The gifts and accolades aside, the special birthday speeches by friends and relatives were, indeed, momentous in the celebration of the 62nd birthday of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, on January 8.
We, therefore join the teeming Nigerians from all walks of life to thank the Almighty Allah for the life of the minister, especially as it is a life of selfless service to the whole of mankind.
We say happy birthday to a political generalissimo, a pacesetter, a political pathfinder, builder, moulder, a political shaper, a political barometer and jaugernault of our time whose real, measurable and meritorous exploits have become a source of inspiration to many including generations yet to come. The virtues of courage, determination, vision, and strong sense of patroitism have characterised Mohammed Musa Bello and he indeed ranks among the noblest, kindest and greatest among men alive. Honourable Minister Sir, happy birthday and many happy returns on this great day in greatest health and long life.
It is indeed the prayers of all in this great city of Abuja that the Almighty Allah will continue to sustain the minister as he takes the Federal Capital Territory to greater heights. His large heart and uncommon intellect have become a stuff of legend and inspired millions of people all over Nigeria. Mohammed Musa Bello has been giving a good acount of himself in all his endeavours since he started his public life which accounted for his reappointment as the minister of the FCT for a second term by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed Musa Bello is a change agent whose examplary style of leadership is an inspiration to millions of people not in Nigeria but also around the world. As a public servant who is ready to confront challenges, all of the encomiums showered on the indefatigable minister are well deserved. His life also envinces the importance of vision, tenacity, focus, wisdom and courage in leadership.
We wish also to thank FCT minister on the tremendious services he has rendered, and continues to render, to our dear country, especially at this time when all hands are on deck by the Buhari administration to confront the numerous challenges like insecurity, poor economy, corruption, etc, bedeviling the nation.
Today, Mohammed Musa Bello is globally renowned as being in the forefront of propagating the ideas, vision, strategies and programmes of this administration which recognises that the Nigerian person is the nation’s greatest resource.
His progressive tendencies are expressed in his emphasis for free education, free universal healthcare, access to land and other forms of capital to own, to manage businesses, full employment, and a robust social safety net for the vulnerable. The minister is not merely involved in formulating strategies and ideas, he also plays the pragmatic role of working out how these egalitarian programmes and policies are implemented to the letter. We pray that the minister will live in peace, excellent health and joy and that his desire for a great, united and indivisible Nigeria will be attained.
Mohammed Musa Bello has made worthwhile sacrifice of service and we as Abuja citizens are your greatest fans and you are our cheerleader for our President Buhari. Our dear minister, this year’s celebration of your birthday is an opportunity for us, once again, to show the world how much we love and admire you for your immense sacrifice to the FCT and the country at large.
You truly mean the world of development in its physicality to us.
Our gratitude for you is immeasurable and our prayer is that as you advance in age, may you grow more in wisdom so that we can reap the fruits of your intellect and service. Let me use this birthday felicitation to bare my mind on some salient issues and advise that you reflect on on it to make Abuja better. To be the great nation we purport to be, we must reform and retool our economy to make things better for our people.
Government must simply work for the people in a way that people work for themselves. We must amend our basic ideas about the economy. We must divorce ourselves from our fixation with GDP rates and other similar statistics.These things were initially intended to be indicators, suggestive measurements. However, we have misrepresented these roadmaps by treating them as if they are the definitions themselves.
This has caused us to distort the organic relationship between the people and the economy. This dorminant train of thought has made the people servants to the dictates of abstract economic theories.
In a more effective system, the economy would be fashioned to serve the concrete needs and aspirations of the people. Our economy must be redefined to be an efficient and yet moral social construct with the primary aim of optimising the long term welfare of the people through the sustained, productive and full deployment of labour, land, capital and natural resources.
To pull the nation from poverty, government must play a decisive role. It must direct and sometimes develop markets and opportunities. What I am suggesting sir is not novel, I am only suggesting what the developed economies did when they were young and assume their trajectories towards growth.
We appeal to Mohammed Musa Bello that as a member of the Federal Executive Council, he present on our behalf, as our birthday gift, this suggestion to Mr President. Once again, happy birthday, Honourable Minister.
Musa writes from Abuja.
