The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MA Abubakar

  • MA Abubakar: A victory foretold

    THIS may probably get me fired. May be that’s hyperbolic. But it will fetch me a serious reprimand. I am going against the boss’s “counsel”. He pointedly asked us (personal aides) not to “gloat” for his ringing victory in the APC Bauchi State rancorous gubernatorial primary. Not all of us are that graceful in triumph. I have been dancing “Shaku Shaku” since he dusted the “landlords” and “owners” of the party. With votes nearly twenty times higher to his closest challenger, it was “no contest” really. It wasn’t even “keen”. It was a total “rout”.  It’s almost humanly impossible therefore, not to “gloat” especially when viewed against the background of the campaign of bile and vile mounted by the challengers.

    The campaign preparatory to the election of Governor Mohammed A. Abubakar as flag bearer of the APC in the 2019 election ought to occupy front row in the hall of infamy. It was that despicable. Yet Oga did not   want us to “gloat” after that resounding success.

    Few leaders are this magnanimous in victory. Fewer still are gracious enough to shrug off   the filth of the malodourous campaign as “politics”. To walk his talk of “no gloating”, he immediately extended the olive branch to the elements he floored. He is still on the trail of making peace and forging ahead.

    The mudslinging started long before the blast of the whistle. The direct primary was an opportunity political foe of Governor Abubakar   wanted to use to exact their pound of flesh. They ran from pillar to post hollering that “direct primary” was the “only” panacea against defeat in the general polls. They argued that its products tended to have the seal of mass approval of party members and therefore, the electorates.

    On face value, truly the “direct primary” option looks charming and more democratic. It dilutes the grip of delegates on the selection process. Over time, and in every selection process to determine a flag bearer, delegates became “hawkers” selling their votes to the highest “bidder”. This may indeed, be true. On the other hand, direct primary is a logistic nightmare. There must be a duly certified register of genuine members in every ward. Such members must have a genuine membership card issued by the party years ago. This was likely to cause a rift.

    The fall out therefore, rarely augurs well for the party. In 2011, for instance, the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) went to the polls fractured and with multiple gubernatorial candidates in Bauchi State specifically. It had a golden opportunity to unseat the PDP controlled government but divisions within its ranks caused by fall out of “direct primary.” Not even the star power of its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, could save it from its self-inflicted wounds. The rest is history.

    The call for direct primary started as a whimper until it became cacophonous. Before then, stakeholders of the party in Bauchi State had chosen the delegates option. The APC constitution lists three options to pick a candidate. The third is the “consensus” option.

    But the vocal few mounted the campaign for direct primary. Eventually, they had their way. Those who wanted to unseat him by all means possibly misconstrued the seeming lack of enthusiasm of Governor Abubakar as “fear” of defeat. Before Election Day, he was subjected to the crucible. He was daily roasted in local and national media by doomsday Sayers. Every conceivable sin was hurled in his direction. Strangely, all the “sins” were a rehash of the old ones; nothing fresh, nothing new. It was same old, same old. It was just politics.

    The result of the direct primary confirmed the popularity of Abubakar among party faithful and the disconnect among the three musketeers.

    Governor Abubakar’s victory wasn’t an accident. It was actually foretold. On account of his record of service delivery, he has earned the mandate. He was elected in the first place to serve the people and not a political cabal that has held the state hostage. His travails might have started when he decided it wasn’t going to be business as usual. This is paying off. The recent result is a testimony

    Today in Bauchi, everywhere you look at, you see some of the reforms of Governor Abubakar. Some enduring legacy beckons: A reconstructed road, a rehabilitated school, or a freshly constructed healthcare facility. With a combined road network of 400 kilometers spread across the state, his urban renewal drive manifested. All the major roads leading to Bauchi city have been expanded, dualised and adorned with streetlights. This is a record first. Approaching the town in the night is pleasing to the eyes.  Last year, the Abuja Housing show decorated him for outstanding performance

    Under Abubakar’s watch, agriculture, the main occupation of the people of the state, has been boosted. This year, the government purchased a staggering 500 tractors in one fell swoop to fast track its dream of mechanized farming.

    In fiscal discipline, Abubakar is second to none in the state since the dawn of this Republic in 1999. His financial management skills have seen him achieve so much with so little. His style of running an all-inclusive government has seen former foes becoming allies. On top of all these, is an unusual ability to connect with ordinary folks who see in him as a performer and a reformer.

    The outcome of the election has put to rest as to who really owns the “houses” between self-appointed “landlords” and the voters, the masses who are direct beneficiaries of the reformist government of MA Abubakar faithfully implementing the APC manifesto. So in the words of RalphWaldo Emerson   “Men talk as if victory were something fortunate. Work is victory.”  The members have spoken!

    • Ali M. Ali is an aide to MA Abubakar

  • What they won’t tell you about MA Abubakar

    •A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. John C. Maxwell

    It has been a journey of stunning discoveries walking with Governor MA Abubakar   of Bauchi State, these past couple of months. Stated hyperbolically, some   of the discoveries amount to “culture shock”.

    He is real. He says what he means. He means what he says. He walks his talk. He speaks straight from the heart. He calls a spade, a spade. No speaking through both sides of the mouth, no tongue in cheek statement. He speaks clearly and unambiguously. He is a lawyer and amazingly he is in politics!

    You are at liberty to differ. I am an aide. I may therefore, be subjective. But this is the character summary of the man.

    With MA Abubakar, no façade. No double face. What you see is what you get. Political “exigencies” won’t make him “amend” or “break” his   resolve, some describe, as “iron cast” to do things right. “Managers”, according to Peter Drucker, “do the right things, leaders do things right”.

    Abubakar, guided by the constitution and an oath to do right, remains resolute and forthright.

    Politicians in the state and possibly, beyond, marinated in the esoteric art of double speak are a little uncomfortable with this ‘forthrightness’’. Some of them think he is not a “politician”. Because he doesn’t call a spade, a shovel, he is therefore, according to this brand, unsuitable to head a government installed by politicians voted by the masses. To them, politics is basically the art of speaking through both sides of the mouth. Long circuitous gobbledygook speeches are the hallmarks of a politician. The typical politician, this school firmly believes, should overwhelm the people with piffle and flabbergast the

     voters with bunkum. The idea is to bamboozle them.

    There is a near universal unflattering accord that politicians in Africa or Australia are actors-men and women of many words. What they say, they will never do. They are glib. They lie through their teeth.

    Late Tony Wilson, that popular pop musician of the 70s hit song captured the essence of the politician. He said of him in that song “he is a man of many words”-

    “He paints a picture, he is not artist, tries to make you see his point of view, all the while there is nothing wrong just changing, cause what he says today he will never do…he is a man of many words. Too many…”

    Well, my governor is as straight as an arrow. He is also down to earth. He wears no airs. He certainly assumes none. In most of our “debates”, he rarely flaunt that “learned” thing lawyers are wont to. But make no mistake, when dealing with him, be prepared. Know your onions well or else you will be cooked. Once in one our “debates” session, he queried every single word in the memo I presented and almost punctured my well prepared verbal defense. A scrutinizing lawyer and a wary reporter.  My trump card was “your Excellency, in my line of business, I don’t have to “prove” beyond reasonable doubt” to go to town.” He let that slide. I am a journalist. He is a lawyer.

    If you get close enough, chances are that you will be charmed to the point of being besotted. He is disarmingly humble. Alone, we do banter freely from the sublime to the ridiculous. He is spontaneous. He is deep. He therefore, spots “eye service” from a mile away. He abhors that.  Flattery is anathema to him. He detects that easily.

    One morning I spoke to him “respectfully’’ in the office before a brief. He was incensed. “Why are you talking to me like a politician?” he charged as if I was in court being cross-examined.

    “My friend”, he continued “speak to me like you normally do.  Advise me sincerely. Tell me the truth no matter how discomforting.” And he has been walking this talk.

    We dine from same table, same time. He treats “advisers” and “ordinary” mortals with equal courtesy. But he is firm on “protocol”. He is a stickler in that department. You can’t just intrude on his schedule that are incredibly tight.

    With an incredible workforce of 105,000 and a humongous wage bill of N5.1bn, MA Abubakar is virtually doing magic delivering on campaign promises. His persistent lion’s share allocation to education three years in a row confirms his eminent status as a real statesman and not a politician. This is paying off because the percentage of success in NECO and WAEC has risen dramatically from a dismal 3% in 2015 to 27% last year. He is concerned about the next generation not the next election.

    His traducers misconstrued his insistence on protocol as being “arrogant”. They won’t tell you that most times this “arrogance” also stem from his refusal to play their kind of “ball”. One such was the inherited mess of sharing “state resources” to “stakeholders” whose only qualification is that they are “elders” who leech on the state for their very survival.

    They wont tell you that governor Abubakar frugality and scrutiny agreements have saved the state hundred of millions of naira now channeled to productive ends. His thrift has earned him derisive names. Not too long ago, he admitted to me that he knows that his critics call him “Mai wallet”(one who dashes money from his wallet). Such names are meant to put him on the defensive and make him open the vault of the state to be devoured. We had a good laugh. I had no idea he was aware he knew about such names. But he is not deterred or daunted.

    My governor is well schooled to appreciate the timeless words of that   English poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson that “to be great is to be misunderstood”. He has since come to terms with this. It is a cross he has to carry. Thankfully, folks unconcerned with the politics of resource allocation are in tune with his vision. They are accompanying him in the mission. His leadership has touched their lives in ways only them can testify. May be that explains, in part, why he is incredibly calm all the time in public or in private. Behind his back, among us, walking with him, we call him “Ba tension”(no tension). I don’t think he is aware of this one until now. He is probably chuckling this minute.

     

    • Ali is an aide to Gov Abubakar.

  • 100 Days with MA Abubakar

    Time flies. Rapidly, especially when you are constantly engaged mentally and physically. Time just  whizzes. And this is even more so when you are working with a goal getter like Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, Governor of Bauchi State. It is a whirlwind. The word “impossible” doesn’t exist in his dictionary. Once he sets his mind to a goal, there is no stopping him.  May be his training as a lawyer, made him both a dreamer and a realist. He dreams of   a competitive Bauchi that is ranked among the   best in the country. He is real enough to invest in education as the surest bet to achieve the dream.

    His election as the fifth civilian chief executive of the state, against daunting odds, testify to his “can do” spirit. Odds don’t scare him. They inspire him. He was the underdog in a race some considered exclusively theirs. The underrated. He was like a political midget in a combat designed for   giants. The faint-hearted will scamper to safety at the sight of a scary scenario like that. Not M.A as he is fondly called by admirers and detractors alike. And he has both in disproportionate quantity.

    Stiff challenges, I have come to appreciate, working with this unassuming   leader, these past 100 days,  are  the   tonic that galvanize him to life and action. He walks his talk. He keeps his promises. He calls when he says he will-unfailingly. He communicates. He delivers, the impatient may say, nay.

    His strategy is simple-always. He confronts challenges, headlong, with the single-mindedness   of changing the narrative. He doesn’t circumvent them. He incinerates them.

    His sojourn into the not-so-cosy chambers of power where political decisions are hammered on the anvil of necessity again, testify. The   depressing state of affairs in Bauchi State was the cry for help he hearkened to. All the indicators pointed at an imminent shipwreck. Workers were owed a backlog of salaries. Public sector education in the throes of death. Though the state is agrarian, agriculture has suffered great neglect in the past. And even more worrisome, was the heightened insecurity in the state caused, in the main, by a devastating insurgency, and to a lesser extent, poor governance at all levels. This was the legacy bequeathed to MA 30 months ago.

    Before now, he was the top dog in his own law chambers, flourishing, by all accounts, with offices in key state capitals. An accomplished legal luminary, attained maturity early. At 34, he was Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General. Excellent manager of men and materials; widely exposed and travelled. At various times, he was Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC and later national commissioner in charge of legal service. The list is long.

    “So why jettison all these and join politics?” I pointedly asked him, before I was appointed Adviser on Media and Strategy – ‘’I wanted to serve and salvage the situation. I wanted to give back what my state has given me” he said frankly, with no airs.

    For the 100 days we have been working together, I have seen how much service the man has rendered.

    His austere lifestyle, testify. No fancy motorcade. All the vehicles in his very austere convoy are inherited and old. Trips to Abuja are either by road or scheduled flights in neighbouring Gombe State, 150 kilometres away; and certainly no fancy hotel accommodation in Abuja for all personal aides including those in cabinet position. He sleeps in his personal residence located not in “choice” neighbourhood of Maitama or Asokoro.

    MA had since “disrobed”.  He   exchanged his wig, gown and dog collar for a mechanic’s overalls and got down and dirty in the huge workshop that is Bauchi. If it were a car, the first thing he did, to my mind, was to stop the massive oil leak and fuel consumption. There was huge haemorrhage. It manifested in a humongous workforce, 92,000 and even a more humongous wage bill, a staggering N5.1 monthly. That takes all of the state’s FAAC allocation, which hardly goes beyond N5bn.

    Stopping the leaks served notice that it was not going to be business as usual. Scavengers of the status quo, expectedly,   were incensed.  Since then, they have been running from pillar to post, running their mouths, bellyaching.

    No minute is wasted. Every second matters. It is always a whirlwind with MA. No dull moment. These past 100 days have been action packed. The man is always in ‘over drive’ fixing the sea of problems, anxious to reposition the state, desirous of making it more competitive.

    In the first 100 days of his leadership, he set the tone of his administration. He cleared the backlog of salaries. Labour was ecstatic. It hailed him. Today Bauchi is one of the few states that pay salaries unfailingly every month. Beyond labour, accolades and recognition poured in these past three months. One was an honorary doctorate degree by a foreign university based in Benin Republic.

    With thrift bordering on ‘tightfistedness’, MA is reforming all sectors   and renewing urban and rural communities. Over 400 kilometres of roads are being constructed or rehabilitated across the state. For two consecutive years’ budget, education takes the lion’s share of 20%, 6% shy of the target recommended by the UN. This wise investment has seen the rise of the percentage of passes in WAEC and NECO from a dismal 3% in 2015 to 27% in 2017. Over 10,000 classrooms constructed and rehabilitated, a similar number of classrooms furniture supplied. The state fertilizer blending company, hitherto, comatose resuscitated and given life. Ditto the state run furniture coy. This year’s farming season saw farmers from neighbouring states trooping to Bauchi to buy cheap fertilizer. His reforms extend to housing, rural water supply and improved security.

    Bauchi is now relatively peaceful. Insurgent elements have lost their potency. Thanks to the counter insurgency administrators and the government of the state. Improving IGR has seen the state’s hidden treasure as a tourist heaven, the Yankari Game Reserve given a new least of life.

    MA is deep. Intellectually profound and powerful communicator; he could hold his audience spellbound by his oratory in the audience’s given language. I have seen him address an exultant bunch of grateful Bauchi State students who converged on Government House in appreciation of changing their fortunes. Amid thunderous applause, he spoke their language.

    Two interactions lately told me a lot about the man. He reads every line in any correspondence to him. In matters of funds, he scrutinizes every word. And if he is not convinced, he tarries and queries. There the whirlwind stops. Still these past 100 days were like a whirlwind.

    Ali is an aide to Governor Abubakar .

  • 100 Days of walking with MA Abubakar

    100 Days of walking with MA Abubakar

    TIME flies; rapidly, especially when you are constantly engaged mentally and physically. Time just whizzes. And this is even more so when you are walking with a goal getter like Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, Governor of Bauchi State. It is a whirlwind. The word “impossible” doesn’t exist in his dictionary. Once he sets his mind to a goal, there is no stopping him.  May be his training as a lawyer, made him both a dreamer and a realist. He dreams of a competitive Bauchi that is ranked among the   best in the country. He is real enough to invest in education as the surest bet to achieve the dream.

    His election as the 5th civilian chief executive of the state, against daunting odds, testify to his “can do” spirit. Odds don’t scare him. They inspire him. He was the underdog in a race some considered exclusively theirs; the underrated. He was like a political midget in a combat designed for giants. The faint hearted will scamper to safety at the sight of a scaring scenario like that. Not M.A as he is fondly called by admirers and distractors alike. And he has both in disproportionate quantity.

    Stiff challenges, I have come to appreciate, walking with this unassuming leader these past 100 days, are the   tonic that galvanize him to life and action. He walks his talk. He keeps his promises. He calls when he says he will-unfailingly. He communicates. He delivers, the impatient may say nay.

    His strategy is simple-always. He confronts challenges, headlong, with the single mindedness of changing the narrative. He doesn’t circumvent them. He incinerates them.

    His sojourn into the not so cosy chambers of power   where political decisions are hammered on the anvil of  necessity again , testify. The   depressing state of affairs in Bauchi State was the cry for help he hearkened to. All the indicators pointed at an imminent shipwreck. Workers were owed a backlog of salaries. Public sector education was in the throes of death. Though the state is agrarian, agriculture has suffered great neglect in the past. And even more worrisome, was the heightened insecurity in the state, caused, in the main, by a devastating insurgency, and to a lesser extent, poor governance at all levels. This was the legacy bequeathed MA 30 months ago.

    Before now, he was the top dog in his own law chambers, flourishing, by all accounts, with offices in key state capitals. An accomplished legal luminary, he attained maturity early. At 34 he was Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General. An excellent manager of men and materials, he is widely exposed and travelled. At various times, he was Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC and later National Commissioner in charge of Legal Services. The list is long.

    “So why jettison all these to join politics,” I pointedly asked him, before I was appointed Advisor on Media and Strategy.

    “I wanted to serve and salvage the situation. I wanted to give back what my state has given me,” he said frankly, with no airs.

    For the 100 days we have been walking together; I have seen how much service the man has rendered.

    His austere lifestyle, testify. No fancy motorcade. All the vehicles in his very austere convoy are inherited and old. Trips to Abuja are either by road or scheduled flights in neighboring Gombe State, 150 Kms away. And certainly he will not arrange any fancy hotel accommodation in Abuja for all personal aides, including those in cabinet positions. He sleeps in his personal residence located not in “choice” neighborhood of Maitama or Asokoro.

    MA had since “disrobed”.  He   exchanged his wig, gown and dog collar for a mechanic’s overalls and got down and dirty in the huge workshop that is Bauchi. If it were a car, the first thing he did, to my mind, was to stop the massive oil leak and fuel consumption. There was huge hemorrhage. It manifested in a humongous workforce-92,000- and even a more humongous wage bill-a staggering N5.1 monthly. That takes all of the state’s FAAC allocation, which hardly goes beyond N5bn.

    Stopping the leaks served notice that it was not going to be business as usual. Scavengers of the status quo, expectedly, were incensed.  Since then, they have been running from pillar to post, running their mouths, bellyaching.

    No minute is wasted. Every second matters. It is always a whirlwind with MA. No dull moment. These past 100 days have been action packed. The man is always in ‘over drive,’ fixing the sea of problems, anxious to reposition the state, desirous of making it more competitive.

    In the first 100 days of his leadership, he set the tone of his administration. He cleared the backlog of salaries. Labor was ecstatic. It hailed him. Today, Bauchi is one of the few states that pay salaries unfailingly every month. Beyond labour, accolades and recognition poured in these past three months. One was an honorary doctorate degree by a foreign university based in Benin Republic.

    With thrift bordering on ‘tight fistedness’, MA is reforming all sectors and renewing urban and rural communities. Over 400 kilometers of roads are being constructed or rehabilitated across the state. For two consecutive years’ budget, education takes the lion’s share of 20%, 6% shy as  recommended by the UN. This wise investment has seen the rise of the percentage of passes in WAEC and NECO from a dismal 3% in 2015 to 27% in 2017. Over 10,000 classrooms constructed and rehabilitated, a similar number of classrooms’ furniture supplied. The state fertilizer blending company, hitherto, comatose, has been resuscitated and given life. He did the same on the state-run furniture company.

    This year’s farming season saw farmers from neighboring states trooping to Bauchi to buy cheap fertilizer. His reforms extend to housing, rural water supply and improved security.

    Bauchi is now relatively peaceful. Insurgent elements have lost their potent. Thanks to the counter insurgency administrators and the government of the state. Improving IGR has seen the state hidden treasure as a tourist heaven, as the Yankari Game Reserve has been given a new least of life.

    MA is deep. Intellectually profound and a  powerful communicator. He could hold his audience spellbound by his oratory in the audience’s given language. I have seen him address an exultant and grateful Bauchi State students who converged on Government House in appreciation of changing their fortunes. Amid thunderous applause, he spoke their language.

    Two interactions lately told me a lot about the man. He reads every line in any correspondence to him. In matters of funds, he scrutinizes every word. And if he is not convinced, he tarries and queries. There the whirlwind stops. Still these past 100 days were like a whirlwind.

    • Ali is an aide to Governor MA Abubakar