Today is the second anniversary of the 10th National Assembly following its inauguration on June 13, 2023, sequel to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proclamation via a letter to the Clerk to the National Assembly in line with Section 64(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
As the parliament celebrates half-time as it is called in the business of soccer, a tally obtained from the Senate Committee on Rules and Business showed that the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, a fourth-timer at the National Assembly (three times in the Senate – 2015 to date and once in the House of Representatives—1999 -2003) – has sponsored 29 bills.
Six months ago, amazed by Senator Barau’s feat on private member bills sponsorship despite being a presiding officer, journalists covering the Senate honoured him with an award after analysing the records on bills sponsorship among serving senators in the 10th National Assembly.
Tagged ‘Highest Development Driven Bills Award,’ the Senate Press Corps, the foremost body of journalists covering the Nigerian Senate, said Senator Barau was conferred with the prestigious award for topping the bills chart and in recognition of his unwavering commitment to legislative excellence.
An analysis of the 29 bills showed that they affect all spheres of the country, including the economy, education, health, security, infrastructure, and agriculture.
Senator Barau’s key areas of legislative interest are education, security, agriculture and the economy.
The North West Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, now an Act of Parliament following President Bola Tinubu’s assent, stands out as Senator Barau’s signature initiative to boost infrastructure and economic development in the North West geopolitical zone, comprising the states of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
The NWDC, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which addresses the challenges facing all parts of the country head-on, has a budget of N585bn this year. Following this initiative, the North Central, South East, South-South, and South West development commissions have been established to address the various regions’ developmental challenges.
Other landmark bills sponsored by Senator Barau that have been signed into law by the President and poised to drive transformative development are the Maitama Sule Federal University of Education (Establishment) Act, 2024 which enhances teacher education and academic excellence, and the Federal University of Science and Technology Kabo (Establishment) Act, 2025 to promote technological innovation especially in cutting edge fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Forensic Science, cyber security, among others.
Similarly, Senator Barau, who is the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, has also introduced the Development Planning and Project Continuity Bill.
Other bills are the Renewable Energy Bill, the In-Vitro Fertilisation Bill, the Cyber Crimes (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, the Explosive Act (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, and the Nigerian Real Estate Industry (Regulations and Development) Bill.
Also to the credit of Senator Barau are the Government Performance and Accountability Bill, National Assembly Budget and Research Office Bill, Renewable Energy Bill, Occupational Safety and Health Bill, National Identity Management Commission (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, Agricultural Research Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 477) and the Nigeria Cooperative Societies Act (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 828).
As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Barau has sponsored nine bills to amend various sections of the 1999 Constitution in line with the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian masses. Five bills of the Deputy President on education are at various legislative stages in the Upper Chamber.
Aside from sponsoring bills, Senator Barau has also embarked on numerous people-driven projects, interventions, and initiatives to positively impact the lives of the people of Kano North Senatorial District, Kano State, North West, and the country as a whole.
Also, through his Barau I Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), the Deputy Senate President has offered scholarships to hundreds of indigent students to pursue postgraduate studies in cutting-edge fields locally and abroad.
As you read this piece, 70 beneficiaries of his postgraduate foreign scholarships are pursuing higher degrees in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Robotics Science in reputable institutions of higher learning overseas.
Another 300 graduates have been selected for his domestic postgraduate scholarships at six Nigerian universities: Bayero University Kano, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
This is in addition to the scholarships he has offered to all undergraduates from Kano North Senatorial District who study at tertiary institutions in Kano State and beyond.
In agriculture, in addition to distributing hundreds of trucks of fertilisers and farming implements annually, Senator Barau, through the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN), has selected over 1,000 young farmers to receive loans to cultivate rice and maize this year in the seven North West geopolitical states.
Each selected beneficiary will receive a loan ranging from N1 million to N5 million to invest in farming this year. The selection process has since been concluded. This programme will take off maybe before you finish reading this article.
The transport sector is not left out. Last year, he launched the Kano North Transport Service (KNTS) with 107 buses. Launched in May 2024, the service has contributed immensely to enhancing the country’s transport sector.
Senator Barau’s security interventions have also benefited the state. In November last year, he donated 1,000 motorcycles to the Kano police to facilitate their patrol of the state’s 44 LGAS.
According to a saying, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Therefore, the Deputy President of the Senate established the Barau Football Club to engage the country’s youths. Recently, Barau FC qualified for the 2025 Nigeria National League (NNL) Super 8 Promotional Play-Off.
The Barau FC, which draws players from across the country, has made history as one of the fastest-rising clubs in Nigeria. It has competed in the Nationwide League One (NLO) and the NNL and is now aiming for a spot in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
In March this year, Senator Barau bailed out 52 football clubs in Kano State by paying their registration fees for this year’s Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO) competition.
In the political turf, Senator Barau has done well to the admiration of all, including members of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP)/ Kwankwasiyya Movement, who have been trooping to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their numbers in recent times.
The gale of defections rocking the NNPP in Kano State has been named Barau Tsunami. Recently, the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, described Senator Barau as ” a real General in Nigerian Politics.”
In February, Senator Barau donated 61 cars and 1,136 motorcycles to the APC leadership at the grassroots in Kano State. The motorcycles were meant for ward chairmen, while the cars would go to party leaders, including local government and zonal chairmen, to enhance the socioeconomic well-being of party members and promote its democratic and development ideals.
In recognition of his outstanding legislative dexterity and pro-masses projects and initiatives, Bayero University Kano conferred on him an honourary doctorate last year. So far, two first-generation universities, one in the Southwest and another in the Southeast, have pencilled Senator Barau in for the award of honourary doctorate degrees.
For Senator Barau, CFR, this is just the tip of the iceberg. More bills and initiatives are coming to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s quest to tackle the country’s challenges head-on for the benefit of all and for Nigeria to reclaim its rightful place in the Comity of Nations.
Mudashir is the Special Adviser to Senator Barau on Media and Publicity
