Quick Facts
Biography
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (OFR) (born December 7, 1957) is a Nigerian political scientist, administrator and career diplomat. He was the permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations and served as the Vice-President of the General Assembly during its 71st session in September 2016. On June 4, 2019 he was elected the President of the upcoming 74th session of the Assembly to succeed María Fernanda Espinosa, whose term ends in September 2019.
Early life and education
Muhammad-Bande was born on 7 December 1957 in the town of Zagga in present-day Kebbi State, northwestern Nigeria. He attended Ahmadu Bello University for undergraduate studies, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1979 before proceeding to Boston University, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Political Science in 1981.
Career
Bande taught at Usman Danfodio University as a graduate assistant in the 1980s and rose to the rank of professor in 1998 at the same institution. Between 2004 and 2009, he served as vice-chancellor of the university before being appointed Director-General of Nigeria's National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, a position he held from 2010 to 2016. Previously, Bande served as the Director-General of the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development in Tangier, Morocco, from 2000 to 2004.