#Media Trust Townhall: Gawuna, ex-INEC official seeking to sustain Kano gov’ship succession pattern

Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna is the Deputy Governor of Kano State who doubles as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. He is one of the governorship candidates in the state that will feature in the 2023 Media Trust Gubernatorial Debate that will hold on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at the […]

Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna is the Deputy Governor of Kano State who doubles as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He is one of the governorship candidates in the state that will feature in the 2023 Media Trust Gubernatorial Debate that will hold on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at the Bayero University, Kano Hall.

Below are things to know about Gawuna, who want to succeed Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and sustain the tradition of deputy governors succeeding their bosses in Kano in recent years.

Birth

Born on August 6, 1967 in Gawuna ward of Nassarawa Local Government of Kano State, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna is the third son of Alhaji Yusuf and Hajiya Fatima’s 12 children.

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Lineage of Islamic Scholars  

The deputy governor is a descendant of Garba Gawuna and Sheikh Hassan Gawuna families. Sheikh Hassan Gawuna was one of the respected Islamic scholars in Kano State. The two families are believed to be among the first settlers of Gawuna Quarters, Nassarawa LGA over 200 years ago.

Education

Gawuna was enrolled in a Qur’anic and Islamiyya School when he was three-year-old. He was later enrolled in Gawuna Primary School in 1973 and moved to Government Secondary School Gwaram (Now in Jigawa State) where he completed his junior secondary school.

He took the Science Secondary Schools examination in 1981.

In 1990, Gawuna graduated from Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto where he bagged a degree in Biochemistry.

Business Career

Observing his National Youth Service at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Center, Awkunanu, Enugu State opened Gawuna’s eyes to numerous business opportunities. He immediately ventured into a number of businesses, including  importation and exportation of agricultural produce, shipping and clearing, among many others.

From INEC to politics

Gawuna began his career in public service as an electoral officer with the then National Electoral Commission (NEC).

He left the commission after it was dissolved by the then Nigeria’s Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

After his short stay at INEC, Gawuna joined the Kano State Hospitals Management Board as a laboratory technician.

He eventually rose to the post of Chief Laboratory Officer at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.

Chairmanship

The laboratory technician turned politician, Gawuna, was a two-term chairman of Nassarawa Local Government. He was elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

Journey to deputy gov’ship

In 2014, Gawuna was appointed as the state Commissioner for Agriculture by the Kwankwaso administration – a position he also held under the incumbent governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

In 2018, Ganduje nominated Gawuna as his running mate after he fell out with the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Professor Hafiz Abubakar.

Gawuna’s emergency as guber candidate

From 2011 to date, Kano State has maintained a somewhat linear transition of power, from being a deputy governor to governor – a development many say is becoming a tradition in the leadership of the Kano State Government.

In 2015, the then governor of the state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, gave the party’s ticket to his deputy, Ganduje, who won the 2015 election on the platform of the APC and was re-elected in 2019.

Ganduje said he picked Gawuna to succeed him in order to maintain the tempo.

Ganduje said, “Dr. Gawuna is fully aware of our programmes and our projects and we believe that is what makes legacy great – the issue of continuity.”