16 Facts About Bolaji Abdullahi

Bolaji Abdullahi Ganiyu was born on 12 August 1969 and is a Nigerian politician, journalist, and writer from Ilorin, Kwara State.

Bolaji Abdullahi served in the cabinet of the ex-Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, as the Honourable Minister of Youth Development in July 2011, and as the Minister of Sports till 2014.

Bolaji Abdullahi was the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress.

Bolaji Abdullahi ran for office as Senator to represent Kwara Central Senatorial District in Nigeria's upper legislative chamber.

Bolaji Abdullahi spent his early years in Kontagora Niger State where he started his primary school.

Bolaji Abdullahi completed his primary education at Baraka LSMB primary school in Ilorin in 1981.

Bolaji Abdullahi briefly attended Iponrin Community Secondary School before proceeding to Government Secondary School, Kwali Abuja where he completed his secondary education in 1987.

Bolaji Abdullahi started his advanced level studies at the Federal School of Arts and Sciences Suleja, Niger State in 1988 and then proceeded to the University of Lagos where he earned a Second-Class Upper bachelor's degree in Mass Communication in 1994.

Bolaji Abdullahi has attended courses in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; Theodore Heuss Institute for Leadership in Gummersbach, Germany; World Bank Institute in Washington DC; and at Ashridge Business School, Berkhamsted, United Kingdom.

In 1997, Abdullahi joined the services of This Day newspapers as a reporter but left a year later for the Africa Leadership Forum, an international civil society organization founded by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, where he edited the organization's publications and managed training programmes in democratic leadership.

Bolaji Abdullahi returned in 2001 to This Day and rose to become Deputy Editor of the newspaper in 2003.

Bolaji Abdullahi wrote a weekly social and political commentary on the popular backpage column of the newspaper and started the newspaper's Development section.

Bolaji Abdullahi started his public service career in 2003 when he was appointed first as the Special Assistant, Communication and Strategy to the then Executive Governor of Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki in 2003, and later as the Special Adviser on Policy and Strategy in 2005.

Bolaji Abdullahi was then appointed as the Kwara State Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology from 2007 to 2011, during which period he championed one of the most comprehensive education reforms in the country and launched the flagship Every Child Counts, that brought hundreds of children back to public schools.

In December 2016, Bolaji Abdullahi was announced as the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, a position he retained after he was overwhelmingly elected at the party's national convention in July 2018.

Bolaji Abdullahi wrote the nonfiction book On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria about president Goodluck Jonathan's rise to power.