The Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has approved the appointment of Nigeria’s former minister of state for agriculture and rural development, Malam Bukar Tijani, as Secretary to Borno State Government.
The appointment was announced by the Governor’s spokesman Malam Isa Gusau in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The statement noted that Zulum considered Tijani’s very high-level experience from his services as minister from July 2011 to September 2013 and as Assistant Secretary-General/Assistant Director-General (ASG/ADG) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
Through both offices and other national positions such as being the national coordinator for Nigeria’s National programme for Agriculture and Food Security as well as his coordination of the World Bank’s Fadama project, the former minister visited about 50 countries for different official engagements and he made significant contributions to the development of agriculture and food security in Nigeria, Africa and at the global level.
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The 62-year-old Tijani was born in Damasak but hails from Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The former minister is a Fellow of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria (FASN), Fellow of Soil Science Society of Nigeria (FSSN), Fellow (Honourary) P.R China, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS), Recipient of Letter of Commendation for Meritorious National Service as a Minister of the Federal Republic by Nigerian President, Recipient of letter of Commendation for a job well-down on the formation of first Farmer’s Council in Borno/Yobe States, Certificate of Merit – American National Dean’s List (1984), Certificate of Merit – American National Dean’s List (1983), Recipient of Honour Roll Scholastic Achievement Certificate of Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA (1983) and be best overall student during his Diploma in Agriculture at Borno College of Agriculture, Maiduguri (1980).
The Governor has also reappointed Professor Isa Hussaini Marte as Chief of Staff.
He hails from Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
He served as Governor Zulum’s chief of staff from August 17, 2020, to May 29, 2019.
The Professor had previously served as Borno State’s commissioner for Higher Education from August 2019 to August 2020.
He also served as overseeing commissioner of health in 2021 while being chief of staff. He held both positions under the Zulum administration.
Marte is a professor of pharmacology with a specialty in cancer research and he is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, a member of the Society for Neuroscience, a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and a member of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria amongst others.
He is widely known for his high integrity that aligns with Governor Zulum’s principles and he has proven capacity and strong passion for societal development.
