Namadi Umar Alhaji is a Nigerian politician who contested the 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Jigawa. They won with 618K votes (59.89%).

Biography

Umar Namadi (born 7 April 1963) is a Nigerian accountant and politician who has served as the governor of Jigawa State since 2023. He was the deputy governor of Jigawa State from May 2019 to May 2023.

Namadi was born on 7 April 1963 in Kafin Hausa, in the then Northern Region.

He became qualified as a chartered accountant in 1993 and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bayero University Kano, where he had earlier obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1987.

Namadi founded Namadi, Umar & Co., a chartered accountant firm based in Kano.

From 1993, he was an associate member of the Nigeria Institute of Management, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and the Chartered Institute of Taxation until 2010, when he became a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

Namadi was also engaged in research on the sources and application of funds, auditing a computerised information system, and community banking.

As the pioneer head of the Dangote Group Management Accounts Department, he was responsible for establishing and laying the foundation for the production of monthly management accounts for the Dangote Group.

Before his appointment, Namadi was a member of the state committee on verification and validation of contracts as well as on the committee on verification and staff audit.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.

Agriculture

Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.

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Security & Defense

Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.

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Environment & Climate

Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.

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Economy & Trade

Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.

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Infrastructure

Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).

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Enterprise grant support

Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.

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Energy

Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.

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Governance & Reform

Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.

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Education

Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.

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Healthcare

Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.

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Technology & Digital

Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.

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