The daughter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Fatima Atiku, who was appointed Commissioner for Health in Adamawa State yesterday offered to serve gratis, without salaries or allowances.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) welcomes Dr. Fatima Atiku’s decision with immense pleasure. It is coming at a time when Nigeria needs honest and patriotic citizens to salvage the economic mess left behind by political scavengers and economic parasites who masqueraded as transformers.
By making this huge sacrifice, Dr. Fatima has opened a new and encouraging vista for the young generation of Nigerians. It is also a good example of loyalty in followership as President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor El-Rufai and some others had earlier accepted cuts in their salaries.
Like father, like daughter, Dr. Fatima’s altruism is a natural fallout of the workings of the Adamic chromosome as her father, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, during the 2015 presidential campaigns, had offered to serve without collecting emoluments if elected president.
Unlike the pack of wolves who milked Nigeria dry in the past six years, good leadership is already yielding encouraging results. It has produced the likes of El-Rufai and Fatima. We have no doubt that many others will follow pretty soon. Nigeria will rise again.
MURIC salutes the patriotic Commissioner for Health in Adamawa State. We charge Nigerian youths to learn from her example. One great lesson inherent in her selfless sacrifice is that Nigerians can now see that not all politicians are thieves and rogues. There is, therefore, light at the end of the tunnel. Nigerian youths who had lost all hope for this country should therefore brace up. Those who had shunned politics for fear of being tarnished should have a change of heart while those who went on self-exile should return home to join us in the task of rebuilding the nation.
In particular, Nigerian women should follow the example of Fatima Atiku. More women should join politics. Gender balance cannot become a reality if our women remain in the kitchen. The time to enroll is now.
In conclusion, we remind Fatima Atiku of her father’s huge contributions to the present dispensation. By leading the historical walkout at the PDP convention in 2014, Atiku Abubakar almost single-handedly engineered the defection of the five PDP governors, an action largely responsible for the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2015 presidential elections. Fatima should therefore continue to tow her father’s path of honour, truth, courage and service to the fatherland.
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-803-346-4974
234-818-211-9714
E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Twitter: twitter.com/muslimrights