For a very long time, a lot of people have been curious to find out who Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is. This public interest heightened especially after the young man’s stint as Nigeria’s number one accountant, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).
Even, while he served as the Accountant General of Gombe State, the love and affection, humility and friendly disposition of the youthful Dankwambo attracted much public interest in his person. In all the quiet conversations, which the Dankwambo persona elicits, some people were of the view that the true test of a man’s character could only unfurl when he is in a position of power and great influence.
And, as if nature was in a hurry to answer for the affable young man, in 2011, the subtle reservations of the skeptics were rebuffed in great relief, because Dankwambo became the Chief Executive of Gombe State, the Jewel of the Savannah! Yet, four years on the saddle as governor, there was nothing to repudiate the friendliness, humanity and empathy towards others, which defined his interpersonal relations.
As a result, in 2015 when the power of the people to enthrone and dethrone leaders was unleashed in the land, Governor Dankwambo received the massive endorsement of Gombe people, who reciprocated his genuine love and care by re-electing him for a second term in office.
So, with his emergence as the last man standing, the self-effacing and visionary leader had the people answer the skeptics that he is real and most importantly, that power does not change those who hold it in trust and see it as opportunity to serve God and humanity.
That Dankwambo is not vain has become a virtue of public knowledge. He is neither discriminatory nor dismissive of the poor or downtrodden. He demonstrates that charity and philanthropy are essential ingredients of good leadership.
Now more than ever before, the question, who is Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is still being echoed in high crescendo in both low and high quarters, near and distant lands. Yet, answers are being thrown up by various organisations and communities.
When Governor Dankwambo donated his family house for a primary school, it was not only his own way of giving back, but also a genuine show of empathy towards the younger generation to get access to functional education.
As a leader, Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo’s heart strikes a rhythm with those of the people; he feels what they feel and does what he can to lift up every soul from despondency to hope and happiness.
Dankwambo is a technocrat in the true sense of the word. During his civil service career, he was a member, CBN Board of Directors; President/Chairman, Accountants-General and Auditors-General Forum of West Africa; Chairman, ECOWAS Audit Committee; Board Member, Extractive Industries Transparency International, etc. As Accountant-General of the Federation he is remembered for the introduction of many transparency-inspired reforms, such as Treasury Single Account, E-payment and Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) among others.
There is a big side to the enthralling Dankwambo persona. His temperament disposes him to resonant leadership style. Experts believe that a leader’s emotional states and actions affect how the people they lead will feel and perform. He displays a friendly mood all the time and this has sort of shown in the achievements he has recorded in Gombe despite very paltry fiscal accruals.
The first step he took after mounting the saddle as governor did much to showcase his temperament and primal leadership disposition. He retained almost all the aides of his predecessor and focused on the target of service for the people. This way, he built optimism and inspired on his aides to work as a team for the benefit of the people.
A resonant leader is often known by the level of his emotional state, because since everybody most often watches the leader, his disposition becomes contagious. And standing on the solid ground of honesty and integrity, his inner circle cannot help but reflect the charisma their leader exudes.
The fact that Dankwambo does not harbor hidden agenda in the exercise of public office helps to immunize him from what is called the CEO disease. Y and backstabbing.
As Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo turns 56 years, it is obvious that like good wine, he is getting better with age. Nigerians should do well to see this budding institution as a veritable source to learn some useful lessons in good leadership and inter-personal relations.
Since the true test of a leader is his influence, Dankwambo’s abiding good nature and goodwill towards all is no doubt refining leadership and citizenship across Nigeria.
–Ankah wrote in from Gombe
