Kabiru Tanimu Turaki

Turaki's political career began during his school years, when he was chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Students’ Union of SCAS, Sokoto. At the University of Jos, he was a member of the Senate of the National Association of Nigerian Students and a member of the Students’ Representative Assembly of the University and President of the Federated Organisation of Sokoto State Students and President of Birnin Kebbi Youth Association.

However, as the political arena in the country shifted, Turaki decamped to United Nigerian Peoples’ Party and contested for the seat of Kebbi State Governor in 2003. After the 2003 elections, he decamped to People's Democratic Party the same year and was the Party's Kebbi State gubernatorial aspirant in 2007. Following series of betrayals and numerous controversies, Turaki decided to join ACN in 2011. This, however, did not last as he later returned to People's Democratic Party the same year. In 2014/15, Turaki was appointed deputy director general (North) of the People's Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization.

“We’re still working on the framework where we’ll sign an agreement and we’ll make that public. Wherever and whenever we agree on the time and place, the international and local media as well as all Nigerians will be privy to it.”

In 2014 he was chosen by President Goodluck Jonathan to serve as the deputy director general of his campaign, and in 2015 was appointed to the board of trustees of the People's Democratic Party.

In 2013, Turaki was chosen by President Goodluck Jonathan for the rebirthing Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs. The President added the responsibility of Supervising Ministry of Labour and Productivity in 2014. Turaki managed the two ministries until 2015.

On April 24, 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North to be chaired by Turaki. The committee was to open talks with Boko Haram within three months, and work out modalities for an amnesty for the insurgents and compensation for its victims.

On June 16, 2013, the committee made first public statement detailing how the federal government planned to begin the process of disarmament and de-radicalization of Boko Haram members who surrendered their arms as well as ensuring that they were rehabilitated.

On July 11, 2013, the committee announced ceasefire deal with Boko Haram. Turaki stated that the ceasefire deal had the blessings of Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, the sect's leader. He further gave assurance that all Nigerians would be privy to a ceasefire agreement that would be signed in due course. In his words:

However, on July 13, 2013, barely 48 hours after Turaki's statement, Shekau punctured the federal government's claim that the Islamist extremists had agreed to a ceasefire deal in the spirit of Ramadan.

On July 22, 2013, nine days after Shekau released his video, Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately disband the Turaki-led committee. The association claimed that it would amount to grave disservice to the public for the committee to continue to exist after Shekau had debunked Turaki's claim that his committee has secured a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram. They further described the exercise as a “huge scam and a scandalous contraption that ought not to have been set up in the first place”. On July 31, 2013, another Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, called for the immediate disbandment of the committee, saying recent events had overtaken its usefulness. They also called for an urgent probe of Turaki, who was also the Minister of Special Duties, to ascertain where his hoax of a ceasefire came from. Afenifere expressed concerns over renewed violent campaigns by the radical Islamist sect which claimed scores of lives in separate attacks in Borno and Kano States within 48 hours.

In August 2013, the Nigerian government rejected gay marriage at the Federal Executive Council despite pressure from the international community to legalize it. Being the minister who gave an insight into how the federal government took the decision, a forum of individuals and organizations who support gay marriage channelled their grievance directly to Turaki. In a statement directly made by Turaki, he said:

Turaki has been a member of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Committee on the Judiciary, and a member of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Judicial Institute. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Nigerian Copyright Commission by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012, a position he held until 2013 when he became a minister in the government of Nigeria with the responsibility of piloting the newly recreated Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs and as the Honourable Supervising Minister of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity in 2014 and 2015. He was also made the Chairman of the White Paper Committee on the Report of the Presidential Committee of Experts on Interprofessional Relationships in the Public Health Sector. President Jonathan also appointed Turaki as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North.

Turaki was a member of the National Political Reform Conference in 2004, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Team Nigerian Trust Fund, a body that was set up to galvanize private sector participation in the sports development and financing in Nigeria.

He was appointed the Dan Masanin Gwandu by the Emir of Gwandu in February, 2002, in celebration of his achievements, and support for the development of his community. He was also conferred with the traditional title of Zarumman Kabi by Argungu Emirate in 2012.

He was at various times a member of the Council of Legal Education, as well as member for the review of investment laws in Nigeria. He was also a member of the Ministerial Committee for the Implementation of Reforms in the Nigeria Police Force as well as the committees set up by the Body of Benchers to review the laws regulating legal practice in Nigeria. His contributions led to his appointment as a notary public by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and his elevation of the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2002.

Turaki was appointed a member of the Kano State Law Reporting Committee in 1999 and a member of the Committee for the review of legislation in Kano State. The following year, he served in the committee that reviewed the Northern States Penal Code Law in 1992.

When the Nigeria Bar Association was going through one of its trying moments, Turaki was one of those called upon to resolve its crisis in 1993.

On graduation from the Nigerian Law School, Turaki opted to be a private legal practitioner. Instead of remaining in his hometown, he went to Kano where he became a senior consul with Alhaji Tijjani Abdullahi and Company (Solicitors and Advocates) in 1987. After two years, he formed to K. T. Turaki and Co.

To further his education, Kabiru went to the College of Arts and Science, Sokoto for his I.J.M.B., and then earned admission into the University of Jos, to read law. He graduated with honour and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos where he was called to the Nigerian bar in 1986.

After graduating, Turaki continued participating in politics. He was secretary of the Youth Wing of the National Party of Nigeria in 1981. He joined United Nigeria Congress Party in 1996 where he stood as Kebbi State Gubernatorial aspirant for the party. In 1998, Turaki joined All Peoples’ Party where he was member of its National Executive Committee and in 2000 he was elevated to its Board of Trustees.

Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, FCIArb, FABs, FCIDA, HCH.Hm, MPIS, MHCA (Dan Masanin Gwandu, Zarumman Kabbi) (born 3 April 1957) is a senior advocate of Nigeria, a former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernment Affairs, former supervising Minister, Ministry of Labour, having served from 2013–2015 and 2014–2015 respectively and current Chairman of People's Democratic Party former Ministers’ Forum of Nigeria.