Tahir Mamman: Profile of professor on Tinubu’s ministerial nominee list

Professor Tahir Mamman OON, SAN, is a highly accomplished legal expert, educational administrator, and politician. He has held various prestigious positions in the field of law and academia, making significant contributions to Nigeria’s legal and educational landscape.

Education: Born in 1954 in Michika, Adamawa State, Tahir Mamman earned his LL.B degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1983. He was called to the Nigerian Bar at the Nigerian Law School in 1984. Subsequently, he pursued further studies and obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Warwick, England, in 1987. He furthered his academic pursuits by completing his Ph.D. at the University of Warwick in 1990.

Career and Academic Achievements: Professor Tahir Mamman’s academic career began as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri, where he later became the Dean. He also served in the judiciary in Adamawa State from 1974 to 1984. Throughout his career, he held various positions, including Head of Department of Common Law at the University of Maiduguri from 1991 to 1997. He was also a member of the National Universities Commission and the Local Government Election Tribunal in Adamawa State.

From 1997 to 2000, Tahir Mamman served as the Dean of Students Affairs at the University of Maiduguri and as an adviser and part-time consultant in the State House of Assembly in Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno States. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of Adamawa State University and served as an external examiner at Ahmadu Bello University from 2001 to 2002. He later became the Deputy Director of the Nigeria Law School Kano campus before being appointed as the Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, a position he held from 2005 to 2013.

Legal and Professional Memberships: Professor Tahir Mamman is an esteemed member of several legal and academic associations, including the Body of Benchers, Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, Commonwealth Legal Education Association, and the International Bar Association, among others. He is also a member of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) and the Governing Board of the International Association of Law Schools in Washington DC.

Political Career: Tahir Mamman ventured into party politics in 2014, following the completion of his tenure as Director-General of the Nigeria Law School. He ran for the Adamawa State Governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2014. In June 2020, he was appointed and inaugurated as a Member representing the Northeast Geopolitical Zone/Acting National Vice Chairman (Northeast) in the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC.

Honors and Recognitions: In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the legal profession and public service in Nigeria, Professor Tahir Mamman was conferred with the national honor of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal Government.

Professor Tahir Mamman OON, SAN, remains a highly respected figure in Nigeria, known for his expertise in law, his distinguished career in academia, and his active involvement in politics.