Biography
Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (born 21 October 1956), known as Rabiu Kwankwaso, is a prominent politician from Nigeria. From 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2015, he was the governor of Kano State. After losing re-election in 2003, he became the first Minister of Defense of the Fourth Republic, although he had no previous military service.
He did this from 2003 to 2007 when Olusegun Obasanjo was president. Then in 2015, Rabiu Kwankwaso was elected to the Senate, representing Kano Central Senatorial District. He did this for one term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Rabiu Kwankwaso is the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party at the national level. He has a strong following in Kano and the rest of northwestern Nigeria, where he is seen as a charismatic populist. He was re-elected as governor of the state in 2011 and in 2014 he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Former Governor of Kano State
Rabiu Kwankwaso |
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 Rabiu Kwankwoso: History ‧ Bio ‧ Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Full name: | Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso |
| Stage name: | Rabiu Kwankwaso |
| Born: | October 21, 1956 (age 67) |
| Place of birth: | Kano, Nigeria |
| State of origin: | Kano State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Companion: | Isaac Idahosa |
| Parents: | Musa Sale Kwankwaso |
| Siblings: | Do not have |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Salamatu Rabiu Musa (married 2000) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
| The children: | A’isha Kwankwaso, Al-Amin Kwankwaso, Mustapha Kwankwaso |
| Job: | Politician |
| Net worth: | US$30 million – US$50 million |
Early life and education
Rabiu Kwankwaso was born on October 21, 1956, in northern Nigeria. He was born and raised in a village called Kwankwaso, located in Madobi, northern Nigeria.
He came from a Sunni Fulani Muslim family. He came from a powerful family. His father was a village chief and was given the title Sarkin Fulani, Dagacin Kwankwaso.
Rabiu Kwankwaso’s father, Musa Sale Kwankwaso, was later appointed Madobi district chief by the Kano Emirate Council of Emir Ado Bayero CFR, LLD, JP.
In terms of education, Rabiu Kwankwaso attended Kwankwaso Primary School, Gwarzo Boarding Primary School, Wudil Craft School and Kano Technical College before attending Kaduna Polytechnic where he obtained both his National Diploma and Higher National Diploma.
Rabiu Kwankwaso has always been politically inclined since his youth. He was an active student leader during his school days and was also appointed as the official head of the Kano State Students Association.
From 1982 to 1983, Rabiu Kwankwaso was a postgraduate researcher in the UK at Middlesex Polytechnic. He received his MSc in water engineering from Loughborough University of Technology in 1985.
And in 2022, he obtained his PhD in water engineering from Sharda University, India.
Personal life
Rabiu Kwankwaso is the father of three children: A’isha Kwankwaso, Al-Amin Kwankwaso and Mustapha Kwankwaso.
His wife’s name was Salamatu Rabiu Musa. He had a son-in-law named Abba Kabir Yusuf, who married his daughter A’isha Kwankwaso.
Career
In 1975, Rabiu Kwankwaso joined the Kano State Government’s Engineering and Water Resources Department. He worked there in various capacities for seventeen years, rising through the ranks to become the principal water engineer.
He entered politics in 1992 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was a member of the People’s Front faction of the SDP, led by General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and comprising prominent politicians such as his former boss Senator Magaji Abdullahi, Babagana Kingibe, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Tony Anenih, Chuba Okadigbo, Abdullah Aliyu Sumaila, Abubakar Koko and Lamidi Adedibu.
Rabiu Kwankwaso was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 to represent the Madobi Federal Constituency. His subsequent election as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives brought him into the national spotlight.
Rabiu Kwankwaso was elected as a delegate from Kano to the 1995 Constitutional Conference as a member of the People’s Democratic Movement led by Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. He later joined General Sani Abacha’s political transformation program, the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN).
In 1998, Rabiu Kwankwaso joined the People’s Democratic Movement in Kano, led by Mallam Musa Gwadabe, Senator Hamisu Musa and Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila. He contested the PDP primaries in 1999 alongside Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Mukthari Zimit and Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu. The Santsi/PSP supported the candidacy of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, but he lost to Rabiu Kwankwaso in the primaries.
Rabiu Kwankwaso was first elected governor of Kano State on 29 May 1999 and served until 29 May 2003. His first term as governor of Kano State was notable for the opposition to his authoritarian governorship by several groups and his efforts to support Yoruba President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2003, he was defeated in re-election by Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.
Rabiu Kwankwaso was re-elected as governor of Kano State for a second term from 29 May 2011 to 29 May 2015. During this time, he began restructuring the political structure of Kwankwassiya, building roads, hospitals and schools, and sending people abroad to study.
Rabiu Kwankwaso was one of seven sitting governors who formed the G-7 faction within the People’s Democratic Party in August 2013. He, along with five other members of the G-7, defected to the new opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, in November 2013. (APC).
Rabiu Kwankwaso, running for the New Nigeria People’s Party, will contest against Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, Atiku Abubakar, Dan Nwanyanwu, Malik Ado-Ibrahim, Adewole Adebayo, Kola Abiola, Felix Johnson Osakwe, Sunday Adenuga, Princess Chichi Ojei, Peter Umeadi, Dumebi Kachikwu, Osita Nnadi, Yabagi Sani, Hamza al-Mustapha, Christopher Imumolen, and his running mate Isaac Idahosa.
Net worth
Rabiu Kwankwaso has an estimated net worth of US$30 million to US$50 million. He is the former governor of Kano State and a member of the Nigerian Senate.
He is a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and has been affiliated with several other political parties throughout his career.
Social media
- Instagram handle: @Kwankwasom
- Twitter Username: @Kwankwasorm
