The presidential and National Assembly elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on 25th February, have come and gone. The good people of Kaduna central, Kaduna state made a wise choice by voting for Lawal Adamu Usman, aka Mr LA, as their senator.
Lawal Adamu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, won the Kaduna central senatorial seat having defeated his closest rival, Muhammed Sani Dattijo, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in a keen contest in the history of Nigeria’s election. Adamu polled 226,081 to defeat Dattijo who secured 181,130 votes.
The margin of more than 44,000 votes underscores the extent by which Dattijo was humiliated by the power of votes. However, the victory of Lawal Adamu Usman did not come to many of us as surprise. Since he joined politics, Mr LA has become a household name not only in Kaduna central but also the country at large.
His name is synonymous with political mobiliser. He is suave and a cosmopolitan politician with cult-like followership. The senator-elect is a philanthropist par excellence and above all a dogged fighter who survived many political booby traps.
One thing that you cannot take away from him is his philanthropic gesture. When Kaduna state government hiked tuition fees across its schools in 2021, Mr LA rolled out his emergency scholarship scheme and graciously dolled out N50 million to the poor and vulnerable students of Kaduna state.
Through his scholarship scheme, many students from poor families who lost had hope returned to classes. Besides, to his credit, no less than 42,000 vulnerable women and youths were trained and economically empowered through the “LA Care Foundation”.
The foundation was set up primarily to assist the less privileged. Interestingly, it has never faltered to meet up with its billing. Its lofty programmes traverse the nooks and crannies of Kaduna central, which comprises seven local government areas.
Any local government area one visited, the talking points are how the programmes have impacted positively on the lives of the common man, hence attracting commendations. The beneficiaries of the programmes have every reason to commend and celebrate the initiator of the foundation, Lawal Adamu Usman.
There is no gainsaying the fact that in the history of Kaduna central, nobody has ever tried to reach out and touch the lives of the common man like Lawal Adamu Usman. His sterling record of philanthropy are available for any doubting Thomas to see.
Immediately after the result of the election was announced by INEC and he was declared the winner, Lawal Adamu Usman expressed his gratitude to Almighty Allah for making it possible for him to win the election. He also expressed his deep appreciation to the good people of Kaduna central who trooped in their thousands to cast their votes which returned him as a senator-elect.
Thereafter, Lawal Adamu Usman visited former Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo to express his deep appreciation for his immense contributions for his success at the poll. In the sprit of sportsmanship, Lawal Adamu Usman visited his opponent, Muhammadu Sani Dattijo of APC, who came a distant second in the election.
His visit to the ex-chief of staff of Governor Nasir El-Rufai, an opponent, is rare gesture in contemporary politics. It has gone a long way towards elevating politics beyond contest. For displaying such rare gesture, Lawal Adamu Usman has passed another integrity test.
The senator-elect, Lawal Adamu Usman, is imbued with leadership qualities such as experience, integrity and above all consistency. Besides, his high educational qualifications give him an edge over his contemporaries. He acquired BSc public administration from the famous and prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
His quest for more knowledge saw him in the same university where he obtained master’s in international relations and diplomacy. He is also a successful business man with great acumen. Lawal Adamu Usman is the chairman of Sharpa Oil and Gas. His experience in the oil and gas industry will be brought to bear in the 10th National Assembly in the passage of good laws for the progress of the petroleum sector.
During his thank you speech, Lawal Adamu Usman promised to provide: quality representation, economic empowerment, sponsoring of bills which will address myriad of problems bedeviling his constituency, among others.
Having emerged victorious, I wish Mr LA Allah’s protection and guidance throughout his tenure in the red chamber. Congratulations once again distinguished senator-elect.
Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna state
08169056963.
