Ibrahim Imam
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim Imam was a Kanuri politician from Borno
, Nigeria
who was the secretary of the Northern People's Congress and later became a patron of the Borno Youth Movement
. He was elected into the Northern House of Assembly in 1961, representing a Tiv
district. Prior to his election in 1961, he had represented his district of Yerwa in 1951 after supporting a strike of Native Administration workers.
family and his half-brother was the district head of Yerwa. He attended Katsina
College and after completing his studies joined the Borno Native Administration as an assistant and later became the supervisor of works in 1950.
assistant for the Borno Native Authority, he entered the political arena as the founder of the Borno Youth Improvement Association in 1949. In 1951, he contested and won a seat to the House of Assembly
defeating the Waziri
Mohammed. A year later at the inception of the Northern People's Congress
, which later became the dominant party in the region
, he was nominated as the party's secretary-general; he joined a large number of his colleagues from the regional
house who enlisted on the political platform of the new NPC. As the general secretary of NPC, he became one of the party's prominent campaign
ers and was involved in political tours, traveling for thousands of miles while providing support for the extension of the party through the establishment of branches in various towns and cities in the region.
After leaving the Native Authority, he became a building
contractor
to supplement his income as an honourable member of the House.
platform for political reform
of the local government in the north and also NPC's movement towards a reactionary
and imperialistic political union. A year later, he joined Aminu Kano
's Northern Elements Progressive Union and in 1956, he became the patron of the Borno Youth Movement
, a young organization that had grown out of its members disappointment with the native authority in Borno and the scandal of the Waziri, Mohammed. In 1956, he encouraged a fruitful alliance of the movement with NEPU particularly in Borno where the alliance later won two regional seats. But in a few years, Imam an ambitious politician
was in need of resources to organize the alliance in Bornu and in the Northern region left the merger due to the inability of NEPU to contribute enough resources to strengthen the party in the region. He left NEPU and established an alliance with the Action Group and later became the leader of opposition in the regional House of Assembly.
Borno
-Places:Italy* Borno, Lombardy, a comune in the Province of BresciaNigeria* Borno State* Kanem-Bornu Empire Other:Borno may also refer to a commonly used spam on Xbox live deriving from a game of scrabble...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
who was the secretary of the Northern People's Congress and later became a patron of the Borno Youth Movement
Borno Youth Movement
Borno Youth Movement was a Nigerian political party founded on June 26, 1954. The party was founded by young radicals of Kanuri heritage who were indignant with the administrative course of native authorities in Borno and wanted to reform the authority....
. He was elected into the Northern House of Assembly in 1961, representing a Tiv
Tiv
Tiv are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. They constitute approximately 2.5% of Nigeria's total population, and number over 5.6 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Tiv language is spoken by about 6...
district. Prior to his election in 1961, he had represented his district of Yerwa in 1951 after supporting a strike of Native Administration workers.
Early life and education
Imam was a Kanuri man from the Yerwa district of Borno. He was born in 1916 into an aristocraticAristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
family and his half-brother was the district head of Yerwa. He attended Katsina
Katsina
Katsina is a city , and a Local Government Area in northern Nigeria, and is the capital of Katsina State. Katsina is located some 160 miles east of the city of Sokoto, and 84 miles northwest of Kano, close to the border with Niger. As of 2007, Katsina's estimated population was 459,022...
College and after completing his studies joined the Borno Native Administration as an assistant and later became the supervisor of works in 1950.
Political career
While working as an engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
assistant for the Borno Native Authority, he entered the political arena as the founder of the Borno Youth Improvement Association in 1949. In 1951, he contested and won a seat to the House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
defeating the Waziri
Waziri
Waziri may refer to:* Wazir , a Pashtun tribe* Waziri language, spoken by Waziris* Waziri , a breed of sheep originating in Waziristan* Something or someone originating from Waziristan* The family name of the Sokoto Grand Vizier...
Mohammed. A year later at the inception of the Northern People's Congress
Northern People's Congress
Northern People's Congress is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1949, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966....
, which later became the dominant party in the region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
, he was nominated as the party's secretary-general; he joined a large number of his colleagues from the regional
Régional
Régional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, or Régional for short, is a subsidiary airline wholly owned by Air France which connects hubs at Paris, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Bordeaux to 49 airports in Europe. The airline operates in Air France livery, retaining its name in small titles and logo on...
house who enlisted on the political platform of the new NPC. As the general secretary of NPC, he became one of the party's prominent campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
ers and was involved in political tours, traveling for thousands of miles while providing support for the extension of the party through the establishment of branches in various towns and cities in the region.
After leaving the Native Authority, he became a building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
to supplement his income as an honourable member of the House.
Borno Youth Movement
In 1954, however, Imam resigned his position from NPC and left the party, citing the lack of a revolutionaryRevolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
platform for political reform
Reform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
of the local government in the north and also NPC's movement towards a reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
and imperialistic political union. A year later, he joined Aminu Kano
Aminu Kano
Aminu Kano was a Muslim politician from Nigeria. In the 1940s he led an Islamic movement in the north of the country in opposition to British rule...
's Northern Elements Progressive Union and in 1956, he became the patron of the Borno Youth Movement
Borno Youth Movement
Borno Youth Movement was a Nigerian political party founded on June 26, 1954. The party was founded by young radicals of Kanuri heritage who were indignant with the administrative course of native authorities in Borno and wanted to reform the authority....
, a young organization that had grown out of its members disappointment with the native authority in Borno and the scandal of the Waziri, Mohammed. In 1956, he encouraged a fruitful alliance of the movement with NEPU particularly in Borno where the alliance later won two regional seats. But in a few years, Imam an ambitious politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
was in need of resources to organize the alliance in Bornu and in the Northern region left the merger due to the inability of NEPU to contribute enough resources to strengthen the party in the region. He left NEPU and established an alliance with the Action Group and later became the leader of opposition in the regional House of Assembly.