TEAM
Water Resources ACReSAL Project Team
Balarabe Abbas Lawal
Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Environment
Balarabe Abbas Lawal (born 5 February 1958) is a Nigerian public servant and politician who is the current minister of environment of Nigeria
Education
Lawal holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Master's degree in Political Science both from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Career
Lawal was secretary to the Kaduna State Government under Governor Uba Sani from 30 May 2023 until his appointment as minister of environment in October 2023. He was also secretary to the Kaduna State Government under Governor Nasir El-Rufai, from May 2015 to May 2023. He also served as chief of staff to El-Rufai when he was minister of the Federal Capital Territory from July 2003 to July 2007. From September 1999 to February 2001, he served as special assistant to the minister of state for education. During the period between February 2001 and May 2003, Abbas was at the Ministry of Defence serving as special assistant to the minister of state for the Nigerian Army. Before all these, he was a lecturer at the Collage of Advanced Studies, Zaria from 1982 to 1989.
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye Salako
Honourable Minister of State for the Federal Ministry of Environment
Born on 9th August 1967 in Ayetoro, YEWA North local government of Ogun State is a Public Health Physician, health activist, politician, public analyst, community mobilizer, writer and radio presenter. He holds an MBBS degree from the University of Lagos and Master in Public Health from the Lagos State University. He is a certified colposcopist and sonologist. He is currently on the last lap of a PhD programme in Public Health specializing in Health Policy and Management.
He has worked in many institutions including the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Onicha General Hospital, Ebonyi State, St’ Raphel Hospital, Lagos, Mucas Hospital, Lagos and the Lagos State Health Service Commission where he rose to the position of Senior Medical Officer before exiting the organization to pursue other vision.
Due to his community activities and impactful youth mobilization efforts, in 2007 Salako was appointed a commissioner in Ogun State without being a member of any political party. He went on to serve in 3 strategic Ministries of Agriculture, Housing and Health. In these Ministries, he was able to introduce some innovations which promoted public health and the general welfare of the people for which he was recognized severally by organizations and bodies like The Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, Lions International (District 404), Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association, Property and Environmental Writers Association of Nigeria, Lagos Housing Fair, Nigeria Union of Journalist, National Association of Resident Doctors (LUTH Branch) and the Yewa Traditional Council, just to mention a few. He was a Gubernatorial Aspirant in Ogun State in 2010. In 2020, he was appointed as the Chairman, Ogun Hospitals Management Board and was adjudged the best government parastatal Chairman in the State in 2021 by Gateway News Magazine.
Dr. Salako was a student leader and served in several capacities including the President, Association of Medical Students University of Lagos, Vice President, Federation of Africa Medical Students Association and Parliamentarian/Caucus leader, University of Lagos Student Union. He is a member, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria and the Nigeria Medical Association. He served as the publicity secretary of the Lagos State branch of the NMA in 1993/1994.
While serving the nation in the NYSC programme in 1994/1995, he emerged as one of the top 10 youth corps members in Old Abia State and was also awarded the Golden Handshake Award of President Jimmy Carter of the United State for his efforts at eradicating Guinea Worm in Onicha local government area of old Abia State (Now Ebonyi).
He has been involved in many voluntary activities and currently serve as a member of the Advisory Board of Quality Management Development Institute, Lagos, Member Afisu Olabimtan Foundation, Ilaro, Secretary, Board of Trustees of HOW Foundation, Abeokuta and Secretary, Board of Trustees of Ayetoro Central Initiative for Development. He is the initiator and pioneer President of Majo Noble Club of Ayetoro (MANCA), one the most prestigious social club in his town of origin, Ayetoro. He is also the pioneer chairman of Abeokuta Grammar School Old Boys Association (AGSOBA) class of 85. He sits on the board of some profit-making organizations and is currently the Chairman of Klasik Healthtech and Pharma Nigeria Ltd and Remade Pharmacy and Health Stores.
He is a well-travelled man and has attended conferences/delivered papers in many professional fora here in Nigeria and in other countries of the world including Accra, Ghana, London, UK, New-Delhi, India and Ottawa, Canada. Dr Salako is married to Risquat Oluremi, a Public Health Microbiologist and the union is blessed with 3 children.
Alh. Ibrahim Yusufu Idris, FCA
Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Environment
Born in Katsina on 12th October, 1963 into the family of late Major Mohammed Dodo Saulawa. He clinched the prize of the best academic student at graduation in Government Secondary School Fadan Kaje, Kaduna State where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 1980. He studied BSc Accounting in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and graduated with Second Class Division degree in 1985.
He passed the final examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1991 and is presently a Fellow of the Institute. He completed his Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) in the Year 2000 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He became an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Taxation (CITN) in 2016.
His working career spans both the private and public sectors. In the private sector he has worked for over 14 years after graduation in the hospitality industry, manufacturing, investment and also engaged in consultancy with the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund. He joined the Public Service in 2000 as Chief Accountant and was the first millennium Accountant in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to be posted to head the Federal Pay Office (FPO) Kano from 2002 to 2006 which had the largest volume of transactions. He worked closely and directly with three (3) Accountant-Generals of the Federation in the Special Duties Unit of the OAGF Headquarters from 2006 to 2014 where he provided support to them in the discharge of Treasury functions. He was the Editor of the Treasury Journal for over three years. He headed the Unit in OAGF that handled special payments running into a Trillion Naira for over 8 (eight) years without any blemish. These included payments to pensioners of 8 Pension Departments computed by an Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the National Pension Commission, Payment of Monetisation Arrears to staff of Parastatals funded by the Treasury, payment to ex-NITEL/M-TEL Staff, ex- Nigeria Airways Staff and ex-Staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). He got a letter of commendation from the Head of Service in 2010 on the efficiency and integrity with which the payments were handled. He represented OAGF on the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee that established the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) that handles the defined benefit pension scheme in 2012. He was promoted to the rank of Director with effect from 1st January, 2014.
He was the Pioneer Director of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) Department after it was upgraded from a Division, in OAGF Headquarters from 2014 to 2016 where he brought more efficiency in its operations and helped the Federal Government to save billions of Naira in personnel cost. He was mandated several times to act as Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, whenever the Permanent Secretary was not in Office, when he was posted to Federal Ministry of Science and Technology where he served as Director Finance and Accounts from 2016 to 2019. Until his appointment as Permanent Secretary by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on 18th June, 2021, he was with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (Planning Arm) as Director of Finance and Accounts. Since his deployment to Treasury House Headquarters in 2006, he has formed, trained and maintained to date a team of dedicated, competent, loyal and highly motivated staff that he has led to deliver high quality public service.
He has attended several courses within and outside the country on Finance, Procurement, Administration and Financial Management Reforms. He is married to and ably supported by Hajia (Mrs) Binta Ibrahim, a BSc Sociology 1987 graduate from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and blessed with (6) children; two who are professionally qualified Accountants as Associate members of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA); two who are Pharmacists and two are Students in the University. Three (3) of the graduates among them are contributing to national development by providing their professional skills to fill the manpower needs of the country. His hobbies include reading, travelling and athletics. He is very active in community development activities.
Abdulhamid Umar
National Project Coordinator (NPC)
UMAR Abdulhamid is a proactive, thorough, energetic team leader and an astute manager of human and material resources with a track record of success stories in his ability to initiate, supervise, monitor, lead, coordinate, guide and implement large-scale projects to national and international specifications.
He has been involved in several multilateral financial/funding support projects in Nigeria like UNHCR-UN Women Enrolment Project; South Korea (KOICA) intervention on enrolment support team where he served as chairman. He actively participated in the project identification, preparation and implementation stages of the World Bank funded 433M USD Nigerian ID4D Project.
As Director and Head of Operations Department at the National Identity Management Commission ( NIMC), he led the team that catapulted the digital ID enrolment figures from 7.2 Million in 2017 to a figure well over 97 Million records under his leadership in February 2023.
Abdulhamid was at one time Deputy General Manager in the defunct MTEL (NITEL) where he actively participated in the delivery and launch of several AfDB and EIB supported digital telephony projects of the Federal Government. He cut his public service teeth in Jos Steel Rolling Mills from where he proceeded to work in the Nigeria Airport Authority (NAA)in Lagos. After which he moved on to the private sector to deploy his expertise in the frontrunner private sector telecommunication company INTERCELLULAR.
The National Project Coordinator of ACReSAL is a graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has postgraduate qualifications from the University of Jos, the IIJ Abuja, the Management Schools in UK (London) and South Africa (Johannesburg). He is a member of some renowned international and local professional institutes and bodies. He has both Philip Consulting and KPMG Management & Leadership tutelages with some project management certifications.
Abdulhamid has vast experiences working with the World Bank and other Development Partners, skills and competencies in both Private and Public Sectors of the Nigeria Economy; Stakeholders Management, coupled with his love for green fields, the promotion of nature and associated ecosystems, the NPC is working currently to take ACReSAL to greater heights.
The NPC whose hubbies include traveling and swimming is married with children.
