For a very long time, a lot of people have been curious to find out who Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is. This public interest heightened especially after the young man’s stint as Nigeria’s number one accountant, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
Even, while he served as the Accountant General of Gombe state, the love and affection, humility and friendly disposition of the youthful Dankwambo attracted much public interest in his person. In all the quiet conversations, which the Dankwambo persona elicits, some people were of the view that the true test of a man’s character could only unfurl when he is in a position of power and great influence.
And, as if nature was in a hurry to answer for the affable young man, in 2011 the subtle reservations of the skeptics were rebuffed in great relief, because Dr. Dankwambo became the chief executive of Gombe state, the Jewel of the Savannah! Yet, four years on the saddle as governor, there was nothing to repudiate the friendliness, humanity and empathy towards others, which defined his interpersonal relations.
But, in 2015 when the power of the people to enthrone and dethrone leaders was unleashed in the land, Governor Dankwambo received the massive endorsement of Gombe people, who reciprocated his genuine love and care by re-electing him for a second term in office.
So, with his emergence as the last man standing, the self-effacing and visionary leader had the people answer the skeptics that he is real and most importantly, that power does not change those who hold it in trust and see it as opportunity to serve God and humanity.
That Dankwambo is not vain has become a virtue of public knowledge. He is neither discriminatory nor dismissive of the poor or downtrodden. He demonstrates that charity and philanthropy are essential ingredients of good leadership, that is, leadership that is based on sacrifice and sees the masses as its significant other!
Now more than ever before, the question, who is Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo is still being echoed in high crescendo in both low and high quarters, near and distant lands. Yet, answers are being thrown up by various organizations and even communities.
To the Public Service Information of Africa, Dankwambo is the Best Governor. The New Telegraph newspapers concurs that he is indeed the Best Governor. But, the Daily Times begs to differ, insisting rather that Dankwambo is the Governor of the Decade. Joining in the great debate, the Leadership Newspapers said to them he is the Governor of the Year.
Just so that they can tell the truth in simple terms, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) concluded that by whatever name it could be called or in whatever language, Dankwambo is Excellent. That must be why the Centre for Positive Leadership recognized his personal qualities and commended him for Positive Leadership.
As purveyors of information and popular culture, the newspapers insist on details. As such when the Sun Newspapers said Dankwambo is the Best Governor, it must be in line with what they found out. The Public Service Information focused on Dankwambo’s honesty, vision and character to conclude that he is the Most Outstanding Governor.
But, taking his integrity quotient, especially initiatives on the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system, as well as, the way he facilitated ease of doing business in Gombe, the BusinessDay said Dankwambo stands out in terms of Good Governance. That might have convinced the Vanguard Newspapers to crown him the Personality of the Year.
Nonetheless, as far as the question, who is Ibrahim Dankwambo, persists, the answers will keep coming from different mouths and sources. For instance, Dankwambo is the Talba of Gombe, the Tafida of Tangale, the Garkuwa of Kalarin, the Turaki of Gelengu, the Danmadami of Yamaltu, the Wali of Akko, the Santuraki of Amada, the Matawalle of Ikara and the Akimuagun of Ado Ekiti.
When Dankwambo donated his family house for a primary school, it was not only his own way of giving back, but also a genuine show of empathy towards the younger generation to get access to functional education.
From experience, he knows that knowledge is power. Check out his resume: An Officer of the Order of the Nigeria (OON), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB), Fellow, Nigeria Institute of Management (FNIM), Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), Fellow, Nigeria Economic Society (FNES), Fellow, Chartered Institute of Taxation (FCIT), Fellow, Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (FNAEAP).
He studied Accounting and graduated with Second Class Upper Division (B.Sc 1985); M.Sc. Economics (1992), PGD Computer Science (1998) and, PhD Accounting at the Igbinedion University Okada, Benin (2013). This undisputed well-rounded economist, is also a renowned chartered cccountant, an expert on taxation, forensic auditing, fraud detection, international banking and financial management.
Dankwambo is a technocrat in the true sense of the word. During his Civil Service career, he was a member, CBN Board of Directors; President/Chairman, Accountants-General and Auditors-General Forum of West Africa; Chairman, ECOWAS Audit Committee; Board Member, Extractive Industries Transparency International etc. As Accountant-General of the Federation he is remembered for the introduction of many transparency-inspired reforms, such as Treasury Single Account, E-payment and Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) among others.
There is a big side to the enthralling Dankwambo persona. His temperament disposes him to resonant leadership style. Experts believe that a leader’s emotional states and actions affect how the people they lead will feel and perform. Dankwambo displays a friendly mood all the time and this has sort of shown in the achievements he has recorded in Gombe despite very paltry fiscal accruals.
The first step he took after mounting the saddle as governor did much to showcase his temperament and primal leadership disposition. He retained almost all the aides of his predecessor and focused on the target of service for the people. This way, he built optimism and inspired on his aides to work as a team for the benefit of the people.
Part of the afflictions of leaders is when information is hidden and they are forced to second guess on almost everything. It is perhaps on account of this singular endowment of transparent and honest leadership that the Dankwambo persona is gaining national attention.
Dankwambo is 56 years old now, it is obvious that like good wine, he is getting better with age. Nigerians should do well to see this budding institution as a veritable source to learn some useful lessons in good leadership and inter-personal relations.
Kuna is SA (New Media) to Governor Dankwambo
