Draft:Suleiman Usman Yusuf

Suleiman Usman Yusuf (born 31st July 1981) is a Management/Governance/Human Security consultant and a part-time Politician. He is the Founder/CEO of Boldage Group of Companies – BAG, comprising of Boldage Consult – BAC, Boldage Security & Gadgets – (BSG), and Boldage Nigeria Limited – BNL, all registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Suleiman is a force to be reckoned with in the fields of Program Design and Implementation, Monitoring and evaluation (M&E), Conflict Mediation, Office Administration/Management, Strategic Communication, and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).

He was instrumental in the setting-up of the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation as he served as the pioneer coordinator. He has also supported the setting-up of the Hanan Buhari Foundation. He has also served as a pioneering staff of Nigeria’s Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism under the Presidency between 2013 and 2016 and also as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with the Management Strategies for Africa (MSA-Nigeria).

Suleiman was among the founders and has served as the pioneer National Chair of the Youth Party, a registered political party in Nigeria, and also one of the foundational members of its Board of Trustees. He is presently a member of the All Progressives Congress – APC, the ruling political party in Nigeria.

EARLY LIFE
Suleiman Usman Yusuf was born in Sabon Gari Zaria City, Kaduna State, where his father was serving as a Police Officer and a trader mother. Suleiman commenced his primary school education in 1986 and attended G.R.A Primary School Zaria, L.E.A Primary School Zaria, and completed his primary education at Dr. Umar Farouk Primary School Minna, Niger State due to the frequent transfers experienced by his civil servant father. His secondary school education was very similar to that of his primary education, where he commenced in Ahmadu Bahago Secondary School in Minna and completed in Government College Kaduna in 1998.

Suleiman attended the College of Basic and Advance Studies in Yelwa Yauri, Kebbi State, where he successfully completed his Interim Joint Matriculation Board’s (IJMB) examination and then proceeded to Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto State, and a few months later he left for the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology in 2008. Between 2015 and 2016, Suleiman went to the Kaduna State University (KASU), where he obtained a Master’s degree in Peace, Conflict and Strategic Studies.

CAREER
Suleiman Usman Yusuf did his mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC) scheme with the Management Strategies for Africa (MSA-Nigeria) in 2010, and was subsequently retained and worked till 2012 as a Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Officer. He then proceeded to be among the pioneer staff of the ANS Consulting, where he served as an Administrative Officer.

He contributed to the setting up and running of the administrative unit of the company. After a year with the ANS, Suleiman moved to become a part of Nigeria’s pioneering Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) under the Office of the National Security Adviser domiciled at the Presidency. He was initially a program officer who later became the head of Administration and Logistics until early 2016.

From 2016 to 2018, Suleiman was tasked with the responsibility of setting-up and leading the Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation. In 2018, Suleiman established the Bold Age Consult, which has expanded to become Boldage Group of Companies – BAG, comprising of Boldage Consult - BAC, Boldage Security & Gadgets – (BSG), and Boldage Nigeria Limited – BNL.

Suleiman's professional credentials include being a Chartered Project Manager, Certified/Accredited Business Development Service Provider (BDSP), Certified/Accredited Management Trainer (AMT), and an Associate Member of the Global Institute of Project Management (AGIPM). He is also a fellow of the Institutes of Management Consultants (IMC), Institute of Disaster Management and Safety Science (IDMSS), and Institute of Development Professionals. Additionally, Suleiman holds a Doctorate Degree in Political Science (Honoris Causa).

Suleiman has attended several professional training courses across Africa, Europe, and Asia. He has received professional training on Counter-Terrorism at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (The Hague, Netherlands), on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) in both Global Institute for Cooperative Security (Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirate) and Cairo Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peace Building in Africa (Cairo, Egypt), on Religion and Mediation at the Centre for Security Studies/Federal Department for Foreign Affairs (Schwarzenberg, Switzerland), and on Program and Project Management (Belgium).

Suleiman is the pioneer National Youth Policy Advisor under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) of Nigeria and also was the National Chairman/Member of the Board of Trustees of the Youth Party of Nigeria. He strongly advocates for good governance and women/youth inclusion in national affairs. Suleiman is presently a member of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and was a member of the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, where he served in two directorates: Stakeholder Relations and Community Support. He is a co-founder of BAT TV (Bola Ahmed Tinubu TV) – a formidable digital platform utilized to galvanize support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign.

PERSONAL LIFE
Suleiman Usman Yusuf is happily married to Maryam Abdulmalik Muhammad and has two Children – Zahra Suleiman Usman and Ibraheem Suleiman Usman.

Apart from his professional pursuits, Suleiman enjoys reading history and autobiographical books.

PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Suleiman currently serves as the Chairman the board of Trustees of the Open Arts – (Convener of Hausa International Book and Arts Festival – HIBAF ), Secretary of Policy and Strategic Research at G-ROLE Africa, a founding member of Drug-Free Arewa Movement, Kaduna Progressive Youth Association (KPYA), and Mando Road Youth Development Initiative (MR YOUDI).