About Me
Introduction
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, FCIArb, FABS, FCIDA, FPIN, FIICA, HCILRM (Dan Masanin Gwandu, Zarumman Kabbi) born on the 3rd April, 1957. Kabiru was born at the Nassarawa Area of Nassarawa 1 Ward, Birnin Kebbi Town in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State to the family of Alhaji Tanimu and Hajiya Amina.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, former Supervising Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity having served from 2013 – 2015 and 2014 – 2015 respectively and current Chairman of People’s Democratic Party Former Ministers’ Forum of Nigeria. A practicing lawyer and a politician, he contested for Kebbi State Governor’s seat and in 2019 aspired to become the Presidential Flagbearer of the Party. He is presently a member of People’s Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees.
Early Life and Educational Background
Like other children of his age, Kabiru was sent to the Quranic school to acquire Islamic knowledge and memorize the Quran and at that same time enrolled at the Nassarawa Primary School, Birnin Kebbi to start the journey for the acquisition of Western Education. At Nassarawa Primary School, he served as both the Deputy Headboy as well as the School Time Keeper.
Kabiru after his primary education, proceeded to the prestigious Barewa College Zaria, for his secondary school education, where he served also as the Deputy House Captain of Suleiman Barau House, and the President of the Young Farmers Club.
In furthering his education, Kabiru proceeded to the State College of Arts and Science (SCAS), Sokoto for his I.J.M.B after which he gained admission into the famous University of Jos, the capital city of Plateau State for a degree in Law, where he graduated with LL.B (Hons.).
After his graduation at the University of Jos as student of Law,he proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he earned his professional qualification course B.L and was called to the Nigeria Bar in 1986.
In 2009 he had an Arbitration course with the Chartered Institute of Arbitration North-America Branch and became a Fellow (FCIArb), and in 2010, he also attended The Islamic Finance Institute of Southern Africa where he studied Islamic Economics, Investment and Financing Techniques and Sukuk among others.
Currently, he is the chairman Board of Trustees of the IHERIS UNIVERSITY,TOGO which is a Pan-European and Bi-Lingual institution.
Personal Life
Turaki is a family man. He is married with children and grandchildren. He is Hausa by tribe and hails from Kebbi State, in the North Western geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki is notably the first indigenous lawyer in Kebbi state. Exceptionally, he surpassed the benchmarks amongst lawyers in the State, being the first indigenous lawyer to become the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in the state and indeed the entire North-western states in Nigeria. He is also a Notary Public appointed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria since 2002.
He held several Traditional Titles, among which are the Danmasanin Gwandu, given in February 2002, in celebration of his uncommon achievements and support for the development of his local community; Zaruman Kabi, conferred in 2012 by the Argungu Emirate Council, and the title of Chimere Eze 1 of Ibagwa Nike Ezeokwe Kingdom (means God appointed you as a King).
Turaki has been a member of the National Executive Committee of NBA since 1989, Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association Committee on the Judiciary, as well as a Member of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Judicial Institute. He was a member of the National Political Reform Conference in 2004 and in 2006 he was appointed as the Member of the Team Nigeria Trust Fund, a body that was charged with the responsibility of raising private funding for sports in Nigeria, along with Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga Junior etc, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2012, he was appointed the Chairman of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a position he held until 2013, when he became a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, saddled with the responsibility of piloting the affairs of Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as the Honourable Supervising Minister of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
Turaki also served as the Chairman of the White Paper Committee on the Report of the Presidential Committee of Experts on Interprofessional Relationships in the Public Health Sector.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan also appointed Turaki as the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North (aka the Boko Haram Committee).
Professional Career
On graduation from the Nigerian Law School, Turaki embarked on the mandatory one-year National Service programme (NYSC) with the then Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), after which he went into private legal practice. He started his practice as a Counsel in the firm of Alhaji Tijjani Abdullahi & Co., in 1987. Two years later in 1989, he founded his own firm, K. T. Turaki and company, and has been engaged in active private legal practice since then.
As a private legal practitioner, Turaki had practiced in virtually every court and tribunal in the country, from Lower Courts (Magistrate/District Courts, Area and Customary Courts) to Superior Courts of records like State and Federal High Courts, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal and the Apex Court – the Supreme Court. He has also practiced before Election Petition Tribunals, Robbery and Fire Arms Tribunal, Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal, Failed Banks Tribunals as well as Census Tribunal.
Turaki is a retained external solicitor and legal adviser to many organisations, MDA’S, Blue Chips Companies, Embassies, Banks and Other Financial Agencies and institutions.
Turaki was appointed a member of the Kano State Law Reporting Committee in 1999, and a member for the review of Current Legislations in Kano State in 2000. The following year he also served in the committee that reviewed the Northern States Panel Code Law.
When the Nigerian Bar Association was going through one of its trying moments, as a result of the crisis that arose from the botched Port Harcourt 1992 Convention, Turaki was one of those called upon by the Body of Benchers under the Chairmanship of the Late Legal Luminary, Chief F.R.A. Williams, SAN, to resolve the impasse.
Turaki was a member of the National Political Reform Conference in 2004, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Team Nigerian Trust Fund, a body that was set up to galvanize private sector participation in the sports development and financing in Nigeria.
When the defunct Bank of the North was in murky waters, Turaki was on the intervention board that was set up by the regulatory agencies to restore the bank that was on the verge of collapse to profitability.
He was at various times a member of the Council of Legal Education, as well as member for the review of Investment Laws in Nigeria. He was also a member of the Ministerial Committee for the Implementation of Reforms in the Nigeria Police Force as well as the committee set up by the Body of Benchers to review the laws regulating legal practice in Nigeria. His contributions to the development of our laws and legal profession led to his appointment as a Notary Public by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and his elevation to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2002.
Turaki was, and has remained on the Board of several companies that are active in Oil and Gas, Investment, Publications, Insurance, Assets and Portfolio management, etc etc.