The first time I met Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in person was the last week of May 2011, about 11 years ago. A day before, I received a call from Hon. Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, a vibrant serving member of the Federal House of Representatives, who had called on phone asking whether I knew Tambuwal. Of course, Tambuwal was already a household name. So, I did not hesitate to say I knew him by reputation, though we never met in person. Surprisingly, Kawu Sumaila asked me to hold on to speak on phone with Tambuwal.
It was in the course of that phone call that Tambuwal informed me he was contesting for the seat of Speaker of the House of Reps, and I was recommended by Kawu Sumaila to play a key role in his media team. He then invited me to come over to Abuja and meet him.
I had just rounded off a relatively successful tenure as an adviser to then Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State, and was indeed planning to set up a base in Abuja as a media consultant. The next day, therefore, I took the first flight to Abuja, and the first sign of Tambuwal’s deep humility was his decision to drive to the airport to receive me in person.
It was the beginning of a rosy relationship between us, which culminated in his winning the seat of Speaker, in spite of the massively-formidable odds placed on his way. One of the major lessons I learnt, within a matter of two days after meeting Hon. Tambuwal, was that, where there is will, there will always be a way. Both his political party, and the President of the country at the time, were thoroughly opposed to his aspiration to be Nigeria’s Number Four citizen, but he absolutely believed in his abilities, and, because he was genuine, had never doubted the support of his colleagues.
Six years later, that lesson would serve me very well when I decided to contest for the post of deputy president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. Almost all the leaders of the elite body were against my aspiration. But the majority of Nigerian editors were resolutely behind me. I trudged on with my campaign even when it appeared I was set for a resounding beating. Remembering that there was virtue in having the heart of a lion as Tambuwal possessed, I refused to withdraw from the race, and when the election came, I won by an unforgettable one vote.
Back to Tambuwal’s election as Speaker. On Election Day, I was holed up in my room at Bolingo Hotel, Abuja, which we used as secretariat for the Tambuwal campaign, and I watched on television as the votes started counting. I was full of fear and trepidation. But we were very confident of winning. The only fear was our man was set to be arrested and denied entry to the hallowed chambers. And by the rule of the parliament, a contestant to such an office must be in attendance in person before he could be eligible for election.
A day earlier, we had a strategy meeting, where the dress code that dazzled the security services assigned to do the dirty job did all the magic. Tambuwal dressed like a Niger Delta high chief, while Emeka Ihedioha dressed like an Alhaji. They made it unrecognisably to the chambers, to the chagrin of their traducers.
It was shortly after both of them were elected Speaker and deputy that the Nigerian nation started coming to terms with the political dexterity and deep wisdom of Aminu Tambuwal. Like Nelson Mandela before him, Tambuwal showed to the whole world that he was imbued with deep generosity of spirit. For him, politics should be played without bitterness. He did not allow the power and aura of his new position to get to his head. He embraced his political party that opposed him with all its might, and extended a hand of fellowship to all those that opposed his aspiration.
It marked the beginning of a glorious era, which many described as the very best in the annals of parliamentarianism in Nigeria. Though he was only 45 years at the time, Tambuwal introduced to Nigerian politics decency and integrity that had not been seen in a long time. He also carried all members of the parliament along, such that even those from opposing political parties were completely at home with the man.
As Speaker, Tambuwal proved that national unity and integration were easily achievable, provided there was genuine commitment on the part of the leader. Like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardaunan Sokoto before him, Tambuwal related with colleagues, and indeed Nigerians of all faiths, equally. And the respect became mutual.
Though he made humility his mantra, Tambuwal believed there should be a red line, which they, as leaders, should not cross when it comes to governance with integrity and responsibility. And so, whenever he saw that the executive arm of government was veering off course, he would whip it back to line administratively, with his colleagues fully and solidly behind him. Some people uncharitably mistook that to be confrontation. But, for Tambuwal, Nigeria’s interest comes first, and cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political convenience or opportunism.
In more ways than one, that played a key part in putting the execute arm on its toes, knowing its henchmen could not be allowed to lord it over millions of Nigerians. Most of the things achieved by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration were courtesy of the checks and balances that Tambuwal and his team ensured were in place, in the interest of Nigeria.
The selfless nature of Tambuwal further came to fore four years after serving as Speaker of the House of Reps. His people in Sokoto wanted their son to return to them and serve them as governor. It was one clarion call he could not resist, even though, by the order of precedence, it amounted to something of a demotion. But then, for him, it is all about service, not ego trips or personal aggrandizement. Of course, when the gubernatorial election came, he won resoundingly and became the governor of his native Sokoto State in 2015.
Tambuwal came to Government House with a great vision to turn around the fortunes of that great state. Sadly, though Sokoto is a frontline state, it does not have the kind of resources its peers in other parts of the country could boast of. It also has an unwieldy civil service and one of the largest landmass. With our porous borders, planning in Sokoto could be difficult because every day, illegal aliens from neighboring Niger Republic and other places troop into Sokoto to drink from the milk of Tambuwal’s kindness.
The governor had to make several shuttles to Abuja to see how he could remedy the very bad situation he met on the ground. The opposition, lacking anything credible to say, started criticizing Governor Tambuwal, saying he was fond of travelling to Abuja. They never reckoned with the fact of Tambuwal’s determination and resilience.
More than six years down the line, Tambuwal has already achieved practically more than all his predecessors have done, put together. Though it was like squeezing water out of stone, Tambuwal is succeeding in putting Sokoto on the global map. Courtesy of him, Sokoto is now a signpost in responsible and credible governance, as his administration places the interest of the people above all else.
As Tambuwal winds up a resoundingly successful tenure of office as governor next year, Nigerians who have been witnesses to the glorious days when he served as Speaker of the House of Reps are yearning for the man to come out and contest for the presidency of the country.
With a Nigeria presently on tenterhooks, it definitely badly needs the services of a unifier and icon of national unity, which Tambuwal fully exemplifies and represents. There is no state of Nigeria that is not a home to the Sokoto governor. Though there are genuine clamors for the presidency to shift to the South, there are, interestingly, more southerners very much ready to stake everything to support Tambuwal to become the next President of the country. We have to have a country first, before people could talk about regionalism.
Surely no one is indispensable. But the way Nigeria is today, it will be risky to put up anyone that has not proven himself as a unifier and excellent manager of scarce resources. The economy is bleeding badly, and poverty is at unprecedented levels. The Brookings Institution had in 2018 declared Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, knocking off India from the position.
In the report, it was stated that six Nigerians get into extreme poverty every minute. The rate of unemployment is presently one of the worst in the whole world, and Nigeria has a very active population accounting for 72 percent of the people under 32 years of age. The situation is really frightening. A messiah is badly needed. And that largely informs why Nigerians are ready to discountenance zoning in favour of compatriots of proven integrity and capacity from all and any parts of the country.
Unlike most of the front runners in the race for the presidency, Tambuwal has age on his side. He turned 56 on the 10th of this month, which means he will be less than 70 by the time he finishes two consecutive terms as president of Nigeria, from 2023.
Tambuwal is a leader with distinction, who I will recommend to the highest levels any day. Seven years ago, I named my then newly-born baby boy after Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. Only two days separate their dates of birth. Such is my firm belief in the excellence of character of the man. And growing up as a toddler, my young son is already proud he was named after such a national icon that he hopes to emulate in the journey of life.
Here is wishing Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal a blessed birthday, even if rather belatedly. I am one of millions of compatriots who believe Nigerians are yet to see the best in this man of Providence. There is no doubt Aminu Tambuwal is the man Nigeria needs very urgently to save it from what, God forbid, could well be an impending explosion. May it be well for Nigeria and its good people.