President Bola Tinubu on Friday submitted the names of Festus Keyamo and Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure to the Senate for the process of screening and confirmation as Ministers.
The President Tinubu’s letter to the senate also came with notification of replacement of a ministerial nominee, Maryam Shetty, with Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, from Kano State.
While the reason for the changes is not adduced yet, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, a former Kano State Commissioner and former Deputy Governor of Kano Abdullahi Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo, are the two candidates nominated as ministers by President Tinubu.
Meet Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure: A Biography
Dr. Mariya Mahmood Bunkure is a medical doctor. she was appointed Kano commissioner for Higher Education in State during the administration of former Kano State Governor, Umar Ganduje .
Born in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State, Dr Bunkure attended Bunkure Gari Primary School, GGASS T/ Wadan Dankadai for her junior secondary education and then Girls Science College Garko. she was one of the pioneer students and she graduated in 1995.
Subsequently, she went to College for Remedial Studies for her IJMB in 1996. And in 1997, Dr Bunkure, the mother of four, got admission to study Medicine at the Bayero University Kano.
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She furthered her education to become a consultant in family medicine at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. She is a consultant and family physician at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital.
The ministerial nominee is a medical doctor and a family physician. she specialized in the same field at the Aminu Kano Teaching hospital and later became a consultant at the same institution under the National Postgraduate Medical College and also West African College of Physicians.
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She was still practicing my career before she was appointed as commissioner in Kano
Dr. Bunkure is married and has four children. Her husband is a businessman.
ACHIEVEMENT AT THE MINISTERY OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Dr Bunkure, in an interview with Daily Trust in 2020, highlight her political achievement.
“At the ministry for higher education, we oversee the activities of the ministry and also supervise all the higher institutions in the state. We have two universities, five colleges, a polytechnic and the scholarship board. As an overseer ministry, once ina while, we go to these institutions for supervision. We look at the functions and activities of these institutions, including academic, financial and every other aspect,” she said
“Alhamdulillah, since we came on board, there has been so many activities going on – some we inherited, and others we initiated. In each of these institutions, a lot of projects have been executed. For instance, in Yusuf Maitama Sule University, there is the introduction of medicine. This is one of the most important courses that our children desire to study. A lot of them want to become doctors.
“We also had accreditation of so many courses at the KUST Wudil where we introduced 16 new courses. The same goes for other institutions where we had accreditation of new courses and re-accreditation of so many existing courses. For the polytechnic, we had accreditation of about 51 courses.”
Challenges Faced and Professional Rewards
Dr. Bunkure acknowledges challenges in balancing familial responsibilities as a working mother. Her career’s rewarding aspect lies in being a medical doctor and advocating for girl child education.
Memories of Childhood and Aspirations
Growing up in the village of Bunkure, Dr. Bunkure fondly recalls activities like roron gyada and cire borkono. Her childhood aspirations centered on becoming a medical doctor, a dream she achieved despite obstacles.
Life Lessons and Role Models
Dr. Bunkure has learned patience, tolerance, and effective communication from life’s experiences. She draws inspiration from Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and cites the achievements of Professor Hafsat Abdullahi Ganduje as noteworthy.
Future Aspirations and Family Time
Her aspirations include positive change and successful completion of her current appointment. Family time holds significance, and she dedicates her limited availability to moments with loved ones.
Empowerment through Education: Advice to Women
Dr. Bunkure emphasizes girl child education’s importance, echoing Arrasul’s (SAW) words on educating women. She calls for support and highlights the role of educated women in societal transformation
