In the lives of many, birthdays are usually periods for sober reflections; the time for stocktaking. Numerous personalities with eyes on the verdict of history use such occasions to reflect on their contributions to the betterment or otherwise of their societies. For Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubabakar of Jigawa state, he would have wished that his 60th birthday anniversary on September 29, 2022, be observed silently in strict compliance with his natural humility and simplicity. But the governor is not an ordinary man.
Sardaunan Ringim, as he is fondly called, has distinguished himself in the service of his beloved home state of Jigawa and, indeed, Nigeria as a whole. He is active and decisive, he weighs intellect against intuition, he is fair and firm in his dealings; a man who encourages cooperation rather than confrontation as he works in partnership with others. Badaru Abubakar bears all that comes his way with internal grace and humour.
The story of this task master is that of triumph of human vicissitude. His life is proof that with strong will to succeed in life and divine nod to one’s actions, one can turn all obstacles to blessings. He is the quintessence of humility, apostle of change, a revolutionary and core disciplinarian; proficient at the evolution of continuity between the past, diligently reshaping today for brighter tomorrow.
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (MON) was born in Babura on September 29, 1962. He is is the fourth and incumbent democratically elected governor of Jigawa state. He is the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fertiliser and also Chairman, Presidential Committee on Non-oil Revenue.
Abubakar is a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he obtained a B.Sc in Accounting. While studying at the university, he was involved in community activism, sport and business. Badaru is also an alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) which accords him the prestigious membership of the national institute (mni).
On graduation, he established his business, the Talamiz Group, a conglomerate with diverse interest in automobiles, manufacturing, agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as commodity distribution.
Abubakar was vice president II of the Federation of the West Africa Chamber of Commerce and a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. Prior to that, he was a member of the National Council on Privatization.
Badaru Abubakar was national president of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). He was elected in 2015 as the governor of Jigawa state and after a sterling performance, he was reelected in 2019. He is one of the influential power brokers in his party (the All Progressives Congress, APC) and chairs the party’s committee on contact and strategy with the sole responsibility of attracting members to the party and designing a winning strategy for 2023 elections.
In recognition of his hard work, philanthropic activities and community engagement, Abubakar was conferred with the traditional title of Sardaunan Ringim in Ringim emirate and Walin Jahun in Dutse emirate councils, respectively. He was also conferred with the national honour of the Member of the Order of Niger (MON) by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
All he ever wanted as a child to do in life was to make a difference in other people’s lives. As a child, he thought the only way to accomplish this was to engage in a vocation where his impact would be most felt. Some decades later, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar is doing what he always desired – touch lives. Badaru is an extra ordinary international business mogul and a political tactician who has overcome all manner of obstacles on his path. People have criticised his guts and sometimes daring business and political adventure, but he has the knack for succeeding in virtually all enterprises he has embarked upon in life.
Jigawa people are blessed to have Governor Badaru as their leader, to manage the state’s fledgling democracy and industrialisation gait as a continuum of exceptional political necessity. He is working totally impervious to the challenges of the moment: seeing the bigger picture of how his state would benefit from his relentless contribution.
Badaru has transformed the once sleepy state into a hub of activities. He has given the Jigawa person a new sense of identity – one that is based on the “can do” spirit – and a deep appreciation of his place in the Nigerian scheme of things. He has shown that government can indeed be a force for good and that a people’s spirit can be lifted and the wings of their dreams can soar above and beyond conventional thoughts and beliefs. The level of infrastructural development, the road network, the education change agenda, the numerous other people-centric initiatives that dot the landscape have won him plaudits and acclaim both home and abroad.
Badaru Abubakar’s foray into the volatile political terrain from the serene confines of his public service has set a new research trend on the professionals/businessmen in politics as his actions and utterances have redefined politics from the pejorative sense of the word. He has completely rubbished the beautiful and well researched theory of the English philosopher and social analyst, New Clive, that “What politicians lack is not shortage of towering promises; what they appear to have in abundance is a congenital capacity to default on their promises”.
By any benchmark one deploys to assess him, and in whatever clime in our firmament of the planet earth, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar MON, mni , is a stunning success, a unique gift to Jigawa and Nigeria and he deserves to be celebrated by all and sundry within the Nigerian geography as he turned 60 years in the service to the people.
Danyaro, senior special assistant (print media) to Jigawa state governor, writes via [email protected]
