Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is a Nigerian businessman and politician, who became a governor on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and now an elected senator from Nasarawa State for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
Senator Al-Makura was born around 1952 in Lafia, Nasarawa State as the Gwandara ethnic Group. He attended Dunama Primary School, Lafia (1959–1966), Keffi Teacher’s College (1967–1971) and then Federal Advanced Teachers College, now (Federal College of Education, Uyo) (1972–75).
For a short period in 1975 he was an Assistant Producer at the Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria. He then went to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1975–1978), graduating with a Bachelor of Education Degree. For his National Youth Service he was a teacher at the Government College, Makurdi.
In 1978 he formed AlMakura Nigeria Limited, importing and servicing agricultural and industrial machinery. Later he ventured into real estate and property development as owner and chairman of Ta’al Nigeria Limited, with properties in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Washington DC, United States. He owns the Ta’al Lake Resort, Abuja and the Ta’al Conference Hotel, Lafia.
POLITICAL CAREER
In 1980, Senator Al-Makura became the youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Plateau State. He was elected to the constituent Assembly of 1988–89, representing the Lafia–Obi Federal Constituency of the present Nasarawa State. He was state secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in Plateau State from 1990 to 1992. Al-Makura was a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State in 1998.
Senator Al-Makura has an estimated net worth of $290 million and he defected from the PDP after losing the primary elections for the Nasarawa Governorship, contested on the platform of the CPC and was elected Governor of Nasarawa State, Nigeria on 26 April 2011, defeating the incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe-Doma of the PDP.
IMPEACHMENT STRUGGLE
On 14 July 2014 the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly gave a notice of impeachment to the Clerk of the House to serve on Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, with the document containing allegations of gross misconduct and was signed by twenty of the twenty four Assembly members.
The impeachment was supported by the twenty People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members which was vehemently opposed by the four All Progressive Congress (APC) members. On 17 July the House of Assembly decided that the impeachment notice would be served via the media, since the governor had been evading personal service.
On 20 July 2014 it was reported that the Nasarawa traditional rulers had called on both sides to refrain from holding rallies for or against the impeachment so as to avoid violence and on 23 July, four members of the Assembly tried to seize the speaker’s mace to delay a motion to ask the Chief Judge of the state to set up a seven-person panel to review the allegations of gross misconduct.
The members of the House met twenty minutes later and passed the motion by twenty votes against four.
After the aborted plan qimpeach Al-Makura, the goverment became more emboldened in carrying out its responsibilities and giving the governor more popularity that led to his victory at the Senatorial election to represent the Nasarawa South senatoroal district of Nasarawa state.
