inubu nominates El-rufai boy, Dattijo for Dep. CBN Governor Job
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, popularly called Dattijo,” as the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Sani Dattijo was the most favourite appointee of the immediate past administration of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufai of Kaduna state for been appointed two times as commissioner and Chief of Staff to the Governor, respectively.
Dattijo was appointed into the Kaduna State Government as Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission (2015 to 2019) under Governor El-rufai, where he led the development of the Kaduna State Development Masterplan.
In July 2019, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State, a position he served diligently until October 2021. He was then reappointed as Commissioner of the Planning and Budget Commission, a position he held until March 2022, when he voluntarily resigned to run for election.
His nomination by Tinubu as CBN was however, widely reportedly commended and applauded by stakeholders and development economists.
President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, as the Deputy Governor CBN, was announced by the Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity to the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Friday, was greeted with excitement and hopes for a new Nigeria.
In a social media post, Joe Abah, the Nigeria Country Director of Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), an international development partner, described Dattijo as an “exceedingly bright development economist”. He commended the president for the nomination, which he believed was done on merit.
In various social media posts, other development economists also commented on the President’s appointment of the CBN Governor and four deputy governors, describing the development as an opportunity for a new beginning for Nigeria’s economy.
Kaduna North, Muhammad Sani holds a B.Sc. in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, an MSc in Development Economics and Policy from the University of Manchester, and a second Masters Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
He has also attended executive courses on Public Finance at the London School of Economics, Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York, and Advanced Project Management at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He is currently in pursuit of a Doctoral Degree at the Henley Business School, University of Reading.
Muhammad Abdullahi is a development economist with nearly two decades of experience in development policy formulation, public finance, and project implementation. He has served as a Policy Adviser at the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York. He was a member of the Secretary General’s core team that designed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Before his time at the UN, Dattijo served as an Economist and Deputy National Programme Manager in Nigeria’s Presidency, where he supported the design and coordination of development interventions across 36 states, focusing on accelerating the country’s progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He was subsequently appointed Economic Adviser of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, a political and policy think tank for the country’s 36 elected Governors.
In 2018, he was one of two Nigerians appointed to the World Bank Expert Advisory Council on Citizen Engagement. He was also recently appointed by the prestigious Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom, as an associate and founding member of its Dunning Africa Centre.
In a bid to tap from his experience as a seasoned Development Economist, Dattijo was appointed to the Kaduna State Government as Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission (2015 to 2019) where he led the development of the Kaduna State Development Masterplan. In July 2019, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State, a position he served diligently until October 2021. He was then reappointed as Commissioner of the Planning and Budget Commission, a position he held until March 2022, when he voluntarily resigned.
Muhammad Sani is expected to bring to bear his enormous experience towards implementing critical reforms at the Central Bank of Nigeria, which will enhance the confidence of Nigerians and international partners in the restructuring of the Nigerian economy towards sustainable growth and prosperity in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
