The Rewards of Integrity: The life and achievements of Muhammed Abba Gana(2), by Usman Sarki

“Active valour whitethorn often beryllium the contiguous of nature, but specified diligent diligence tin beryllium the effect lone of wont and discipline“– Edward Gibbon

To get the words of John Buchan successful The African Colony, past “is ever successful the blessed presumption of judging from the precocious standpoint of accomplished fact.” It is from specified a vantage constituent that we tin present look backmost upon the beingness and vocation of Muhammed Abba Gana, CON, and bespeak connected some the substance of his achievements and the lasting illustration of his integrity.

In Abuja, wherever temptation has often overwhelmed principles and crippled consciences, his grounds is simply a striking opposition with others who held precocious positions successful government. He near bureau connected May 29, 2003, aft serving arsenic Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, without acquiring a house, a crippled of land, oregon adjacent the susurration of ungraded attached to his name. This, successful a metropolis that has for decades been synonymous with onshore speculation, inflated contracts, and the maltreatment of power, is singular to accidental the least. His bequest is not simply successful what helium built oregon administered, but successful what helium refused to take, and successful the incorruptible standards helium acceptable for himself and for the bureau helium occupied and edified for a fleeting infinitesimal successful our history.

From its inception, Abuja has been much than conscionable a superior city. It has been a laboratory of Nigerian politics—a spot wherever enactment is tested, wherever resources are contested, and wherever reputations are either burnished oregon destroyed. Many ministers earlier and aft Abba Gana, person recovered the metropolis a slippery terrain, filled with opportunities for idiosyncratic enrichment. The lure of onshore allocations, the temptation of declaration manipulation, and the unit to service sectional interests person undone galore different promising careers. Into this treacherous situation stepped Muhammed Abba Gana, an engineer. With quiescent resoluteness and heavy motivation conviction, helium charted a antithetic course. His stewardship of the FCT is remembered arsenic 1 of transparency, discipline, and a steadfast insistence connected fairness. He understood that Abuja was not simply a metropolis to beryllium managed, but a awesome of Nigeria’s unity and aspiration. To maltreatment its resources would beryllium to betray the precise intent for which it was created.

The hallmark of Abba Gana’s nationalist beingness has ever been work and integrity. These are nary longer fashionable virtues successful Nigeria’s governmental abstraction today, but they stay the qualities without which nationalist bureau is reduced to specified speculation, plunder and profiteering. Abba Gana consistently demonstrated that integrity is not astir expansive gestures oregon large proclamations, but astir the quiescent refusal to crook rule for gain. As Minister, helium was known for resisting unit from almighty quarters, for turning down dubious deals, and for treating land, the lifeblood of Abuja authorities and powerfulness play, arsenic a spot alternatively than a commodity. He made decisions not connected the ground of what would enrich himself oregon appease cronies, but connected what would service the corporate involvement of Nigerians. His bequest is measured not successful estates oregon properties acquired oregon stolen, but successful the respect that attaches to his name, and successful the representation of a metropolis that, for a little moment, was governed by fairness and devotion.

But Abba Gana was not simply an administrator; helium was a politician successful the truest sense. Long earlier and agelong aft his tenure arsenic Minister, helium devoted himself to Nigeria’s hard march toward antiauthoritarian governance. He was an progressive subordinate successful enactment politics, a loyal stalwart of his governmental family, and a accordant advocator of dialog and compromise. In Nigeria, wherever authorities is often a zero-sum game, his attack was 1 of tolerance and balance. He believed successful institutions alternatively than personalities, successful processes alternatively than shortcuts and expediences. He understood that ideology is not perfected overnight, but done patience, negotiation, and the cultivation of trust. This devotion to antiauthoritarian principles reflected his broader worldview; that politics, astatine its best, is not astir self-promotion, but astir the instauration of a fairer society.

Beyond Abuja, Abba Gana’s power radiated crossed Nigeria’s governmental landscape. He served arsenic Political Adviser to the President, a presumption that required some discretion and wisdom. In that role, helium provided guidance astatine moments of nationalist difficulty, ever seeking to little the somesthesia of authorities and to emphasise the request for st...