October 27, (THEWILL) – A former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration, Abba Sayyadi Ruma, is dead.
THEWILL learnt that the Katsina State-born Ruma died in a London Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. He was 59.
Publisher of Kaduna-based Desert Herald newspaper and magazine, Malam Tukur Mamu, who confirmed the sad development, has condoled with the Ruma family.
Born 13 March 1962, Ruma graduated with a Bachelor of Art degree in History from the University of Sokoto, followed with a Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a PhD in international relations from the University of Abuja.
Ruma, who was an information officer in Katsina State, was appointed Special Adviser to Saidu Barda, the governor of Katsina State in 1992.
Between 1999 and 2003, Ruma was chairman and chief executive officer of Rascom Network Ltd, a company based in Kaduna that consults on research and development.).
In 2003, Ruma was appointed Secretary to the Katsina State Government under Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as governor.
He was appointed Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Education in 2005 under Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, and in 2007 briefly became Federal Minister of Education when Ezekwesili left to take up a World Bank job.
In 2007, Ruma was appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
He left office in March 2010 when acting president Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet.
Ruma was chairman of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development headquartered in Rome, Italy, and a Partner Minister of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
He was married to Hajiya Rabi and survived by 8 children.
