Sen. (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam is a highly experienced public servant with over 20 years of significant experience in public administration and governance. Dr. Gaidam is an Alumni of the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, where he obtained his first degree in Accounting.  He is also an accomplished Charted Accountant and Astute Political Leader.  As the longest serving governor of Yobe state, he led transformative policies and programs across health, education, and infrastructure, with focus on improving quality of life through education and economic empowerment initiatives.

As his public service career peaked, Ibrahim Gaidam rose from the rank of an Accountant to Assistant Director of Finance in the Defunct Directorate of Foods, Roads, and Rural Infrastructure (DFFR) and to acting Director of Finance and Supplies in Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture amongst others.

Gaidam was appointed Commissioner of Youths and Sports in August 1995 by the then Military Administrator of Yobe State, CP. Dabo Aliyu.  After nearly a year in the Sports Ministry, he was reassigned as Commissioner of Commerce and Industries, a position he held until 1997.

On May 29^th 2007, Gaidam was sworn-in as deputy governor, a position he held for a period of 20 months before he was sworn in as Executive Governor on January 27^th, 2009.  He was elected as governor of Yobe State in 2011 and re-elected again in 2015, effectively becoming the longest serving governor in the history of Yobe State and indeed the country.

Senator Gaidam’s stewardship as executive governor of Yobe State was marked by wide ranging transformative policies programs and projects such as the construction of 1600 new housing units, which have since been allocated to civil servants and other individuals at a record 65% discount; and the provision of free medical care to pregnant women and children from 0 to 5 years as well as accident victims within the first 72 hours of their admission in hospital.

He also built a new 200-bed capacity ultra-modern hospital, which became the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital and established a Medical College at the Yobe State University.  Gaidam is also on record as being the first governor in the history of the state who began to offer free dialysis to patients of kidney disease from Yobe State.  Gaidam also built over 1200 kilometers of roads linking strategic towns and villages across Yobe State.     During his tenure as governor of Yobe State, Dr. Ibrahim Gaidam also prioritized education by ensuring that Yobe State meets the 26% annual budgetary allocation to the education sector as recommended by the United Nations.  Resulting from massive injection of funds for school renovation and upgrading, Yobe’s education sector experienced some of its best moments in history.  Over twenty secondary schools were renovated and upgraded while funds was expanded to improve the quality of academic offerings at the Yobe State University.  During his tenure as Governor, Gaidam also sponsored over 1400 Yobe students for various degree and postgraduate degree courses in different countries of the world.

Gaidam’s approach to politics is captured in a statement he made when he said “politics is all about the administration of public affairs, management of scarce resources, preservation of peace, protection of the rights of citizens and the improvement of living conditions.  Politics is, therefore, all about service to the people’.

During his tenure as governor, Gaidam was named “Best Governor of the Year for the Northeast Region” by Sardauna Magazine for his administration’s effort at “using lean resources to make a big impact in the lives of the people of Yobe State” despite the prevailing security challenges. He was also recognized as the “Best Governor of the Year in 2010”.  He also bagged the “Housing Governor of the Year 2011” at the Abuja Housing Show.

In June 2014 the Nigerian-Turkish Nile University Abuja conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Science in Management on Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in recognition of his administration’s efforts at improving the state’s education sector.

 In March 2018, the Lincoln University College of Malaysia, based in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur, conferred a Gold Merit Award on H.E. Sen. Ibrahim Gaidam for working hard to improve education and security in Yobe State despite the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency at the time.  The award was conferred on him at the University’s 2018 Convocation Ceremony which took place at the Putra World Trade Centre in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.  Lincoln University’s Vice Chancellor Dr. Amiya Bhaumik said they were impressed that, despite the insurgency in Yobe State, Governor Gaidam had forged ahead to rebuild, expand, and equip schools, including some of those earlier destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents, and took other measures to improve education in the state.  In the words of the Vice Chancellor of Lincoln University, Dr. Gaidam live the philosophy of Abraham Lincoln of working for the good of humanity.

In recognition of his effort in promoting education, especially women’s education, free medication policy for pregnant women and children from 0 to 5 years, and for ‘using lean resources to make big impact in the lives of the people of Yobe State.  Senator Ibrahim Gaidam was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law by Ahfad University in Omdurman, Sudan in 2018.

In recognition of his distinguished meritorious and dedicated service to Yobe State and humanity, both Council and Senate of Yobe State University, Damaturu unanimously resolved that the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) honoris causa be conferred on His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Dr. Ibrahim Gaidam”.

After his commendable and historic tenure as governor, Gaidam was elected as Senator representing Yobe Zone A in the 2019 elections.

He was also re-elected to represent the good people of Yobe East Senatorial District in 2023, and resigned from the Senate, following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Minister of Police Affairs.