By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Former National President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mallam Sani Muhammed Zoro, has been appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President (Office of the First Lady) on Public Affairs and Strategy.
This was announced at the weekend in a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
Zoro, a distinguished Journalist of many decades of professional work experience, was a former Group Regional Editor (North) of the defunct Concord Press Limited, a media conglomerate owned by late billionaire politician, Bashorun MKO Abiola.
Sani who is highly respected in the Nigerian media industry by his colleagues, was born in 1959, in Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State, North West, Nigeria.
In the 2015 general elections, Hon. Sani Zoro was elected into the Federal House of Representatives as a lawmaker to represent Gumel/Maigatari/Sule Tankarkar/Gagarawa Federal Constituency of Jigawa State. While in the lower house of the Nigeria's National Assembly, Zoro became the Chairman of the House Committee on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on North East Zone.
The Journalist, Media Strategist and Politician is noted for his good public relations disposition and skill. He is also recognised for his versatility and media professionalism, a skill he brought into the House of Representatives as a parliamentarian.
Hon. Sani Muhammed Zoro was renowned for a bill he sponsored in 2016 in the federal parliament, calling for the establishment of a National Commission for Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Migrants. This bill was very popular among the Nigerian people and Hon. Zoro was well commended for this legislative initiative which came as a game changer at a time the nation was battling with refugee crisis, arising from the fall-out of violent insurgency in most parts of Northern Nigeria.
A devote Muslim, Zoro's legislative interests were evident at the House of Reps plenary sessions where he moved very powerful public interest motions and canvassed legislative logics that swayed his admirers and impressed his Constituency, his media and parliamentary colleagues, as well as even his political opponents in his home state of Jigawa. He equally has interest in inter-parliamentary representation and legislative communication.
The new Presidential Aide is however well educated which has prepared him for his challenging professional career endeavors. He began his early education in Jigawa State, where he attended a College of Education in the local town of Gumel. Zoro later proceeded to the Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom where he obtained a Master's degree in Corporate Governance. He also acquired other professional skills in media and reputation management, making him quite suitable for his new Presidential assignment. NNL.