Former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Prof. Jibril Aminu, died on June 5, at the age of 85. He passed on after a protracted illness and was later buried in his hometown of Song in Adamawa State after funeral prayer held at the National Mosque, Abuja. Aminu was an elder statesman, renowned cardiologist, academic, politician and diplomat. He was one of Nigeria’s renowned medical doctors.
Born on August 25, 1939, Jibril Aminu studied medicine and obtained his M.B.B.S from the University of Ibadan in 1965, capping it with a PhD in Medicine from the Royal Post-Graduate Medical School, London in 1972. His brilliance in medicine earned him many academic and professional laurels underscoring his commitment to scholarship. He was appointed a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science in 1972, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London in 1980 and a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in 1980. He was made a Distinguished Fellow of the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College in 2004.
Aminu’s career covered may fields and sections at various times. He was a Consultant in Medicine, Senior Lecturer and Sub-Dean, Clinical Studies at the University of Ibadan Medical School from 1973–1975) and Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission from 1975–1979. He was a Visiting Professor of Medicine at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington DC (1979–1980) and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, 1980–1985. He was also Professor of Medicine at the University of Maiduguri (1979–1995).
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Aminu was the Minister of Education and then Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992). While serving as Petroleum Minister, he was President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (1991) and President of the OPEC Conference (1991–1992).
He was elected a delegate to the National Constitutional Conference (1994–1995). From 1999 to 2003, Aminu was Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America. He was elected to the Senate for Adamawa Central in 2003 and reelected in 2007. As a Senator, Aminu was appointed to committees on Foreign Affairs, Education, Air Force and Health.
Professor Aminu epitomised statesmanship and was committed to building a greater Nigeria. At any of the positions he held, the late Senator acquitted himself creditably. Between 1975 and 1979 when Aminu served as the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), he laid solid foundation for tertiary education in the country.
His tenure at the NUC was marked by conscious efforts at standardising academic programmes in the universities, enhancing research capabilities and laying the groundwork for a more robust university system capable of meeting national development needs. He led reforms in the Commission that instituted quality and standard that ensured Nigerian universities could compete globally. Among his landmark achievements in the NUC was equipping the Commission with legal and regulatory frameworks such as the Minimum Academic Standards (MAS) and establishing seven additional universities as the head of the NUC.
At the University of Maiduguri where he was Vice Chancellor, the late Professor exhibited astute leadership and fostered an environment conducive to learning and innovation. His entry into the federal cabinet marked the beginning of another impactful phase of public service, marked by characteristic thoroughness and brilliance to national policy-making. At the Ministry of Education, he established the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), which aimed at giving educational opportunities to children of herders and farmers outside the township. As Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Aminu worked tirelessly to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
Nigerians of diverse backgrounds have paid glowing tributes to the late diplomat. In a tribute, President Bola Tinubu described the passing of Aminu as a profound loss to the nation, adding that he straddled his profession and politics exceptionally, bringing erudition and brilliance to statecraft. According to Tinubu, Professor Aminu epitomised statesmanship and was committed to building a greater Nigeria.
Vice President Kashim Shettima eulogised the departed minister as a man who saw it all and an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced. Shettima described Aminu as “the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar lauded Aminu as a man of remarkable intellect and dedication. Atiku wrote: “His service to Nigeria in various capacities—Minister of Education, Minister of Petroleum, and Ambassador to the United States—left an indelible mark on our nation.”
Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda said Aminu embodied the finest qualities of leadership, scholarship, and public service. The governor lauded the late professor’s remarkable journey from academia to the highest levels of government, noting his transformative tenure as minister of education and later minister of petroleum. We commiserate with his family over the irreparable loss.
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