Meet Zakari, the pharmacist now in charge of INEC

There was a mild drama on Tuesday as former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega bowed out of office, handing over to Amb Ahmed Wali.

Few hours after the handing over, President Muhammadu Buhari, appointed Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari, a pharmacist as the Acting Chairman of INEC

Amina Bala Zakari, Nee Husaini Adamu, born 23rd of June 1960, hails from Kazaure Local Government of Jigawa State. She completed her elementary education at Shekara Girls Primary School, Kano in 1971 and proceeded to the prestigious Queens College Yaba, Lagos for her Secondary Education where she obtained her School Certificate/WASC in 1976.

In 1976, she proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for a degree programme, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Degree in Pharmacy with a Second Class Upper in 1980.

Zakari had her National Youth Service Programme at the Federal University of Technology, Bauchi between 1981 -1982, where she set up a Pharmacy and Drug Store Dispensary as her service year project.

Her other academic qualifications include, Certificate in Managing Drugs Supply for Primary Health Care from the International Drug Agency, MHS Amsterdam, Netherlands and a Certificate in General Management Programme, Executive Education in Business and Management, Harvard Business School (HBS) Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

She began her professional career at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna as a Senior Pharmacist in 1984.

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She was at CVS Pharmacy Hartsdale, New York, USA between 1993 and 1994 as an Intern Pharmacist and returned to Nigeria to join the Consolidated Health Services, Abakpa Kaduna, where she became the Chief Pharmacist/Consultant from 1996 to 1997.

She also worked with Afri-Project Consortium, Abuja from 1999 to 2001, where she was also a Senior Consultant/Chief Pharmacist, and later joined the services of the Federal Capital Territory Administration in 2004, where she was one time Secretary Health and Human Services, Secretary Social Development and Acting Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development.

Her career as a pharmacist Consultant, saw her working with the National AIDS and STDs Control Program (NASCP), Federal Ministry of Health 2002, Project Director for National Primary Health care Development Agency in 2003, Project Coordinator for FCT Federation of Muslim Women’s Organization (FOMWAN) 2003, National Consultant, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) 2004, Lead Consultant/ Project Manager, Songhai Medical Centre Limited 2008, Consultant, Complete Medicare Limited and Accessible Managed Care Limited 2008 and Consultant, Millennium Development Goal Office 2008.

Amina Zakari is a Registered Pharmacist and Member, Pharmacist’s Society of Nigeria as well as member of Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM).

Her hobbies include reading, crafts and traveling.

She is a widow with five children.

Before her appointment as head of the electoral umpire, she was a National Electoral Commissioner at INEC

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