ABOUT THE FOUNDER
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EARLY SCHOOL DAYS
EARLY SCHOOL DAYS
Malam Yahaya Hamza was born on the day of 21st of July, 1935 in Kachia, Kachia Local Government of Kaduna State. His journey of educational career started at his early age with the Qur’anic Education. The young Yahaya did his Islamic Education within the household of his uncle in Zaria. The system was a Zaure Qur’anic School where children of the family and those of relatives along with neighbours would assemble to be taught. He was lucky that the others needed to come to his Uncle’s house for such learning.
In those years and in most cases even now Qur’anic Education comes first and that would span up to seven or eight years. Yahaya later was enrolled into the western system of education. Those were the antecedents followed by this promising and readyto-learn young man.
The ever focused Yahaya gained enrolment into the Kaduna Elementary School in 1944. He could vividly remember his admiration of his Headmaster Malam Abdurrahman, whom he said was a nice gentle man who taught his pupils like his own personal children. Yahaya further recalled that the Headmaster was highly disciplined and taught proficiently and that endeared him to love the teaching profession. His admiration and wanting to become a teacher started right from that time. He completed his elementary education in 1948 and proceeded to the Zaria Middle School (Alhudahuda College) from 1948 to 1949. His academic progress seemed to assume scientific precision and such precision gained him admission into the historic and prestigious Barewa College, which was, together with Government College, Keffi, the only Government Secondary Schools in the northern part of Nigeria. The college has produced leaders in the country that include, former Heads of State, Presidents, Ministers and several others who occupied high positions of government. “Yahaya Kaduna” as he was called in those years, had colleagues who include Dr. Umaru Dikko, Sen. Ahmadu Ali, Malam Musa Bello and Rilwanu Lukman to mention but a few.
One of his colleagues Malam Musa Bello recalled that “Yahaya Kaduna exhibited remarkable quality in the class showing exemplary leadership traits in the process of dealing with his masters, who were mostly white and his fellow students, which earned him enormous respect. He was very good in the game of hockey. He was the house captain of Clifford House in the 1954 session and was assisted by Ahmadu Ali who later become Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
“Yahaya Kaduna” was highly disciplined and devoid of any acts of truancy. He was soft spoken and maintained the rules of proper learning by attending class and also doing his home work. He sat and passed with a Division 1 the Cambridge School Certificate in December, 1954. Having so elegantly demonstrated his academic determination in Barewa College, and as if for good effect, he did the next rightful and logical thing by enrolling for his G.C.E. (A’ Level” at the then Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (now A.B.U), Zaria from 1955 to 1957. There he opted for that usually dreaded combination of subjects: Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Physics otherwise known as Maths, Maths with Physics. He registered and formalized his name as Yahaya Hamza and of course showed the caliber he belonged to in education as he passed all the papers in one sitting. He stayed for another year to obtain the Secondary Teachers Certificate.
PURSUANCE OF EDUCATION ABROAD
PURSUANCE OF EDUCATION ABROAD
Malam Yahaya Hamza, after such diverse professional and education experience, spanning over a decade, and propelled by his ever-burning desire for attaining greater educational heights, stepped further and sought international endorsement of his already established successful academic competence. In 1968 he temporarily bade farewell to his Principalship at Katsina College, his mother-land and most distinctly his beloved family for a journey to America.
Malam Yahaya Hamza would later recall with nostalgia, that before he left on his way abroad, he assembled his wives and children and they conducted a special prayer, which he said had contributed immensely to his successful journey to the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the United States of America. He was not the only Nigerian sent to the University as they were eight in number. Amongst his colleagues was Professor Peter Naziri Lassa who said he shared the same room with Malam Yahaya and funnily enough they were good at culinary manipulation in the Kitchen.
In 1970, Malam Yahaya fulfilled his mission at the University of Wisconsin, Madiscon where he acquired the Bachelor of Science Degree in Science Education.
PROFESSIONAL WORKING CAREER
PROFESSIONAL WORKING CAREER
After his glorious A ‘levels, because of his innate and patriotic inclination coupled with his desire to give assistance where and when it was needed, mostly in the area of education, Malam Yahaya stayed for the one year Professional Secondary Teachers’ Certificate Course. He then took a teaching job. He did this instead of proceeding straight for this University education. He therefore worked as a teacher with Northern Nigeria Ministry of Education, where for a decade, he served in various teaching and administrative capacities with a rare touch of confidence, humility accountability and paramountly leaving indelible footprints of strict compliance with the ethics guiding the conduct of the office where he found himself. He started his teaching career at Government College Keffi from 1958 to 1962. There, at Keffi, he taught Mathematics and Physics. One of his former students Malam Inuwa Jibrin testifies that Malam Yahaya Hamza taught brilliantly so that every student used to enjoy his classes.
He became the Education Officer (Exams) in the Ministry of Education Kaduna January – June 1963. He was then posted to Niger Province and later to Kano Province as Provincial Inspector of Education from June 1963 to 1967. He then became Principal for Borno and Katsina Teachers College(s) from 1967 to 1968.
NATIONAL ASSIGNMENT
NATIONAL ASSIGNMENT
While still giving his very best to the State Government, it was obvious that other national assignments would spring up his way requiring a wide range of administrative expertise. It is on good record that he rendered what was expected of him in the various capacities he served up to his time of retirement. Some of the Boards, Councils and Commissions he served are listed below: o Chairman, Board of Governors, Kaduna Polytechnic from 1978 to 1980.
Member, Board of Governors, Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology 1978 to 1982.
Member, Tribunal of Enquiry on Examination 1977. o Member, National Teachers’ Institute Council 1979 to 1981. o Member, Board of Governors, College of Education, Kafanchan 1979 to 1981.
Member, Board of National Universities Commission 1982 to 1984.
Member, Study Group of Funding Education 1985.
Member, National Primary Education Commission 1993. o Member, Review Committee on Civil Service Reform 1993. o Chairman, West African Examination Council 1997 to 2000. o Member, Board of Trustees, Zaria Education Development Association (ZEDA) later secretary General 1997.
Member, Board of Trustees, Muslim Specialist Hospital Wusasa Zaria 1995 to 2012.
Member, Zazzau Emirate Committee on Development 2002. o Chairman, Kaduna State Teachers Service Board 2000 to 2010.
Chairman, Capital Science Academy Abuja 2003 to 2014. o Chairman, Board of Governors, Grays International Collage, Kaduna.
MERIT AWARDS: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
MERIT AWARDS: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
His amazing and outstanding contributions towards uplifting education can never be wished away as the indelible footprints were already written in gold in the sands of time. Some of the awards are:
Winner, National Productivity and Merit Award (NPMN) 1993.
Grand Commander of the Star of Africa, Liberia (GCOSA) 2000.
Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) 2000.
Merit award by General Assembly Southern Kaduna Peoples Union 2002.
Gold Award by Kawo Association 2008.
Distinguished Service Award by Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, 2010.
Award of Excellence by Nigerian International Book Fair 2001.
Recognition Award by Nigerian Association of the Blind Women Wing 2011.
FINAL GRACE IN OFFICE
FINAL GRACE IN OFFICE
The mature Malam Yahaya Hamza has earned himself impeccable and unimpeachable credentials, especially in the much dreaded science education. Indeed, no wonder he was such a hot cake for jobs, virtually in the whole of the Northern Region; as in just a month of graduating from university and returning to Nigeria, he stepped into the post of Chief Education Officer (Primary and Teacher Training) for the whole of the then North Central State, a post he held from July 1970 to October 1973.
The dynamic and organized Malam Yahaya Hamza became inseparable to education and administration, because his antecedents have burned to a mirror worthy of looking at. He was the first Principal of the College of Arts and Science (CAS), Zaria which was established in 1973, a post he held up to 1975. He later went back to the Ministry of Education to become the Chief Inspector of Education, Kaduna State.
His administrative expertise saw him to the seat of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education from 1978 to 1982, which was when the present Kaduna and Katsina states were together as Kaduna State. At that time, Mrs. Bobai was his Personal Assistant and she said everybody accepted his fatherly role in building the Ministry of Education into one family and that earned him the rightful name of “Baban Ilimi” (meaning the father of education). She further stated how he endeared himself to her life, which made her and her husband name one of their children Yahaya. She further recalled how he played an encouraging role in influencing careers of those who desired help in furthering education, position and even admission to schools.
His fatherly role was so all encompassing which means that Malam Yahaya Hamza has become a model after his father as he would treat his relations’ children equally as his children. Names like Bashir and Nasir both of El-Rufa’I family look up to him today as father who has played a great role in their life. Adamu Mansur said many including himself have enjoyed from the goodness of his heart.
The man of candour and valour, Malam Yahaya Hamza, having thus occupied all the important Educational and Administrative posts available in Northern Nigeria and garnered the relevant experience, would naturally feel, it was time not only to effect a change in his immediate geophysical environment but perhaps also to bring to bear his already proven administrative expertise at the National level.
In 1982, Malam Yahaya’s base shifted from Kaduna to the Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos then Federal Capital of Nigeria. His first appointment at Federal level was that of Director of Higher Education; a post at which he distinguished himself for two years to 1984.
Having thus demonstrated his professional and administrative competence at the National education arena, his already established knack of rapid advancement soon came into play.
In 1984, he was meritoriously upgraded and assumed the position of Co-ordinating Director of Education, a position he held with a firm grip for four years (1984 – 1988). Most of the people who served within the Federal Ministry of Education at that time are late, but there are some that are still alive, like Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, Dr. Usman B. Ahamd, Dr. Kutara and Mr. Sylvester Momoh Onoja OON who readily referred to him as revered, apt in delivery, accommodative, trusted and most importantly a patriotic Nigerian.
As any modern day Educational observer would readily acknowledge, the educational path the Almighty Allah (SWT) must have cut out for Malam Yahaya Hamza has no doubt been remarkably eventful, purposeful and in particular directional. It was therefore obvious and to be expected that having, as it were, paid all his “educational tutelage taxes as at when due”, attaining the highest national position in educational administration was just a matter of course; for in the year 1988 he was appointed to the highest administrative position. He was appointed to the most revered position of Director General which is now Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, a position he held diligently and on which he has been appreciated by all in the education sector and the nation in general until his retirement from service in 1994.
SERVED AS SECRETARY TO KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT
SERVED AS SECRETARY TO KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT
He was chosen to serve Kaduna State as Secretary to the then Military Government, which was headed by Col. Lawal Jafaru Isa who retired as Brigadier General in 1999. The former military Governor recalled that members of the Executive team were all a little over the age of 40 years, and they were lucky to have an elder in the person of Malam Dr. Yahaya Hamza, OFR who played a guiding and fatherly role in the administrative craftsmanship. He served with decorum in bringing unity, understanding and most importantly peaceful co-existence in the state. Malam Yahaya saw to it that the yearnings and aspiration of the people were achieved. One out of the numerous of these was the creation of Chiefdoms.
The military Administrator, Brig. Lawal Jafaru Isa (Rtd), recalled how they gained from Malam Yahaya’s administrative wisdom. What Malam Yahaya Hamza did for Kaduna State behind closed and open doors was beyond what any other person could do. It is not what he has done to Kaduna State, but the results were overwhelming to the benefit of the State. In fact he is an epitome of reflection whose attitude to work has become a reference and rallying point.
Malam Yahaya Hamza died on 24th August, 2014 after a brief illness. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljanna Firdauz. Aameen thumma Aameen.
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