DR. AMINU SALIHU YAKUDIMA

Aminu Salihu Yakudima is a man of several accomplishments. He is a veteran journalist, a columnist, an astute administrator, a politician and a consultant. He has authored and published over fifty scholarly articles on national issues and
issues of interest in the newspapers, news magazines, academic journals, online media, and on his Facebook page. He is a contributor to literature in the Hausa language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. He translated the English language works of the late Mohammed Sule (The Undesirable Element) and Dr. Esther Manhgza (A Good Family Life) into the Hausa language. The two books were published and are in circulation. Yakudima has 37 years of experience as a journalist in both print and electronic media. He worked as a broadcast journalist at Borno Radio and Television, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria from 1981-1990, and as an Executive Director and Columnist for 16 months at the defunct Bluepage Media, publishers of News Page Newspaper.

 

He currently writes for Neptune prime magazine and online Media. Yakudima was a lecturer at Sir. Kashim College of Education, Maiduguri from 1990 to 1992. He served in the high echelon of the Civil Service of Borno State, in the Ministry of Works and Housing, from 1992 to 1996. He held many positions there, including Secretary of the Housing Allocation Committee. To his contemporaries in the political arena, Yakudima is more of an administrator than a foot soldier. Appropriately skilled as such, he served 5 different National Chairmen of the ruling political party in Nigeria, and the Chair of another party in various capacities. He was Special Assistant to Alhaji Gambo Lawan, the former National Chairman of the defunct Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) from 1996-1998. He was a foundation member and pioneer Director of Security and Intelligence of the People's Democratic Party, (PDP) at its National Secretariat, Abuja, Nigeria from 1998-1999. He became the second National Administrative Secretary of the Party. From February 2000 to December 2002, Yakudima served as the first Director of Administration of the PDP. From 2002 to 2008, Yakudima was the Special Assistant (Political) in the Office of Dr. Usman Bugaje, the Special Adviser on political matters to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Presidential candidate of PDP. In 2010, Yakudima was appointed Chief of Staff to PDP Party Chair, His Excellency Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, former governor of Enugu State, founding member of the PDP, and its first National Secretary.

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In 2014, Aminu Salihu became the Director General (DG) of House To House Campaign For Democracy, a formidable and popular political support organisation for the presidential Campaign of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. In the last quarter of 2018-2019, Yakudima was appointed Deputy Chairman of Strategic Communication Committee of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation. He also served as Secretary of a Special Media Committee. Yakudima’s various leadership roles encompass community service and membership of ad-hoc Committees, including membership of the ceremony
committee of FIFA under 17 world cup. He is the incumbent Chairman of Kubwa Residence Welfare Association (KUREWA) in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. He is a renowned public affairs commentator and a political analyst. He regularly appears in political and educational programs on radio and television, and has shared invaluable insights into various national issues on
these programs and in interviews by news outlets.

Aminu Yakudima received his primary education at Tsangaya School and Yerwa Practising Primary School (YPPS), Maiduguri. The curriculum consisted of elements of Islamic and western education. After passing out of YPPS in 1975, he
proceeded to Government Secondary School, Bama and finished in 1980. He furthered his studies at Borno College of Basic Studies (Bocobs), and at the University of Maiduguri where he obtained a BA Combined Honours degree, and a Masters degree in 1987 and 1994, respectively. On the 8th of January, 2022, Yakudima was conferred with the European-American University's Honorary Doctorate degree, Doctor of Arts (D. Arts Hons) in Journalism by the European- American University, City of Panama.

He is currently based in Abuja, FCT Nigeria, where he works as a consultant on media, publicity, policy analysis, politics and education. He is happily married with children.■