He started Qur’anic and Islamiyya school at a tender age where he acquired Islamic knowledge. He later moved to Dawakin Tofa Primary School from 1956 to 1963. He obtained his SSCE from Government Secondary School Birnin Kudu in 1968.
He attended Advance Teachers College Kano between 1969 and 1972, and was awarded Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE). He completed his Bachelor degree in Science Education at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1975.
In 1979 he obtained his first Masters degree in Applied Educational Psychology from Bayero University Kano.
In 1985 he his Masters in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and a PhD in Public Administration in 1993, from University of Ibadan,
In the year 1979 he ventured into politics by joining the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) where he served as the Assistant Secretary for Kano State between the years 1979 and 1980.
His passion to serve his people took him into politics, he joined now-defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) during the Second Nigerian Republic and served as Kano State Assistant Secretary from 1979 to 1980.
He later became the deputy to governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State under the platform of People Democratic Party (PDP) between the years 1999 and 2003.
He was also the commissioner for Local Government from 2003 to 2007. he served as the special Adviser (Political) to the Hon. Minister of Defence, Federal Republic of Nigeria between the years 2003 and 2007.
He also served as member of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He was appointed chairman of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti in 2008 and was later appointed as the executive secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission at Ndjamena, Republic of Chad. He participated in the 2006 Nigerian Political Reforms Conference.
He was conferred the national honour of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in September 2012 by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was elected Governor of Kano state on April 2015, and sworn in on 29 May 2015 under the platform of All Progressive Congress APC
He is married to Mrs. Hafsat Umar, and his children include Abdulaziz, Amina, Asiya, Umar, Zainab, Fatima, Muhammad.
