Born in Yobe in 1959, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan attended Government Secondary School, Gashua, and graduated from the University of Maiduguri in 1984 with a BSc (Hons) in Geography before heading to the University of Cranfield (UK) where he earned an MSc (1991) and a PhD (1996) in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems.
Senator Lawan is a seasoned educator, an erudite scholar, and an experienced legislator with over 20 years’ service in both the House of Representative and the Senate. Senator Lawan represents Yobe North Senatorial District and he is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council. He is one of the longest serving lawmakers, having been first elected into the House of Representatives in 1999.
Following 10 years as a lecturer and research fellow, Senator Lawan was motivated to serve his state and his country further. He entered the political sphere in 1998 as the Vice Chairman, Yobe State Chapter of the APP. In 1999, he served as the secretary of the Electoral Committee at the APP National Convention, Abuja. Later that year, Senator Ahmad Lawan was elected to the House of Representatives. After eight years of meritorious service, he was elected Senator for Yobe North in 2007.
Senator Lawan has performed with distinction in both Legislative Chambers, chairing several committees including the House Committee on Agriculture (2003-2005) the House Committee on Education (2005-2007). He was Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts (2007-2015). He was also Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence (2015-2017) and served as Chairman of numerous Senate ad hoc committees, including ad hoc committing on Privatisation. He was the Majority Leader of the Eighth Senate.
A believer in life-long learning, Senator Lawan has attended advanced courses in a wide range of fields such as: 3rd Westminster Workshop on Public Accounts Committee (House of Parliament, London), Oxford Strategic Leadership (OSLP) Programme (SAID Business School University of Oxford), Professional Development Course on the Canadian Taxation System (Carleton University), Managing Teams for Innovation and Success Program (Stanford University School of Business) etc.
Senator Lawan has been conferred with several traditional titles. Highly regarded by both his community and his country, in 2012, Senator Ahmad Lawan was awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
On June 11, 2019, Lawan emerged President of the Ninth Senate, having polled 79 votes to defeat his main challenger Ali Ndume, who garnered 28 votes.
Senator Lawan is married with children.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
