Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i

Who is Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i?

Professor Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i was appointed Nigerian minister of Education on 6 April 2010, when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan announced his new cabinet.

Rufai was born in Ringim in Jigawa State, She obtained a B.Ed in History at the Bayero University, Kano in 1981, an MA in History from the same university in 1987 and PhD in Education from the West Virginia University, USA in 1991. She was Commissioner for Health under the military regime of General Sani Abacha between 1993 and 1996.

She was promoted professor in 2003, and served as Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Jigawa State. She said she was always ashamed when faced with the challenge of low enrollment of the girl-child in Jigawa State, and found it difficult to explain why the state could not enroll more girls in the schools. She banned the use of mobile phones in secondary schools due to their distracting influence.