Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. |
Over the past few weeks, Atiku Abubakar has become the
man whom Nigerians and others around the world recognise as the leading
opponent in next year's presidential elections, the man to beat President
Muhammadu Buhari in the polls and rescue Nigeria from the clutches of a
heartless cabal.
But, to many of us who have known
him over the past years, he is much more than what the campaign media teams or
the global newspaper headlines can ever portray effectively, no matter how well
meaning they might be. And I speak as someone who has experienced on a personal
basis, the fullness of who Atiku Abubakar is and what he represents, which have
nothing to do with whether or not the cameras are rolling or whether a
microphone is thrust in his face, or whether there is an election to be won.
I'd like to share some of those personal experiences with you and the world as
Atiku celebrates his 72nd birthday on November 25, the same day that he is
being elevated from the title of Turaki Adamawa to Waziri Adamawa, in a
ceremony taking place in his hometown of Yola.
Atiku Abubakar's rags to riches story has been in
the public domain especially since his days as Nigeria's Vice President. Much
has been told and written about his rise from herdsboy to headsman; of the boy
who hardly knew his father before his demise; who sold firewood, herded cattle
for wealthy neighbours, receiving payment in the form of grains which his
family subsisted on. At the age of 15, he had saved enough to buy his mother a
mud house. Of course, he went on to acquire an education, occupy senior
positions in the civil service, launch groundbreaking businesses, even before
he was elected as Vice President in 1999. The trajectory of his life shows
clearly that hard work pays. But, there is still so much missing from these
popular stories.
I was employed in Atiku's media office in 2010. In
2015, I stepped into the daunting role of head of the Atiku Media Office, thus
becoming Atiku's spokesperson and one of his most visible staff. At first, I
expected this to be nothing more than a job that came with heavy
responsibilities, which I determined to dispatch with excellence and without
reproach. But, before long, Atiku began to show me that I was more to him than
just someone on his payroll. He showed me what it was like to work for a boss
who cared for human beings, who was interested in the rise and comfort of those
below him, who considered their issues as his own issues. I didn't tell Atiku
when my parents were ill but he found out and phoned me to find out how they
were doing. Each time he saw me, he first asked details about my family's welfare
before he raised any pending or urgent work matters. Whenever I did anything he
approved of, he expressed deep gratitude as if I had done him a personal
favour, when I was merely doing my job. Anyone who has worked in our
country knows how widely this differs from the typical Nigerian boss.
Atiku constantly reminded me to ensure that his
media office reflected who he is, meaning that I should accommodate the rainbow
colours of our national diversity. In the past few years, the media office's
staff has comprised and still comprises people from the southeast, southsouth,
southwest, north central, northwest, and the northeast. Anybody who doubts this
can research the names of past and present staff on the roll of the office.
During Atiku's 70th birthday two years ago, the AMO staff were determined to
get him a gift. But then, what do you buy for a man who pays your salary, who
buys you rams during Sallah and bags of rice during Christmas, who can afford
everything that you can afford? Still, we were determined to seize the
opportunity to express our profound gratitude to the best boss that one can ask
for. In the end, we settled on a painting of his portrait. He grinned from ear
to ear when we presented it to him. A plaque we also presented to him currently
occupies pride of place in his living room. He didn't disdain our humble gift
of love.
Long before he declared his intention to contest
for the 2019 elections and before he was overwhelmingly elected to represent
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku shared profound thoughts with me
about his concern for Nigeria. Despite being from northern Nigeria, he was
worried by President Buhari's lopsided appointments. He was alarmed at the rise
of the Boko Haram insurgency, despite the government's loud proclamations that
the group had been defeated. He was embarrassed by the series of gaffes
President Buhari made each time he stood on the world stage, especially one
that disdained his wife and women in general. He found it incredible that the
government appeared more bent on finding a variety of excuses for the
farmer-herdsmen clashes than they were about bringing the carnage to an end.
When I arrived to attend a meeting with him sometime last year and noticed
Atiku looking sad and sorrowful, I asked him if all was well. "In all my
life, especially since the civil war, I have never been this worried for our
nation," he replied. The period under reference was the era of quit
notices and counter quit notices.
Being right there in Port Harcourt to watch Atiku
receive the resounding support of the PDP brought to me a joy that transcends
my position in his team. Knowing that he will have the opportunity to effect
his humanity and hardwork on a national scale is evidence to me that God
definitely has Nigeria on his mind. My prayer is that Atiku's elevation as
Waziri and the celebration that will attend his official turbaning on Sunday
will be a sign of the good things to come when he eventually mounts the saddle
as President of Nigeria in 2019. May the celebrations of Sunday, November 25,
be a snapshot of the future that millions of Nigerians from the North, South,
East and West are currently looking forward to, as they support Atiku Abubakar
to Get Nigeria Working Again.
Mazi Paul Ibe is Media
Adviser to His Excellency Atiku Abubakar.
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