Asuku: The art and impact of his politics

                                                                        

If there is any successful man today who is a testimony of the art of manliness and its positive impact on humanity, that personality is Pharmacist Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu. For the new Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi state, Asuku, there is never a paved expressway to an individual’s true freedom. When freedom is offered on a platter of gold, the value of the platter far often overshadows the offerings. The life of this young man is truly a grass to grace story. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He got to where he is today through sheer hard work and the driving vitality to leave a mark in life like a comet in the sky.

 Asuku is a man of several definitions to several persons. Today, he is so influential that he connects even with persons he has never met. No wonder our amiable governor Yahaya Bello did not hesitate in re-appointing him as his chief of staff. He has from a humble background become a leader in his own right and a light that beams hope to the life of many people and positively impacts on their dreams. Interestingly, the chief of staff has in a short time serve as a pathway to achieving unthinkable goals in life.

 He is to many who saw him rise from grace to the enviable height God has made him attain today, a practical example of what he preaches – hard work and sincerity pay. Asuku in his generosity and inclusive leadership capacity is a man who belongs to all who believe in his ideology and cause. He has a unique style which enables everybody which he has come in contact with personalise ownership of him; he truly belongs to all.

Just like his boss, the Kogi state governor, Asuku never betrays you when you have been there for him and when he believes in you. He is one of the beaming lights, giving Kogi state the driving mentality and a new type of leadership and political mentality that can propel the dream of the state founding fathers to reality.

 He is one of the ardent believers of the politics of the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello. Asuku believes in the governor even if he would be the last man standing to give in to Bello’s cause. That is simply what he is today doing to the governor as his chief of staff. For Asuku, our state governor is his leader, his friend, his political mentor and associate and a politician that respects fair play rules. Pharmacist Asuku, as a politician, respects win-win political rules and never engages in do-or-die politics. His humanitarian ideology rejects blood taking politics or life wasting exercise as commonly practiced by some greedy politicians. He believes politics is about the people. He is a man who has never been known in the political terrain of Kogi state before 2015,but together with his leader, our governor, changed the political landscape of Kogi state tremendously in the last five years-that is greatness. Asuku never leads from behind. As chief of staff, he is always in the frontline when a goal is to be achieved. He is a motivation his staff need to achieve uncommon successes and goals of his boss. He is a team player just like Governor Yahaya Bello. He believes there is no singular formula for achieving successes and that some aspects of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their talents, insights, efforts, enthusiasm and their inspirations to work together. This made Asuku successful in his last assignment as director general of protocol to the governor, leading to his elevation as chief of staff.

He has a penchant for the discovery of best hands to do the job in jobs assigned to him by the governor, based on his careful observation and insights, a leadership lesson he learnt from his father. His love for Kogi state surpasses his greatest ambition as he is incorrigible, a lover of due process. He is not a brand made for greed in his public life as he is an embodiment of public good. Whatever he does is for the love of his people.

With the likes of Governor Yahaya Bello, Edward Onoja the deputy-governor, and Asuku, chief of staff, we can be assured that the era of inept and bad leadership are gone for good in Kogi state. This tripod, which represents the end of an era of bad leadership in Kogi state and the beginning of a consistent and gifted leadership, would pragmatically and systematically move the state forward.

 At this young age, Asuku has learnt to eschew bitterness, learn the beautiful lessons as established by equally a young boss of his, Governor Yahaya Bello, on leadership and governance. Although our culture does not allow us to honour a hero while he is alive, however, allow me to kill the old norm to ensure a success transition of legendary accomplishments from a living hero to a successive generation which is then bound to produce multiple of such accomplishments in future-then Kogi shall be great.

 What we must do differently is to honour those whom honour is due – like Asuku; for his uncommon achievements and get the best out of his finest secrets for greatness as rare resource for leadership library. Tomorrow, our children and the unborn would have access to documented records of this young hero on how hard work and dedication took him up the ladder to the very top.

Asuku’s life has shown that beyond excuses around bad governance, bad environment and poor background, anyone can choose his miles of successes and achievements. The world only reckons with those who surmount difficulties and disappointments and emerge victorious and not those who complain about their obstacles and hindrances as reasons for failure.

Asuku has life also thought us that nations and states only flourish with aggressive youths who are driven only by the motivation to attain greatness from display of their raw and local talents which transform into big stories.

The chief of staff’s achievements challenge the youth to take charge of the future that belongs to them.

Wada writes from Abuja via [email protected]

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