SARAHA: THE POLITICS OF A GOOD MAN

Alhaji Kabiru Saraha lives a life of service and philanthropy. Today it is an accepted fact that he has made substantial but quiet donations to important causes in Nigeria and Kogi State in particular, for the upliftment of the less privileged in the society. He was a self-made man. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, he believes the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with strong mixtures of troubles. He is always guided by this philosophy. As an estate developer and business man, he has faced a lot of challenges as would any business man in this society. He builds his business as a response to his responsibility in helping a society in need of development and the eradication of poverty. His striving business in the estate development sector is a testimony to the fact that even with the challenges posed by the harsh business environment in Nigeria, he has what it takes to keep the business afloat. But business is often faced with lot of challenges through the instrumentality of what I will call the human factor. This good man was betrayed by some members of his trusted staff. The effects of this betrayal of a good man should rather be forgotten rather than emphasised. A simple example shall suffix here. It was discovered during investigations that some members of his staff had account balances in their personal accounts that surpassed that of the boss. What a betrayal! Though the period was a very trying and devastating one, he picked up the lesson of that time which is that the world is more familiar with pain than with compassion. But he did not allow this pain to change his vision and aspirations in life, which is about service to humanity and God. He made a decision to chart a new path in his business and he enveloped this lesson into his aspirations. He seeks to take this lessons and aspirations into politics for the betterment of society.

In politics, Kabiru Saraha is a professed and an active Buharist and he is always glad that by philosophy he has made a wise choice. With that said, his politics is now concentrated in Kogi State. He is worried about the direction in which Kogi State is headed. That there is a cloud of darkness surrounding his state, Kogi State is no longer in doubt. No thanks to the impunity of the politicians in the state. As things stand, he believes Kogi State foundation is not only threatened with predictable consequences, its politics and economy is also castrated. The masses are in hardships, toiling and sufferings and above all, just like the country, the state is about being described as a failed state. Civil servants are living in avoidable stress and agony as the impunity of the political class is taking a toll on the state. The political class criminal propensity to succeed in their acts has increased. Inadvertently, Kogi State has fallen on hard times and he believes it’s time we reawakened our collective preparedness to confront the situations and chart a new path for our state to move forward. He believes beyond the shadow of a doubt, politics in Kogi State is not only seen as an art of the possible, it’s also regarded as war by other means. Abdulmajeed Musa, Abuja