President Umar Musa Yar'Adua was born in Katsina town in 1951 he did his primary school education at Rafukka Primary School, Katsina and Dutsinma Boarding Primary School ending in 1964. He graduated from Government College,  Keffi in 1969 and got his Higher School Certificate from the famous Barewa College, Zaria in 1971. With an unabated quest for education, following a B.sc Education/Chemistry from Ahmadu Bello University in 1975, he got his M.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry from the same University in 1980. On completion of his National youth Service at the Holy Child College, Lagos in 1976, he lectured at the Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria and the Katsina Polytechnic. He left Public Service in 1983.

For Yar'Adua the quality of leadership is innate and you can find this consistent characteristic in him right from his school days. He is a  quite achiever, who possess the uncanny ability to succeed. He showed himself to be a deep and independent thinker.

In the private sector, he was the pioneer General Manager of Sambo farms Ltd, Katsina State from 1983 - 1989, Board Chairman of the Katsina State investment and property Development Company (KIPDECO) between 1994 - 1996, a Director in Habib Nigeria Ltd. 1995 - 1999 and Hamada  Holdings from 1983- 1999 and many many more.        

He was the foundation member of the People's Front, which later fused to form the Social Democratic Party. In 1998, he joined others to found the G34 political association which birthed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Under this umbrella, he successfully won and retained his Governorship of Katsina State in 1999 and 2003.