14 Things To Know About Former Reps Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’Abba is reportedly dead.

Naija News learnt that Ghali, the 7th speaker of the House of Representatives, died in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja.

According to family sources, the late Na’Abba struggled with the ailment for an extended period before his demise. 

He had initially undergone medical treatment abroad, spending several months there before eventually returning to Nigeria.

Here are 14 things to know about former reps speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba  

1. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, CFR was born on 27 September 1958, into the family of Alhaji Umar Na’Abba, a businessman in Tudun Wada, Kano City, Kano Municipal Local Government.

2. At the time of his passing, he was 65.

3. His father was a firm disciplinarian and an Islamic scholar. His father taught him the virtues of hard work, entrepreneurship, forthrightness, audacity, sincerity, dynamism, liberal disposition, prudence, modesty, and strong religious inclination.

4. His early education was at Jakarta Primary School, Kano, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1969.

5. He later attended Rumfa College, Kano, for his West African School Certificate and was also at the School of Preliminary Studies, Kano, between 1974 and 1976 before gaining admission into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in October 1976.

6. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1979.

7. After his university education and a one-year compulsory National Youth Service, Ghali joined his father’s chain of companies in 1980, with business interests ranging from importation and manufacturing to publishing.

8. He first became Secretary of Na’Abba Commercial Trading Company Limited.

9. Ghali completed a postgraduate program on Leadership and Good Governance at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in the United States in 2004. He served as Speaker of the House and led several international bodies in parliament in the wake of the millennium.

10. As a Political Science student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he was elected as an executive committee member of the ABU chapter of the revolutionary People’s Redemption Party in the Second Republic.

11. He joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998 during its formative period.

12. He emerged as the PDP candidate in the April 1999 National Assembly election in Kano Municipal Federal Constituency, winning the election to represent the Federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

13. Although he initially conceded to Ibrahim Salisu Buhari, Ghali was later appointed the House Committee Chairman on Appropriations.

14. Buhari’s tenure was short-lived, and Ghali Umar Na’Abba became the Speaker after an unprecedented consensus and support from the House.