Mohammed Goni
Encyclopedia
Alhaji Mohammed Goni is a retired civil servant who was Governor of Borno State
, Nigeria
(1979–1983) in the Nigerian Second Republic
.
Local Government Area, Borno State.
He attended Maiduguri
Middle School (1953–1955), Borno Provincial Secondary School (1956–1961), Provincial Secondary School, Kano
(1962–1963) and the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University
, Zaria
(1964–1987), where he gained a BA (Administration), specializing in International Affairs.
In 1967, he joined the government of the former Northern Region
, and held a series of administrative positions in Kaduna
, Bauchi
, Azare
, Katagum
and Gombe
. In 1970 he was posted to the Ministry of Finance Headquarters, Maiduguri
, and in 1971 he was given a secondment as General Manager of the North-Eastern Transport Corporation. In April 1975, he returned to the Government as a Deputy Secretary with the Ministry of Establishment, North-Eastern State
. In April 1977, he transferred to the Nigerian National Supply Company.
He was elected as the first Civilian Governor of the former Borno State, on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP), and was in office from October 1979 to September 1983.
He was also part of the Progressives Coalition led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo
.
Goni founded the Borno Radio Television (BRTV) to counter the propaganda which was being pumped out of the Federal Government owned and sponsored Nigerian Television Authority
(NTA).
In retrospect, his period of office was considered one of achievement when compared with his successors.
Before the 1983 elections, Goni transferred to the Unity Party of Nigeria
(UPN), running unsuccessfully for reelection against the Nigerian People's Party
(NPP) candidate Sheikh Jarma.
In the case of Federal Electoral Commission v Alhadji Mohammed Goni (1983), the Supreme Court of Nigeria condemned cross-carpeting by political officeholders.
In the April 2003 general elections he ran on the United Nigeria People's Party
(UNPP) platform as vice-presidential candidate with Jim Nwobodo
as the presidential candidate. They were not elected.
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
, 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...
(1979–1983) in the Nigerian Second Republic
Nigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
.
Background
Mohammed Goni was born in 1942 in Kareto, MobbarMobbar
Mobbar is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Damasak.It has an area of 2,790 km² and a population of 116,654 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 602....
Local Government Area, Borno State.
He attended Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
Middle School (1953–1955), Borno Provincial Secondary School (1956–1961), Provincial Secondary School, Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
(1962–1963) and the Institute of Administration, 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....
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
(1964–1987), where he gained a BA (Administration), specializing in International Affairs.
In 1967, he joined the government of the former Northern Region
Northern Region, Nigeria
The Northern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions. It was created before independence in 1960, with its capital at Kaduna. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, who had voted to become part of Nigeria....
, and held a series of administrative positions in Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
, Bauchi
Bauchi
Bauchi is a city in northeast Nigeria, the capital of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. The city has a population of 316,173...
, Azare
Azare
-Geography:Azare is located at , at an elevation of 436 meters.It the largest of several nearby towns in the region including Jama'are,Misau,Bulkachuwa. Disina, Faggo, [Zadawa]], and Madara. Azare is home to the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Federal Government College Azare and College of...
, Katagum
Katagum
Katagum is a town, a local government area and a traditional emirate in Bauchi State of northern Nigeria. The town is located on the northern bank of the Jama'are River, which is a tributary of the Hadejia. Most of the inhabitants are Muslim, along with people from the Fulani, Kanuri, Hausa,...
and Gombe
Gombe
Gombe may refer to:Places* Gombe, Nigeria, the capital of Gombe State, Nigeria** Gombe State, Nigeria* Gombe, Angola* Gombe, Butambala, Uganda* Gombe, Wakiso, Uganda* Gombe, Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. In 1970 he was posted to the Ministry of Finance Headquarters, Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
, and in 1971 he was given a secondment as General Manager of the North-Eastern Transport Corporation. In April 1975, he returned to the Government as a Deputy Secretary with the Ministry of Establishment, North-Eastern State
North-Eastern State
North-Eastern State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 27 May 1967 from parts of the Northern Region. It's capital was the city of Maiduguri.On 3 February 1976 it was divided into three states - Bauchi, Borno, and Gongola...
. In April 1977, he transferred to the Nigerian National Supply Company.
Governor of Borno State
In April 1979, Mohammed Goni resigned from the National Supply Company and entered politics.He was elected as the first Civilian Governor of the former Borno State, on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP), and was in office from October 1979 to September 1983.
He was also part of the Progressives Coalition led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Obafemi Awolowo
Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician, trade unionist, author and statesman. A Yoruba and native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Nigeria, he started his career as a regional political leader like most of his pre-independence contemporaries and was responsible for much of the progressive...
.
Goni founded the Borno Radio Television (BRTV) to counter the propaganda which was being pumped out of the Federal Government owned and sponsored Nigerian Television Authority
Nigerian Television Authority
The Nigerian Television Authority - also known as NTA - was inaugurated in 1977 and is the government-owned body in charge of television broadcasting in the country. The NTA claims to run the biggest television network in Africa with stations in several parts of Nigeria...
(NTA).
In retrospect, his period of office was considered one of achievement when compared with his successors.
Before the 1983 elections, Goni transferred to the Unity Party of Nigeria
Unity Party of Nigeria
The Unity Party of Nigeria was a Nigerian political party that was dominant in western Nigeria during the second republic. The party revolved around the political leadership of Obafemi Awolowo, a sometimes polemical but effective administrator. However, the party's main difference with its...
(UPN), running unsuccessfully for reelection against the Nigerian People's Party
Nigerian People's Party
The Nigerian Peoples Party was one of the major political parties that contested elections in the Nigerian Second Republic. The party was made up of three major groups: the Lagos Progressives, Club 19, and the Nigerian Council of Understanding....
(NPP) candidate Sheikh Jarma.
In the case of Federal Electoral Commission v Alhadji Mohammed Goni (1983), the Supreme Court of Nigeria condemned cross-carpeting by political officeholders.
Later career
Mohammed Goni was a member of the committee that drafted the 1995 Constitution.In the April 2003 general elections he ran on the United Nigeria People's Party
United Nigeria People's Party
The United Nigeria People's Party is a political party in Nigeria.At the 12 April 2003 legislative elections the party won 2.8 % of popular votes, 2 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeria, and no seats in the Senate....
(UNPP) platform as vice-presidential candidate with Jim Nwobodo
Jim Nwobodo
James Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo is a Nigerian businessman and politician who was governor of Anambra State during the Nigerian Second Republic and was Senator for Enugu East in Enugu State...
as the presidential candidate. They were not elected.