Nigeria: Former NIPSS DG, Muhammad-Bande Turbaned Baraden Besse

What the report says

Prof Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the former director-general of Nigeria’s National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), has been turbaned as Baraden Besse, the District Head of Besse, by the Gwandu Emirate Council in Kebbi State. The ceremony took place at the Abdullahi Fodio Palace in Birnin Kebbi and was conducted by the Emir of Gwandu, Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Iliyasu Bashar, according to the Leadership report republished by AllAfrica.

The emirate said the traditional title was given in recognition of Muhammad-Bande’s service to Nigeria and the wider international community. A statement from NIPSS in Jos also described him as bringing experience from academia, public administration and diplomacy to the new role. The gathering reportedly included traditional leaders, academics, diplomats, public officials and associates.

Muhammad-Bande led NIPSS in Kuru from 2010 to 2016, after serving at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where he later became vice-chancellor. He then moved into diplomacy and served as Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations. He was elected president of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly and held that post from September 2019 to September 2020. The article said his career has made him one of Nigeria’s more prominent public figures in policy and international affairs.