On Saturday, April 19, the ancient city of Daura witnessed a massive influx of dignitaries from different parts of Katsina and other states across the nation and the neighbouring Niger Republic. Their mission was largely to witness the turbaning ceremony of distinguished sons of the north and Nigerians, by the revered Daura Monarch, HRH, Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouq Umar.
Although other influential persons were conferred different traditional titles, as a mark of recognition of their distinguished and stellar contributions not just to the Daura Emirate but Katsina and Nigeria as a whole, one person stood out. He is Hamza Suleiman, the Katsina state Commissioner for Environment who is widely known for his philanthropic disposition.
Hamza Suleiman is a philanthropist, businessman, farmer and frontline politician, whose turbaning as the ‘Sadaukin Kasar Hausa’ by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar was recieved with pomp.
The grand turbanning ceremony which was held at the Emir’s Palace in Daura, was attended by thousands of well-wishers that included political associates, supporters, admirers, friends and family of the Alhaji Hamza Sulaiman
Other freinds, associates, politicians and well-wishers from neighboring states such as Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Kebbi also attended the ceremony.
Representatives of all political wards from APC Funtua Zone also graced the occasion, these include party EXCO at ward and local government level, serving and former federal and state lawmakers, as well ad district, ward and village heads.
Shortly after he turbaned Alhaji Hamza Sule, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar said the Emirate council found him worthy of the prestigious traditional title considering his patriotic service to Katsina State when he served two times as Commissioner for Environment.
The Emir said the council also considered Hamza Sule’s philanthropic gesture of helping the poor and needy, assisting orphans and widows, empowering youths and women and sponsoring the education of hundreds of children from less privileged families.
“As Commissioner for Environment in Katsina State, his efforts qualified the state to benefit from the World Bank project, NEWMAP, which executed projects worth billions of Naira, and now there is another ongoing World Bank project.
“These project constructed dozens of drainages and culverts across the state which helped in controlling the incessant cases of flooding.
“The intervention also executed dozens of erosion control projects across the state and this has saved many villages and farmlands from gully erosion and other environmental hazards.
“Here in Daura, they established shelter belts with economic trees that have beautified our land and are guarding agricultural land against desert encroachment.
“We are also aware of the immense contributions of Alhaji Hamza Sulaiman to the social and economic welfare of our people, he gives scholarships to students, he empowers women and youths, he assists the poor and needy, he assists IDPs and victims of banditry.
“This is our own way of appreciating these and other acts of patriotism by Hamza Sule, and we hope that it will serve as an encouragement for him to continue to contribute to the development and welfare of the people”, the Emir said.
In his remarks to appreciate the gesture, Alhaji Hamza Sule thanked the Emir for finding him worthy of the title while pledging his continued loyalty to the Daura Emirate Council.
He said he engaged in acts of philanthropy in order to alleviate the hardship faced by less privileged persons and to support the education and social welfare of children, youths, women and displaced persons.
Alhaji Hamza Sule said he hopes the reward for these acts of charity will be bestowed on his late parents who gave him Islamic and Western education as well as moral training.
He thanked the dignitaries and other well-wishers that attended the ceremony and called for continued prayers for sustainable peace and socio-econonic development in Katsina State and the country at large.
Alhaji Hamza Sule is the serving Commissioner for Environment in Katsina State, he also held several political appointments and is one of the frontline politicians in Funtua Zone, Katsina State and North-west geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
A man of many honours, awards, and accolades, all earned because of his untiring commitment to work and supporting humanity, Hamza, the brand new Sadaukin Kasar Hausa I, hails from the Faskari local government area of Katsina State.
He was born to the respected, literate, humble and compassionate family of Alhaji Sulen-Sule Faskari (of Blessed memory), a noble, pious, successful commercial farmer, entrepreneur, politician and philanthropist and Hajiya Ruqayya (of Blessed memory), a noble, pious and completely gentle woman.
The Sadaukin Kasar Hausa I was exposed to Islamic education at a very tender age, and as a result, I started reading the Holy Quran. His thirst for education led him to obtain a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the prestigious Bayero University, Kano, in 2004 and a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from his alma mater in 2008.
In his ardent pursuit of knowledge, Hamza obtained an Intensive Certificate in Computer from the Centre for Information Technology of Bayero University, Kano in 2004 and a Diploma in Computer from Government College, Kaduna, Cyber Café and Computer Training Centre in 2004.
Ebullient Hamza Suleiman Faskari joined the Federal Civil Service in 2009 as Administrative Officer in charge of the South-East Zone, State Coordination Department of the Federal Character Commission. In 2011, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abu Ibrahim. He was poached by the administration of Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state (2015-2023), which appointed him Commissioner and member of the state Executive Council.
In recognition of his academic resourcefulness, community service, and political contributions at the local, state, and federal levels, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, CFR, appointed Hon. Hamza Suleiman Faskari as Commissioner for Environment in 2015 and also re-appointed and deployed him to the same ministry in 2019 in view of his outstanding performance in the first term.
From its establishment in 2011 up to 2015, the ministry had annually been allocated the sum of N400 million, of which only an average of 60% was released. During his first coming as commissioner, Hon. Hamza Suleiman Faskari transformed the ministry both in scope and quality of its activities. He facilitated a rapid assessment of the environmental challenges across the state, identified the mitigation and adaptation strategies, classified the strategies into short-term, medium-term and long-term measures and obtained the approval of the Government to pursue implementation. This singular action resulted in the annual increase in budgetary allocations to the sector from over N800 million in 2016 to over N30 billion in 2023, with an average annual release of over 80%.
As a commissioner in the administration of Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, Hon. Hamza Suleiman facilitated the execution of over 300 intervention projects across Katsina State. These projects were executed through the State Ecological Fund and in collaboration with the World Bank, through the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) and the Agro Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape Project (ACReSAL). These interventions resulted in the reactivation of some degraded land areas, the construction of roads, pavements, water conservation structures, drainage, and other erosion control projects across the entire Katsina State. The impacts of these projects have significantly addressed the seasonal flooding hitherto experienced by several communities across the state, thereby saving lives, properties and livelihoods.
At the inception of the current State Administration of Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, Ph.D, CON, the Executive Governor of Katsina State in 2023, Hon. Hamza was re-appointed a commissioner and deployed to the Ministry of Water Resources. In July 2024, he was redeployed to the Ministry of Environment in view of the need to sustain efforts he had earlier facilitated. This makes him the longest-serving commissioner of environment since the creation of the ministry in Katsina State.
The name of Hon. Hamza Suleiman is certainly the most prominent within the entire Funtua Senatorial District due to his commitment and contributions to forming several political organisations and spreading and defending the ideals of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) locally and nationally. His network of political allies, associates, and friends cuts across the entire Katsina State and the North-West Zone.
Hamza is a successful administrator, politician, businessman, and philanthropist. His philanthropic services span various sectors, including health, water supply, empowerment, education, and traditional/religious affairs.
His achievements in the health sector include rehabilitating infrastructure and providing equipment, facilities, vehicles, and drugs at Faskari Maternal and Child Health Centre, Kanon Haki, Nasarawa, and Bele Health Clinics in Faskari LGA. He has also supported several medical outreach services, financed surgeries, and provided medical support to over 800 health-challenged persons within Faskari LGA, Sabuwa LGA, and across the state.
In the Water Supply Sector, Hamza routinely supports the provision, management, rehabilitation, upgrading and maintenance of water facilities in Faskari and Sabuwa LGAs.
His empowerment programs targeted at family members, friends, political associates, youth and women are the provision of vehicles for friends and political associates; quarterly empowering youth and women with skills, trades and tools to support livelihood and monthly cash assistance to over 100 community based organisations across Funtua Senatorial Zone and other zones of the state to boost their economic activities. These have been going on since 2013.
The achievements and ongoing activities in the Education Sector include periodic provision of learning and teaching materials and aids in primary and secondary schools across Faskari and Sabuwa LGAs, sponsoring over 100 students across the state in tertiary institutions to graduation levels, ongoing sponsoring of over 40 students in various tertiary institutions and from 2011 to date, provision of Final Year Project Support Allowance to final year students of tertiary institutions who are indigenes of Faskari and Sabuwa LGAS. Hon. Hamza also financed and facilitated the establishment of West African Examination Council (WAEC) Examination Centres at Government Day Secondary Schools in Yar Nasarawa and Bilbis.
In the Traditional/Religious Sector, Hon. Hamza has annually sponsored family members, friends and associates to perform annual pilgrimages; constructed/rehabilitated Jummu’at Masjids; contributed to the construction and upgrading of several Masjids and Islamiyya schools within and outside the state; annually provide support to orphans, orphanages and several masjid orphans committees; provision of Ramadan palliatives across Funtua Zone and beyond; cash and material assistance to traditional and religious leaders during festivities and provision of logistic support (vehicles and motorcycles) to religious leaders to ease preaching and Da’awa across Funtua Zone and beyond. These have been going on since 2012.
His unrelenting community service, philanthropic achievements, and political and administrative prowess earned him the honour of conferring the traditional title of his late father and turbaning him as the Wamban Faskari, Faskari District, Katsina State, in 2019.
Hon. Hamza Suleiman is a recipient of several awards notable amongst which include the Honorary Fellowship of the Nigerian Environmental Society (FNES); Distinguished Fellow and Award of Environmental Sustainability and Waste Management Ambassador in Africa by the African Institute of Waste Management and Environmental Studies; Ambassador African Agenda 2063 – Ambassadorial Assembly by African Union Agenda 2063; Distinguished Fellow (DF) and Award of Best Commissioner of Environmental Health Administration in Nigeria by African Institute of Health Science Research and Administration in Nigeria; Award of Excellence as Climate Action Ambassador by the Society for Climate Action in Nigeria; ICON Leadership award on outstanding achievement in the control of desertification, environmental degradation and infrastructure development in Katsina State by the Presidential Diary Magazine and the Gold Medal Award on good governance by Pan African.
Hon. Hamza Suleiman, Sadaukin Kasar Hausa, is a person of productivity, philanthropy, and patriotism. He inherited these attributes from his noble background and upbringing. He is happily married with children.
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