However, though Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of PDP may not be an entirely a new face with his emergence as the governor of Kano State, since he has governed the state for four years from 1999-2003,he is back now after eight years, to take the mantle of leadership from the Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP, who in an ironic twist of fate, defeated Kwankwaso eight years ago, and his tenure also ends.
Who are these new governors? Their successes are not without stories, with all the intrigues, determination and tenacity of purpose.
Abdulfattah Ahmed was born on December 29, 1963 into the Adebiopon compound of Share in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. His father, Ahmed Share, a retired police officer (deceased) hailed from Share, a community in Ifelodun Local Government of Kwara South senatorial district. He has been married to Omolewa for over 15 years. They have a son, who currently studies in the United Kingdom and two girls.
As a child who grew up in the police barracks,Alhaji Ahmed attended Government College, Funtua, Katsina State between 1973 and 1978 and the School of Basic Studies of the Kwara State College of Technology (now Kwara State Polytechnic), Ilorin (1978-1980). Thereafter, he attended the University of Ilorin where he earned a B. Sc. in Chemistry (1986) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA, 1992).
Before his assumption of office as a commissioner, he had a stint as a lecturer in Organic Chemistry and later Acting Head of Department at the Federal College of Arts and Science, Sokoto, in Sokoro State between 1986 and 1990. It was from teaching that he moved into the banking sector, first as an Assistant Manager at District Savings and Loans, Lagos from 1991 to 1993, the year he joined Guaranty Trust Bank PIc.
Speaking in an interview recently, Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed said he had worked with the outgoing governor, Bukola Saraki, since he was in the banking sector and was largely invited by him into politics in 2003 when the former became the governor of Kwara State as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, a position he held until late 2009 when he was moved to head a newly created Ministry of Planning and Economic Development as Commissioner.
In the face of scarcity of inflow into government treasury, his department devised a means that led to the increase in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by almost 400%.
Many of his colleagues at school where he taught and those in the banking sector where he worked, described him as a focused person, who knows what he wants and goes after it tenaciously.
The Deputy Governor, Chief Joel Ogundeji, said Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed ‘’has been able to combine his private sector experience with the public service and this has made him excel tremendously in the performance of his duty as a commissioner.’’
Similarly, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Saka Abimbola Isau (SAN), who described Abdulfatah as a childhood friend, said that “his disposition to people around him remains the same even when he became a commissioner. He is a reasonable person who bends to superior argument.’’
A childhood family friend, Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar, the pioneer Director-General of Harmony FM, Kwara, who grew together with him in the barracks back then in Kaduna, said “fatai was more or less a cool headed boy who will not foment trouble even when he was provoked. He is unpredictable because he would not talk, no matter what you do.’’ AbdulRahman is one of his Arabic schoolmates in Katsina. According to him, Abdulfatah has remained the same person all the years they have been friends.
Pa Omotunde Samuel, his paternal uncle, described him as “humble, level-headed,” adding that “there has never been much negative reports about him from any quarter.” He relates well with all members of his extended family.’ His aunt in Pakata, Alhaja Maryam Anafi, said ‘’he accords respect and honour to me despite the fact that I’m just his maternal aunt. He comes here and we also go to his place of residence. He brings gifts during festivals and at other times.”
A visit to his home shows that he holds several traditional titles, including Otunba of Igbaja; Seriki Adinni of Share and Otunba of Ira, among others. Confirming the chieftaincy titles, the Olupako of Share, Alhaji Garba and the Onira of Ira in Kwara South senatorial district said, ‘’he contributes immensely to the development of our town. Anytime we make financial requests, he responds promptly even before he became a commissioner.’’
On the other hand, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has vowed to go to court to challenge the election result, while the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate accepted the defeat and extended a hand of fellowship to the governor- elect. He also urged his supporters to work with the winning team.
Alhaji Abdulrahaman Aburrazaq, the CPC’s gubernatorial candidate, commended INEC for improvement in the process of the election in the state.
However, Alhaji Nurudeen Muhammad, a CPC stalwart and a former Commissioner for Finance, described the governor –elect, Fattah Ahmad as ‘a level headed person, amiable, sociable ‘and therefore likeable’.
He said, as a Commissioner for Finance for over six years, who has a global picture of the government in the state, the governor-elect will make a difference without necessarily having a godfather.
“He has no reasons not to perform,” Muhammad added. He explained the political situation in the state thus: “It is now going to be communal efforts in deciding who plays what. The aspect of godfatherism or not is left to the person who is at the helm of affairs. Our experience in Nigeria is that the so-called godfathers have been decapitated, including the one who decapitated his own father, so what else?’’
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