Katsinatimes
Late Lawal Kaita, born on October 4, 1932, was one of Nigeria’s most influential politicians and a prominent figure in northern politics during the Second Republic and beyond.
Kaita briefly served as Governor of Kaduna State in 1983 under the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). His administration was cut short in December of the same year following the military coup led by Muhammadu Buhari, which brought an end to civilian rule.
Born in Katsina, Lawal Kaita hailed from the prestigious Nagogo royal family of the Katsina Emirate and was closely related to former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
He attended Barewa College between 1946 and 1950 before furthering his education at the London School of Economics from 1971 to 1972.
Kaita began his public service career in Kaduna State, where he held several strategic positions, including Secretary of the State Water Board, Commissioner for Economic Planning, and Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works.
Between 1977 and 1978, he served as a member of Nigeria’s Constituent Assembly and later became Special Assistant to President Shehu Shagari from 1980 to 1982.
Although he narrowly lost the 1979 Kaduna governorship election to Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, Kaita later played a major role in the political crisis that led to Balarabe Musa’s impeachment in 1981.
Following the death of the Emir of Katsina, Usman Nagogo, in 1982, Kaita contested for the Katsina Emirate throne before eventually winning the Kaduna governorship election in 1983.
During military rule, he remained an influential political strategist in northern Nigeria. After the detention of Shehu Musa Yar'Adua by the regime of Sani Abacha in 1995, Kaita emerged as a leading figure in the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), a political movement that included notable politicians such as Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
He was also among the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998. However, he defected to the Action Congress in 2006, which later evolved into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), before returning to the PDP with many of his supporters on August 19, 2010.
Lawal Kaita died on January 2, 2018, at the age of 85, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Nigeria’s political history and northern political development.
