Badaru Abubakar

Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (born 29 September 1962 He previously served as the governor of Jigawa State from 2015 to 2023.

Badaru, as he is popularly called, was a one-time chairman of the Nigerian Presidential committee on fertilizer distribution to farmers, and also a former chairman of a presidential committee on non-oil revenue. He is the founder of Talamiz Group.

Education Abubakar is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained a BSc accounting degree. While studying at the university, he became involved in community activism, sport and business. Badaru is also an alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru.

Career as industrialist After his graduation, Badaru established his business, the Talamiz Group, a conglomerate with diverse interest in automobiles, manufacturing, agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as commodity distribution.

Career in politics He was Vice President II of the Federation of the West Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industries and a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. Prior to that, he was a member of the National Council on Privatisation.

Badaru is currently the national president of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture. He was a gubernatorial candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria but lost to Sule Lamido. Badaru won the 2015 Jigawa governorship.

Minister of defence As a surge of bandit attacks gripped Nigeria in November 2025, it became glaring that neither the minister of defense (Abubakar) nor his deputy, the minister of state for defense (Bello Matawalle) had any defense or security experience. Both are former governors from the hotbed of the kidnapping crisis who are seen as sympathetic to the bandits based on their utterances in the media. On a BBC Hausa interview in late November 2025, Abubakar made the shocking claim that the bandits hide in forests so dense that bombs cannot reach them. As such, pressure mounted for both civilian defense ministers to be replaced.

On December 2, 2025, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar resigned "for health reasons" and was replaced by the former chief of defense staff, gen Christopher Musa who retired just a few weeks prior.

Awards In recognition of his hard work, philanthropic activities, Badaru was conferred with the traditional title of Sardaunan Ringim in Ringim emirate and Walin Jahun in Dutse emirate councils respectively. He was also conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by the president in 2006.