Dauda Lawal (born 2 September 1965) is a Nigerian banker and politician who is the governor of Zamfara state. He was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections defeating the incumbent Governor Bello Matawalle of the APC.
Dauda Lawal | |
|---|---|
 Lawal in October 2023 | |
| Governor of Zamfara State | |
| Assumed office 29 May 2023 | |
| Deputy | Mani Mallam Mummuni |
| Preceded by | Bello Matawalle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 September 1965 Gusau, Northern Region (now in Zamfara State), Nigeria |
| Citizenship | Nigeria |
| Political party | Peoples Democratic Party |
| Education |
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| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
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He is also a banker,[1] and served as the executive director, Public Sector North, of First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
Education
editLawal graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1987 with B.Sc. in political science, he obtained an M.Sc. in political science/international relations from the same university in 1992, and holds a PhD in business administration from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.[2]
Professional career
editHe started his working career in 1989 as a political education officer with the Agency for Mass Mobilization for Social and Economic Reliance Nigeria. In 1989, he joined Westex Nigeria Limited as an assistant general manager.[2] In 1994, he was appointed as an assistant consular officer (immigration), and later chief protocol officer, Embassy of Nigeria, Washington, D.C., US. Lawal joined First Bank of Nigeria Plc in May 2003; as relationship manager, commercial banking, and was at various times senior manager, Abuja Area office, business development manager, Abuja, principal manager, group head PSG II, assistant general manager (business development manager), Maitama, deputy general manager (business development manager), Maitama/group head public sector, Abuja. Between October 2010 and September 2011, Lawal was elevated to the position of executive vice president, public sector North, of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. In September 2012 he became executive director, Public Sector North, of First Bank of Nigeria Plc.[3]
Political career
editLawal ran for office of the governor of Zamfara State in the APC primary election held in 2018 but lost to Mukhtar Shehu Idris.[4]
He ran again in the PDP primary in 2022 and was nominated the party's flag bearer. In March 2023, he defeated incumbent Bello Matawalle to be elected governor of Zamfara State.[5]
In one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 general elections, Lawal unseated incumbent governor Bello Matawalle in the March 18 governorship election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Lawal the governor-elect with a total of 377,726 votes to defeat Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 311,976. Surprisingly, the PDP had never won a governorship election in Zamfara since 1999. The main opposition party lost to the various iterations of the ruling party in previous elections: from the All People's Party (APP) to the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) to the APC. Matawalle himself came to power as a PDP candidate in 2019, but it was the Supreme Court that gave him the top job having penalized the APC for not nominating its victorious candidate through valid primaries. In 2021, Matawalle decamped to the ruling APC.[6]
In his first year in office, Lawal completed projects in Bakura and Aradun,[7] and in Gummi, Bukkuyum, and Maru Local Government Areas.[8]
Awards
editLawal received the FirstBank CEO Merit Award for Outstanding Performance as the "Best Business Development Manager" in 2006 and "The Most Enterprising Staff" in 2009.[9]
In 2024 he received he Distinguished Award for Project Innovation at the Nigeria Excellence in Public Service (NEAPS) awards. [10]
References
edit- ^ "10 Most Influential Bank Executives In Nigeria". maktoubng.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Dauda Lawal: Changing the Face of the Nigerian Banking Industry". sharpedgenews.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "First Bank of Nigeria Board of Directors". firstbanknigeria.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ "2019: Why I want to end poverty, insecurity in Zamfara - Lawal, APC gov aspirant". Vanguard. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Zamfara gov poll Dauda Lawal flags off campaign, unviels manifesto". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "New Governors Series: Dauda Lawal, banker who caused upset in Zamfara". Vanguard. 28 March 2023. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Release, Press (28 May 2024). "FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE: Zamfara gov inaugurates projects in Bakura, Maradun". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Ibeh, Ifeanyi (27 May 2024). "Zamfara governor commissions key projects to mark first year in office". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "First Bank of Nigeria Official Website". firstbanknigeria.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ Release, Press (8 July 2024). "Zamfara governor receives NEAPS 2024 presidential award on project innovation". Premium Times Nigeria. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
Further reading
edit- Those Who Inspire Ltd (2015) Those Who Inspire Nigeria, Emirates Printing Press ISBN 9789948186663