By Cham Faliya Sharon
“Profit isn’t a purpose, it’s a result. To have purpose means the things we do are of real value to others.”
~ Simon Sinek
The world is full of politicians, but there are just a handful of them that stand out among the pack. And those handful stand out because they have embraced and embodied the true concept of politics as a vehicle for genuine public service, contrary to the common perception of it being a means for self aggrandizement – a view held widely by a large segment of the global society because of the preponderance of selfish traits among politicians.
Fortunately for the people of Katsina State, Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita has been observably proven to be among the handful of politicians that stand out among the pack. His life’s philosophy and political accomplishments so far have been a trajectory of societal development instead of personal, individualistic development. By this I mean that, while a large segment of the political class may have been focusing on empowering themselves and, perhaps, a few of their cronies materially and financially, Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita on the other hand has focused on using his political clout to attract and spread developmental projects and programmes across Katsina State, going beyond his Senatorial District, which he represents at the National Assembly.
As a close associate of his, I have watched him at close quarters and did notice the energy, the zeal and the passion with which he pursues and secures federal jobs for graduate indigenes of Katsina State without bias to whichever zone of the State they come from. At the last count, I am aware that he has gotten more than 400 graduates from Katsina State employed into various federal government agencies. And at the risk of sounding immodest, I can wager that not many political leaders across Nigeria, including State Governors, can boast of this feat.
With undeniable infrastructural projects initiated by him abounding in all the 3 senatorial zones of Katsina State, plus hundreds of federal jobs for unemployed graduates from the same State, which are definite empowerment opportunities of a lifetime coupled with his well known lifelong attitude of assisting the poor and vulnerable members of the society, doesn’t this man of impeccable quality deserve all the plaudits and support heroes of his pedigree across the world get as a mark of appreciation and honour for doing well?
Of course, he deserves the loudest and longest ovation that can be generated for such heroism and selflessness, and as a politician, it is understandable if he becomes the envy of other politicians who feel threatened by his impeccable records and soaring profile. Politicians normally love the limelight, and they will always rather be the focal point of all the klieg lights in the theatre instead of others. As such, if one like Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita beats them in service delivery, and they know that his record cannot be denied nor sullied, they will then resort to certain subtle underhand tactics to pull him down. For example, they could like trying to paint him as someone who isn’t a team player or an ingrate, and would then attempt to frame his frankness and candour over certain political situations as an offence for which he must apologize!
That’s exactly what jolted me recently when I read some pieces written by some notable opinion writers from Katsina State who, after praising his achievements in contributing to the development of the State, ended up asking him to apologize to certain power blocs over certain frank comments he made on issues that warranted his candid remarks. And it leaves one wondering how a popular politician’s candidly true remarks over a political situation could be construed as a crime for which he must apologize, especially when the remarks he was said to have made have not been faulted as lies? Or is there some dictum in democracy where any of the major stakeholders in a political party is forbidden from speaking out against anomalous occurrences that could jeopardize the party or democracy itself?
While those opinion writers asking Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita to apologize over nothing may be acting in good faith, it is also essentially necessary to point out that their call is absolutely flawed, because, apart from the wrongness of asking him to apologize over nothing, the tenets of free speech and truth, which are the main articles of democracy, will be violated if he is asked or pestered or threatened to apologize for merely expressing his views in a frank manner.
On a good day – and everyday is a good day – Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita should be rather applauded, encouraged and supported for doing what proper politicians and leaders do instead of being vilified or envied for being a notable achiever. And just like the opening quote under which this piece is written, Senator Kaita is a profit to the people of Katsina State, and he is a profit because he has results spread across that cannot be denied, and they cannot be denied because the things he has done are of real value to multitudes, which makes him a man of purpose.
That is what is called service, and that is the kind of man or woman that should be promoted to do more instead of being heckled. When we applaud excellence, we encourage more excellence. But when we envy excellence, and even heckle those who excel, we are invariably encouraging mediocrity. And no nation or state or society develops by mediocrity. Simply put, Senator Ahmed Babba Kaita deserves all hands in Katsina State to support him to do more because he personifies zeal and excellence.
