By Ibrahim M Hamman
Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC gets ready for its Gubernatorial Primaries in less than 72 hours, the focus and of course attention will be on Adamawa.The Gubernatorial Primaries would avail both pretenders and contenders the latitude to avail themselves before respected delegates and critical stakeholders vested with the responsibility of choice.Under globalization and multi-culturalism in the politics of choice and change, the name that keeps resonating within the political circles in Adamawa is that of Otunba Umar Mustapha Madawaki, a man with dazzling brilliance and intellectual capacity to be the state’s next Governor. Otunba as fondly called, flaunts enviable credentials as an enthusiastic politician with passion for grassroot mobilization and development.As a committed, resourceful and dynamic Nigerian, the leading aspirant with full potentials of a candidate is a committed, resourceful and purposeful unifier that transverse between streams and rivers, mountains and alluvial plains in search of votes of democrats of conscience for the common good of the people. In-fact Otunba is a masterstroke for Adamawa underdevelopment and poverty of governance with the potentials of defeating the incumbent if given the opportunity.Otunba’s Clinical human relations, infection charm, open ended philanthropy wise Counsel, strength of character and commitment to the virtues of humility are some of the selling points that would be garnished with his profound programmes of action to give Adamawa the desired dividend of democracy.With his first degree from the University of Maiduguri in 1986 and a masters with others associate degrees, Otunba stands out as one if not the most educated aspirants in the APC. Having satisfied both requirements of character and leaving, Otunba had a stint in Academic and business which made him a success story. The man is a silent performer that is result oriented in all areas of human endeavor and could generally be seen as an all-rounder that belongs to the brackets of the gifted.Born on 10th March, 1963 in the historic town of Gurumpawo in Ganye local Government, area of Adamawa state, Otunba started his early education in the famous Yelwa Primary school where he had his first school leaving certificate in 1975. As a man of destiny, Umar Mustapha went to the prestigious Government Secondary School, now Murtala Mohammed College Yola and obtained with high grades in his West African School Certificate in 1980. For this brilliant young man, academics was all the way as there was no turning back towards that endeavours. A very urbane and highly metropolitan in all aspects of life, the great Otunba ventured into teaching after the “golden fleece” and taught at the Federal College of Education Yola in 1987. For his intellectual capacity and high I.Q, Umar stood tall as the first academic staff of the College to be offered poor graduate scholarship of the college.As a man of courage of conviction, Umar resigned his appointment at the college and headed into the business world. He was and still is a major player in the oil and gas industry with a registered company Boldstar Nigeria Limited that broke limits and resounding success in sub-Saharan Africa.As a successful business mogul with vide contacts around the major continents for the world, Umar Mustapha is a wonderful family man, a grassroot mobilizer, a liberal philanthropist and a charitable industrialist with a passion for the growth of Adamawa.As a highly respected politician whose love for humanity found its deepest and most profound expression in his commitment to social justice and fairplay for mankind, Otunba’s desire to be the next Governor of Adamawa is borne out of his patriotic desire to positively respond to our generational challenges.For all these years under our fledgling democracy, Adamawa State has been bucked under the full weight of ravenous and greedy political class that fed fat on our common patrimony.Many of those in government lived in abscence Opulence as a result of Profligacy and financial impunity with its attendant high profile corruption and monumental looting of the treasury.There was and still is, lack of honest, transparent and selfless approach to governance where the state took a toll and suffered administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructure and services, high unemployment rate, general insecurity, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor and academic social malaise. Infact it is a free for all looting where professional fraudstars and economic adventurists with predatory instincts on our treasury are having a field day.The venturing of Otunba within the political circles of the state gives Governor Ahmadu Fintiri sleepless nights and a “bloody” nose for very obvious reasons. With a provincial mindset, ideologically hollow and intellectually shallow capacity to develop Adamawa, Fintiri seems to personify the institution of governance as he delved into controversial debt profile of questionable credentials and doubtful distinctions. Having tied the state to over N200 billion Naira debt profile, Fintiri seems to have been consumed by senseless and highly avoidable booby traps with full potentials to mortgage the future of generations yet unborn.With minimum depth of strategic thinking but optimal political hollowness to govern a state like Adamawa that produced some of the best crops of democrats in the land, the continued stay of governance of the state under Fintiri would however be likened to a disaster waiting to happen.With nepotism attracting a front burner in governance, Fintiri is leading a cabal of tiny village-never-do-wells, court jesters, hangers on and palpable sycophants to destroy the remaining fabrics and fundamentals of democracy if left unchecked.Umar Mustapha, the Otunba of Adamawa as the nemesis of Fintiri will if voted into office change the face and character of governance of Adamawa by issuing qualitative education, Youth empowerment and job creation, affordable health facilities, security to lives and property, affordable housing scheme and agricultural revolution in the sunshine state.With his global contacts, Otunba will bring in effective, tested and trusted foreign investment to the state and would encourage women participation in governance.Otunba’s government will be an all-inclusive one that hopes to define the core values of Adamawa and its promising potentials to the rest of the world.As a man of principles and great ideas, the governor to be sworn-in- come May 29th 2023 should be given the opportunity by delegates to clinch the ticket of the APC if Adamawa is to move forward.For now, Umar Mustapha the Otunba of the source will change the narrative and give Adamawa the needed leap to exceptional growth and profound development under his government.
Hamman is an Abuja Based Media Consultant
Ibrahim M. Hamman is an Abuja based
media consultant
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