Set to Revive His Political Engine
When Ghali Na’Abba, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was growing up, there was no limit to what he could dream to become. He saw, first-hand, Nigeria’s leaders come and go in his family’s house. He witnessed the pains of many ordinary Nigerians and the pleasures of few elites. Funke Olaode writes that the trajectory of Na’Abba‘s childhood, his political philosophy, passion for true leadership and courage to stand against bad leadership are the basis of his life and the essence of his politics
“Na’Abba! Na’Abba! Na’Abba!” the adults screamed and the little children chorused. There were not a few people eager to open the door for him. With his radiant eyeballs shining through his bespectacled face, he beamed a smile of appreciation towards the milling crowd, clasping his two palms in gratitude. Adorned in white agbada, the one-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, walked through the door, calmly but majestically.
Even in the comfort of the living room –far away from the excited crowd – the distant echoes of the chants could still be heard, “Na’Abba! Na’Abba! Na’Abba!” It took some time before the reverberation died down. He smiled, as if to say, “What could I do about the crowd?” Even though he is no longer in the limelight as regards Nigeria’s political goings-on, Na’Abba exudes a charm that has lingered despite the passage of time. He brims with confidence and speaks with eloquence.
His name is synonymous with the third term agenda – being one of the few federal lawmakers that aborted the then President Olusegun Obasanjo’s illicit dream to perpetuate himself in power – the ex-ruler has continued to deny the accusation though. Today, Na’Abba still stands tall among his political peers.
Born on September 27, 1958, his political life began during his student days when he was elected as Secretary of Ahmadu Bello University chapter of People’s Redemption Party (PRP). But for the 59 years old, injustice meted out to his people while growing up as a child in Kano played a bigger role and tilted his young mind towards extreme interest in politics.
“Since childhood, I have been interested in politics, having grown up in the area of Kano that had produced Mallam Aminu Kano. Therefore, all that area was a Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) enclave and I used to see frequently uniformed men (law enforcement agencies) coming to harass people from my area to the extent that my father was jailed. And a lot of time we couldn’t come out of our houses to go to school because we were always under siege particularly in 1964 when I was barely six years old.
“NPC, which comprised of the conservative aristocrats were oppressing NEPU, which most of its members were radicals. So there was this contradiction between the aristocrats and the common man of which our parents stood to protect. Even at that age, I became worried and l once asked, ‘Why must we be under siege? Why must we not be allowed to exercise our rights? Why must we not to be allowed to belong to any political party of our choice?’ My mind became curious and that was how I started reading about happenings in the newspapers, including politics. And because of my obsession to change the condition of the oppressed I vowed to embrace politics,” he recalled.
Apart from the politics of that era which awakened in him the desire to represent his people, the renowned politician recounts his early years in the cosmopolitan city with nostalgia, saying: “It was fantastic growing up in Kano. Kano used to be a very interesting place. You know Kano was popular then with its big market and still is. Kano is on the trail of the trans-Saharan trade. We used to see a variety of people coming from the Arab cities such as Algeria, Mali, Morocco, Mauritanian; and places like Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. It was like a melting point of so many things. We have the famous Koromi Market and a lot of people (used to come and) still come from African countries as far as Sudan to purchase many things from Kano. When I was growing up we just had the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero who was installed in 1963.
“I remember he visited my primary school in 1964. And because I was among the brightest pupil in the class, before the Emir came, we were rehearsing what we should say when he arrived. When the D-day came and he came into my class, he looked so overwhelming that I couldn’t
NPC, which comprised of the conservative aristocrats were oppressing NEPU, which most of its members were radicals. So there was this contradiction between the aristocrats and the common man of which our parents stood to protect. Even at that age, I became worried and l once asked, ‘Why must we be under siege? Why must we not be allowed to exercise our rights? Why must we not to be allowed to belong to any political party of our choice?