TheCable

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has inaugurated a new governing board for the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship, a capacity-building programme established by the state in 2018.

Muyiwa Adekeye, the governor’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday the new board held a virtual meeting immediately after their inauguration.

The board, which comprises 16 members, will be chaired by Dele Olojede, award-winning journalist.

Members of the board include Clara Ejembi, a professor at Ahmadu Bello University who was named the vice-chairperson; Ibukun Awosika, chairperson of First Bank of Nigeria; Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Segun Adeniyi, chairman of THISDAY editorial board; Maryam Uwais, special adviser to the president on social investments, and Ndidi Nwuneli, managing partner of Sahel Consulting.

Other members are Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, chief of staff to the governor; Kadaria Ahmed, a journalist; Lola Shoneyin, an author; Asue Ighodalo, a lawyer; Jimi Lawal, an aide of the governor; Japheth Omojuwa, an activist; Bilya Bala and a representative of the Kashim Ibrahim family.

Zainab Mohammed, pioneer programme administrator, was named the secretary of the board.

“The pioneer set of 16 young persons, selected from all over Nigeria, resumed in August 2018 and completed the 12-month fellowship in July 2019,” Adekeye said.

“The second set of 16 fellows were enrolled the following month and are due to graduate in July 2020.

“The selection process for the third set of fellows, expected to resume in August 2020, is going according to schedule.”

El-Rufai was quoted as thanking the members of the pioneer governing board “which helped to actualise the government’s vision for the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship and start it off on such a strong footing”.