New Telegraph

Abdulrasaq: The Right Tonic For Renaissance In NGF

Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has been elected by his peers as the new chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). The move seems very symbolic as it looks in several ways like the iconic manner a former US President, Mr. Harry Truman, handled the development strides of his country using strategic, humble, foresighted approach to leadership.

Truman was exceptionally deeper than his critics may admit, and not flippant or garrulous by any stretch of the imagination. He was a man of consensus who believed in his country and its manifest destiny to lead mankind. These are the qualities that Governor Abdulrazaq is bringing to bear just that he is expected to add the other virtues such as the unity of Nigeria and its people as part of his prime focus of achievements.

Over the years, AbdulRazaq has maintained a fairly low media profile that many say is at variance with his vast network of friends and protégés within the elite circle of Nigeria, a huge popularity among Kwarans at home and in the Diaspora anchored on the successes of his first term across many sectors.

His pedigree as the scion of one of Nigeria’s earliest and most decorated lawyers of all time: the late AGF Abdulrazaq, SAN, life bencher, and first lawyer in Northern Nigeria also speaks volume as it is also expected to add as a form of credentials and testament to his capacity and capabilities.

The governor’s listening skills, sense of history, willingness to replicate positive strides from anywhere and anyone, as well as appreciation of core issues of governance make him a man to watch as he leads his colleagues. His greatest strength is his calculated silence and measured speech in time of tension. AbdulRazaq comes to the job with impressive records. He has breathed life to the state’s basic education, social and economic sectors since coming on board.

A very gender sensitive leader, he has not only appointed the highest number of women to cabinet positions but has also gone ahead to make gender parity a state policy. He is the first Governor to do so. His love for youth inclusion is anchored on his data-driven position that Africa has the youngest population in the world, and it is a disservice to not have them at the decision table.

His background as a big private sector player has helped to chart a new course for small-scale businesses in Kwara State while building a new political culture around self-reliance and responsible leadership. If he holds an opinion on an issue, it is mostly guided by history, a need for moderation, and a patriotic duty to preserve the interest of the underserved or the silent majority.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is positioned to resolve many national questions  a duty especially thrust upon him by his antecedents as a federalist, resource control activist, and a pragmatic political figure who must now unite the fractured country. He will need the Governors who are themselves political leaders of their various states to push through such agenda for national acceptance as States wield much powers based on our constitution.

He will be working with an NGF whose leadership is an ally who belongs to his party and actively worked for Tinubu’s emergence and shares his views and passion on many issues of national development. The President-elect can count on Abdulrazaq, himself a smooth political operator, to mobilise his colleagues for a national consensus to tackle myriad of issues, including the challenges of youth bulge and unemployment, expansion of the middle class, herders-farmers’ conundrum and food security, climate change and renewable energy, gender parity, among others.

The Governor is well-versed in the SDGs, which is expected to get better attention and funding under the Tinubu presidency if Nigeria wants to make appreciable progress in human capital development by 2030. He is rated very high in rural development as a Governor, with several road and other developmental projects in the Kwara hinterlands and improved social mobility across different demographic. That is a major reason for his smooth re-election in the last polls. AbdulRazaq has come under focus since words got out that his peers were increasingly looking towards him for the NGF seat.

He understands the burden of leadership and history this places on him as far as his native Kwara is concerned. If history is a guide, the Governor has a record of attracting development to the state: the $59m AfDB agro-processing zone, one of the few so far approved for the country, the UBEC smart school, the recently approved $7m diagnostic centre to be sited in Kwara, and the multi billion naira 284-kilometre tax credit road projects approved for BUA in Kwara, among others.

The NGF, an amalgam of equals, has been established for the purpose of rally- ing resources and political stakeholders for national development, good governance, and effective peer learning among the Governors and related bodies within and outside of Nigeria. It recorded successes, including sustained partnerships with development partners in the areas of healthcare delivery and smoothening relationships between the national and subnational governments.

AbdulRazaq’s leadership of the club is certain to up the ante, given his record of achievements in the health- care and education sectors, and gender mainstreaming three thematic areas where he had credited his optimism and feats on collaboration with the development partners.

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