I received with a heavy heart the passing away of the late former Governor of old Kaduna State, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa who breathed his last on Wednesday, 11th November 2020 in Kaduna.
Malam Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa was a spartan public servant, a shrewd administrator and a Marxist who lived to the full actualisation of what mingled together to produce one of the biggest defenders of the rights of the masses across the country.
The late Balarabe Musa was a lot of things to different people. But he was majorly known and lived his life defending the cause of his people against all odds. His enduring exploits in that regards was well established. The late former Governor’s resolve to champion the cause of his people was tested beyond limits. He came out unblemished.
This was how one of the people, named Rabiu Mohammed reacted to the news of his death by commenting on BBC Hausa verified Facebook account: ‘Allahu akbar kabiran. Allah Ya jikansa da gafara. Bana mantawa wani lokaci a 1991 akan hanyar Jos zuwa Kaduna Ya bamu lift a motarsa kirar Peugeot. Ya kawo mu har inda zamu sauka a Kawo. Allah Ya gafarta masa. Allah Ya haskaka kabarinsa. Mutumin kirki Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa.’
The above paragraph in Hausa loosely translates as: ‘Allah is the greatest. May Allah forgive his soul and have mercy on him. I could not forget in 1991 on our way from Jos to Kaduna Balarabe Musa gave us lift in his Peugeot Car. He took us up to where we were going in Kawo. May Allah forgive him. May Allah illuminate his grave. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa was a good man,’ Rabiu Mohammed said.
In a country where a huge number of aspirants are motivated by the allure of office and the attendant privileges that come with it. This man of the people served in a tense atmosphere and sharply divided government.
He worked tremendously hard from 1st October 1979 to 23rd June 1981 in all the local governments of the old Kaduna State which currently comprises two states: Kaduna and Katsina States. He achieved a lot in spite of all the obstacles of not having a full cabinet. Notably, commissioners for 18 months.
His industrial blueprint is still one of the most audacious and visionary plans ever produced by a Nigerian governor aimed at creating a truly industrial economy. And alleviating poverty through small and medium-sized enterprises. The people were always the main reason for whatever project he embarked upon.
He had since cemented his place in the voluminous books of Nigeria history. He was the first Governor to be impeached in Nigeria which ordinarily could be qualified as a terrible thing. But not for this radical politician.
The way he conducted himself throughout the imbroglio and stood firm even with everything at stake defined a man of steel, strong character and conviction. But just as the governor did not make the left-wing politician, Malam Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa. His politically motivated impeachment did not taint his hard-earned reputation.
The works of the Kaya born politician before and especially after his governorship tenure for me defined him aptly. He continued to fight for the advancement of his beloved ‘Talakawa’ to the very end. He never failed to identify with us, the masses not only because he was one of us but also as a result of him choosing to be with his people above any pecuniary gain.
He could have decided to live like an elite which he was. If not as a ruling elite member, then as an intellectual elite and a political colossus. He could have gone further to join the ruling party of this country from the commencement of the fourth Republic and not to seek to revive his less popular People’s Redemption Party which had become a shadow of its glorious past when it had some of Nigeria’s finest sophisticated ideological politicians in its ranks.
The likes of the revered Malam Aminu Kano, Africa’s master storyteller and celebrated writer Chinua Achebe, the Katsina intellectual Prince Dr Yusufu Bala Usman, the distinguished Senator Uche Chukwumerije and political Juggernauts like Abubakar Rimi, Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Michael Imoudu, Sule Lamido, etc.
He instead continued in PRP, though it never came close to its celebrated past. For him, this was his party. The party that met his ideological leaning and his yearnings for his people. The people were indeed central to all his political aspirations throughout his political career to the best of my knowledge.
Although I had never met the late elder statesman Balarabe Musa, I had admired him from afar. This led me to send him a friend request on Facebook which he accepted. Perhaps it was not him that operated the account. I did not mean that he would not control his Facebook account. But because I could not be certain with so many fake accounts and fraudsters on the loose. A name like his commanded so much goodwill that fraudsters could easily take advantage of. So, I was not sure.
But I continued to keenly follow his activities or the said account’s activities solely to learn from the sage. Like I always do with all the elders and even those younger than I am who are gracious enough to share knowledge for people like me to draw upon. With each passing day, I was more convinced it was the sage himself or rather the account had his blessings.
He was called the poorest former governor in Nigeria and here was his widely shared response. ‘What is wrong in calling me the poorest former governor in Nigeria? It is more honourable to call you the poorest than to call you the biggest thief,’ Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa said.
Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, August 1936_ November 2020. Nigeria lost a great patriot last Wednesday. One that worked for decades building bridges across the country. Therefore, it was not surprising to see the way people from all over the country united in mourning a man who meant so well, fought so hard and believed strongly in what Nigeria can be when Nigerians unite to take her to where it ought to be.
For the late elder stateman Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, I pray that Allah forgives his shortcomings and grants him Janatul Firdaus. May his family, supporters, mentees and Nigeria as a whole find solace in the type of life he lived, the values he promoted and the path he trod.
Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani can be contacted on Facebook for further discussion.
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