By Bonaventure Phillips Melah

First Published as Second Lead in the January 2026 Edition of African Leadership Scorecard Magazine

January is the first month of the year. It therefore brings a fresh start and a chance for reflection. Many prominent Nigerians were born in January, including entertainers, administrators, politicians, footballers and others.

Some of them include Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Jaja Wachuku, Henry Dickson, Isiaka Adeleke, Ibikunle Amosun, Hadiza Bala Usman, Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, Pauline Tallen, Hameed Ali, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, Adamu Aliero, Bisi Akande, Hakeem Olajuwon, Adekunle Gold, Yul Edochie, Moyo Lawal, Dino Melaye, Mercy Aigbe, Cobhams Asuquo, Jide Kosoko, Seun Kuti, Teju Babyface and Timi Dakolo.

However, African Leadership Scorecard Birthday Personality of the month January is Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who has served as Senator representing Sokoto South since 2023. He was Governor of Sokoto State from 2015 to 2023. Before becoming Governor, he had represented Tambuwal/Kebbe Federal Constituency of the state in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2015 during which he served as Speaker from 2011 to 2015.

Born on January 10, 1966, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal attended Tambuwal Primary School, Government Teachers’ College, Dogon-Daji and Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, where he studied Law, went to Nigerian Law School, Lagos and obtained his BL and was called to the Bar in 1992.

A well-educated and vastly travelled technocrat, Tambuwal attended several courses abroad, among which are: Telecoms Regulatory Master Class–Bath UK, 2004; Lawmaking for the Communications Sectors –BMIT, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2004; Regulating a Competitive Industry-UK, Brussels, 2005; Tulane University – International Legislative Drafting, 2005; Stanford Graduate School of Business – Influence and Negotiation, 2008 and KSG Harvard – Infrastructure in Market Economy.

He cut his teeth in legislative matters while working as Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to Senator Abdullahi Wali, the then Senate Leader. In 2003, he contested for a legislative seat as representative of the Kebbe /Tambuwal Federal Constituency and was elected into the House of Representatives where he held several positions including Minority Leader and later, Deputy Chief Whip. He was also member of several committees including the House Committees on Rules & Business, Communications, Judiciary, Inter-Parliamentary and Water Resources, House ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review.

He was chairman of the ad hoc committee that reviewed the report of the controversial power probe committee headed by Ndudi Elumelu; chairman, House Sub-Committee on the Bill for an Act to Amend the Land Use Act, and acting chairman, House Committee on Power. He was leader of the Nigerian delegation to African, Caribbean, Pacific & European Union Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU) and served as vice-chairman, Economic Committee ACP-EU, held in Prague, Czech Republic in April 2009.

He contested for the office of governor of Sokoto state in 2015, was and was inaugurated on 29 May of same year. He was reelected as Governor 2019. He also aspired for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria in 2019 and came second at the presidential primaries of the then major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which was won by former vice president Atiku Abubakar.

In April 2023, Tambuwal was elected as senator for Sokoto South Senatorial District. He was appointed chairman, Senate committee on housing of the 10th senate on 8 August 2023.

As a Governor, Tambuwal recorded several achievements including streamlining government processes and protocols, launching of an exercise to rid the Sokoto State civil service of ghost workers. His administration reintegrated over 1.1million children who were out of school when he took over back to classrooms with several incentives, including free education to enable them acquire education while at the same time created jobs for teeming young people in the state.

In Sokoto State, Tambuwal’s administration is reputed to have recorded the highest mark so far, both in terms of capital projects like provision of quality roads, standard schools, water facilities, housing, agriculture, hospitals and urban renewal in general while at the same time invested massively in human development by increasing workers salaries and other benefits, provision of support furniture for security agencies in the state, employment, women and youth empowerment and inclusiveness in governance, among others.

Among the numerous awards and recognition bestowed on Senator Aminu Tambuwal are African Union Economic and Social Council Award; Silverbird’s 2019 man of the year Award; World Bank Award of Excellence; Best performing Governor in education in Nigeria and Governor of the year Award.

A Colloquium of Honour

Prominent Nigerian leaders, including two former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, on Saturday, January 10th, 2026, attended a colloquium in honour of Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Themed- “Leadership, Service and Statesmanship at 60,” served as a platform to celebrate Tambuwal’s extensive contributions to Nigeria’s legislative development, democratic progress, and public service.

Chairman of the occasion, Chief Obasanjo, while speaking at the event that took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, said the former House of Representatives Speaker’s greatness was not hollow.

“One thing that I saw in you, and which made me admire you greatly, is your humility. I believe that greatness in any human being that does not include humility is greatness that is hollow. Your greatness is not hollow because your greatness is based on humility.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, in a virtual message played at the event, said Tambuwal possessed leadership qualities that were absent in many politicians. “When he was the Speaker, I was the President, and I knew the time he was to be elected Speaker. We had some issues; we had some disagreements. But one thing I must give to Tambuwal is that the members of the House of Representatives believed so much in him and supported him very well. It shows that he has leadership attributes that are lacking in most of us who are politicians.

“He did well. He held the House of Representatives, and within that period, his fellow members and colleagues always believed in him. As President then, I appreciated that so much. Even though we used to disagree in some areas, what I appreciated was the quality of his leadership.

“So today, what I can say is that I wish him well, and I want him to grow from strength to strength. He has been a member of the House of Representatives, he has been a governor, and he is a senator. He has seen a lot of opportunities, and he should continue to relate well with his people so that they will continue to believe in him.”

While speaking, Tambuwal said the country needed redemption in the face of deepening political and economic difficulties confronting the nation.

He added that the architects of the country’s democracy—both those still alive and those who had passed on—would be deeply dissatisfied with the current state of affairs.

“It is all about good governance; it is not about me. It is not about merrymaking; it is about looking for a pathway for our country. Whether we like it or not, where we are today is unfortunate.

“This is not where we expected to be. Those who laid the foundation for democracy, some alive and many no longer living, even in their graves, are not happy with the current situation in Nigeria,” he said, adding that Nigerians who genuinely believe in the country and were not driven by selfish interests could not be pleased with the nation’s current condition.

Tambuwal called on opposition leaders in attendance to unite and commit themselves to rescuing the country.

Others who attended the event include former Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umra Ganduje; Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah; ADC National Chairman, David Mark; Emeka Ihedioha; former Kwara State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi; and former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, among many others.