The Psalmist said in the Holy Scripture that our span is seventy or eighty for those who are strong. The Psalmist was deliberate in identifying those who get to 80, and beyond, as strong. Mallam Mamman Daura turned 80 a few days ago. He is a strong man. He achieved a lot. A Roman General once said that when a man reaches the peak, he looks back at the road he has passed. In looking back, he wants to be sure that he made positive impact. Positive impact is the trail we leave as we work ourselves up the ladder of actualisation. Mamman Daura has many of such trails.

Daura is different things to different people. To his children, he is a great father who cares. To his grandchildren, he is a wonderful and playful grandfather. To his wife, he is a most loving husband. To his associates, he is a great nationalist who seeks the utmost good of all. To those who do not know him, he means something different. But as it is said, dogs bark at those they do not know. To me, he is a great Nigerian who has given his all in the service of his fatherland. He represents a generation of nationalists who know neither tribe nor religion. He represents what every Nigerian should aspire to be. It is therefore not surprising that even at 80, he is still strongly working for the good of the country, and people, he so much loves.

Some Nigerians do not know Mamman Daura. I agree that it is not possible for every Nigerian to have a personal experience of him like I have done in over two decades. Those who have been closely associated with him know deeply that he is one patriot who goes to bed every night thinking of what next sacrifice to make for the good of Nigeria. He believes that Nigeria was deliberately created by God to be the black man’s reference in positive values. For this reason, Mallam Daura will not spare any moment to ensure that only the good is delivered for the good of Nigeria.

At 80, one may expect him to slow down and rest more. The Daura I know will not do so. He believes that there is still work to be done and has been working almost at same capacity, like he has done since his youthful days when he started off writing, as a journalist, for a better Nigeria. So, from merely writing and articulating views on how best to put Nigeria in shape for her future, Daura found himself within power corridors, with the opportunity to translate those great ideas he shared, into workable deliverables for our country.

The result has been torrential, with an upsurge in rice production and growing national capacity for self-sufficiency in agricultural production. Daura has helped, albeit behind the curtain, to guide the incumbent federal administration towards policies that have made the Nigerian economy to be counted among one of the growing economies in the world. He has helped tailor government’s policy directive towards diversification, which has seen a gradual focus shift from petroleum to other sources of revenue. Though some Nigerians feel otherwise about the effect on these policies on their personal economies, there is no denying the fact, however, that sanity has returned to the economic front with the country now making more money through taxation.

Nigerians are also feeling the positive impact on the improvement in power generation and distribution much the same way they experience growth on infrastructure development. These are not happenstance. They are the direct outcome of a mind that is deeply focused on progress rather than privileges. Those who have the rare privilege of knowing the force behind the incumbent government would appreciate my assertion.

Daura is 80, but that is a number. His age has not taken a toll on him mentally. His experience has become very crucial at this time when Nigeria is going through a transformative rebirth.  Like it is said, a new broom sweep fine, but an old one knows all the corners. Daura as a patriotic nationalist has a very deep understanding of the ethnic diversity of Nigeria and has worked very hard to ensure that government taps into this diversity for nation building. That is where his experience comes to play as the unifying link in government.

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Beside his patriotism and nationalistic approach, Daura is such a loving heart with infectious warmth. He loves humanity and does not hide it. He won’t go to dinner table alone. That way, he ensures that those around him go to bed with a stronger hope for tomorrow. Those who have come across him can testify to this. He is kind and affable. What more can humanity asks for than to have someone whose empathy knows neither tribe nor religion.

I would say that Nigeria is very blessed to have Mamman Daura within its leadership circles at this time when it is undergoing a rebirth because his wisdom and counsel have proved vital in strengthening the country’s unity. Having attained 80, what more can one ask for him than to pray that God will bless him with good health, of mind and body, to enable him help place this country on the pedestal of progress. God can’t be wrong.

However, he lives with a burden. The burden of nationalistic patriotism is such that those who drive it are often misunderstood. They are misunderstood not because they communicated wrongly, but because people grow and live with certain fixations about others. Those who live with negative fixations need work more to liberate themselves from such traps. As a good communicator, Daura is also a very good listener. He listens to every complaint about life and living in Nigeria. He reads every report published and pays very close attention to details. That way, he is able to identify the demon that is always hidden in there. Very few persona at his age, have the strength and capacity to sit long hours doing this. Those who still do, do so out of love for whatever they are involved in.

Like I said earlier, he bears the burden of being misunderstood. However, those who work with such burden always laugh last. History is replete with the story of great men, like Mamman Daura, who were misunderstood while they worked hard to liberate mankind from the clutches that had been placed on them by bad governance. For instance, when Jesus Christ entered the temple to chase away those who had turned it into a market place, as recorded in the scripture, not many saw his action as a necessary cleansing exercise to return the temple to its natural role in the development of the relationship between mankind and the divine. The people were to later understand what he represented and what his actions meant. But it was already too late as he had gone to be with his heavenly father, who ab initio, sent him.

As things are, Daura deserves all the accolades befitting a nationalistic patriot with very strong and progressive visions for the future of our children. Nigerians also need to celebrate him for sacrificing his retirement to help stir the country to loftier heights.

Happy Birthday, Mamman Daura.

• Senator Kalu, former governor of Abia State, is the Senate Chief Whip.