MALAM JALAL AHMAD ARABI, OON, fwc
Jalal hails from Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State but was
born in Jos, Plateau State. He attended Islamiyya School in 1967 where
he obtained his first School Leaving Certificate in 1973, Jalal proceeded
to Government Secondary School Gombe that same year, rounding off
college in 1978 with an enviable performance in the West African School
Certificate (WASC) examination and thereafter, University of Jos in 1980
where he bagged a Law degree, LLB (Hons). He then moved to the
Council of Legal Education, Lagos, where he bagged his BL in 1984. He
began his working career in July, 1985 at the Ministry of Justice, Bauchi,
Bauchi state.
In May 1993, Jalal Arabi was moved to the Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (OSGF) as Legal Adviser to Secretary to
the Government of the Federation (SGF). He also moved to the Ministry
of Defence as the Deputy Director (Parastatals/Special Services) in
January 2003. He later rose to become the State House Counsel in June,
2007.
Aside from his normal duties, Jalal Arabi has also handled various ad-hoc
work for his fatherland over the years. They include being a member of
the Inter-Agency Committee for the Final Relocation and Settlement of
Public Officers in Abuja – 1993; member of Inter-Ministerial Committee
on the Drafting of Terms of Reference and Procedures for the Ad-hoc
Constitutional Bodies (Transition Committee, Constitutional Conference
Committee etc) – 1994; and member of Inter-Agency Committee on the
Reorganisation and Repositioning of the Trade Unions and Affiliate
Associations – 1994.
In November, 2015, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari,
GCFR to the post of Permanent Secretary, State House and retired at the
Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Managemet and Social
Development in 2020. He was named the Chairman/Chief Executive
Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in October,
2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He holds a Chieftaincy
title as the Magajin Rafi, Nafada.