[7] He was also a prominent member of the infamous Kaduna Mafia, a loose group of Nigerian businessmen, civil servants, intellectuals and military officers from Northern Nigeria.
He also attended the University of Manchester,[9] and was the Monitor-General of Course 9 of the Senior Executive Course at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies.
[10] A highly capable administrator, Isa Funtua started his career in the Katsina Native Authority, where he eventually rose through the ranks working in the defunct North Central State.
He later joined United Textiles Limited in Kaduna, where he was the personnel manager showcasing "great managerial finesse" over ten thousand workers.
He was a Life Patron of the International Press Institute and the President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria.