Rt.Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, CFR, was born on 29th May 1950 at Masari, in Kafur LGA, Katsina State. The then young and promising Aminu was enrolled into Kafur Primary School in 1957, from where he proceeded to Malumfashi Primary School, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1963. And from 1964 - 1968, Aminu Bello attended Government Secondary School Funtua where he earned a General Certificate of Education.

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari began his Civil service career in 1969 at the then North Central State Water Board as a Technical Assistant. After attending requisite trainings, he was then promoted to an Assistant Works Superintendent Officer between 1972 and 1973.

From 1974 to 1987 he worked at Zaria Water Supply, Kangimi Dam Project, Kaduna. He was also the Officer in charge of the major Water Supply Extensions in Kaduna Metropolis. And within that period, Aminu Bello also served as an Assistant Project Manager of the Malumfashi Dam Project and as officer in charge of Katsina Water Supply, as well as District Manager of Dutsin-ma, and later Funtua in that capacity.

As an ever reliable and hardworking officer, Aminu Masari was elevated to the rank of Chief  rocurement Officer at the then Kaduna State Water Board. In order to garner more skill and qualifications, he attended the Middlesex Polytechnic, United Kingdom, for his Post Graduate Diploma in Water Quality Control and Management, and similarly attended a project procurement course at International Law Institute of Georgetown University, Washington DC. SA, within the period in reference. RAD

With the creation of Katsina State in 1987, Aminu Bello Masari was transferred to the Katsina State Water Board as Katsina District Manager. His commitment and commendable service records did not escape the eagle eyes of his superiors. It was his enviable accomplishments as the Katsina District Manager that propelled him to the position of Assistant General Manager, Operation, at the State Water Board in 1991.Around this time also, Aminu attended the Administrative and Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) for his Senior Executive course.

The year 1992 was the stepping stone in Aminu Masari’s trajectory. It was also an important period in the history of Nigeria due to the re-introduction of political activities by the lbrahim Badamasi  Babangida military administration, which saw Alhaji Saidu Barda emerging under ne banner of NRC as the first democratically elected Governor of Katsina State. Barda thereafter appointed Aminu Bello as the Honourable Commissioner of Works, Housing, a, Transportin January 1992. After the coup led by General Sani Abacha and subsequent takeover of government in the country in 1993 the people of Malumfashi, Kafur and Danja Local Government Areas, elected Hon. Aminu Bello Masari to represent them at the Constitutional Conference convocated by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

After the constitutional conference and lifting of political activities in the country, Hon Aminu Bello Masari was elected the State Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Movement (PDM), a position he held up to the time of political party registration.

With the death of General Sani Abacha, a new transition programme under General Abdulsalam Abubakar was instituted, which led to the registration of some political parties.

Under this new Transition Programme, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari was elected Member, House of Representatives, under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party to represent the good people of Malumfashi/Kafur Federal Constituency for a four year term from 1999 to 2003.

He was re-elected for another four years, from 2003 to 2007, during which he was elected by his colleagues unopposed to lead them as the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives, a responsibility he discharged with diligence, humility, and excellence to the admiration of most Nigerians.

Being the 4th in the country comes with a lot of flowers. It was an Archimedean height that every politician wants to attain. Rt. Hon. Masari served with honour, passion, and all sense of duty. He is remembered with reverence as a Speaker of the House instrumental to thwarting the 3rd term agenda of President Olusegun Obasanjo, which would have spelled doom to Nigeria’s nascent democracy.

At the formation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2013, Aminu Bello Masari was elected as Deputy National Chairman (North), as part of the pioneer leaders of the party to pilot it’s affairs in preparation for the upcoming general elections in the country in 2015.

In 2015, Aminu Masari contested and won election under the banner of the APC as the Governor of Katsina State. He was sworn-in on 29th May, 2015. Satisfied with his performance from 2015 to 2019 he was re-elected for the second term of four years and took his oath of office on 29th May 2019. As Governor, he was known for his endearing nature, human-oriented agenda, foresight, visionary leadership, and dogged commitment to rule of law. He is a democrat by all shades and standards.

Among his many accomplishments as Governor for eight (8) years include: ATSN 

1. Investment in primary and secondary education, with concomitant increase in enrollment at the primary level (from 1,100,000 as at 2015 to 2,200,000 by 2021) and higher pass rates in WAEC and NECO (from an average of 19% during the 2014/2015 session to 63% during the 2016-2021 sessions) at the secondary level. ADUA

2. Construction of 7no new secondary schools: renovation/upgrade of 169 others; provision of 33.448 units of furniture; and procurement and distribution of instructior materials to schools across the pockets of the State that cost about N7,950,452,198.59.

3. Payment of over N3.9 billion to about 270,000 indigent students studying within and outside the country from 2015-2020 in the form of scholarship. 

4. Sponsorship to students inclined to study medical and other related courses of interest to the State outside the country at over N1.0 billion.

5. Recruitment and posting of over 2,000 qualified teachers to primary and secondary schools across the State; in addition to the over 6,000 employed and deployed by the Universal Basic Education Board, and the 7,000 degree and NCE holders under the S- Power Programme.

6. Renovation, upgrade, and equipping of General Hospitals at Katsina, Daura, Funtua, Kankia, Malumfashi, and Musawa, with state of the art facilities, as well as the struction of Ophthalmology Department at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital Katsina.

7. Sourcing, provision, training, and posting of about 900 health personnel to different facilities across the State to augment manpower shortfalI.

8. Establishment of the Katsina State Healthcare Management Agency to cater for about 300,000 formal berneficiaries and over 45,000 vulnerable indigenes, with N1.37 billion injected into the Programme.

9. Assistance to indigenes, and even non-indigenes, in the form of health and education supports, as well as other social service interventions.

10. Construction of hundreds of kilometers road network, as well as surfaced dressed and rural feeder roads across the State.

11. Construction of 185no housing estate in Katsina metropolis.

12. Rural electrification project, repairs of defective electrification projects, as well as provision of many transformers and construction of 33KV and 11KV power lines, notwithstanding the privatisation drive in the country.

13.Construction of 3no interchange bridges at Kafar Kaura, Kofar Kwaya, and GRA roundabout to ease the burgeoning traffic at an estimated cost of over 10 billion naira.

14.Facilitating the completion and commissioning of the water supply scheme at Zobe upgrade of the Ajiwa, Malumfashi, Funtua, and Daura water works; and construction of over 3,000 productive boreholes and 57 motorised solar boreholes across the State,

15.Investment of over N40 billion to address ecological challenges, such as flood, erosion, waste management, and climate change effects.

16. Not to mention the consistent payments of salaries, pensions, and gratuities, as well as imprest and overhead costs, to mention a few of his giant strides.

In recognition of his service to Nigeria, Aminu Masari received the National Award of honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2005, by His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR. This is in addition to the several other honours and awards that he has been dressed with.

Additionally and of equal significance, he was found worthy of being decorated with the prestigious title of the Dallatun Katsina by the late Emir of Katsina, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammadu Kabir Usman, CFR. He was also dressed with additional robes, such as:

1. Matawallen Hausa, by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk.

2. Shetiman ofAgala, by the Emir of Potiskum, Yobe State.

3. Enyi Dinambalof Ebuwana Edida in the Eastern part of the country, and

4. The Akinjagunmolu of the Source, by the late Oni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade Okunade, among other titles.

The academic, private, national, and international communities were not left out in the robe-dressing race through the conferment of honourary doctorate degrees as well as inductions, commendations, and awards to this illustrious son, including:

1. Honorary Doctorate Degrees of letters (Honoris Causa), by: 

a) Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State.

b) University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, and

c) The Houdegbe University of Benin Republic.

2. The United States Congressional Commendation Award, by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

3. Induction into the Africa Leadership Hall of Fame, by the African Leadership Magazine.

4. Courage in Leadership Award, by the Sun Newspaper in 2016.

5. Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science and Public Administration, byAl-Hikma University, llorin, in 2018, and

6. Global Leadership Award in Politics and Good Governance, by Alakh Prakash Goyal Shimla University, India, in 2019. Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari participated in numerous conferences, workshops, and seminars within and outside the shores of Nigeria, which helped him to garner a lot of experience lin

almost all spheres of life.

He is married with children and grandchildren, and loves to read and play sports.

This article was culled from the citation of honorary degree by Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua University which took olace on 25th May 2024