• With Dr Oluwakemi Obayelu also nominated for the February 14–15 election
February 9, 2026
Two prominent Nigerians have been nominated by the Federal Government for election into the African Union Panel of Eminent Personalities of the African Peer Review Mechanism, highlighting Nigeria’s active role in continental governance and diplomacy.
Topping the list is Prof. Aminu Ibrahim Gusau, mni, a seasoned governance expert, leadership specialist, and visiting professor at the University of Kansas, United States.
Prof. Gusau, who has served as a director at both the Nigerian Railway Corporation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, brings extensive experience spanning academia, public service, anti corruption administration, and executive consulting.
He is widely regarded in diplomatic circles across Africa and beyond as a top notch technocrat with operational experience in public sector performance.
Official sources familiar with the nomination say his extensive national and international service aligns strongly with the African Union’s selection criteria for the Panel of Eminent Personalities, explaining why he was listed first among Nigeria’s nominees ahead of the election scheduled for.
Originally from Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Prof. Gusau’s academic journey spans Nigeria and the United States.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Kansas in 1996.
He earned a Master’s degree in Management from Baker University in 2001.
He earned a Post MS certification in International Management in 2003.
In 2014, he completed a PhD in Business Administration, International Business, at Northcentral University, Arizona.
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In Nigeria, he attended the Senior Executive Course, SEC 36, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Jos, earning the distinguished title of Member of the National Institute, mni.
Further strengthening his leadership credentials, Prof. Gusau completed executive programmes at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and Kansas State University, focusing on leadership development and public sector effectiveness.
While in the United States, he served as Programme Director of the Africana Leadership Institute at the University of Kansas, teaching courses on Nigerian business and political culture, language, and African cultural studies.
He also played a key role in strengthening educational ties between Nigeria and the United States, facilitating donations of over 1,000 books and 500 computers to Nigerian institutions and coordinating academic exchange programmes.
In Nigeria, Prof. Gusau served as Director of Administration and Human Resources at the Nigerian Railway Corporation between 2011 and 2018, where he chaired strategic committees and represented the corporation on several inter agency boards.
In 2018, he was seconded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, initially as Director of Planning, Policy and Statistics, and later as Director of Organisational Support, becoming the first civilian to hold the position substantively for several years.
He currently lectures as a visiting professor at the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies, University of Abuja, and chairs the board of the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company Limited, AUMTCO.
In 2023, he served on the Zamfara State Transition Committee, contributing to governance blueprints for the Dauda Lawal administration.
Through ANHI Consultants International Limited, Prof. Gusau has, since 2021, designed and implemented leadership, ethical governance, anti corruption, and business facilitation programmes for government and private sector institutions.
A major highlight was the 2025 Kano State Special Executive Leadership Training Programme, one of Nigeria’s largest governance capacity building initiatives.
He also sponsors seven postgraduate students at the Sultan Maccido Institute, University of Abuja, one PhD candidate and six master’s students.
The second Nigerian nominee is Dr Oluwakemi Adeola Obayelu, a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Ibadan, widely recognised for her expertise in development economics, food security, agricultural policy, and sustainable livelihoods.
Her research and policy work have significantly shaped Nigeria’s agricultural development and rural economic planning.
The Panel of Eminent Personalities serves as the apex oversight body of the APRM, providing strategic guidance, safeguarding the mechanism’s integrity, and ensuring independent peer reviews of governance across African states.
Election to the panel is regarded as a prestigious recognition of professional excellence, integrity, and commitment to democratic governance and sustainable development in Africa.
If elected at the African Union Assembly scheduled for February 14 and 15, 2026, in Addis Ababa, the two nominees are expected to bring their combined expertise in governance reform, economic development, ethical leadership, and accountability to the continental stage.
The position carries a four year tenure and is filled through voting by African Union heads of state and government.
