Aliyu Abubakar Aziz
Born: Gembu, Mambilla Plateau, Taraba State, Nigeria Profession: Chartered Engineer, IT Expert, Administrator Notable Role: Former Director General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
Overview
Aliyu Abubakar Aziz is a chartered engineer with over 30 years of post-qualification experience in information technology, management, and administration. He served as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Aziz has worked with several transformative government institutions and is known for his role in integrating IT solutions across public sector frameworks.
Early Life and Education
Aziz was born in Gembu, Mambilla Plateau, Taraba State, Nigeria. He attended Ganye 1 Primary School and Government Secondary School Ganye, both in Adamawa State. He then attended the School of Basic Studies, Zaria, where he earned his 'A' level qualifications.
Aziz obtained a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering (Second Class Upper) from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1983 and later received an M.Sc. in Structural Engineering with a focus on Computer-Aided Design in 1987. He also holds an NCC Certificate in Systems Analysis and Design (1985).
He is currently pursuing a PhD in Reliability of Offshore Structures at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
Aziz is an alumnus of Harvard and Stanford Universities, IMD, and Lagos Business School, where he obtained specialized training and certifications in engineering and management fields, including programs in the UK, USA, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Engineering and IT Career
Aziz began his career as a Graduate Assistant in the Civil Engineering Department of ABU Zaria. He later joined Mai and Associates in 1987 as a Pupil Engineer, rising to become Project Engineer.
In 1992, he co-founded Integrated Engineering Associates (IEA), serving as Principal Partner, where he designed and supervised notable structures in Abuja and Kaduna, including:
- NUC Secretariat
- PHCN Headquarters
- AP Plaza
- NACB Office Block
- Nigeria Ports Authority HQ
He was responsible for introducing custom computer programs (spreadsheets, AutoCAD, AutoLISP, MIS) for structural design. Aziz is also a computer programmer fluent in languages such as BASIC, FORTRAN, APL, C++, Lisp, Java, Python, and R.
Aziz served as Principal Consultant at Afri-Projects Consortium, where he headed the MIS Department of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). After PTF's dissolution, he founded Integrated Systems Solution Limited, offering IT consulting services.
In 2002, Aziz joined the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) as Deputy Director, IT, leading IT strategy and transformation during Nigeria’s privatization reforms.
In 2006, he was appointed IT Adviser to FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai, where he initiated an e-Government system that earned a Microsoft award. He later served in the Presidential Implementation Committee on:
- Consumer Credit System
- National Outsourcing Initiative
- Harmonization of Identification Schemes
He played a foundational role in establishing the National Identity Management Commission in 2007 and served as Director of IT/Identity Database until his retirement in 2014.
Leadership at NIMC
Aziz was appointed Director General/CEO of NIMC in November 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari and was reappointed in 2019 for a second term.
Key Achievements:
- In April 2019, he secured the highest global standard certification for Information Security Management for NIMC.
- In March 2019, he announced the global expansion of enrollment centers for Nigerians in the diaspora into the National Identity Database (NIDB).
References
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