Shehu (Dr.) Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi was born in 1957 in Damagum town (of the present-day Yobe State). He bears the name Abubakar because he was named after his grandfather, Shehu Abubakar Garbai Ibn Ibrahim El-Kanemi (1902-1922), the 16th Shehu of Borno who is always acclaimed as the founder of Maiduguri as ‘Yerwa’ in 1907.’ Yerwa is derived from ‘herra’, meaning ‘with potentials for progress.’ And as it is the convention in Kanuri society of not calling namesakes of one’s parents by their given name (su fulaibe), the young prince was addressed as ‘Abba Kyari’ all through his life before his investiture as the 20th Shehu of Borno. ‘Abba’ in Kanuri means ‘prince’ and ‘Kyari’ is derived from ‘cari’ meaning ‘the old’, thus suggesting ‘grandfather,’
Hence Abba Kyari as he was known in his princely life started his primary education in Gamboru Junior Primary School Maiduguri in January 1964. After four years in that school, the young prince was transferred to the prestigious Shehu Garbai Primary School, where he completed his primary education in December 1970. Upon completing his primary education, he proceeded to Government College Maiduguri. When he finished his secondary education in 1975, he gained admission into the Staff Training Centre, Potiskum (now Institute of Management Studies, Potiskum) and obtained the Intermediate Local Government Certificate, which served as a springboard for his entry into the administrative career. Imbued with the desire to further his education, he proceeded in 1978 to Kaduna Polytechnic, where in 1982 he obtained both ordinary and Higher National Diplomas in Local Government Administration. Barely three years later, he took a bolder step and enrolled for Advance Diploma Course in Local Government Administration at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and successfully completed the course in 1986. Emboldened by his academic success, he sought and gained admission into the one-year Postgraduate Diploma Programme of the University of Maiduguri in 1977 and completed the course on schedule. Having being exposed to the postgraduate study, he gathered no breath and directly enrolled into the Masters Programme in Industrial and Labour Relations in 1998 and obtained the degree. And realizing the great potentialities of the administrative career, he also enrolled into the Masters Degree programme in Public Administration (MPA) in the same University and was awarded the degree in the year 2000.
The Shehu’s civil service career started in July 1976, when he was appointed as clerical officer in the Ministry for Local Government. His first promotion in the service was to the post of Assistant Inspector, Local Government, Bama Zone. From Bama he was transferred to Potiskum Zone in August 1982, where he rose to the rank of Zonal Inspector. In 1983 he was transferred to Gubio/Nganzai Local Government as Special Assistant to the Sole Administrator. In 1984 he was appointed Head of Administration of Konduga Local Government. He also served in the same capacity in Monguno Local Government (1975) and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (1986). In 1988 he was in Konduga Local Government for the second time, this time as Assistant Secretary. It was in Konduga that the Prince transferred his service to the Unified Local Government Service on 1st December 1988. In the same month he was posted to Fune Local Government as Assistant Secretary 1. He reached the peak of his career in the Local Government Administration in 1989 when he was appointed Secretary, Machina/Yusufari Local Government. Two years later (1991), sequel to the politicization of the office of the Local Government Secretary, he was posted to Kaga Local Government as Director of Personnel Management. Following the dissolution of elected Local Government Councils nation-wide in 1993, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of the same Local Government (Kaga) and remained in that post till March 1994. Upon appointment of Care-taker Management Committees to the Local Governments in Borno State, he was posted to Marte Local Government as Director, Personnel Management in April 1994. In 1996, he served in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and later in Kaga Local Government in the same capacity as Director of Personnel Management.
Between 1997 and 2001, he had served in five Local Governments as Secretary. These are: Bama (1997), Dikwa (1998), Kukawa (1999) and Bayo (2000) and Ngala (2001).
He was appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in August 1993. He also served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Housing. He was appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in August 2008. In December of the same year, he was also appointed District Head of Magumeri Local Government. He is married with three wives and blessed with children.
His appointment as the Shehu of Borno by His Excellency, the Borno State Governor, Senator Dr. Ali Modu Sheriff was made public on Monday 2nd March 2009. The traditional investiture or 'bayatu', as the Kanuri call it, took place on Wednesday 4th March 2009. The Shehu's seven days in office, as Kanuri culture demands, On 29th May, 2009, the Borno Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ali Modu Sheriff presented a staff of office in an impressive ceremony. The event coincided with the celebrations of the country’s Democracy Day.
The Shehu was awarded Honorary Degree of Dr. of Philosophy in Public Administration by the Houdegbe North American University of Benin, Cotonou on Saturday 13th February 2010. Presenting the award, the Chancellor and President of Council, Professor Octave Cossi Houdegbe said the award had the double significance of respect to the traditional institution and recognition of the personal qualities of the Shehu as promoter of peace and progress.


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