGF had, after a terrorist attack in Nyanya, a suburb on the outskirts of Abuja on 14 April 2014, paid visits to victims in the National Hospital, Abuja, and the Asokoro General Hospital and donated a relief fund of N100million.^[82]

Pledge to Rebuild Government Secondary School, Chibok

In the wake of the abduction of 276 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, and the subsequent destruction of the school on 14 May 2014, the Progressive Governors pledged to rebuild the school.^[83]

Workshop on Education Policy Design

Following deliberations at the first and second Progressive Governance Lectures, this workshop was organised in Port-Harcourt in July 2014 for the purpose of designing policies which would aid educational development in APC states. In attendance were commissioners of education from at least 13 of the 16 APC states and some deputy governors, among other state officials.^[84][85]

The APC Governors' Retreat

The PGF, before the inauguration of the new administration in May, 2015, organised a retreat for all APC governors (both returning and outgoing) and governors-elect. The aim of the retreat was to design governance strategies which would enable them deliver on the party's campaign promises, and to provide the incoming governors with the necessary knowledge on governance and administrative duties.^[86]

See also

All Progressives Congress (APC)

List of State Governors in Nigeria

External links

• PGF official website
• Official website of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

References