After over 20 years of impactful journey in the private sector, Adamu, the eldest son of former vice president Atiku Abubakar is in every inch taking after his father both in politics and business circles. MUAZU ABARI writes.
The prayers of every right- thinking parents, especially educated elites, is to live impactful and exemplary life of service to God and humanity and also to be blessed with responsible children that would follow their footstep with a view to keeping the family name and sustaining the legacies.Unfortunately most of them couldn’t live to see this dream as they ended in dissappointment. Their children turned the opposite direction by throwing family values into the dustbin despite efforts to mould them into responsible children with a secure future.
A chip off the old block
For the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, known for his job creation, philanthropy, political doggedness, patrotism and passion for education, his sojourn on earth is a life of fulfilments, God grace and mercies having being blessed with both material wealth and responsible children who are determined to follow his footsteps and impact on society.
What distinquishes Atiku’s children from other children of rich Nigerians is that they are focused, hard-working and determined to make their marks on the sands of time. They never allowed their father’s wealth and influence to derail them from their focus as they strive to make history.
One of the former vice president’s sons who is currently making history and fitting into his father’s big political shoe in line with Atiku wish to groom him politically is Alhaji Adamu Atiku Abubakar, his eldest son who is also Adamawa state commissioner for works and energy developmen. He is a hard-working and determine young man who spent the greater part of his life in the private sector, leaving behind his footprints after which he switched to politics in fulfilment of his father’s wish.
He came into political limelight in the build up to 2019 election when he participated actively in the politics of the state especially the political revolution that led to the emergence of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as one of his dependable political ally after which he was rewarded with appointment as commissioner where he earned the trust and confidence of the governor and seen in most quarters as ‘super commissioner’.
The young Atiku’s foray into politics did not come to most people in the state as a surprise with some arguing that it is long overdue having made his marks in the private sector; therefore there is the need for him to also follow his father’s footstep who combined both business and politics in his quest to served humanity.
Most political analysts attributed Adamu’s decision to join politics to his father’s foresight by coming to the realisation that as an astute strategic master politician who has been in politics for decades, there is the urgent need for him to groom a successor among his children to master the art of politics with the view to taking over from him and continue from where he will stop.
As a commissioner, within just two years in office, he is able to endear himself to the heart of the governor who sees him as a trusted and dependable ally in the services of the state due to the deligent ways he discharged his responsibilities through the combination of brainwork and physical strength with intimidating records of achievements in his ministry. This no doubt made him one of the most performing commissioners in the state.
He has executed so many people-oriented projects that put him far ahead of his colleagues which seems to be the pride of Fintiri’s administration especially in the areas of completion of abondoned roads projects, execution of new ones and massive infrastructural drive as well as urban renewal programmes across the length and breadth of the state.
He did not only stop at that, but demonstrated competence and capacity to step into his father’s big political shoes. He took after him especially in the areas of generosity, providing supports and assistance to the less privilaged, supporting community development efforts, among many other humanitarian gestures, which further endeared him to the hearts of the people in his Adamawa South Senatorial District who have seen the need to drag him into the senatorial race of the zone in 2023 even when he is yet to accept or decline the offer.
He speaks
When asked about his senatorial ambition last year during Fintiri’s one year anniversary, he said, “I will be honest with you, of course, I have had calls and cries from my people to vie for the office of senator in 2023 and I said ‘thank you, I appreciate’. As I said earlier it is a new beginning for me and a fresh start. Like any other person who takes up a new journey, I would like to grow; I also want to grow where that growth would take me to only God knows.”
On wheather his decision to contest for Senate position in 2023, if he makes up his mind, would be an aberration if his father subsequently decides to recontest for the presidency in 2023 he said,
“I am glad you said hypothetically, but personally I don’t see anything wrong with that. My father has been an astute strategic master politician for almost four decades now and I am just starting. To a greater extent of natural succession, I would take that step; so, I see no reason why I shouldn’t be running if at all I decide to heed the calls of my people and at the same time my father decides to give a shot at the presidency in 2023. Absolutely, I see nothing wrong with that.”
On his experiences in government so far, he stated that, “The experiences have been quite exciting, rewarding and fulfilling. Exciting in the sense that my job is more of people-oriented; that is serving the people and this is what I have been passionate about. I have been doing this right from the start of my career at Intel’s Nigeria as far back as 1999. When I started serving there, I came to realise that I was more of people-oriented person who likes to listen to people’s problems and offer all forms of solutions.
“So to a large extent, it is something similar here though under different setting, so the experiences have been very exciting; this is something I know how to do best and I have been doing it for so many years. With the present platform, it has now given me the opportunity to get to the grassroot to identify with my people and know exactly where the shoe pinches and for us in the executive council to come out with solutions; so,I am quite please with the experience so far.”
When pressed on what informed his decision to accept appointment as commissioner in Fintiri’s cabinet, the young Atiku said.
“One of the reasons I accepted this appointment is to serve my peoole and of course, give back to society. I have been fortunate and privileged enough. I thank God that that I was born into the family of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, my father, who is also my mentor, my good friend, my boss and my everything. I worked in the private sector for about 20 years besides the fact that I am trying to follow his footsteps in business, I also thought it is time I took new challenge and the only challenge I could think of is politics.
“I could have joined politics long before now, but of course, I was in the private sector representing the family interest and at the same time it was a bit too early; so, my father worked on me to spend more years in the private sector in order to get enough experiences that would help promote me well in the public light, hence where I am today. So, I am basically here to serve my people deligently and also grow politically. I have just started my political journey; wherever that road would take me to, only God knows.”
Will Adaku Atiku Abubakar accept the call of his people to serve them in higher capacities in order to fulfill the wishes of his father politically or he would allow the opportunity to go away? Only time shall tell.
