New Danmadamin Gaya, Sani Dawaki, at a glance

Alhaji Sani Dawaki Gabasawa was yesterday turbaned as the Danmadamin Gaya and district head of Gabasawa in Gaya Emirate of Kano State by the Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir Gaya. Prior to the conferment of his new title as the Danmadamin Gaya, Alhaji Sani held the title of Dawakin Gabasawa and village head of […]

Alhaji Sani Dawaki Gabasawa was yesterday turbaned as the Danmadamin Gaya and district head of Gabasawa in Gaya Emirate of Kano State by the Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir Gaya.

Prior to the conferment of his new title as the Danmadamin Gaya, Alhaji Sani held the title of Dawakin Gabasawa and village head of Gabasawa for the past 12 years.

Born in Gabasawa in 1955, the new Danmadamin started his educational pursuit at home when he was enrolled in Gabasawa Primary School from 1963 to 1969. From there, he proceeded to Government Secondary School, Gwarzo,  between 1970 and 1974.

In the same year he finished from secondary school, the brilliant young Sani went all the way to Cooperative College, Ibadan, where he obtained a Basic Certificate in Cooperative Studies.

The young Gabasawa, though undergoing training in Ibadan, was appointed as a government cooperative inspector on grade level 04 in Kano State and was made a substantive government cooperative inspector on grade level 06 after his graduation from the Ibadan college.

In 1978, the new Danmadami, not satisfied with his level of education, went to The Polytechnic, Kaduna, where he obtained a Higher Certificate in Cooperative Studies, from 1979 to 1980. On return from Kaduna, he was elevated to the rank of chief cooperative inspector on grade level 07.

Due to his hard work and dedication to duty, the young administrator was further promoted to a higher cooperative officer on grade level 08, and quickly rose through the ranks to a senior cooperative officer on grade level 09 and principal cooperative officer II on grade level 10 and principal cooperative officer I on grade level 12.

Still burning by the desire to quench his thirst for higher education, Gabasawa went to Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and obtained an advanced diploma in Public Administration, from 1990 to 1991 and a postgraduate diploma in Public Administration from the same university, from 1994 to 1995. He went further to obtain a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the same BUK between 2001 and 2002.

Having reached an advanced level in his cooperative field, the astute personality transferred his service to the Kano State Local Government Service Commission, where he assumed the post of a principal personnel officer (principal assistant secretary) on grade level 12 in Kano State.

As a seasoned public administrator, the new Danmadamin displayed a rare dedication to service and was promoted to a chief personnel officer (under secretary) on grade level 13. Due to his doggedness and rare display of administrative prowess, he was further promoted to the rank of deputy secretary (admin officer II) on grade level 14 and to director, Administration and General Services (DAGS) of the Kano State Local Government Service Commission on grade level 15.

In 2007, Gabasawa was appointed director, DAGS, Office of the Head of Civil Service on grade level 16. In February 2008, he was appointed permanent secretary, where he served for another one and a half years.  He retired on that position, having reached the peak of his career in the state civil service.

Retired but not tired, the new Danmadami also held numerous political appointments, some of which are chairman, Caretaker Council of Gabasawa Local Government Area for two years;  secretary in charge of local governments in the Kano State Civil Service Commission, from 1997 to 2001. He was elected chairman of the Kano State chapter of the National Youth Council from 1998 to 2008. He was also appointed permanent secretary, Deputy Governor’s Office, from 2001 to 2003.

He was the sole administrator of Dala Local Government, Kano in 2007, as well as special adviser to the governor of Kano State from 2010 to 2011.

Alhaji Sani Dawaki also served as the  administrative secretary of the  Ganduje Campaign Committee in 2015, a committee that worked for the actualisation of the aspiration of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the executive governor of Kano State.

In appreciation of this onerous task, the governor appointed Alhaji Sani Dawaki Gabasawa as the executive chairman, Kano State Pension Fund Trustees in June 2015, an assignment he discharged so diligently, as a result of which he was reappointed on September 10, 2019.

As an intellectual, the new Danmadamin has two unpublished theses to his name, one of which is, The Role of Cooperative Thrift and Loan Society in Alternating the Suffering of the Working class: A Study of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives; Kano Himma Cooperative Thrift and Loan,’’ a thesis presented to the Department of Political Science, BUK in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of advanced diploma  in Public Administration (ADPA) in July 1991.

The other one is, Local Government Administration and Development: A Study of Albasu Local government of Kano State,’’ a thesis presented to the Postgraduate School, BUK in partial fulfilment of the award of postgraduate diploma in Public Policy and Administration (ADPPA).

At the national level, the new Danmadamin has contributed his quota in different spheres, some of which are his participation in the National Workshop on Resource Mobilisation for Infrastructure Delivery and Management by the Local Government in Nigeria, organised by the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, in collaboration with the Ministry of State and Local Government Affairs, Abuja, in March 1995; National Workshop on Budgeting and Budget Implementation, organised by the Federal Ministry of National Planning, September, 1996; Effective Local Government Administration in Nigeria Under the Transition Programme and Beyond, organised by the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Revised Project Management at Grass Roots Level, organised by the Department of State and Local Government Affairs of the Presidency, Abuja, among others.

The new Danmadami is not new to royalty as he was turbaned the Dawakin Gabasawa by the Kano Emirate Council on August 16, 2007, a position he held for 12 years.