Yusuf Sulaiman

Early career

Sulaiman was born in Sokoto on 30 January 1963. He is a member of the ruling dynasty of the Sokoto Caliphate. His father, Alhaji Sulaiman Isa ibn Ibrahim, was great-grandson of Sultan Aliyu Karami ibn Muhammad Bello. He obtained B.Sc. Degree in business administration from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1986 and MBA from ABU in 1989.

He joined the civil service, where he worked in various positions. He was made an executive director of the National Maritime Authority of Nigeria. In April 2003 he ran for Senate on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. Before being appointed Minister of Transport, he was chairman of the Governing Council of the National Teachers' Institute, Kaduna.

Minister of Transport (April 2010 - July 2011)

Sulaiman was appointed Minister of Transport on 6 April 2010. He stated that the administration would complete the dredging of the lower Niger River to ensure year-round navigation from Warri in Delta State to Baro in Niger State. In December 2010 he made an official four-hour boat trip from Lokoja in Kogi State to Onitsha in Anambra State along the newly dredged river. Lot 5 (Jamata-Baro) was still incomplete, since much more sand than expected had to be removed. The work is challenging due to the high rate of siltation. In March 2011 Suleiman said his ministry was working with other agencies on rehabilitating the network of narrow gauge railways so they could be brought into operation by concessionaires.

Soon after his appointment, Sulaiman said the Ministry was committed to transforming the shipping industry to comply with global best practices. In March 2013 the former Minister of Transport was quoted as saying the reason some operators of Nigeria's ports have not been investing in improving the infrastructure is the lack of laws to protect their investment. The long-delayed Ports and Harbour bill might help improve this situation. Suleiman reportedly recommended in December 2010 that the Director-General and board members of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) be sacked, claiming they were guilty of abuse of office. On 10 July 2011 it was reported that the Director-General still held his position but was engaged in "a running battle with his board and management" and blamed the minister for his problems.

Minister of Sports (July 2011 – December 2011)

Suleiman was made Minister of Sports in a July 2011 cabinet shuffle. A report in Business World implied that his removal from the transport ministry may have been linked to his dispute with the Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was said to be backed by the president.

In July 2011 Suleiman met with representatives from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the rival Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and obtained agreement that the two groups would suspend litigation against each other. Suleiman approved setting up a committee to look into reforming Nigerian football administration, which would include NFF and NFA members. The committee was inaugurated on 1 August 2011, charged with reviewing the Nigeria Football Federation statutes. During his five-month tenure Nigeria performed poorly in international soccer. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, the female Super Falcons and the under-23 soccer team did not qualify for the 2012 Olympics. This was later held against him by his political opponents.

On 1 December 2011 Suleiman announced that he would be a primary competitor to become the PDP candidate for governor of Sokoto State. The other competitors were the incumbent governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko and Senator Abubakar Umar Gada. On 2 December 2011 President Goodluck Jonathan announced that Suleiman had been relieved of his post with immediate effect. The reason given was "to afford him the opportunity to focus fully on the pursuit of his declared political ambition." On 14 December 2011 Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister of Youth Development, was asked to oversee the Ministry of Sports. In May 2012 Abdullahi was formally sworn in as minister.

Later career

At the PDP primary on 18 December 2011 Governor Aliyu Wamakko won with 956 out of 961 votes cast. The five other votes were invalid. Neither Senator Abubakar Gada nor Yusuf Suleiman, both of whom failed to appear, received any votes. Both had protested flaws in the process. On 25 January 2012 the Supreme Court declared that five governors including Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto had exceeded their legal terms, and sacked them. On 28 January 2012 Lawal Mohammed Zayyana, speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, was sworn in as acting governor after the Supreme Court terminated the tenure of Governor Aliyu Wamakko. In June 2013 it was reported that Yusuf Suleiman, and Senator Abubakar Gada were again planning to challenge Sokoto Governor Aliyu Wamakko in the 2015 PDP primaries. In this election the PDP could face a serious challenge from the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).