By Yakubu Abdullahi Yakubu
Abubakar Bobboyi Jijiwa , MFR, Sardauna Ribadu, was born on 15 March 1961 in Fufore, Ribadu District of Fufore Local Government Area, Adamawa State. He attended Fufore Central Primary School from 1967 to 1972, and General Murtala Mohammed College, Yola, from 1973 to 1977 for his basic education. He got admission into the University of Maiduguri and graduated in 1983 with B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Accountancy.
In the pursuit of academic knowledge, Jijiwa attended several post-graduate courses in Nigeria and abroad, including Deutsche Welle Academy, Cologne, Germany, in 1990 and 1994; Thames Valley University (TVU), Slough, London, in 2001; State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) Training Center, Beijing, China, in 2009; European Television and Media Academy (STMA), Strasbourg, France, in 2011. Professionally, he is a Certified Accountant (Fellow in ANAN), radio producer, journalist, Chartered Tax Consultant, registered advertising practitioner, media administrator, management trainer, and motivational adviser for youths.
Jijiwa began his career as both accountant and broadcaster after his national service (NYSC) at the Nigeria Mining Corporation in Jos, Plateau State. He got employment at the New Nigeria Newspapers Ltd (1984 – 1986) as Staff Correspondent with the Sunday New Nigeria. He was, in addition, a member of the editorial board and a weekly columnist. He was later elevated to the position of Credit Controller and Principal Accountant. He left New Nigeria Newspapers for another news organisation, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in 1988 to head the Accounts Department.
In 1989, Jijiwa was appointed General Manager of the then Gongola Broadcasting Corporation (now Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation), Yola, where he served for four years. Destiny brought him back to the same media organization where he cut his teeth as a junior producer in 1977 at the age of sixteen.
At the end of his tenure in 1993, Jijiwa moved to a higher level at the Voice of Nigeria (VON) as Director of Finance and Supplies, and later, Director of Administration and Finance in 1999. He was elevated to the top rank as the acting Director–General in 2004. He participated in a local and international recruitment exercise conducted by the internationally acclaimed consulting firm, KPMG, in which he beat 106 other candidates to succeed as the substantive Director-General in 2005. Jijiwa served two five-year tenures from March 2005 to March 2015.
Meanwhile, Jijiwa served as Chairman, Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) in 2004; President, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA), London, 2006-2010; Member of Executive Committee, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM); Member, Executive Committee and Jurist at the Association of International Broadcasting, London, Founding Signatory, African Broadcasting Media Partnership (ABMP) on HIV/AIDS, San Francisco, USA, 2005, among others.
At the Voice of Nigeria, Jijiwa built the iconic full-fledged digital VON Transmitting Station at Lugbe, Abuja, from scratch. It was the first of its kind in Africa. While Jijiwa instilled a spirit of camaraderie in the “VON family,” he constructed the permanent VON Broadcasting House Complex. With the benefit of hindsight, Jijiwa set up the first FM station for the Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Yola, which was also the first in the North East sub-region of the country.
After his remarkable work at the Voice of Nigeria, Jijiwa retired from the federal civil service. He is currently serving his country in other capacities as the Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, for Adamawa State, and Member, Board of Directors of the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
Tracing his footprints from 1986 when he was just 25, Jijiwa made his first landmark achievements in his journey in the public service as Secretary and Administrator of Fufore Local Government Area, Adamawa State, for two years. During his office as Secretary, the local government built its secretariat, motor-park, central market, and township stadium in Fufore Town. In Gurin, other projects built were the health and maternity centers, market and motor-park, etc.
Jijiwa served as the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning in Adamawa State from 1995 to 1999. He participated as a member at the National Constitutional Conference in 2014. Abubakar Jijiwa was engaged in other professional engagements including Chairman, Investigative Panel on Gongola Press Limited; Chairman, Committee to Research, Document and Publish ‘The History of Gongola State: 1976-1990’; Chairman, Gongola State Tourism Special Task Force; Member, Board of Directors of the Highland Bank Limited; Member, Board of Directors of the Fufore Microfinance Bank Limited; Chairman, Common Heritage Foundation; Chairman, VONSCOPE Magazine; Chairman, Adamawa State UN Development Programme; Member, Advertising Heads of Sectional Groups; Member, Presidential Committee on Community Radio Broadcasting Policy; Member, Presidential Committee on the Restructuring of the Telecommunications Sector; Chairman, Federal Government Committee to advise on the Review of Salaries for the Media and Cultural Sector, etc.
Jijiwa has traversed the entire media landscape in various capacities spanning broadcasting, print and the wire news, at all the three tiers of government i.e. local, state and federal. He is married with children and loves traveling, playing squash, reading books, mentoring youths, and conducting research on historical and political matters. He has visited several countries including Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, United States of America, Switzerland, Niger, Benin, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Czech Republic, Austria, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Bahamas, Kenya, India, Norway, China, Vietnam, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Italy, Turkey, Indonesia, The Gambia, Macau (PR China), Algeria and Thailand.
Jijiwa was a recipient of the National Honor of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2010 conferred by President Goodluck Jonathan. He holds the traditional title of Sardauna Ribadu in Adamawa Emirate, and other titles such as Dan Lawan Jiwa in Jiwa Chiefdom of FCT and Bobaselu of Ode-Lemo in Remoland, Ogun State.