President Muhammadu Buhari on
Wednesday, October 21, named Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the National Chairman of
the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Yakubu is to take over from the acting chairman of the
commission, Amina Zakari.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu
Below are some things you should know about the newly
appointed INEC chairman.
1. He was born in Bauchi in 1962.
2. Educational qualification: He had his early education at Kobi
primary school from where he proceeded to the Teachers’ college, Toro. He
studied at the University of Sokoto (now Usmanu Danfodiyo University). Yakubu
later gained admission to the prestigious University of Oxford where he bagged
a Doctor of Philosophy Degree with specialization in Nigerian History at the
age of 29 in 1991.
3. He was a recipient of the Bauchi state government scholarship
to study at both the Cambridge and Oxford Universities in England and his
outstanding intellectual artistry at Cambridge further earned him the
Scholarship of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust.
4. He was the first person from the North to graduate with a
first class honours in History: Yakubu graduated with a first class honours in
History from the University of Sokoto, a feat which has remained unrivalled and
unbroken till date as the first and only person from the whole of Northern
Nigeria to have obtained a first class honours degree in History.
5. He is a professor of political history and international
studies.
6. He is an expert in guerrilla warfare, terrorism and
counter-terrorism. He also teaches War and Society in Pre Colonial Africa.
7. He was executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust
Fund: Under Yakubu’s leadership of TETFund, a National Book Development Fund
that supports one hundred and two(102) journals of professional associations
was established. In addition, over five thousand, two hundred (5200) lecturers
from tertiary institutions nationwide were sponsored by TETFund for
postgraduate studies.
8. He was a member of the very dynamic Oby Ezekwesili Educational
Transformation Team which received plaudits from Nigerians for their far
reaching recommendations for the turn around of the fortunes of education in
Nigeria.
9. Adeyemi College of Education conferred Yakubu with its
fellowship award in 2013. He was conferred with the award for educational
development and leadership.
10. In 2013, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)
bestowed honorary Fellowship on him.
11. He was a three time-time winner of the Overseas Research
Student (ORS) Award by the London-based Committee of Vice-Chancellors of United
Kingdom (UK) Universities.
12. He was also a proud recipient of the competitive Commonwealth
Scholarship by the Association of Commonwealth Universities tenable at the University
of Oxford.
13. Yakubu was
appointed to serve as assistant secretary at the 2014 national conference.Source: Naij.com
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