Abbas Aminu Iya

Aminu Iya Abbas
Born	Template:Birth year and age Yola, Adamawa, Nigeria
Occupation	Politician
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Senator representing Adamawa Central; Speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly (2019–2023)

Aminu Iya Abbas (born June 1973) is a Nigerian political figure currently representing Adamawa Central as a Senator. Prior to this role, he completed two terms in the Adamawa State House of Assembly, where he held the position of Speaker from 2019 until 2023.

Background

Iya was born in Yola in 1973 and attended Central Primary School located in Uba, Adamawa. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Bayero University Kano (BUK) in 2000 and later achieved a master's degree specializing in Treasury Management from the same institution in 2008.

Professional career

His National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) tenure was spent at Nigeria National Liquified Natural Gas between 2001 and 2002. Subsequently, he joined Sigma Securities in 2002 before moving on to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, where he served as a forensic expert and founding accountant. From 2008 to 2011, Iya was employed by Africa Petroleum Nigeria and KPMG. He holds professional certifications as a Chartered Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner.

Political career

Iya won the Uba/Gaya constituency seat in the Adamawa State House of Assembly in 2011. Throughout his initial term from 2011 to 2015, he occupied several leadership positions including Chief Whip, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Leader, Deputy Chief Whip, and chaired various committees.

Despite losing his seat in the 2015 elections, he maintained his affiliation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reclaimed the Uba/Gaya seat in 2019. Following this victory, he was appointed Speaker of the House, a role he fulfilled until 2023.

In the 2023 elections, Iya secured the Senate seat for Adamawa Central by defeating former senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako. He currently serves as the senator representing Adamawa Central.

Within the 10th Senate, Iya was named chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

He introduced a motion focused on preventing flooding caused by the undredged River Benue impacting seven local government areas in Adamawa State: Fufore, Yola North, Yola South, Girei (all part of Adamawa Central), as well as Numan, Lamurde, and Demsa (in Adamawa South). Iya cited tragic events such as a boat accident near Chikito village that resulted in numerous casualties and missing persons. He identified periodic water discharges from Cameroon's Lagdo Dam as the cause of the Benue River's overflow. To address this issue proactively, he advocated for constructing the Dasin Hausa Dam to reduce future flood risks.