Leaders, especially natural leaders, don’t lead for praise. However, think about why you want to praise them. You see some admirable qualities in them and how they accomplish certain tasks and prove themselves a role model for others. When one praises those qualities, we are indeed praising them for real. It will be indirect, but impactful just as much. Their qualities are not mostly them directly as they will “get it”, but it will lack any of the artificiality of insincere flattery.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is no doubt on the threshold of democracy service delivery to Nigerians. It is becoming the most viable political platform for all Nigerians. This became more evident when Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state became the National Chairman of the extraordinary committee of the ruling APC.
I remain an APC loyalist right from the merger when we collapsed the ANPP alongside very notable politicians in Nigeria where I became the APC’s pioneer national vice chairman representing the North East. Since I left office, I have not witnessed or seen any stallion development in our great party aside the era of the current APC national chairman caretaker and extraordinary national vonvention planning committee Mai Mala Buni.
The party is successfully moving forward, new members are coming in and its internal democratic mechanism is succeeding better than before the 2019 general elections, where the crisis in some states was monumental. Some governors, national, and state legislators could not make it back to the seats they were elected in 2015. Now, we can see a noble leader saddled with the responsibility of repositioning the APC succeeding greatly to the admiration of all.
For me, Governor Buni is a good omen for the healing of the great APC, not because of what the party stands to gain but, for the sound leadership qualities in him. He is always preoccupied with a harmonious pathway for the entire membership of the party. I see Buni as the pathfinder the party needs to navigate the turbulence of the 2023 general elections. As I speak, his unbroken record at the helm of affairs in the APC remains ineffaceable and the history of further institutionalising APC would be a delusion without the mention of the Buni era.
Coming from a humble beginning, Nigerians will come to terms with the fact that Buni can navigate any turbulent political weather in Nigeria and beyond. The feelers from across Nigeria today are that Buni’s glamour with outstanding leadership, fatherly love, humanist, and an outstanding administration will certainly catapult him to more leadership responsibilities beyond being a national chairman and governor. He is guiding the party to greater heights which the opposition parties have greatly acknowledged. Successes in the APC with Governor Buni are paying very well as he chooses to lead as a servant leader, grilled himself through leadership with dedicated forwarding service and humility.
Buni was born in Buni Yadi, grew up as a grassroots politician in Gujba, Yobe state, Northeastern Nigeria, had an early cracker on the political turf of an opposition man when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was having a field day and bragging to rule Nigeria for 60 years. As a political neophyte, in 1992 he had his first breakthrough to be a democratically elected councilor in Gujba LGA on the ticket of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC). The first point of reference is why the APC national chairman and governor of Yobe are successful in serving our party nationally and Yobe state very well. A simple analysis and statistics have shown that hardly you can see a politician who is not truly called to serve people start his political assignment as a ward councilor and grow through the ranks of political elections and appointments. Governor Buni is one of those people that broke the carmel’s back and became one with sterling records of the indelible mark of great achievers.
From being elected a councilor as a young politician with the good disposition and talents of a wonderful council legislator, he got the wings to fly the political terrain as destiny smiled on him quite early to emerge speaker of the legislative council. This is how he became a famed classic pathfinder and reformer in leadership. I am sure, these rear qualities informed the APC Governor’s Forum to give him all accolades for the stride recorded so far.
“We are very proud of Governor Buni’s patriotic leadership and sacrifices towards developing our democracy. We are proud of his commitments and careful initiatives towards party building.”
Of course, Buni is the APC’s classical and magic problem solver and result-oriented leader and helmsman who doubles as the governor of Yobe state. Governor Buni’s selfless service to humanity and ardent love of the APC has earned him the trust of Nigerians who are hopeful that, Nigeria shall and will remain great and straightened. Buni’s qualities have been a front-burner even when I held sway as the pioneer national vice chairman North East and when he was democratically elected as the first Yobe state chairman of the APC and in a space of weeks, he was elected national secretary of the great APC at the 2014 national convention held at Eagle Square in Abuja. I say with the loudest voice; our party has indeed gotten a good leader in Governor Buni. I thank God that I’m alive to witness this development in the APC under the leadership of Buni.
One step at a time stepping up the ladder of the political ascension of the political journey, Buni’s tenure as national secretary of the APC was renewed at the 2017 APC national convention in Abuja, and was appointed as the board chairman of the Nigeria Shippers Council. Little did he know then that in the preceding year, he will be nominated as the flag bearer of the APC to run for the governor of Yobe state. Praise to The Almighty, Buni was elected the governor of Yobe state and was sworn in on May 29, 2019. He is presently serving his first term and In sha Allah, he will be reelected.
From all parts, from all APC stakeholders, they have seen virtues in Governor Buni who is a thorough breed on party politics. He proceeded from the seat of the APC national scribe, board. chairman of Nigeria Shippers Council to secure the APC governorship ticket and elected overwhelmingly as the governor of Yobe state at the 2019 general elections.
Following the dissolution of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) in 2020, Governor Buni was unanimously nominated and endorsed by the party’s top echelon as chairman Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee. He is currently enjoying his tenure as an attestation of his credible performance and selfless responsibilities extracted simultaneously with his duties as the governor of Yobe state.
It is also worthy of note, in just two years, the Buni administration in Yobe state, ravaged by over a decade of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorism, has deposited bold footprints and remarkable legacies on the sands of time. The Buni administration has profoundly perforated the central operative ideology of Boko Haram insurgents on western education.
Yobe state today exudes the ambiance of a fascinating oak in the desert because Governor Buni has prioritised and subsidised education at all levels. Healthcare infrastructure at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels have either been established or existing ones upgraded with modern state- of- the-art facilities. His administration has executed an ambitious housing programme, providing shelter and permanent homes for thousands of returnee IDPs in the state.
More so, the governor has ensured resettled IDPs are assisted to reactivate their domestic or personal economy with various incentives through agricultural programmes. Rural roads, issues of general development, and security have been Buni’s obsession and the impacts are visibly felt by people of the state, who now dwell under an environment largely purged of the toxins of violent terrorism and other forms of insecurity.
Gov Buni proved himself an old warhorse in party administration, upon the merger of opposition parties in Nigeria into a single and virile bloc with the identity of the APC. This man, I can always vouch for at any moment as a gifted Nigerian with a high degree of intelligence, experience, charisma, and steadfastness to astutely manage the APC family to have the most peaceful convention anytime soon. One thing I’m sure of is that Governor Mai Mala is bold and willing to show the world what he has achieved in the task to chart the critical path to the total political and economic emancipation of our peoples to help in producing the next president in 2023 with fewer struggles from the grip of PDP, which is the main opposition party. He has done extremely well and has reduced the opposition parties to a toothless bulldog with even less barking noise in the coming elections.
“No one can go back in time to change what has happened, so let’s work collectively on the present to make APC and Nigeria a wonderful future for our children and children yet unborn.” These are Buni’s words to all APC members and Nigerians who believe in the corporate existence of our dear nation, in recent gathering.
Thank you for being so committed to this team, we’re grateful to have you as our leader.
Dr. Duhu is from Adamawa state and was the pioneer APC national vice chairman North East. His opinion is culled from [email protected] and can be reached on 08024999005
