Atiku: The twinkle star in the sky
Ajanaku koja mo ri nkan firi; ti a ba ri eerin, ki a’gba wipe a ri eerin – Yoruba proverb
Trust the Africans. Their wealth of rich philosophical proverbs should easily pass for the eighth wonder of the world. In that category, the Yorubas are simply exceptional. For indeed, the Yoruba believes that there are moments when words are lost; and at such moments, proverbs are the pathfinders for the missing words.
The former vice president of Nigeria and the Turakin Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar is 70 years old. And like the proverbial elephant, which has no hiding place, Atiku has lived the past seven decades of his lifetime to become a giant in politics, education, business and philanthropy.
His traditional title of Turakin Adamawa simply translates as the custodian of the tradition of Adamawa land. To know that Atiku bagged this title at 36 years, tells a story of someone formed for big responsibilities.
I was a visitor to the Northeast on a book project sometimes in 2015 and at the time, the humanitarian crisis resulting from the Boko Haram terror was at its crescendo. I was stunned to hear about the several interventions by Atiku to alleviate the problems of the people. I was told that he employed the services of local vigilantes to ensure that Boko Haram’s territorial expansion does not spill into the city of Yola.
No doubt, the name Atiku means different things to different people. For the hundreds of indigent students who receive scholarship to have excellent education at his private educational institutions, to the thousands of people he provides employments for in his businesses, Atiku is a mercy from God.
In Adamawa State, Atiku has proven that charity indeed must begin at home. Against the lures of Lagos, Kano or Onitsha, Atiku has a bold signature on the business landscape of Yola, and his tentacles spread across all states in the Northeast.
For him, the simple explanation is that if the people of the zone are the most backward in terms of human capital development indices, then it is trite logic that investment in the region is also an investment in the minds and manpower development of the people.
The notable American University of Nigeria (AUN), Adamawa Beverage Limited, and Rico Gado Animal Nutrition are all blue chip business ventures in Yola, providing employments and adding a major boost to the revenue of the state. The AUN, for example adds $100million to the GDP of Adamawa State! It will therefore not be an exaggeration to say that Atiku Abubakar is a model of how development can be home grown.
While Atiku has emerged from grass to grace to become a towering influencer in Nigeria, nay West Africa’s business landscape, he, in no mean measure is also a colossal figure in the politics of Nigeria.
In playing politics, Atiku often is criticised for his swinging allegiance to political parties. Without fear of contradiction, I say such criticism do not take full appreciation of the nature of politics in a third world country like Nigeria.
It is more politically convenient to remain in one party in a politically developed country than it is in a third world country.
For instance, the anti-democratic Third Term agenda for President Olusegun Obasanjo is a peculiarity to Third World politics.
Even beyond that, Atiku’s credential is the best in recent history as exemplary in Nigeria’s social engineering.
Right from day one of his foray into politics, Atiku did not confuse anyone about his stance as a pro-democracy advocate. Unlike many of his traducers, Atiku did not wine and dine with the military dictatorship through the period that military rule lasted in the country.
His advocacy for two party systems is age-long and his advocacy for restructuring.
Today, our democracy is firmly rooted on judicial interpretations because Atiku chose the option of the judiciary when anti-democratic forces plotted to illegally remove him from office as vice president; and at another time plotted to disenfranchise him because of phantom corruption allegations.
The forth and back between Atiku and the forces against him during the Obasanjo presidency laid the foundation for the strength our democracy has today. If that dispensation was to be likened to a football match, Atiku will evidently emerge the star player.
Atiku might have changed membership of political parties at some points; nobody can accuse him of being irresolute to the principle of politics that he believes in.
As this shining star from the savannah enters the septuagenarian age, the story of his life refreshes the hope that with hard work and a good heart, it is possible to overcome every obstacle.
Olusola Sanni is Deputy Director at Atiku Media Office.
