By Fatima Ibrahim
I hardly ink my pen to write about politicians and their achievement particularly Nigerian Politicians whose “character and characteristics” in the words of Danmasanin Kano is more of indecency, rascality mediocrity and lackluster whose defining character in a more decent description is “bunch of looters”.
The reader of this piece by virtue of the ongoing revelations by the anti-corruption body the EFCC of an alleged diversion of $2.1billion by a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki will quickly concede to my decent description.
That is to say, if someone wants to give a decent description of an average politician in the Nigerian soil, looming and indecent behavior of corruption and corrupt practices may not be far away from the adjectives that are likely to dominate one’s piece.
Few among them are exceptions. But the exceptions and their decent practices are covered, if not completely sidelined by the majority whose defining adjectives lies in a Pandora’s Box full of corruption.
One such decent politician is Lamin Sani Zawiya, the incumbent Chairman of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Kano State.
The characterizing decency of this political icon lies on so many factors; key among them is his humanistic approach to governance and his decentralized leadership style.
It is uncommon among politicians at the local level to give meaning to governance as practically done by Sani Zawiya. To an average local government chairman in Nigeria, their stomach infrastructure and that of their immediate families is their top priority, placed at the detriment of the common folks. But the integrity that defines Zawiya has defied the urge and no doubt the urging to be a self-serving demagoguery whose interest and those of his kinsman overrides the dominant majority.
The trained banker from Bayero University Kano has exemplified his leadership potentials in many ramifications—key is his ability to remain humble, focused with so much alacrity and simplicity. His enthusiasm towards humanity has drawn many people close to him, consequently paving way for his acceptability and popularity among the masses.
The architect of modern Nasarawa has relentlessly confronted, with passion and determination all the forces that wanted to put a blockade to his educational and political ambition, pushed harder and became what he is today.
His interest in serving humanity started right from schools. As a student and young activist at Kano State Polytechnic where he bagged Higher National Diploma in Banking and Finance, Sani Zawiya in his guest for social justice has held several positions in students’ unionism and his purposeful leadership is still a point of admiration among many of his former school mates.
His comradeship has grown bigger and will continue to linger, for he has transmogrified it in a more modern and humanistic way by providing succor to the common man on the street.
The developmental policies and programmes that are glaringly evident in some of the projects he has executed for the mean time is enough testimony. The incorruptible politician is pushing harder to complement the effort of the current administration of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje by complying and taking a step further to implement programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the people despite the ongoing economic recession and with the little income being remitted to the local government.
His effort and selfless services to the people has not gone unrewarded, for he has received several honorary awards and certificates from within and outside the country too numerous to mention, but a citation of few will suffice. The political mogul who was also a former Managing Director Lion Heart Global Merchandise Ltd bagged an Honorary Award from World Assembly of Youth, Tirana, Albania, award of excellence from African Youth Reconciliation Initiative (AYRI), honorary award by African Leadership News Magazine among Several other titles.
Such kinds of awards have defined his modesty, honesty, simplicity, condor and passion for humanity, for, every good turn deserves another.
His guest to emancipate the people will no doubt continue to widen his popularity beyond the frontiers of his local government so long as the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari remains his guiding principle.
May the life of this political and social crusader continue to emancipate the lives of the good citizens of Kano and Nigeria as a whole.
Fatima Ibrahim is of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano.
She could be reached at [email protected]
