Ibrahim Saminu Turaki

Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (born 14 July 1963) is a Nigerian actuary and politician who served as the governor of Jigawa State from 1999 to 2007.

Prior to that, he was the Jigawa state chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

Ibrahim Saminu Turaki was born on 14 July 1963.

He attended the Federal Government College Kaduna and the Ahmadu Bello University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in actuarial science in 1985.

He is currently the PDP Candidate for the Jigawa North-West Senatorial District for the 2023 general elections.

He was governor of Jigawa State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.

He was elected in the 1999 Jigawa State gubernatorial election and re-elected during the 2003 Jigawa State gubernatorial election on the platform of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).

Turaki founded the Galaxy Information Technology and Telecommunication (GITT) in the year 2000, barely a year into his first term as governor.

GalaxyITT became the first broadband satellite network in Nigeria.

This made Jigawa the first state in Nigeria to commence interactive distance learning program and video conferencing through GITT.

In 2000, Turaki established a free trade zone in Jigawa (the first to be achieved by any state in the country at the time), to facilitate doing business and to attract prospective investors both foreign and local.

He established the Jigawa Informatics Institute (JII) in 2001 and in less than eight years of its establishment, the Institute proved that its introduction in the heyday of the ICT dream is the wisest and critical aspect of the much touted ICT revolution initiated by his administration.

Since its establishment in 2001, about 7,000 students have graduated and many of them are today either part of the emerging e-government sector or part of an entrepreneurial community setting up small ICT businesses in Jigawa.

State as well as other parts of the country.

Turaki had pursued ICT with unique commitment by investing billions of Naira on his pronounced dream to convert Jigawa State into the number one ICT state in Nigeria.

He was however criticized in that his administration pursuit of this ICT dream was greatly misplaced.

His critics believe that the investment is not worthwhile considering the poor state of infrastructure in the state.

They claim the investment should be diverted to other sectors like agriculture and health.

The state became the first to introduce the contributory pensions scheme in 2001, long before Lagos State in 2004 and subsequently the federal government in 2006.

During this same era, Jigawa State introduced the first housing mortgage by any state of the federation with the establishment of Jigawa Savings and Loans bank to cover mortgage for intending house owners thereby drastically tackling the problem of housing in the state.

Some of these laudable feats earned the state the label "Jigawa, a State of Firsts".

In his quest for the development of Jigawa State, Turaki declared that security, safety and justice are interrelated and should be taken seriously as important prerequisites for economic wellbeing of its residents.

In June 2003, Turaki said Jigawa had entered into agreements with American companies to start processing and exporting high-grade gum arabic to the United States, replacing imports from the Sudan.

An article in the Los Angeles Times on 2 March 2004 described an arrangement with Rosa Whitaker, a US Trade Representative for Africa, with whom he formed a Trade and Investment Foundation for Africa to attract Foreign Direct Investment for gum arabic production.

In 2004, the Niger Republic, which was due to host a summit of francophone countries in Niamey gave Wallong Camco Nigeria, a company in which Turaki had an interest, free land in exchange for building 86 housing units to accommodate visiting foreign dignitaries.

In December 2006, he transferred his allegiance to the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The short documentary was aired on 25 November 2006 and earned Turaki accolades from his peers in Nigeria and around the world.

Jigawa state pioneered the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) to ensure compulsory basic education for pupils and students in the state which was later adopted by the then federal government.

He was the senator representing Jigawa North-West senatorial district from 2007 to 2011.

In November 2008, Turaki was involved in a dispute over contract terms for sale of these units.

Taking cognizance of the importance of electricity in the success of any form of development, Turaki established various solar powered power plants of up to 7.5 MW at various local government areas at a time most state governments and indeed the Federal Government has not even mulled the idea investing in renewable energy sources.

This prompted CNN to feature Jigawa State in its programme Global Challenges acknowledging the governor's developmental strides and the effects on the lives of the Jigawa citizens.

Turaki joined Nigeria's ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2015, reuniting with his former ally and the current governor of Jigawa, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar

Turaki championed the development of ICT stressing the importance in nation building and that was largely one of his priorities as a governor.

He established what was known as the biggest biotechnology centers in Nigeria then in Kazaure, a town situated outside the state capital, Dutse.

Some of these attracted the number one British developmental agency, DFID to co-fund the Jigawa State microcredit scheme to provide funding for small scale businesses.

The DFID also partnered with the then state government to sponsor its student for extensive education on informatics abroad, mostly in Japan.

He initiated the Jigawa State Broadband Network Project because of his government's desire for rapid socio-economic growth of the young state and global competitiveness in the areas of acquisition, absorption and application of Information Technology.

The project is a satellite-based communication facility for delivery of a broad range of multimedia services incorporating video, audio and data to every organization.

It was also meant to facilitate the business of government, education, commerce, training and health systems of the state.