Happy birthday to His Excellency Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state, a dear friend and brother and one of the most decent, civilised, insightful, discerning and incisive human beings that I have ever had the privilege of being closely associated and affiliated with.
From the days of the June 12th 1993 struggle and NADECO where and when you fought and stood against tyranny and injustice with such courage, through the time of your laudable service to the nation after you took over my old job at the Presidency and was appointed as the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, to the time that we weathered the storms and violent turbulence of political persecution together for a number of years, to the time that you were elected a Senator of the Federal Republic representing Kaduna Central and finally to the time that you were elected Governor of the great state of Kaduna you have displayed your characteristic humility, compassion, courage, dedication to duty, patriotism and loyalty to friendship.
Your trajectory has been extraordinary and I am so proud of you.
Power often changes men but not you: you have been as constant as the Northern star, you have remained who you are and you have retained your deep and profund sense of justice, fairness, equity, noble core values and virtues. I can bear witness to that.
You have never failed to impress me with your commitment to our nation and to our collective cause.
God will continue to protect and defend you and lift you up my brother and the great work that you have done in building bridges of love and friendship between the Christian and Muslim communities in not just Kaduna state but the entire North shall speak for you in the future and shall never be forgotten.
History and posterity shall be kind to you for this and for all your other achievements.
I join millions of others in sending my felicitations to you today and to let you know that, God-willing, you have many more years of glory to come.
Nothing moves you and no-one can intimidate you. That is what makes you so special to me and that is why I count you as one of my most trusted, cherished and respected brothers.
Forthright leaders like you bring hope and inspiration to our nation and our people and provide a bright light for us to focus on at the end of the dark tunnel.
May your star never dim and may it continue to shine brightly.
On behalf of my entire family I wish you the very best for today and the future and I pray that the Lord continues to lead and guide you and grant you His manifold blessings and mercy.
Live long and prosper my brother!
(FFK)