People are busy, but responsible people are even busier. When seeking mentorship, you have to be very patient and responsible in how you approach people or request access to them. It is important to learn perseverance, especially for young men like me.
I've interviewed presidents, governors, generals, activists and politicians. But sometimes it's the interviews with the families left carrying the emotional burden that stay with you.
A few days ago, I interviewed the lawyer Asiya El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai. She spoke with the precision of a legal expert and the pain of a spouse.
She didn't ask me to defend her husband. She didn't ask Nigerians to take sides. She spoke instead - quietly but powerfully - about constitutional rights, due process, access to lawyers and doctors, and the emotional toll prolonged detention takes on a family.
It reminded me that behind every politically charged courtroom battle is a human story.
Whatever anyone thinks of Nasir El-Rufai politically, one truth remains: the rule of law only has meaning when it protects people whose politics we may disagree with. That is why due process is not a favour. It is the foundation of democracy.
Power is temporary. The legal precedents we tolerate today may become the standards - and the nightmare - we all live under tomorrow.
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๐ We are pleased to announce that there are exciting updates coming regarding our Scholarship Programme for this year.
We will be sharing further details in the coming weeks and look forward to unveiling what lies ahead.
Stay tuned!
I see courage, and political calculation in Prof. Pantamiโs defection to the PDP. Now that Pantami will be on the ballot, it becomes a clear path to Gombe State Government House, in sha Allah.
I hope Pantamiโs administration will serve as a model for other states to โฆ
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Over the weekend, I had the genuine pleasure of being hosted by the ever-brilliant Halima AbdurRauf @hallieabdu , founder of S24 Television, on their afternoon programme.
Our conversation focused on my journey so far and some of my aspirations for the future.
For many years, I have watched Aunty Halima engage governors and highly influential figures from within and beyond our borders. Never did it occur to me that one day I would take that very seat as her guest, offering my own story. It was a humbling honor, and I will hold it with great appreciation.
My heartfelt gratitude to Aunty Halima and the entire S24 Television team for the invaluable platform extended to me. Thank you for creating spaces where stories and ideas are allowed to breathe and inspire others.
Grateful, deeply!!
https://t.co/V1l0Haqlcr
@Realoilsheikh@adsadiq_danladi Allah ya saka maka da alkhairi kuma Allah ya sa a dace Malam.
Allah ya tabbatar mana da alkhairin sa
Kuma Allah yayi riko da hannun shi idan ya bashi
Ameeen
My Loyalty Is Not Blind
A lot of people try to place everyone in their own shoes.
They think everyone supports a politician because he wants money, appointment, contract, access, or personal reward. But we are not all built the same way. We were not all raised the same way. We do not all think the same way.
I am not a rich man, but I am not poor either, Alhamdulillahi. By the special mercy of Allah, I can pay my bills. I get paid well where I work. I have other skills I can use to make ends meet. I have a car I can use for Uber or Bolt if that is what it takes to put food on the table for my primary constituency, my family. I know how to farm. I also trade in legal commodities.
So no, my support for any politician is not driven by hunger.
I have never reached out to any politician in his official capacity to ask for personal favour. But I have benefited from people holding offices; people I have known before office and outside office. Not necessarily money benefits. But a lot more valuable. I don't beg, nor lick toes, not because I have everything, but because I do not believe that is why such person is there. When I have access to a leader, I see that access as a responsibility. I reach out when I have suggestions. I reach out when I see things going wrong. I reach out when people without access have legitimate concerns that need to be heard.
If a leader takes it well, good. If he chooses to shut the door, then I have every right to speak publicly. I am a Nigerian. I am a taxpayer. I am one of the people he is leading.
I have supported people before. Some became inaccessible after getting power. One of them was a representative in a chamber whom I had known since university. We supported him from his first step into politics. I campaigned for him. I mobilised for him. I introduced him to my ward, and he won all the ballot boxes there.
All free of charge.
But when he got there, he became unreachable and failed the same people he made promises to. I told him directly that I would not support him again. When he lost his second attempt, I was not sad.
So when I support someone, it does not mean I have surrendered my conscience.
I have shown my support for Shaykh Prof. Isa Pantami openly, and I will continue to do so. He is my teacher, my mentor, and someone I believe has the capacity to lead Gombe and even Nigeria. We have seen people with far less capacity contesting and even ruling. So why should I not support him with my chest?
Does that mean I see him as infallible? Far from it.
One of the reasons I support him is not only because I have access to him. But yes, if I see something wrong, I can reach out to him. I have done it before, even while he was a Minister. I have sent him messages on issues of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, even though he was not the Minister of Defence, and he still responded and made efforts where he could.
Through me, he has assisted people he did not even know. And I know many people in Gombe, Bauchi, and across the country can call him, advise him, criticise him, or draw his attention to issues.
That kind of access matters.
My loyalty is not blind. It is not stomach-driven. It is built on value, conviction, access, correction, and responsibility.
Prof. Pantami is contesting again as Governor of Gombe, and I am supporting him. And I pray he wins. It is all in the hand of the Almighty.
Anyone who wants to oppose him has the right to do so. That is politics. But nobody can stop me from supporting him, just as I cannot stop anyone from opposing him.
Support your candidate. I will support mine.
Gombe abar wa Malam ๐ณ๐ฌ
A few days ago, it was my birthday, and as always, I spent some time reflecting on life and the things that truly matter as one grows older.
One thing that becomes clearer with time is the importance of the people you surround yourself with. As you grow older, be deliberate about your circle. Stay close to people of value, character, and integrity. Do not make friends carelessly. Hold tightly to old friends who have proven themselves over time.
When you find yourself in the company of good people, let your children grow within that same environment. Let their children become friends with yours so they inherit good relationships, shared values, culture, and a sense of decency.
It is equally important to keep your distance from people without values. Some people carry confusion, bitterness, and moral decay into every space they enter. Protect your peace, protect your home, and protect your family from such negative influences.
As life moves forward, you begin to realise that the greatest blessings are not merely success, wealth or positions, but living a peaceful life, having decent human beings around you and raising children within an environment of substance, dignity, and values.
I genuinely believe people genuinely enjoy being controversial on this app for the main reason that they can trend and earn some few of Muskโs dollars.
Because tell me how someoneโs issue with Danbelloโs recent school renovation project being the fact that the paint is rainbow.๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ
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