Mustapha Ismail was administrator of Kwara State from December 1993 to September 1994, and was later military administrator of Adamawa State between September 1994 and August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
[1] In January 1995 he opened the 16th General Assembly of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) in Yola, Adamawa State, asking the delegates to help build a nation with hope, pride, unity and peaceful co-existence for present and future generations.
In December 1993, he was appointed Governor of Kwara State by the military government of General Sani Abacha.
He refurbished the Duku-Lake Dam in Edu LGA, the dam had collapsed in 1989, the dam was capable of irrigating over 3,000 hectares of rice farms, and its refurbishment was a major boost to the agricultural sector in Kwara State, also restored the normal water supply to Ilorin and procured new J-5 buses for the Kwara State Transport Corporation.
He is a keen sportsman and enjoys playing tennis and golf and a member of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the Nigerian Police Force Club.