LEADERSHIP Governors Of The Year 2025

For His Inclusive And Reconciliatory Leadership That Unites People Across Divides In Kaduna State, And For His People-Centred Leadership That Has Transformed Ekiti State Senator Uba Sani And Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji Are…

Governor Uba Sani assumed office in 2023 not as a career politician, but as a citizen reformer whose first instinct was people, not power. In a state long shaped by division and mistrust, his inclusive and reconciliatory leadership has quietly altered Kaduna’s civic atmosphere. Construction cranes now rise where suspicion once festered; roads stretch into once-forgotten communities; hospitals hum with renewed life; and citizens long excluded now see their voices reflected in governance. Guided by his conviction that “peace is not the absence of disagreement, but the presence of fairness,” Sani has, in just two years, transformed Kaduna from a theatre of tension into a state bound by shared purpose and growing trust.

At the core of this shift is an unprecedented rural–urban renewal drive that treats development as both policy and peacemaking. All 23 local government areas have become active sites of renewal, with roads, schools, markets, and health facilities deliberately distributed across geography, faith, and ethnicity. Infrastructure, under Sani, is a tool of reconciliation. The results are concrete and measurable: 225 primary healthcare centres upgraded to Level 2 status, 13 general hospitals fully rehabilitated, and a 300-bed Specialist Hospital—abandoned for 16 years—finally completed and operational. In agriculture, the free distribution of 400 truckloads of fertiliser to over 100,000 smallholder farmers has strengthened food security and rural incomes. Each intervention reinforces Sani’s governing philosophy that development is the most effective form of dialogue and the surest foundation for lasting peace.

This people-centred approach is reinforced by Sani’s rare tri-sector pedigree as activist, entrepreneur, and legislator. A former pro-democracy organiser, successful businessman, and award-winning senator, he blends advocacy with pragmatism and reform with results. His administration has widened opportunities for women and youth, reopened governance to civil society, and rebuilt confidence among traditional rulers and faith leaders. Today, as Vice Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Coordinating Governor of the North-West, Uba Sani remains what he has always been—an activist for fairness—only now, he builds democracy not with protests, but with roads, hospitals, and hope.

In Ekiti State, a similar philosophy of quiet but consequential governance defines the administration of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji. In just three years, Oyebanji has redefined people-centred leadership, proving that transformation does not require theatrics, only purpose. Governing with humility and steady resolve, he has made government visible not through slogans but through service, ensuring that every policy carries a clear human outcome. Anchored on six strategic pillars—governance; youth development and job creation; human capital development; agriculture and rural development; infrastructure and industrialisation; and arts, culture and tourism—his administration has delivered 577 projects across more than 200 towns and villages, embedding inclusive growth into everyday life.

Oyebanji’s imprint is most visible in infrastructure, agriculture, education, and healthcare. New road networks and urban mobility projects have unlocked economic corridors, while the Ekiti State International Cargo Airport positions the state as an emerging logistics hub in the South-West. Agriculture has been revitalised through youth-focused cluster farming, access to modern equipment, and improved farm security, restoring dignity and productivity to rural livelihoods. In education and health, Oyebanji has invested with a long-term lens—boosting tertiary funding, rebuilding classrooms, recruiting teachers and health professionals, expanding specialist medical services, and extending health insurance coverage to pensioners. Schools and hospitals, in his vision, are not costs to be managed, but legacies to be protected.

Beyond physical projects, Oyebanji governs with empathy and inclusion. He has cleared decades-long pension arrears, introduced free mass transit for workers and students, empowered persons with disabilities, strengthened community safety architecture, and expanded access to electricity and flood control.

Together, the leadership stories of Uba Sani and Biodun Oyebanji affirm a powerful truth: when governance is rooted in fairness, empathy, and quiet competence, it does more than build infrastructure—it rebuilds trust, restores dignity, and reshapes the social contract itself.

It would be recalled that LEADERSHIP, in November 2025, unveiled its 2025 awardees, with Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, emerging as the Person of the Year 2025.

According to the LEADERSHIP Board of Editors, despite the country being on the brink of another election year, there was no winner for the Politician of the Year award.

Six governors, comprising Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abiodun Oyebanji  (Ekiti), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma(Imo State), and Abdulahi Sule (Nasarawa)-emerged as Governors of the Year.

The governors earned the award for “diligently focusing on the implementation of programmes and policies that transformed lives in their respective states.”

Governor Abiodun Oyebanji clinched the Governor of the Year 2025 award for his people-centred leadership that has transformed Ekiti State through inclusive governance.

Governor Dauda Lawal won the award for his unwavering commitment to restoring security, as well as his massive investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, which have repositioned Zamfara on the path of peace, progress, and sustainable development.

Governor Uba Sani emerged Governor of the Year 2025 for his inclusive and reconciliatory leadership that unites people across divides in Kaduna, while

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori clinched the award for his visionary ‘MORE Agenda’ that has redefined governance in Delta State through peace, inclusion, and pragmatic reform.

Governor Abdullahi Sule won the award for focusing on infrastructure and human capital development.

According to the newspaper, Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Dr Benjamin Kalu, clinched the Legislator of the Year award for his exceptional record in lawmaking, representation and oversight.

The LEADERSHIP Public Service Person of the Year award was won by the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, for championing a new era of tax reform anchored on efficiency, transparency and service. The award was for a public servant(s) whose service delivery record and responsiveness made significant outcomes in the sector.

Thomas Etuh won the Business Person of the Year award for his visionary leadership in transforming Nigeria’s fertiliser and agribusiness sector.

The Banker of the Year Award went to the Managing Director/CEO of Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr Tony Okpanachi, for pioneering inclusive finance through innovation and integrity, and for empowering over 700,000 MSMEs. Meanwhile, Providus Bank clinched the Bank of the Year award for contributing to digital transformation and driving innovation in financial services.

The Founder of Tantita Security Services, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), won the Social Impact Person of the Year award for transforming conflict into cooperation, creating jobs, defending peace, and advancing social, cultural, and economic renewal in the Niger Delta.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) was named Government Agency of the Year for expanding Nigeria’s enforcement frontiers and recovering over N10 billion for consumers.

The LEADERSHIP Environmental Impact Agency of the Year award was presented to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for championing sustainable industrialisation, renewable energy, and climate-friendly technologies that reduce carbon emissions and promote clean power solutions.

Green Energy International Limited (GEIL) won the Oil and Gas Local Content Champion of the Year 2025 for pioneering the development and operation of Nigeria’s first onshore crude export terminal.

Other winners include Fintech Company of the Year, won by OPay for revolutionising digital finance through inclusion; Product of the Year, Nestle’s Pure Life; and Company of the Year, Trade Modernisation Project.

Mrs Mabel Ijeoma Duaka and Dr Seidu Adebayo Bello jointly won the Primary Healthcare Model of the Year award, while the Outstanding Young Person Award went to David Adeyemi for nurturing innovation, empathy and excellence by developing an AI-powered app that transforms access to education for visually impaired learners.

Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu clinched the Young College Person of the Year 2025 for her outstanding achievement in elevating Nigeria’s presence on the international academic stage.

This year, the Artiste of the Year award was clinched by the duo of Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, better known as Skales and Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke.

The LEADERSHIP Sports Person of the Year award went to Justine Madugu for guiding the Super Falcons to their record-breaking 10th WAFCON title.

The awardees will be celebrated for their outstanding leadership, vision and commitment to national development at the LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards ceremony scheduled to take place on 12 February 2026  at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.