•Late Na’Abba
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba died today Wednesday, December 27.
Family sources said that the late Na’Abba battled with the ailment for a long time before passing away, reports The Nation.
He was initially flown abroad for medical treatment and stayed there for several months before returning to Nigeria.
Here are 22 things to know about former reps speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba
1. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, CFR was born into the family of Alhaji Umar Na’Abba, a businessman in Tudun Wada, Kano City, Kano Municipal Local Government on 27 September 1958.
2. He was 65.
3. He was a Nigerian politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
4. His father was a firm disciplinarian and an Islamic scholar.
5. His father taught him the virtues of hard work, entrepreneurship, forthrightness, audacity, sincerity, dynamism, liberal disposition, prudence, modesty, and strong religious inclination.
6. His early education was at Jakarta Primary School, Kano where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1969.
7. He later attended Rumfa College, Kano for his West African School Certificate and was also at the School of Preliminary Studies, Kano, between 1974 and 1976, before gaining admission into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in October 1976.
8. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979.
9. He completed a postgraduate programme on Leadership and Good Governance at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in the United States in 2004. He served as Speaker of the House and led several international bodies in parliament in the wake of the millennium.
10. After his university education and a one-year compulsory National Youth Service, before his branch into politics, Ghali, in 1980 joined his father’s chain of companies.
11. His business interests ranged from the importation of goods, and manufacturing to publishing.
12. He first became, Secretary, Na’Abba Commercial Trading Company Limited.
13. As a Political Science student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he was elected as an executive committee member of the ABU chapter of the revolutionary People’s Redemption Party established in the Second Republic by the maverick politician, Mallam Aminu Kano. As a student of Mallam Aminu school of good governance, nation building and transparency in politics he became a notable politician in Kano state and Nigeria in general.
14. He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998 during its formative period.
15. He emerged as the party’s candidate in the April 1999 National Assembly election in Kano Municipal Federal Constituency of Kano state and won the election to represent the Federal constituency in the House of Representatives.
16. With the victory and support of other House members-elect from Kano and North West geo-political zone, he pursued the role of Speaker of the House.
17. Although he amassed substantial support from his colleagues and party leaders, he bowed to counsel and conceded to Ibrahim Salisu Buhari, who later emerged as the first Speaker of the Fourth Republic House of Representatives.
18. He was thus appointed the House Committee Chairman on Appropriations.
19. Buhari’s tenure was short-lived.
20. Following his resignation due to certain misdemeanors, the House was thus faced with the arduous challenge of electing a leader who has the capacity and political will, and skill to instill sanity in the House, restore its integrity and design, and pursue veritable legislative framework.
21. The mantle of leadership fittingly fell on Ghali Umar Na’Abba.
22. The House collectively struck an unprecedented consensus and made Ghali the Speaker.
