Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi
Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 10, 1950 Nigeria |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, associate professor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for | Senator for Kebbi North, Senate Majority Leader (9th National Assembly) |
Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (born 10 December 1950) is a Nigerian politician and an associate professor by profession. He serves as the representative for Kebbi North Senatorial District in Kebbi State within the 9th National Assembly and held the position of Senate Majority Leader during this tenure.
Early life and education
His educational journey started at Dankoji Primary School in Argungu between 1959 and 1964, followed by studies at Nagarta College in Sokoto from 1965 until 1969.
Yahaya pursued further education at the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, located in Zaria, Kaduna State from 1970 to 1971. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social sciences and later obtained a Ph.D. in rural sociology between 1976 and 1983. Additionally, he acquired a Certificate in Development Oriented Research in Agriculture from ICRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands, in 1985.
Professional life
Prior to his involvement in civil service and politics, Abdullahi was engaged in academia at the Faculty of Agriculture of both Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Lagos. His academic appointments included:
- Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Social Work at the Institute of Child Health, University of Lagos (1974–1975)
- Graduate Assistant at the Institute of Agricultural Research, ABU (January–September 1976)
- Assistant Research Fellow (October 1976–September 1978)
- Research Fellow II (October 1978–1981)
- Research Fellow I (October 1981–September 1987)
- Senior Research Fellow (October 1987–September 1990)
- Associate Professor/Principal Research Fellow (from October 1990 onward)
Between 1976 and 1990, he delivered lectures on Rural Sociology, Agricultural Institutions, Extension Services, Rural Community Institutions, and Economic Development to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. During his tenure as head of department, he supervised numerous master's and doctoral theses while overseeing teaching and research activities within the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at ABU.
Abdullahi carried out rural development research both independently and through collaborations within Nigeria as well as on international platforms.
Political life
In the course of the 2015 elections, Abdullahi was elected to represent Kebbi North Senatorial District running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He retained his seat during the February 2019 elections by securing 170,624 votes compared to PDP candidate Usman Bello Suru’s 66,815 votes.
On 3 June 2019, he was designated Senate Majority Leader for the 9th National Assembly. Subsequently, on 8 June 2022, Abdullahi switched allegiance from APC to the Peoples Democratic Party with intentions to contest for re-election.
Committees
- Vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation.
- Vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on FERMA.
- Member of Senate Committees on Public Account, Finance, Niger Delta Affairs, Land Transport, Petroleum Downstream Sector, Tertiary Institutions, and TETFUND.
Award
In October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari bestowed upon him the Nigerian National Honour titled Commander Of The Order Of The Niger (CON).