Jerry Gana
Encyclopedia
Jerry Gana is a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n scholar, politician and former Minister for Information under Ernest Shonekan
Ernest Shonekan
Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is a British trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain. He was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government...

. He was the director of the Mass Mobilization for Social Justice and Economic Recovery, popularly known as MAMSER
MAMSER
MAMSER was an acronym for Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery. It was an exercise in political orientation in Nigeria undertaken by President Babangida as one of the recommendations of the Political Bureau headed by Samuel Cookey...

.
Later he became Minister of Information in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo, and in June 2006 announced plans to run for President.

Background

Jerry Gana was born on 30 November 1945, at Busu in Doko LGA, Niger State
Niger State
Niger State is a state in the western part of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State.The state is named...

. He attended Government College, Bida and Okene Secondary School before being admitted to Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria and second largest in Africa, second only to Cairo University, Egypt. It is situated in Zaria. It was founded on October 4, 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria....

 (ABU), Zaria. He graduated in 1970 and went on for his Masters and Ph.D four years later at Aberdeen University. He was appointed Geography lecturer at ABU in 1973, senior lecturer in 1976, reader in 1980 and professor in 1985.

Early political career

Gana ran unsuccessfully for president in 1992 on the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The Social Democratic Party of Nigeria, popularly known as SDP, was a political party created to encompass the ideals of a center left political organization. It was one of the products of a democracy project by former President Ibrahim Babangida to have two detribalized political parties, one a...

 platform.
He was elected Senator in 1983, serving briefly until the military coup that brought General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...

 to power.
He was appointed chairman of Mass Mobilisation for Social and Economic Recovery under General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...

's government. He subsequently became a cabinet minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Information and Culture, Cooperation and Integration in Africa and again for Information and National Orientation.

Fourth Republic

Gana was the founding national secretary of the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...

 (PDP) in 1998.
In June 2001, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Gana Minister of Co-operation and Integration in Africa.
In January 2001, Obasanjo dissolved his cabinet. In the new cabinet announced in February 2001 Gana was Minister of Information.
Gana was also secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees.
Gana resigned in July 2006 as special advisor to President Olusegun Obasanjo, and in August 2006 announced he would contend for the PDP candidature for the 2007 Presidential elections.
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