Muktar Ahmed Mohammed Aruwa (1948 – 9 December 2018)[1] was a Nigerian senator. He was first elected to the senate in 1999 as a representative of Kaduna State for the All People's Party (APP). Aruwa sat on several senate committees and opposed the privatization of public enterprises. He was re-elected in 2003 as a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the successor to the APP. He was involved in a dispute over committee appointments, claiming unfair play by the senate leadership. Aruwa's name was dropped from the ANPP party list for the 2007 election.
Muktar Ahmed Mohammed Aruwa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Kaduna Central Senatorial District | |
| In office 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 | |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Kabiru Jibril |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1948 Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Died | (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Unguwar Sarki Cemetery |
First Senate term
editMuktar Ahmed Mohammed Aruwa was elected Senator for the Kaduna Central constituency of Kaduna State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the All People's Party (APP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999.[2]
After taking his seat in the Senate Aruwa was appointed to committees on Senate Services, Aviation, Works & Housing, Police Affairs, Agriculture (vice-chairman) and Finance & Appropriation.[3] In April 2000, he said he would not submit to Sharia law, saying "Even in true Islamic countries, there is no total application of Sharia. There is reformation going on now", and saying Sharia violated some human rights.[4] In August 2002, he moved to halt the privatization of public enterprises pending amendment of the law governing the National Council on Privatization to bring it into line with the 1999 constitution.[5]
Second Senate term
editAruwa was reelected on the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) platform for a further four-year term in 2003.[6] In May 2005, Aruwa was appointed to an ad-hoc Senate committee on media relations, formed to present the Senate position to the public if President Olusegun Obasanjo insisted on reviewing the budget after it had been signed into law. The Senate view was that this would be grounds for impeaching the President.[7] In September 2005, he rejected a posting as vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, accusing the Senate leadership of playing dirty politics with Committee positions.[8] In November 2005, the Senate President Ken Nnamani announced that Aruwa had been dropped from the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, which was considering the possibility of allowing President Obasanjo to run for a third term. Aruwa was opposed to this change.[9]
Later career
editAruwa was a contender to be the ANPP candidate for governor of Kaduna State in 2007, winning the primaries, but the party replaced him with Sani Sha'aban on the list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).[10] Aruwa disputed the legality of the substitution.[11] It was reportedly made because his name was included in the list of politicians indicted by Nuhu Ribadu's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.[12] In May 2007, following the election but before the new government had assumed its duties, Aruwa moved for a review of the conduct and outcome of the elections, but later withdrew the motion before it was debated by the Senate.[13] However, the senate did agree with his recommendation to set up a joint committee to review how INEC had managed funds allocated to it for the conduct of the elections.[14]
Speaking to the press in April 2010, Aruwa said that membership of the ANPP by former military ruler Major-General Muhammadu Buhari had done the party great harm.[15]
Aruwa died in the early hours of 9 December 2018. He was buried the next day at Unguwar Sarki Cemetery with Islamic rites.[16] The funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners including former vice-president Namadi Sambo and governor of Kaduna State Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai.[16][17] Aruwa was survived by his wives and eight children, two sons and six daughters.[18]
Death
editHe died on 10 December 2018, after a brief illness.[19]
References
edit- ^ Yaba, Mohammed (9 December 2018). "Nigeria: Senator Ahmed Aruwa Is Dead". Daily Trust (Abuja). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 20 FEBRUARY AND 7 MARCH 1999". Psephos. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "Congressional Committees". Nigeria Congress. Archived from the original on 18 November 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Ighodaro, John (3 April 2000). "Sharia not for me, says Kaduna Senator". Vanguard. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Bature Umar (30 August 2002). "Senate Vows to Halt Sale of Mint". ThisDay. Archived from the original on 27 October 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "Senators". Dawodu. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Ologbondiyan, Kola; Okocha, Chuks (6 May 2005). "Senate Threatens Impeachment of Obasanjo". ThisDay. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Aziken, Emmanuel (21 September 2005). "Senator Alleges Dirty Politics in Senate, Rejects Committee Offer". Vanguard. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Kola Ologbondiyan (17 November 2005). "Aruwa, Anti-3rd Term Senator, Sacked". ThisDay. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Rotimi Ajayi; Tina Anthony; Tony Edike; Emmanuel Ulayi (18 February 2007). "April Polls Final List – More Candidates Crash Out". Vanguard. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "INEC List Deepens ANPP Guber Crises". Daily Trust. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ ISMAIL OMIPIDAN (22 November 2009). "Kaduna 2011: Who'll the cap fit?". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "2007 Elections – Why Senate is Shy". ThisDay. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ "NIGERIA: A DATE WITH HISTORY". Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Shiklam, John (9 April 2010). "Buhari's Presence in ANPP, A Great Harm --Aruwa". Daily Champion. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ a b Yaba, Mohammed (10 December 2018). "Senator Ahmed Aruwa dies, buried in Kaduna". Daily Trust. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Polycarp, Nwafor (9 December 2018). "Ex-VP Sambo, El-Rufai honour Senator Ahmed Aruwa at burial". Vanguard News Nigeria. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Sha'ban, Ibrahim (9 December 2018). "BREAKING: Senator Ahmed Aruwa is dead". Daily Nigerian. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Kaduna, Mohammed Yaba (10 December 2018). "Senator Aruwa is dead". Daily Trust. Retrieved 20 September 2020.