By Ibrahim Sani Shawai
In 2024, President Bola Tinubu in September nominated Prof Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji as pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of North West Development Commission (NWDC) and in December, Tinubu revised the nominees for the Governing Boards of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) with Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji retaining his position as MD/CEO. The fact that Prof Ma’aji’s name was retained, is not a mistake but proof of his capacity and the trust that Mr. President has in his ability to engineer the transformation that the people of the North-West are yearning for.
The appointment of Prof Ma’aji did not come by accident neither did it come to many of his observers as a surprise, after all, a golden fish has no hiding place; his appointment came highly recommended in view of his experience, wealth of knowledge and his results-oriented leadership style. His calibre is rare and needed to help contribute to the development of the country, because Prof. Ma’aji is a leadership genius who has been making his marks and leaving traces of excellence in any position of leadership he has held.
He is far-sighted, visionary and a man whose integrity is as intact as a rock. Those who have high hopes that Prof Ma’aji’s leadership will perform miracle in transforming the North-West from being one with high index of poverty in the country to becoming a wealth creation region for its people, will not have their hopes dashed because Prof. Maaji, has over the years forged a highly effective, anti-corrupt system wherever he went and that has helped him in delivering on any mandate assigned to him.
Prof Ma’aji, a decent gentleman who had his Bachelor, Master’s and PhD degrees in Sociology from Bayero University, Kano (BUK) is an academia to the core. Having served as a lecturer at BUK and the Director, Centre for Research and Development, Bayero University Kano and Special Adviser to Deputy Senate President, Sen Barau Jibrin amongst others, has been able to leverage his experience to impact greatly in moulding young minds who have become great asset to Nigeria and the world at large.
As a renowned researcher, his interest in development Studies, Social Policy and Community Development are never in short supply; this, many believe would be leveraged greatly to quicken development especially in rural communities as it falls under the mandate of NWDC.
Having published numerous articles and books on development studies and social policy, supervised several Master’s and PhD students as well as served as a consultant to various organisations, including the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and earned several awards like the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Recipient of the Bayero University Kano’s Distinguished Alumni Award amongst others, it is obvious that Prof Ma’aji is not one to fail on the job as MD/CEO of NWDC. With these rich experiences and expertise, the people of the region have high hopes in Prof Ma’aji to bring in the needed change within the mandate of the NWDC and part of that expectations is for the Prof to explore potential partnerships and collaborations at advancing agricultural development in the region which remains the comparative advantage of the North-West.
For most residents of the North-West, the region’s recovery lies in harnessing the huge potential in the agricultural sector leveraging technology, innovation and modern agricultural practices that will create opportunities for local farming communities to become empowered as a result of agricultural growth which will also improve food security for Nigeria.
Napoleon Bonaparte, a former French general, once said “A leader is a dealer in hope” and indeed the people of North-West has hope on Prof. Ma’aji based on his track records. What remains now is for him to do what he ought to do to prove right, the high expectations of the people from the North-West region.
The establishment of the NWDC gives us an opportunity to reflect on the need for Northern Nigeria to appreciate the efforts of true leaders who may not make too much noise about what they are doing, working assiduously yet silently, fighting for the good of the common man in every nook and cranny of every single community in Northern Nigeria. The Deputy Senate President, Sen. Barau Jibrin has done well by bringing NWDC to reality and overtime, as the Commission rolls out its goodies, history will always be kind to Sen. Barau Jibrin for the honour done the North -West region.
As we delve deeper into time especially the politics of time, the people of Kano State and North-West and Northern Nigeria must begin to prepare to explore the many parts of Jibrin’s leadership in view of his unhidden love for his people which typifies a beacon of transformation and resilience in a rapidly evolving global landscape of Nigerian politics in the North.
Sen. Jibrin’s doggedness towards the realisation of NWDC today makes it clear that leadership qualities were inherent in him, suggesting that leaders are indeed born, not made. His kind must be a good pick for future leadership roles to help advance the course of positive change in the overall interest of Nigerians.
One asset that all leaders need is the support of the people they are leading; it’s to them a moral booster and a pat on their backs to enable them go the extra mile to do what they ought to do in the interest of the people. Because the success of NWDC is not an exclusive reserve of Prof Ma’aji or Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin to enjoy but for the good of the entire region, hence all hands must be on deck to encourage the NWDC leadership to succeed.
We, as a people of North-West, must look beyond our differences and unite in support of Prof. Ma’aji as he rolls up his sleeves to get the job done as the pioneer MD/CEO so that the region can build a solid foundation that NWDC’s leadership in the future can build upon to deliver a better society for us all; the time to support Prof Ma’aji is now.
Ibrahim Sani Shawai can be reached via shawai2000@yahoo.com
