Rinsola Abiola: Meet The APC Presidential Aspirants (3): Sam Nda Isaiah

Previously, we discussed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and as promised, here’s what you need to know about Sam Nda Isaiah.

Introduction

Sam Nda Isaiah is a renowned businessman and media mogul. He was born on May 1, 1962 in Minna, Niger State, and through a career in mass media spanning several decades, has been able to establish himself as an authority on good governance, unbiased political analysis and feasible solutions to Nigeria’s myriad of challenges.

Educational Background

His education began in 1968 at Christ Church School, Kaduna, from where he proceeded to Government College, Kaduna, in 1974. Upon graduation from secondary school in 1979, Sam gained admission into the prestigious University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), from where he bagged a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy in 1983. His
foray into the media world started during his undergraduate years when he was the editor-in-chief of the ‘Student Pharmacist’, then the official publication of all pharmaceutical departments in campuses across the country.
Sam is also an alumnus of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore and of the School of International and Public Affairs at the Columbia University.

Professional Career and Politics

After graduation, Sam worked briefly at the Kano Specialist Hospital, then at the Minna General Hospital. In 1984, as a youth corp member, he was assigned to the General Hospital, Ilawe-Ekiti and the State Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti, both in Ekiti State. After the mandatory one year service, he was employed by Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, and remained in their employ until 1989 when he resigned and opted instead, to dive into the vast waters of entrepreneurship. The brand with which he is most popularly identified is the Leadership Group, publishers of the Leadership Newspaper, one of the leading newspaper agencies in Nigeria. He recently resigned as the Chairman of
Leadership Holdings in order to pursue his presidential ambition, and has also served as chairman of the board in a number of other companies such as Lease Praxis Ltd, Clayfields and Harrow, Grayston 77, among several others. Sam also sits on the board of trustees of the Nupe Foundation and is a member of the Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT), the Institute of Directors, the International Press Institute, the World Association of Newspapers, among numerous other prestigious groups and associations.
Sam, an advocate for good governance, has always been inclined towards politics. Since the advent of democracy in 1999, he has been an active member of the opposition, and even emerged as the deputy director-general of The Buhari Organisation, a group of Nigerians who were passionate about the candidacy of Muhammadu Buhari during his first presidential run. The TBO was then an organisation within Buhari’s party, the ANPP. Sam was also a member of the CPC, one of the legacy parties which merged with others to form the APC.

So What does he have to Offer?

Sam’s progressiveness has never been in doubt and in many quarters, he is recognised as one of the very first people with the vision of merging opposition parties into one powerful body in order to make efforts geared at achieving change much more effective. Sam is a strong believer in the unity of Nigeria and has proffered, on countless occasions, solutions and workable plans which would move Nigeria from third-world status to a first-world nation. To find out more about him, please visit samfornigeria.com.

Next, we discuss Muhammadu Buhari.

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Rinsola Abiola is an advocate for youth and women inclusion in politics, and can be reached on twitter via @Bint_Moshood.

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