WHEN I first heard that there is a man in Kaduna aspiring to become the governor of Kaduna State, I paused for a while to ask if it is just another case of a visionless advocacy for an unprepared personality to take charge of the mantle of leadership in this our beloved state or a rare case of personality with a vision and passion for rescuing the long forgotten masses of Kaduna State. The answer to this I believe is, or should be of great importance to the people of Kaduna State, because ordinarily it ought to be the basis upon which they should give their mandate.
To this effect, I tried to see if I can provide answer to the above question. My desire to answer this question compelled me to raise questions like; who is he? What are his antecedents? What has he achieved so far? How tall does he stand academically? How much does he know of the real need of his people? What practical blueprint does he have to turn their fortunes around, economically, socially, educationally and politically, among others?
Senator Uba Sani who is currently representing Kaduna Central Senatorial zone, is the solution to Kaduna. He is one person who among others fought for democracy in Nigeria. He is an engineer by profession and an active politician. With his adventure in active politics, he was entrusted with the post of the position of national political adviser from 1999 to 2007 during the second term of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president.
He experimented with the Civil Rights and Social Action group where he worked to ensure transparency and fairness in the conduct of general elections, leading to transition from military to civilian rule in Nigeria. Over the course of time, Senator Sani became known for his concerns for civil rights and social action, economic empowerment, education development, human rights and politics.
He demonstrated his quality when he was giving an opportunity to head the committee on Income Smoothing & the Quality of Earnings among Nigerian Banks, in the senate. It was a pioneer effort aimed at finding earnings quality of Nigerian banks. Some of his well-known skills include, though not limited to: banking, academics and politics; business strategy; change management; management consulting; risk management and negotiation
Mallam Uba Sani is also a master of team management; investments; team leadership; new business development; project management and project finance. Sani is an alumnus, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University and graduate School, Washington DC. In his university days, he participated actively in several campus activities and societies including: Muslim Students Society (MSS). He is also a member of such groups as the Abuja Business Club – Nigeria | West Africa; Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE); Harvard Business Review, among many others.
So does he need an introduction? By law, he has like any other politicians met the requisite constitutional demand in terms of age, educational qualification and where he comes from among others, to be the governor of Kaduna State. Until he appeared on the staring block of the race, Uba Sani maintained a very quiet life. He is not the talking type, but, he is compassionate, humble and generous, some rare qualities lacking in our today’s leaders.
Knowledge and education are two basic requisites among others for an effective and successful leadership. Clarence B. Randall in his book Making Good In Management, wrote “a leader must know, must know that he knows and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those around him that he knows.” He went further to say, “if a leader does not know, he cannot guide his followers. On this, Senator Uba Sani is eminently qualified as he is a graduate of faculty of engineering.”
He is smart, brilliant with a photographic memory. He was once described by many as “precise, incisive and well-articulated. What’s even more promising and interesting in the heart of Mallam Uba is his nationalism and the belief in made-in-Nigerian products. He believes that as Nigerians we all have a duty and obligation to patronize anything positive about and on Nigeria. This has been demonstrated in his believe in the Nigerian Educational system.
Mal Sani’s hand is always reaching into his pocket to give, donate and assist people generously. His priority in life is to always help the helpless, voice the feelings of the voiceless and above all defend the defenseless citizens. He believes that God has blessed him in order to help others. To this effect, Malam gives out to both young and old, men and women, healthy and sick, able and disable, families and schools, prisons and hospitals etc.
This is just the tip of the ice berg, not talking of giving out to the cause of humanity and sustenance, i.e construction and renovation of schools within the rural area which he considers as the most vital essence of his existence in this world. The above good characters, manners and qualities, together with numerous other ones, are some of the things that compelled me to pick my pen and write about this gentleman’s virtues in order to enable people of Kaduna State have information about him and his deeds, and subsequently make the right choice by giving him a chance to govern Kaduna State come 2023.
It is my humble belief that if an individual who can use his own resources to give out so much to his people and community, without holding any public office, will do much more better if entrusted with power and authority as governor of the state. Let us support and vote for Uba Sani of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
*Dogarawa writes from Zaria