By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
On Saturday, February 5th, 2022, the Daura Emirate town of Katsina state, North-Western Nigeria will be agog, as hordes of eminent Nigerians, top politicians and officials of government, friends, family members and well wishers, will gather in Daura Emirate Council, the home town of President Muhammadu Buhari, to honour the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, as he is formally turbaned as the 'Dan Maana Daura' (The Trusted Son of Daura People) by the Emir and the good people of Daura.
The celebrated turbaning of Amaechi, a former Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria's House of Assembly Speakers and a former governor of Rivers State, is another bold step in the quest for a sincere handshake across the Niger.
There is no doubt that Daura is currently one of the most prominent historical Emirate Council in the contemporary Northern Nigeria. The Emirate is powerful and influential, not just because it is the home town of Nigeria's incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, one of Africa's most respected President on the continent and indeed in the world, but because Daura is a historically prominent and strategic Emirates in the Northern Nigeria. This important Emirate Council will be rolling out the drums next weekend to honour and celebrate Rt Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the enfante terrible of Nigeria politics, who has done so much for the good and infrastructural development of Daura town and Katsina state in general.
But one compelling question that however needs to be asked is: how justifiable is the conferrnment of the 'Dan Maana Daura' title on Rotimi Amaechi?
To have an empirical justification of the answers, there are some historical background to it. For instance, it is a historical fact that since 1804 and with the climax of Usman Dan Fodio's famous jihad conquests and annexations, the great fulani people, all the way from the highlands of Futajelon, had been noted for their great political expeditions and heroic conquests, not only in the Northern Nigeria but in some countries in west Africa. The fulani leadership model and their heroic political conquest of the rest of Nigeria suffered setbacks and failures from the early 19th century except for the capitulation of the Kwara people of the yoruba ethnic group under the Afonja dynasty (Though this is a story for another day).
However, at the end of colonialism in Nigeria and the emergence of her independence in 1960, Nigeria embraced modern democracy as the only way of earning political power. That means that the once belligerent fulanis had to sheath their military sword and retool in order to embrace the new political world order —politics and diplomacy!.
Yet upon independence, the Sokoto Emirate shone again with their mastery of politics by skillfully producing Nigeria's first executive Prime Minister in the person of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, from Bauchi state, in an era when there were some notable African political champions like the Owelle of Onitsha, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (the great Zik of Africa and the first indigenous President of Nigeria) and the cerebral Chief Obafemi Awolowo (the former Premier of old Western Nigeria), etc. Even with the military intrusion in Nigeria's political leadership in the mid 1960s with its attendant crisis and prolonged military rule, the fulanis still had control on the levers of power.
In 1979, democracy returned to Nigeria with Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, a Sokoto Prince, as the democratically elected President of Nigeria. However, the political fortunes of the fulanis began to collapse in 1998 with General Olusegun Obasanjo emerging as Nigeria's President until 2007 when a fulani, late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, also from Katsina state as Buhari, became President and the famous fulani power hegemony in Nigeria reigned once again.
Even with the towering cult-like followership of President Muhammadu Buhari, he couldn’t clinch the presidency of Nigeria until he changed his political strategy by stretching his hands out for political fellowship, especially to the younger political turks from the Southern Nigeria. Against all odds and ethnic idiosyncrasies, Rotimi Amaechi stood out and threw his weight behind Muhammadu Buhari’s ambition in the 2015 presidential election and consequently emerged the face of the Buhari Campaign Organization as it's Director General. He outstandingly delivered Buhari's presidency. Jinx broken!
Amaechi did what the many so called “political giants” could not do for Buhari in the successive times he sought for presidency. He (Amaechi ) did not only adopt Buhari as his political father but also as his Idol. He did his job as Buhari Campaign DG without demanding any special position like Vice President of Nigeria or Presidential Chief of Staff or any other high position.
Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who was a two term former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and two term governor of oil rich River state, humbly settled down as Nigeria's Minister of Transportation. Many thought he would have revolted against the Ministerial job or resented it but he applied himself to the job with single mindedness to ensure that the near moribund rail transportation system in Nigeria is revived and modernized. Today all focus is on the aggressive revitalization of modern railways in Nigeria because of the dogged determination of the supervising Minister.
Again In 2019, even with the increasing “disdain“ and opposition to the leadership style of a fulani-born President by a cross section of politicians and the citizens alike, the Buhari Campaign Organization came looking for the former Rivers State House of Assembly Speaker, to come and lead the campaign group again as its Director General despite the fact that he was a serving Minister. People however wondered how a serving Minister would take his boss round the length and breath of the Nigeria, raising his hands up for Nigerians to vote for him again. But it only required the audacious inclination of a Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to perform such rare electoral feat a second time. It is therefore important to note that in the 2019 election, most of the gladiators who worked with Buhari in the 2015 poll either had abandoned him or had taken a 'siddon look' back chair kind of approach.
This deep insight and historical excursion is therefore necessary for the appreciation of the essence of the Daura Emirate and it’s people to bestow the title of 'Dan Maanan Daura”(the trusted son of Daura) on Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. For them, it is another way of saying 'thank you' to a man who gave his all to ensure that one of their own, Muhammadu Buhari, was elected President of Nigeria two times. The title should therefore not to be seen as a fluke. It is a well earned accolade, a well deserved honour for the young achiever, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. An honor given to a President’s serving appointee by Mr President’s kinsmen and approved by the President himself, is an open endorsement and confirmation of Mr President's appreciation of the loyalty and commitment the Hon Minister Amaechi has shown, not only to his political career but to his government.
There are however several lessons to be learnt in the Saturday, February 5th Turbaning in Daura: these lessons are commitment, boldness, hardwork, collaboration, appreciation, and reciprocity!
Another lesson here, perhaps, is to honestly do what we say and reap it’s consequences, good or bad!
For many Nigerians, especially politicians who will be trooping to Daura which is seen as the current 'City of Power' to celebrate with Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the question is: how many of them today can “bite the bullet“ as Amaechi did in 2015 and 2019? How many Daura politicians are ready to do what could earn them the title of Ezinwa Obowo, Imo state (great son of Obowo) or Ahamefule of Ikwere, Rivers state (May my name remain indelible of Ikwereland) or an Otunba of Yorubaland? And that is some years after the 2023 Presidential elections.
The message in Amaechi's selfless political exploits in this circumstance, is let there be genuine acceptance of one another in Nigeria irrespective of religious and ethnic differences. Let us rise and speak boldly and campaign for whoever we believe can achieve the greater Nigerian project of our collective dream, irrespective of his or her ethnic background.
It should therefore be noted that Amaechi’s political trajectories shall serve as an inspiration to the up-coming leaders, particularly at this time that Nigeria is arriving at a consensus on power rotation and generational power shift. NNL.
