By Ibrahim Shehu Shema
The legacy of a great leader lives on. It has been 16 years since late Mallam Umaru Musa Yar’Adua departed this world. The man who taught me that leadership is about service and sacrifice, dedication, sincerity, transparency, accountability, and above all, fear of Allah. May his gentle soul rest in peace and in jannatu firdausi.
The years may have passed, but subsequent events have established that the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was not only a loss to Nigeria, but a monumental loss to humanity. Mallam was an embodiment of humility, honesty, simplicity, and humanness. His altruistic nature is rare, and his passion for peace is legendary.
At the time, our dear nation was battling very low revenue derivation as a result of civil unrest in the Niger-Delta region, the unrest which, if the trend continues, only God knows what would have been the fate of Nigeria by now. President Yar’Adua, through the introduction of the Amnesty programme, tackled the cancer of unrest and saved our Nation from convulsion. Both present and future generations of our nation will remain indebted to this unique act of this great leader.
In demonstrating the hallmark of a great leader, not minding himself as a beneficiary, Mallam Umaru championed and introduced electoral reforms that brought sanity to our electoral system. His legacies of the rule of law and affordable food prices, and many more, will forever speak volumes of his developmental leadership.
He was a leader par excellence. His selflessness, kindness, meekness, and modesty, despite his distinguished background and attainment of the highest political office in Nigeria, should serve as a model for aspiring leaders. Mallam Umaru believed we didn’t come to this world with anything, and we will also leave one day without anything.
My tutelage under his leadership, both as Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice and subsequently as the Governor, taught me that public trust is a sacred trust that every leader must hold dearly with the fear of Allah. He lived and died for the good of others. World leaders testified to his gentleness. The outpouring of tributes across the world confirmed that a good name is priceless.
Mallam Umaru, my mentor, leader, and father, as I normally call you, your footprint of good governance, both as Katsina State Governor and later as Nigeria’s President, remains indelible. May Allah grant you perfect peace.
– Dr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, CON, FNIM, is a former governor of Katsina State
