Nigeria practices presidential system of government which recognizes 36 State Governors with equal number of Deputy Governors. However, citizens hardly recognize them not to talk of feeling the presence of the Deputy Governors.
Hence, Daily Trust on Sunday provides our readers with this special series on “Know Nigeria’s Deputy Governors”. This edition, which offers information on the profile of the Deputy Governors, their political background, influence and uncommon detail about them, focuses on the North-Central geo-political zone.
Niger: Where a student is serving as deputy governor
Unlike many Nigerian politicians, the Niger state deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammad Ketso’s résumé is not a very rich one. He is still a student at the state owned Ibrahim Badamasi University, Lapai. He holds a National Diploma certificate in Financial Studies from the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger state.
But record shows that Mr Ketso, is a consistent politician with a deep grassroots appeal. He was a governorship candidate, a state assembly aspirant and also contested the House of Representatives’ seat. He has also served as campaign coordinator to many who have aspired to govern the state.
Perhaps, Mr Ketso’s consistency can be more appreciated as he has remained in one political party over the years, especially in the opposition.
His political journey started early in life even before he enrolled for his National Diploma programme. He became the chancellorship candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) for Ja’agi ward in Monkwa local government area in 1993. His life in the opposition politics continued in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), where he contested the state House of Assembly seat of Mokwa constituency and the House of Representatives’ seat in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
He also played a critical role in the emergence of Chief Ogbonnaya Onu’s as the national chairman of the ANPP during the party’s formative stage as served as his state campaign coordinator. He became the state publicity secretary of the ANPP in 2010, a position he held until the ANPP went into merger with other parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was said to be a key player toward the success of the initiative as he served as the zonal vice chairman (interim) during the merger process. He also served on many committees.
He was appointed the zonal coordinator of the Abubakar Sani Bello campaign organization until he was nominated as the deputy governorship candidate.
His perseverance worked for him with his party’s landslide victory during the last general elections. Today, Ketso is a key player in the state political scene, where he has hitherto remained in the background as an opposition figure.
The governor seems to understand his deputy’s enduring role as he has been a visible deputy governor since he was sworn in with the governor. The governor delegated some key functions to him. One of his first major functions as the deputy was his chairmanship of the transition committee which ensured smooth transition of power from the immediate past administration to the new government. He is also responsible for the merger of the ministries and departments, an ongoing effort to end duplication of functions and reduce cost of governance.
He was born on July 27, 1969 in Ketso village of Kede area of Mokwa local government area of Niger state. He enrolled for his primary education in 1976 and passed out in 1981. He proceeded to the Junior Secondary School in 1981. He was in government secondary school Eyagi-Bida between 1985 and 1991. He was also in the Federal Polytechnic, Bida from 1995 to 1998, where he obtained a National Diploma in Financial Studies.
Ketso is married with children. His hobbies are reading, fish farming, and community development.
Plateau: Where Professor dumps classroom for politics
After lecturing on government, political processes and issues in for decades, Professor Sonni Gwanle Tyoden jumped onto the political scene to make things happen practically. He went for the big seat, picking the nomination form to contest the Plateau state governorship seat on the platform of the PDP. But Professor Tyoden dumped the party and joined the APC where his principal, Governor Simon Lalong picked him as his running mate. The team won, ending PDP’s 16 years’ rule. The Professor of Political Science was a big catch in the nets of the APC.
Professor Tyoden began his career with the Plateau State Ministry of Establishment as an Assistant Secretary in 1978 after completing his National Youth Service at Oke-Ode Grammar School in Kwara State. He joined the University of Jos in 1980 as Lecturer II and rose to the position of Professor in 1990. He was the pioneering Head of Political Science, University of Abuja and later became Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences between 1993 and 1994. Prof. Tyoden was a Research Consultant at the National Council for Intergovernmental Relations (NCIR), Abuja from 1995 to 1996. He returned to the University of Jos in 2000 and was elected Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences from 2001 to 2005.
He has over 43 academic publications in the areas of political, legislation, fiscal policy, electioneering and power relations to his credit.
Professor Tyoden was on the Presidential Delegation to the 43rd Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1988. He was also the Chairman, Social Science Panel for Commonwealth Postgraduate Interviews, Federal Scholarship Board, Abuja from 2005 to 2010.
He was the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos from 1984 to 1985. Tyoden holds membership of several professional bodies, including the Social Science Council of Nigeria, the Nigerian Political Science Association, Africa Studies Association and the Society for International Development. He was a Research Consultant to the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel) between 2001 and 2002.
He has been Professorial Chair Assessor for many universities, including the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, University of Abuja, Bayero University Kano and Benue State University, Makurdi. He has also served as external examiner to numerous institutions, including the National Defence College, Abuja. He has attended many conferences and workshops at home and abroad.
In 2006, Professor Tyoden became Vice Chancellor at the University of Jos and his tenure ended in 2011.
Kwara: Citizens can’t recognize deputy governor
Elder Peter Kisira (J.P), who is the deputy governor of Kwara state, was born in Ilesha-Baruba in Baruten Local government area on October 8, 1950.
Elder Kisira started his elementary education at the Baptist Primary School, Okuta in 1958 and passed his first school leaving certificate in 1964.
His primary school career was boosted by the Baptist missionaries in Okuta in the early 60s through their assistance. He was awarded a Baptist scholarship for his secondary education at Baptist High School, Jos between 1965 and 1969.
Elder Kisira gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1974, where he graduated with B.Ed. in Mathematics.
As a young graduate, he was posted to Borno state for the one year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at government secondary school, Bama.
He was appointed education officer under the ministry of education between 1978 and 1992.
He was at various times principal of schools like government secondary school Kaiama, teachers college, New Bussa, community secondary school, Ilesha Baruba and Queens school Ilorin to mention but a few.
He was also a once zonal inspector of education at Obangede and Bode Saadu respectively.
The deputy governor was converted to administrative cadre in 1993 under the administration of former Governor Shaaba Lafiagi.
Elder Kisira was also at various times a Director in the ministries of budget and planning, information, health, sport and youth development and the governor’s office.
In 1999, he was appointed sole administrator of Isin local government, where he successfully midwifed the transition government and handed over to the first democratically elected local government council.
In 2007, he was also appointed permanent secretary ministry of sports and youth development from where he moved to the department of establishment, training and pension matters in the office of head of service.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that he was a victim of circumstance as he was among those who were made to resign voluntarily after 32 years in service for allegedly being a supporter of a late former governor, Alhaji Muhammed Lawal.
In March 2011, he emerged the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP and ran with Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed who won the election. He was sworn in on May 29, 2011 as the deputy governor of Kwara state.
He bagged different awards from various institutions and organizations, including a distinguished service award for excellence as best performing deputy governor in 2011 from Baseline Global Ventures, African international role model leadership gold award for exemplary leadership quality 2013, national award for excellence in leadership by African Times, African achievers leadership award 2012 by global news and fellow administrator by the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria.
However, the deputy governor is unpopular among the people of state as many do not know his name. Some cannot even recognise him.
Benue: 1991 SDP governorship aspirant becomes deputy
The Benue State Deputy Governor is Engineer Benson Abounu. The Idoma born administrator came to public limelight when he delved into politics of Benue State to contest the governorship position on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1991. Thereafter, he served as Special Adviser to former Governor Moses Adasu from 1992 to 1993.
Engr. Abounu was appointed Commissioner for Water Resources and Environment by former Governor George Akume in 1999. He was re-appointed and assigned to the Ministry of Solid Minerals, where he served from August 2003 to June 2005. Thereafter, he became Commissioner for Science and Technology between 2005 and 2007. In all the ministries he served, he was the pioneer commissioner. He chaired among others the Board of the Nigerian Television Authority between 2009 and 2011. He is an industrialist with many business concerns.
Engr. Abounu contested the 2015 general elections as the running mate to the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Samuel Ortom. Consequently, he was inaugurated as the deputy governor of Benue state on May 29, 2015.
Popularly referred to as a no-nonsense man, Mr Abounu is married to Justice Mary Azumi, a High Court Judge in the Benue State Judiciary. They were blessed with five children.
Born on July 3, 1949, he started his early education at the Methodist Primary School, Upu-ico in Otukpo, his birth place, from 1957 to 1963.
He proceeded to Government College, Makurdi, where he had a brief stint, between 1964 and 1966. Then, he was transferred to Government Technical College, Ilorin in 1967 where he completed his O’levels, in 1969. Between 1971 and 1975, he studied at the Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, before leaving for the United Kingdom where he attended the Canfield University, Bedford, England between 1976 and 1978.
By 1980 and 1984, he was at the University of Ibadan before proceeding to the Ashrige Management College in England for Directors Programme in 1989. From these academic pursuits, Engr. Abounu obtained a Diploma in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering and Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Chartered Engineer (London), Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Administration as well as Master of Business Administration, MBA, Finance and Operations Research.
He has corporate membership of the Institute of Production Engineers, London and the Nigerian Society of Engineers. He is a management consultant.
Engr. Abounu’s experience spans both the private and public sectors. From 1975 to 1976, he worked with John Holt Group, where he rose from Manager-in-Training to Production Manager before switching over to Nigeria Breweries, Lagos where he was Technical Manger from 1979 to 1980. At the Okin Bottling Company Limited, Kaduna, he was General Manager from 1982 to 1988.
Thereafter, he served as Director, NAL Merchant Bank Plc., Lagos between 1986 and 1980. Later, he became Principal Partner, Abounu Benson and Company, Chartered Engineers and Management Consultants.
In the early 80s, Engr. Abounu was appointed Sole Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos from where he moved to become Executive Director at the Nigeria Coal Corporation, Enugu.
Kogi: Awoniyi is a loyal politician
Arc. Yomi Awoniyi is the deputy governor of Kogi State. His attributes of loyalty, calmness and perseverance in the face of adversity have been working for him. He is known for his quiet mien and unassuming posture. These qualities have earned him the confidence of his boss and associates.
However, what further helped Architect Awoniyi’s choice as Captain Wada’s running mate was his rich background in the private sector.
He once lost his bid to become a Senator. But in the face of stiff political challenges, he became the running mate to Captain Idris Ichalla Wada.
Born in Lagos, September 4, 1960, Architect Awoniyi attended Government Secondary School, Okene, between 1971 and 1973. Thereafter, he moved to Barewa College, Zaria, where in 1976, he bagged his West African School Certificate (WASCE) Grade one.
He was subsequently admitted into High School of Basic Studies, Zaria for his Higher School Programme. That was between 1976 and 1978. He completed the programme in flying colours and got admitted to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Architecture.
In 1981, he bagged a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture and proceeded to bag a Masters of Science, Architecture in 1983, also from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Determined to be a core professional, he moved to University College, London in 1983. By 1984, he had bagged a Masters of Science Degree in Urban Development Planning.
Arc. Awoniyi, the son of the late political icon and a seasoned administrator, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, is a member of several professional bodies, including Nigeria Institute of Architects, Architects Registration Council of Nigeria and Nigeria Institute of Management.
He established Awoniyi Associates, a firm of Architects and Urban Planners in 1988.
An Architect with vast exposure and experience, Mr Awoniyi had participated in some key national projects. Some of these projects are; the National Library Project, Abuja, an Official Residence in the Presidency, Abuja, the Millennium Tower Project, Abuja, CAC Prototype Office Buildings in different States across the country, the Abuja Light Rail project, Itakpe Iron Ore project, Ajaokuta Steel Company projects, the Construction of Silo for Grains Storage in different locations across the country, and the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway Project among others.
He is vastly traveled, having visited over 22 countries across the
continents of the world for both business and leisure. Architect Awoniyi is also a philanthropist. He is the founder and sponsor of the Yomi Awoniyi Organization; an organization that is involved in the provision of scholarships to students in institution of higher learning as well as micro-credit to some individuals in Kogi West Senatorial district.
These are part of the gestures that aided the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election in his area. He has had the privilege of serving in a number of public establishments. He was on the board of Onne Oil and Free Zone Authority, among other appointments.
He is a member of several associations and clubs.
He likes reading of Management books and biographies. He also finds time to play Squash and Badminton. He is married. The union is blessed with three beautiful children.
