The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has appointed Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo as the Commissioner for Education, while the outgoing Education Commissioner, Prof. Sani Bello, has been redeployed to the newly created Ministry of Information.
The Governor has also appointed Barrister Gloria Ibrahim as the Commissioner for Youth Development.
The appointments and redeployment take immediate effect.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, Ibraheem Musa, it was announced that the new Commissioner for Education, Prof. Sambo, is an accomplished academic, administrator, and a recipient of the National Productivity Order of Merit (1997) and Officer of the Order of the Niger (2000).
A Professor of Energy Studies, he previously served as Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University (2004), Vice Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (1995–2004), and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (1990–1994). From 2005 to 2012, Prof. Sambo was the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria. In 2011, he was appointed Special Adviser to the President on Energy.
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An erudite scholar, Prof. Sambo has served on several high-level panels and committees both in Nigeria and internationally.
He was the Chairman of the Nigerian Committee for Partnership with Brazil on Energy (2007–2008), a Member of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Standing Committee on Research and Development and Coordinator of the Energy Thematic Group (2020), a Member of the ECOWAS Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Consultation Committee (2021), and a Member of the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies.
Meanwhile, the new Commissioner for Youth Development, Barrister Gloria Ibrahim, is a long-standing legal practitioner and mediator. Prior to her appointment, she served as Principal Legal Practitioner at Glownom Legal Consult, Kaduna.
Barrister Gloria Ibrahim holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a Certificate in Negotiation and Mediation from DICON Consulting, Empowerment and Management, Kaduna. She is a member of the Association of Professional Negotiators and Mediators (APNM), the Child Protection Network (CPN), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
Governor Uba Sani expects Prof. Abubakar Sambo to reinvigorate the Ministry of Education and deliver on his administration’s agenda, which aims to improve access to education, build and rehabilitate infrastructure, enhance teacher capacity, harness the potential of ICT, prioritize girl-child education, and strengthen school security.
In line with his administration’s focus on refocusing and empowering Kaduna State youths to play vital roles in a rapidly changing, technology-driven world, Governor Uba Sani expects Barrister Gloria Ibrahim to develop creative, innovative, and implementable programmes and projects that will transform the Ministry of Youth Development into a hub for high-impact solutions to youth-related challenges.
While congratulating Prof. Abubakar Sambo and Barrister Gloria Ibrahim on their well-deserved appointments, Governor Uba Sani wished them God’s guidance and protection in their new roles.
