In the lives of many, birthdays are usually periods for sober reflection; the period for stocktaking. Numerous personalities with eyes on the verdict of history use such occasions to reflect on their contributions to the betterment or otherwise of their societies.
For Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubabakar, he would have wished that the occasion of his 59th birthday anniversary on September 29, 2021, be observed silently in strict compliance with his humility and simplicity. But the man is not an ordinary man.
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Sardaunan Ringim, as he is fondly called, is a man who has distinguished himself in the service of his beloved home state, Jigawa, and indeed Nigeria. He is a man who is active and decisive who weighs intellect against intuition. He is fair and firm in his dealings, a man who encourages cooperation rather than confrontation. He is a man who bears all that comes his way with grace and humour.
The story of this man is that of triumph of human vicissitudes. His life is proof that with strong will to succeed and divine nod to one’s actions, one can turn obstacles to blessings. He is the quintessence of humility, apostle of change, a revolutionary and core disciplinarian. Proficient at the evolution of continuity between the past, diligently reshaping today for brighter tomorrow.
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (MON), born in Babura on 29 September, 1962, is the fourth democratically elected Governor of Jigawa State. He is the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fertiliser and also the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Non -Oil Revenue.
Abubakar is a graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a B.Sc in Accounting. While studying at the university, he became involved in activism, sports and business. Badaru is also an alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) which accords him the prestigious Member of the Mational Institute (mni).
After his graduation he established his business, Talamiz Group, a conglomerate with diverse interest in automobile, manufacturing, agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as commodity distribution.
Abubakar was Vice President II of the Federation of West Africa Chamber of Commerce and a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. Prior to that, he was a member of the National Council on Privatisation .
Badaru is a former President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
He was elected in 2015 as the Executive Governor of Jigawa State, and after a sterling performance he was reelected in 2019.
He is one of the influential power brokers in his party (APC) and chairs the party’s committee on contact and strategy, with the sole responsibility of attracting members to the party and designing winning strategies for the 2023 elections .
In recognition of his hard work, philanthropic activities and community engagement, Abubakar was conferred with the traditional title of Sardaunan Ringim in Ringim Emirate and Walin Jahun in Dutse Emirate. He was also conferred with the national honour of the Member of the Order of Niger (MON) by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
All he ever wanted as a child was to make a difference in people’s lives. As a child, he thought the only way to accomplish this was to engage in a vocation where his impact would be most felt. Some decades later, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is doing what he always wanted to do.
Badaru is an extraordinary international business mogul and a pragmatic politician who has overcome all manners of obstacles on his path. People have criticised his guts and sometimes daring business and political adventures but he has the knack for succeeding in virtually all enterprises he has embarked on.
Jigawa people are blessed to have Governor Badaru as their leader, to manage the state’s fledgling democracy and industrialisation gait as a continuum of exceptional political necessity. He is working totally impervious to the challenges of the moment: seeing the bigger picture of how his state would benefit from his relentless contribution.
Badaru has transformed the once sleepy state into a hub of activities. He has given the Jigawa people a new sense of identity – one that is based on the “can do” spirit – and a deep appreciation of his place in the Nigerian scheme of things. He has shown that government can indeed be a force for good and that a peoples’ spirit can be lifted and the wings of their dreams can soar above and beyond conventional thoughts and beliefs.
The level of infrastructural development, education change agenda, the numerous other people –centred initiatives that dot the landscape have won him plaudits and acclaim both home and abroad.
Alhaji Abubakar’s foray into the volatile political terrain from the serene confines of his public service has set a new research trend on the professionals / businessmen in politics as his actions and utterances have redefined politics from the pejorative sense of the word. He has completely rubbished the beautiful and well researched theory of the English philosopher and social analyst, New Clive, who claimed that “What politicians lack is not shortage of towering promises; what they appear to have in abundance is a congenital capacity to default on their promises”.
By any benchmark one deploys to assess him, and in whatever clime in our firmament of the planet earth, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is a stunning success, a unique gift to Jigawa and Nigeria and he deserves to be celebrated by all and sundry.
By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro, who is the Senior Special Assistant (Print Media) to Jigawa State Governor
