Dalhatu Tafida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dalhatu Sarki Tafida | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Kaduna State North District | |
| In office 29 May 1999 – 29 May 2007 | |
| Succeeded by | Ahmed Makarfi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 November 1940 |
| Party | People's Democratic Party |
Dalhatu Sarki Tafida (born 24 November 1940) was elected Senator for the Kaduna North Senatorial District of Kaduna State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999.[1] He was reelected for a further four-year term in 2003.[2]
Tafida was born on 24 November 1940 in Zaria, Kaduna State.[3] He attended Barewa College, Zaria (1954 - 1959) and Government College, Keffi (1960 - 1961), then was admitted to the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (1962-1967) where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He was House Officer and then Senior House Officer at Ahmadu Bello University, (1967 - 1969) and Registrar (1969 - 1970). He studied at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, England (1970 - 1971) and the University of Liverpool, England (1971-1972), obtaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health.
Later he studied at Johns Hopkins University in the USA (1974).[4]
Tafida was Senior Registrar in Medicine in Katsina Specialist Hospital (1972 - 1973), Consultant Physician to the Kaduna State Ministry of Health (1973 - 1976) and Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health (1976 - 1980).[4]
He was personal physician to President Shehu Shagari (1980 - 1983).[5]
In 1983, he was awarded the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).[3]
He was Commissioner of Health, Commissioner of Agriculture and then Commissioner of Education in Kaduna State between 1984 and 1987.[4] In the 1992 presidential primaries for the National Republican Convention (NRC) Tafida defeated former military ruler General Yakubu Gowon in the Zaria ward under the Option A4 system.[6]
He was appointed Federal Minister of Health between 1993 and 1995.[4]
He was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party together with politicians such as Atiku Abubakar, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila and Tony Anenih, he was given the traditional title of Tafidan Zazzau in 1995.[3]