Alhaji Yakubu Gobir – Wazirin Kasar Hausa, was born in London on 19th October, 1965 into the family of late Ambassador Abubakar Garba Gobir who started his career in the Northern Nigeria Government as a Private Secretary to the late Sardauna of Sokoto – Sir Ahmadu Bello and retired meritoriously after 35 years in service as a Federal Permanent Secretary in 1988.
Waziri Yakubu Gobir is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. After concluding his primary and secondary school education at Cheltenham College, England, Waziri Gobir returned to Nigeria and graduated with a degree in Pharmacy from the Ahmadu Bello University – Zaria, in 1985. Waziri Gobir is also a graduate of INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France and Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. After spending a number of years working for Pfizer and Hoechst in Nigeria, he started his own marketing and distribution company – Smart Mark Limited in June 1998. Smart Mark has opened up the Nigerian market for a number of multinationals including Swatch, Sara Lee, Wella, L’Oreal, Nike, Levi’s, Converse, United Colors of Benetton, T.M. Lewin, Tommy Hilfiger and Unilever. In 2014, Waziri launched INVIVO – a large format retail pharmacy chain. INVIVO is a social enterprise which has a clinic and lab at each location. Over 80,000 people are treated for free every year. His company employs about 500 people.
Waziri has extensive experience in the private sector spanning over three decades, and training at two of the world’s leading business schools. Waziri has a passion for social entrepreneurship, and he is in the founder of The Gobir Organisation Foundation with a focus on high impact social investment programs, targeted at poverty alleviation, healthcare, education, agriculture and youth development. Waziri is well travelled, and his expertise includes attracting foreign direct investment and trade. Alhaji Waziri Gobir speaks English, French, Hausa and Yoruba fluently
