LIST OF 20 PROMINENT NIGERIAN POLITICIANS WHO HAVE BEEN IN GOVERNMENT SINCE 1999.
PROMINENT NIGERIA POLITICIANS WHO HAVE BEEN IN GOVERNMENT SINCE 1999.
Since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999, some politicians in the country have been in government, holding various political positions, appointive and elective, for over two decades.
A report by Daily Trust recently highlights some of the privileged politicians under this category. Below is a summarised list of some of the politicians.
Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, some politicians have been in government, moving from one post to another.
- Ahmad Lawan: Ahmad Lawan is the current president of the Senate. He has been in the National Assembly since 1999. Lawan started from being a member of the House of Representatives in 1999 before moving to the Senate where he is representing Yobe North senatorial district.
- Rotimi Amaechi: Between 1999 and 2007, Rotimi Amaechi served as the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. He went on to become the state governor and ruled for eight years. In 2015, Amaechi was appointed minister and was also re-appointed in 2019.
ROTIMI CHIBUIKE AMAECHI
3. Danjuma Goje: Danjuma Goje in 1999 served as minister of state for power under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He went on to become the governor of Gombe state and served for eight years (2003 to 2011). In 2011, he moved to the Senate where he is representing Gombe Central.
ABDULLAHI GANDUJE
4. Chris Ngige: In 1999, Chris Ngige served as an assistant national secretary and zonal secretary of the PDP in the southeast. He was elected governor in 2003 but was removed in controversial circumstances. From 2011 to 2015, he represented Anambra Central senatorial district in the Senate. In 2015, President Buhari appointed him as a minister. He was reappointed in 2019.
5. Ike Ekweremadu: Senator Ike Ekweremadu first served as chief of staff to the then governor of Enugu state between 1999 and 2001. Between 2001 and 2002, he served as the Secretary to the Enugu state government. In 2003, he crossed over to the Senate where he has been up till this moment.
6. Adamu Aliero: Muhammad Adamu Aliero served as the governor of Kebbi state from 1999 to 2007. In 2007, he moved to the Senate and left in 2008 when he was appointed as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He currently represents the Kebbi Central senatorial district in the National Assembly.
7. Aliyu Wamakko: From 1999 to 2007, Aliyu Wamakko served as deputy governor of Sokoto state. He emerged governor in 2007 and ruled for eight years. He is currently in the Senate.
8. Raji Fashola: From 1999 to 2007, Raji Fashola served as the chief of staff to the former Lagos governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He later succeeded Tinubu as Lagos governor and ruled Lagos for eight years. In 2015, he was appointed minister of works, power and housing. In 2019, he was retained as a minister in the Ministry of Works and Housing.
9. Rauf Aregbesola: Rauf Aregbesola served as a commissioner under the Tinubu administration in Lagos state. He later moved to his home state, Osun, where he was elected governor and served for eight years (2010 to 2018). He is serving currently as the minister of interior.
10. George Akume: Between 1999 and 2007, George Akume served as the governor of Benue state. He was in the Senate from 2007 to 2019. He was appointed minister in 2019.
11. Enyinnaya Abaribe: Enyinnaya Abaribe served as Abia deputy governor following the 1999 election. In 2007, he was elected to the Senate. He is still in the Upper Chamber.
12. Gabriel Suswam: Gabriel Suswam was first elected in 1999 as a member of the House of Representatives. He went on to serve as Benue governor between 2007 and 2015. He is currently in the Senate.
13. James Manager: James Manager first served as the PDP in Delta state from 1998 to 1999. In 2003, he was elected to the Senate to represent Delta South. Manage has been representing the zone since then.
14. Sam Egwu: Sam Egwu served two terms as governor of Ebonyi state. He was later appointed a minister in 2008. He is currently in the Senate.
15. Orji Uzor Kalu: Orji Uzor Kalu was the governor of Abia state from 1999 to 2007. He is currently in the Senate.
16. Rochas Okorocha: Rochas Okorocha first served as a commissioner of the Federal Character Commission in 1999. He later governed Imo state for eight years. He is currently in the Senate.
17. Abdullahi Adamu: Abdullahi Adamu was the governor of Nasarawa state from 1999 to 2007. He has been in the Senate since 2011.
18. Ibrahim Geidam: Ibrahim Geidam was elected deputy governor of Yobe state in 2007. He became governor in January 2009 when Mamman Ali died. He was governor until 2019. At the moment, he is in the Senate.
19. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje: Abdullahi Umar Ganduje served as deputy governor when Rabiu Kwankwaso governed Kano between 1999 and 2003. From 2003 to 2007, he served as the special adviser (political) to the then minister of defence, Kwankwaso. Between 2011 and 2015, he was deputy governor again when Kwankwaso was re-elected as governor. Since 2015, he has been the governor of Kano state.
20. Pauline Tallen: Pauline Tallen served as a minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. She also served as deputy governor in Plateau state. At the moment, she is currently a minister in the Buhari administration.
