Mohammed Namadi Sambo: The 13th Vice President of Nigeria
Mohammed Namadi Sambo is a distinguished Abusite, world-class architect and famous Nigerian politician who served as the executive former governor of Kaduna State from May 2007 – 19th May 2010, and vice president of Nigeria from 19th May 2010 to 29th May 2015.
Early Life and Education
Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo was born in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, on August 2nd, 1954. He started his education at the Baptist Primary School, Kakuri, Kaduna state in 1959, he later moved to Kobi Primary School, Bauchi and finally, Towns School No. 1 in Zaria.
After his primary education, he had his secondary education at Government Secondary School, now Alhuda-Huda College, in Zaria where he obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1971.
From 1972 to 1973 he attended the School of Basic Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. After which he was admitted into the great Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture (B.Sc Hons) in 1976 and a Masters Degree in Architecture (M.Sc) in 1978.
Namadi Sambo’s Career
After his University education, Namadi Sambo was posted to Oyo State for his National Youth Service and had his primary assignment with the Oyo State Ministry of Works and Housing between 1978 and 1979.
When Bauchi State was created, he was one of the architects involved in the architectural designs for offices and residential quarters of the government officials. He particularly worked heavily on the design and upgrade of the Yankari Games Reserve Holiday Resort.
He was made responsible for the Bauchi State Urban Development Board for development, control, and the production of the Master Plan of Bauchi town and other cities in Bauchi State.
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In February 1986, Sambo was appointed the Kaduna State’s Commissioner of Agriculture. In 1988 he was re-posted to the Kaduna State Ministry of Works, Transport and Housing. He further worked as the Managing Director of Fulani Construction Company at Gombe.
Consequent to his appointment, he took an active part in the construction of DadinKowa Secondary School, now a Polytechnic, and many other educational institutions and housing projects.
Sambo eventually floated an architectural firm called Environmental Design Consortium, which later metamorphosed into Coplan Associates.
This enabled him to engage in the private practice of his profession after leaving the service of the Kaduna State Government in 1990. He consulted for the World Bank as well as Federal and State Government.
In May 2007, Mohammed Namadi Sambo assumed office as Governor of Kaduna State under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Sambo had an 11-point agenda as Governor of Kaduna State that was to focus on empowering the youth and women of the community and to address security for the state.
Security was specifically a big issue in Kaduna at the time because of the frequent ethnic/religious violence. He recorded significant success in the area of security thanks in part to the effective “Operation Yaki“, a task force that brought together the police, the military and other security services to deal with crime in the state.
His term as governor ended abruptly on 18 May 2010 following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. While still serving as governor, he was picked by the then president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, to become the Vice President.
The official correspondence conveying the nomination of Namadi Sambo for the VP position was received by the National Assembly on 15 May 2010. On 18 May 2010, the National Assembly approved the nomination. He was sworn in as the vice president of the federal republic of Nigeria on May 19th, 2010.
He contested alongside his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan, in the April 16th, 2011 presidential election, as the running mate, which they won. On May 29th, 2015, he was succeeded by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo after Jonathan and he lost their reelection bid in the 2015 presidential election.
Personal Life
Namadi Sambo is married to Hajiya Amina Mohammed Namadi Sambo, the third child in a family of eleven, Born into the respectable and industrious family of Mallam Abdu Lukat and Hajiya Huwaila Abdu Lukat in the ancient city of Kano.
The consummate humanist and philanthropist hold a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Bayero University and together, Sambo and Amina have two children.
As a former vice president of Nigeria, Sambo holds the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
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