Giants strides made by man are usually relived with pomp and pageantry. While some roll out the milestone amidst glass clinging, others play the breakthrough low but all in praises and in anticipation of better future. In this momentous instance, the success story always overshadows the nauseating hurdles and barricades accompanying such feats. Naturally, some people excel in various ways of life, they standout in anything they venture into, they are shining light, they shape their environment and their world.
Such individuals of unique poise are celebrated everywhere, encouraging them to reach their peak thereby serving as an impetus to younger generation. How else can one describe the super administrator and grassroots mobiliser, Dr Umaru Dikko Radda, All Progressives Congress, APC, Katsina state 2023 gubernatorial flag bearer, as he clocks the age of 53?
Radda perfectly fits the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, when he postulates, “To be yourself in the world that is trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. A man who is tall, his accomplishments are taller than him. A man of lofty ideals, humility and generosity; he paradoxically has a simple philosophy of life and corresponding approach to challenges.
Radda’s undisputable wits and oratory is legendary. He is a bastion of stability, he has brought progress and global attention to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). He has propelled the agency forward in an unprecedented manner through his visionary leadership. He has also demonstrated high sense of integrity, courage, confidence, doggedness, honesty and sincerity of purpose in his task of leading the largest SMEs development agency to greater heights during his stint in office.
Mr. Radda graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, in 1996. He obtained two Master’s degrees in Agricultural Extension and in International Affairs and Diplomacy; and a doctor of philosophy in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, all from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, between 1998 and 2015. A former teacher, banker and local government chairman, Radda was until his appointment as director general, SMEDAN, the chief of staff to the governor of Katsina state.
The act of leading people is called governance in political parlance. It is an act instituted by God through the people. Part of service to God Almighty, going by our Holy Scriptures, at different times, those who lead the people from one situation or the other were committed, dedicated, steadfast and compassionate.
Personality is no substitute for intellect, not only simplicity, but a leader’s intellect alone is useless without a personality. Radda is always serve humanity against all odds. He is one of the few public servants who is not carried away by lures of office or wealth. An astute leader, Radda displays exceptional strides in education, health, agriculture, women/youth empowerment, etc, through his Gwagware Foundation.
Dynamic Dikko, as he is fondly called by admirers, combines a rare academic capability with administrative and organisational acumen. This is evident in many strategic administrative positions he held and the challenges he surmounted over the years.
According to an admirer, Radda does not portray Katsina as a doomed state but an industrious, entrepreneurial one robust in growth, rich in culture, vibrant in labour and attractive for investment.
He believes it possesses the traits that are equipped with pedigree, integrity and capacity to drive the state through the pathway of phenomenal positive transformation to a destination where it will earnestly reflect the slogan, “Katsina: Home of Hospitality”
The ruling APC in Katsina state has a far better chance with Radda as its flag bearer than with any other individual. This is so because of his ability to solve complex problems at the snap of a finger; his good leadership qualities that evoke confidence and experience defined his service in numerous public offices.
As Martin Luther King puts it, “The prosperity of a nation does not depend on the abundance of its resources or fortification of its cities but on the number of cultivated citizens”. Aside his sound academic and professional antecedents, Mallam Radda is seen by many as the only candidate that has comportment, level headedness and political will to take Katsina state to the promised land, going by his track record and connections within and outside Nigeria.
By any benchmark, Dr Umaru Dikko Radda is a stunning success, a unique gift to Katsina state at its critical moment in history. He deserves to be celebrated by all and sundry as he clocks 53 years. Happy birthday, Sir!
Dansardauna writes from Kofar Kaura, Katsina state
