Engr. Suleiman was born on June 16, 1952, at Gusau, Zamfara State but hails from Sokoto State. He attended Magajin Rafi Primary School, Sokoto in 1960, Township Primary School, Gusau for his primary school leaving certificate examination and was admitted into Government College Sokoto in 1966. He passed the West African School Certificate in Division One in 1970. He was a pioneer science student of Ahmadu Bello University School of Basic Studies in 1971. He was admitted into the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1972 and graduated in June 1975 with a second class honours degree. In 1977, he studied MSc in Ergonomics in the Department of Production Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He later changed to Industrial Management in the same department.

Engr. Suleiman worked as a pupil Mechanical Engineer under experienced mechanical engineers then at Bendel State Rural Electricity Board in Benin. They were responsible for the introduction of electricity to all the towns and communities in the present Delta and Edo states. They installed generators as little as 25kva to larger ones of 250kva and higher. After his national youth service in July 1976, Engr. Suleiman joined the Ministry of Works and Survey, Sokoto State Civil Service to complete his pupil engineer program. He served at various units of mechanical and electrical departments of the ministry. Finally, in 1980, as the acting Chief Mechanical/Electrical Engineer, he left the state service and was employed as Deputy Director of Physical Planning at the newly established Usman Danfodio University.

Engr. Suleiman became the first indigenous Director of Physical Planning of the University where he established the permanent site of the university, payment of compensation, the construction of the first two faculties of science and humanities, staff housing, students’ hostel, the infrastructure including the roads network, water reticulation and electrical network including the installation of a 1Mw standby generator.

In 1996, he was appointed the Deputy Managing Director of Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, Sokoto, and later become Managing Director by the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He left CCNN in 1990 and established a consultancy firm (IMES) in Kaduna providing both Engineering and Productivity services to industries. His consultancy was appointed as turn-key consultants for the establishment of Zaria pharmaceuticals industry. In 1998, and he was later appointed Minister of Power and Steel Development in General Abdulsalami Transitional Government where the blueprint for a revival of both the Power and Steel sectors was developed.

Engr. Suleiman was invited by both Presidents Obasanjo and Yar’adua to serve the Power Company as Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman respectively. He established Savoury Industry, a confectionery industry in Kaduna producing cereals products which are COCOBALLS and TWINKLES. He is currently in the Power industry specializing in the topical area of renewable energy with a specialization in Concentrated Solar Power Technology. He is the representative of HELIOVIS a front runner in this technology. He has participated in numerous seminars/conferences and presented many papers.

Engr. Suleiman is married with eight children. He is COREN Registered, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Academy of Engineering respectively.

SPECIALIZATIONS

• General Management, Cement Manufacturing and Energy Sector