The voluminous chapters on the life of Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, OFR, the current Chairman, Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP), reveal the story of a man who has done so much but still gears up to do much more. Every page of his life is a must read.
As Minister of Defense between 2011 and 2012- less than10 years after being Minister of Communications- it had become obvious that he would remain relevant in the nation regardless of the political divide. Politicians, public office holders, strategists and students of history and politics have not stopped seeking him for advice and solutions to knotty matters.
Versatile political tactician, reputable veterinarian, accomplished administrator, distinguished public servant, veteran activist, outstanding statesman and consummate gentleman, this eminent octogenarian was born a Prince of the Sokoto Caliphate on October 9, 1945 in the present-day Kebbi State where he holds the historical traditional title of Dangaladiman Gwandu.
His father, the late Ubandoma Gwandu was the son of Ubandoma Sa’ad and grandson of the Emir of Gwandu Haliru Abdu (1906-1916) of blood connection to Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio, the brother and lieutenant of the legendary Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate. No wonder he often carries the royal traits of pride, honour and integrity.
He entered the public service in 1977 at age 32 as a two-time commissioner in the old Sokoto State, rising later into national prominence as Director of the then Department of Customs and Excise (1990-92) and the Comptroller- General, Nigeria Customs Service (1992-95)
The fortunes of the customs service were greatly enhanced during his 7-year tenure. For example, the Customs and Excise Management Act was enacted to ease its operations thereby lifting the organization to the status of the Police, Army, Navy and Air Force.
He became the first Comptroller- General of Customs in 1992, Deputy Chairman of the Brussels-based Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) and Head of West and Central Africa Regional Group of CCC south of the Sahara.
He retired from the Customs in 1995, joined the defunct NAL Merchant Bank as a member, Board of Directors between 1999 and 2001 after which he became a Federal Commissioner in the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission where he chaired the Committee on Fiscal Efficiency in the non-oil sector.
In June 2001, he was appointed as Minister of Communications where he supervised the presidential reform agenda that led to the birth of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) telecommunications services and the transformation of the Nigerian Postal Service to a functional national courier agency. The phenomenal development in the nation’s communications sector remains the most outstanding and visible achievement of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
He was Chairman of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Limited in 2005 from where he left to become a Federal Government delegate at the 2005 National Political Reform Conference in Abuja.
He left the conference to contest and won election as National Vice Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in the North West zone where when his tenure ended in March 2008, PDP’s hold in the zone had increased from two states (Kaduna and Katsina) to five (Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa states).
He became the Deputy National Chairman at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja. It was at the 2011 PDP National Convention of the PDP at the Eagles Square, Abuja that he was pronounced as Acting National Chairman of the party following the resignation of the then National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.
William Shakespeare wrote: “Some are born great, others achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”. Which bracket fully captures the life of the subject of this tribute? The jury is out.
As Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello led the party though many highly remarkable violence-free presidential campaigns nationwide. It was the most defining moment of his over 35-year active political life that dates back to his student days when he was elected President of Ahmadu Bello University Students Union and also as Vice President, National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) in the early 1970s.
PDP under his watch went into the 2011 elections as a formidable party. It won majority seats in the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, the governorship and the center. Post-election court cases dropped drastically by over 85 per cent, a feat unrecorded in the history of electoral contests in the country. It was also to the credit of his leadership that the campaigns by the party across the country were peaceful.
He cut his teeth in politics in 1978 when he joined the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) contesting election for the deputy governorship of Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) in the Second Republic. He was the state party secretary from 1979 to 1983. It was not until 10 years later that he forayed into politics again as a founding member of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) during Gen. Sani Abacha’s botched transition programme between 1993 and 1997.
When PDP was being formed he participated in the inaugural meeting of the G38. He was one of the four conveners who formed the PDP in Kebbi State in 1998. It is note- worthy that he has not looked back ever since. He is on record as the first in the party to become Zonal Chairman, Deputy National Chairman, National Chairman and now Chairman, Board of Trustees in straight succession.
Perhaps more than anything else in the life of this great political icon is his consistence and doggedness. To him, it is non-negotiable. His belief in the public good comes first. At some point and time, he may have been misunderstood but events later validated him thereby winning him more respect and acceptability.
His capacity to discern people and events remain another major strength that equips him adequately to absorb effects of unintended outcomes so much that it is safe to conclude that nothing actually takes him unawares. He knows when to up his game and when to lower his guard. This, to my observation in over 25 years of my relationship is a staying power.
Extremely averse to controversies and immoderate publicity, he always prefers to stay off the radar most times. So how he skillfully combines his pseudo-activism with his inborn feudalism/conservatism remains an unsettled learning module.
Abubakar Mustapha, MFR, mni, PDP’s National Organizing Secretary, an ex-student of Barewa College, Zaria in a tribute last year during Dr. Bello’s 69th birthday said: “Among all leaders and patriots I have known especially within the circle of Barewa College Old Boys, you stand out as a beacon in integrity, vision, focus, discipline, humility and excellence-qualities which are rare in contemporary Nigerian leadership history.”
Dr. Bello attended Nasarawa Primary School in Birnin-Kebbi between 1952 and 1956 proceeding to Birnin- Kebbi Middle School from 1957 to 1959 before entering Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Sokoto) from 1960 to 1964. He went to the famous Barewa College (now Government College, Zaria) between 1965 and 1966 and gained admission into the ABU where he graduated in 1973 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree. In 1976, he obtained a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H) degree at the University of Minnesota, U.S.A.
This widely-travelled and detribalized patriot is a Foundation Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria and a distinguished member of the American Public Health Association, amongst many other organizations. Happy Birthday, Sir.
Emeka Nwankpa is a journalist and an Abuja-based public affairs commentator.
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