Boss Mustapha’s full name is Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha. He is a Nigerian lawyer, businessman, management consultant, and politician. He is currently the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), where he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. This article provides you with information on the Boss Mustapha, his career, and lots more.
Boss Mustapha- Early life and Biography
Boss Mustapha was born in Adamawa state, in the North-Eastern of Nigeria. Mustapha had his primary school education in Hong, Adamawa state. He then proceeded to North East College of Arts and Sciences in Maiduguri, Borno State for his secondary school education. He graduated from secondary school in 1976. From there he attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study law and graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B) in 1979. Boss Mustapha went to the Nigeria Law School, Lagos for a mandatory one-year law class and graduated in 1980. He was called to the Nigerian bar in the same year.
He also went for the one-year mandatory national service between 1980 and 1981. He was Directorate of Legal Services at the Army Headquarters and was in charge of reviewing Court Marshall Proceedings.
Boss Mustapha – Legal Career
Mustapha is a lawyer and started his legal practice in 1983. After his National Service, he had worked at an Italian consultancy firm called Sotesa Nigeria Limited. Here, he worked as an Executive Director in charge of Administration. He left the firm in 1983 to work as a counsel at Messrs Onagoruwa & Co located in Lagos state. This was the start of his legal practice.
With his law practice fully taken off, he established his own law practice firm called Messrs Mustapha & Associates in 1994. At his law firm, he was appointed Principal Counsel where he served till 2000. His legal interests and expertise included privatization commercialization and Liberalization of Public Companies/Corporate and Government Parastatals. Boss Mustapha was also involved in the preparation of varied and miscellaneous banking documents such as Debentures, Guarantees, Mortgages, Bonds, and Loan Syndications. He later worked in another law firm Adriot Lex & Co. serving as Principal Consultant from 2000 to 2006.
Membership of professional bodies
Mustapha has been elected and appointed as a member of several boards of companies in various sectors such as manufacturing, finance sector, and oil and gas sectors both nationally and internationally. He is described as
In addition to being a member of the National Bar Association (NBA), he is also a member of several professional bodies such as Commonwealth Lawyers Association, African Bar Association, International Bar Association, and Human Rights Institute (HRI)
Boss Mustapha – Political career
Mustapha delved into politics in the 1980s after graduating from law school.
Between 1988 and 1989 he was a member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constituent Assembly. This was the body that drafted the 1989 constitution. The constitution was used only partially between 1993 and 1999 (Nigeria’s third republic).
In 1989, Mustapha was appointed as the state chairman of the Peoples Solidarity Party (PSP) in the defunct Gongola State (later divided into Adamawa and Taraba state). However, the party was among the several political parties disbanded by Babangida because they failed to meet the government’s standard.
From 1990 to 1991, Mustapha was the chairman of Adamawa state, Social Democratic Party. In 1991, he ran for Adamawa State governorship on the platform of SDP but lost to Abubakar Saleh Michika of the National Republican Convention.
2000 to present
In 2000, Mustapha was among the 7-man committee called Interim Management Committee which was tasked by President Obasanjo to probe the Muhammadu Buhari-led Petroleum Trust Fund. The report of the committee was never made public, this was one of Mr. Mustapha’s career highlights, he served here from 2000 to 2007.
At the Petroleum Trust Fund, he was responsible for the following:
- Production of up-to-date comprehensive project
- Programme report to include location and coverage of PTF projects
- Production of the final report of Assets and Liabilities
- Examination of the Administrative structure
- Examination of cost-effectiveness of Petroleum Trust Funds Projects and Services
After his work at the PTF in 2007, he was appointed Principal Partner of the law firm, Adroit Lex.
In the 2007 general elections, Mustapha served as the deputy director-general of the Atiku Abubakar’s campaign.
Mustapha was deputy national chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria. The party was among the 3 major parties that were merged to form the All Progressives Congress on the 6th of February 2013 in preparation for the 2015 general elections.
After the merge was done, he served in the presidential campaigns. He was among the members of the party’s transition committee that brought Muhammadu Buhari into power in Nigeria’s 2015 election. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the All Progressives Congress. Mustapha again ran unsuccessfully for Adamawa State governorship in 2014
Mr. Mustapha has also played key leadership roles at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). Here, he served as Social Secretary and Chairman at the Yola branch.
Mr. Boss Mustapha’s accomplishments go beyond politics and the Bar. He is well respected in the sphere of business and referred to as a boardroom guru. Boss Mustapha has been appointed into the boards of several companies in various sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, finances, oil and gas sectors, etc. He is also described as a nation builder. His mission being to serve his best in national development, the manufacturing financial services as well as the oil and gas sectors.
Appointment as Secretary to the Government of the Federation
Boss Mustapha was previously Managing Director of Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority until he was appointed as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by President Muhammad Buhari on the 30th of October 2017. Mr. Boss Mustapha was appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the 30th of October 2017. This was following the sack of Babachir David Lawal who was suspended six months earlier for misappropriation of public funds. Boss Mustapha took an oath of office on the 1st of November, 2017 during a meeting of the Federal Executive Council, in the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Boss Mustapha – Personal Life
Boss Mustapha is a Christian and is the National Vice President of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship international Nigeria. Mr. Mustapha is married with children. His hobbies are golf, lawn tennis, traveling, documentary films, charity work, and meeting people.