Hadiza At 50! Celebrating A Paragon Of Excellence

Sen. Adams Oshiomhole doesn’t mince his words nor his stance on usually knotty national issues. Recently, he preached forgiveness as he supported the ambassadorial nomination of Reno Omokri at the Senate screening of Mr. President’s ambassadorial list. “Look, I cannot be intimidated by people who go here and there. After all, we see people on television questioning this list.” He felt that if Mr. President could show magnanimity in nominating Mr. Reno Omokri, then why should anyone else cry more than the bereaved? He assured everyone that it was only in the interest of the nation as a whole that Mr. Omokri be allowed to serve the country, as he had demonstrated a significant turnaround from his earlier stances on issues and had become a good example of what a good ambassador of the nation should be. I loved Sen. Oshiomhole’s stance and how he supported Mr. Omokri with his full chest. He was again in the news at Hadiza Bala Usman’s birthday colloquium where he made virtually everyone roar with laughter. In his speech at the event, he quipped, “When you were appointed MD at NPA, some people with bad belle, drunk with power, tried to rubbish you without knowing your background. They tried to rubbish your family’s name, but in the end, they have rubbished themselves, and now they are hungry.” He added that he prays such hunger persists till they return to their creator! The laughter all across the event was massive, and Sen. Oshiomhole made sure everyone had a jolly night.

Hadiz Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, hosted a commemorative colloquium to celebrate her 50th birthday. The event was chaired by the Vice-President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, who was not shy with his rich vocabulary as he extoled the celebrant. “There is no doubt that Hadiza’s place in our public service history is secure. This is so because it was not built on spectacle, nor did it rely on applause. What she has become was a product of decisions taken quietly, responsibilities carried fully, and institutions strengthened with care. The VP also said that, “enduring legacies in public service are those sustained by a consistent dedication to excellence, resilience and hard work, regardless of the challenges of building enduring institutions.” Sen. Shettima added that Hadiza has a rare combination of gifts; grace strengthened by grit, clarity guided by courage, and vision anchored in excellence.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Sen. George Akume, also said that, “Hadiza Bala Usman’s life is a shining example of discipline and commitment, urging her to remain steadfast in advancing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda. The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila also said, “Hadiza Bala Usman’s life is one defined by purpose and courage. She has introduced structure, clarity, and reforms, especially during her time at the NPA, where she has raised the standards of leadership and service delivery.” The minister for youth development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, also highlighted Usman’s support for youth-focused initiatives. The DG of NEMA, Zubaida Abubakar Umar, also described the celebrant as a principled leader whose quiet conviction and fidelity to values have endured in both her public and private life.

Hadiza Bala has weathered quite a few powerful storms, especially during her time as NPA MD, and a 9-month suspension period after that, which was to review her time at the NPA and to investigate the accusations leveled against her by her supervising minister. After that arduous period, she was cleared of any wrongdoing. The panel of inquiry cleared her of any wrongdoing especially the said non-remittance of N165 billion of the NPA into the single treasury account. In an article I wrote a few years ago titled, “Hadiza Bala and the perils of patriotism”, I stated that, “from her recent book ‘Stepping on toes’, and ofcourse different accounts detailing the real reasons surrounding her removal from office, it is now clear that certain huge contracts at that time were the bone of contention between herself and her supervising minister. What would it have taken for Hadiza to comply with her minister’s directives on the said contracts? The contracts of the companies involved had expired and violated the revenue-sharing agreements between them and the NPA. $200 million was owed by the company to the NPA, also in violation of the single treasury account, where all government revenue is supposed to be warehoused. Those were the issues involved, and as the chief executive, she decided to decide on behalf of the Federal Government.”

Hadiza fought emotions through all the storms and gave her all to the 2023 elections as she has always done since 2015. She was the DDG of the Presidential Campaign Council and was pivotal to the engine room operations of President Tinubu’s 2023 campaigns. She has since then been a close ally of Mr. President and an influential adviser. Like Dr. Joe Abah said at her colloquium, “a good name is more desirable than riches and a public servant must stand by what is right even if they must stand alone”. Hadiza has embodied this admonition and has stood tall in the midst of her contemporaries. She has not forgotten where she comes from, a daughter of Dr. Bala Usman of blessed memory, who is renowned for his intellect, patriotism, resilience, and integrity.

He was a contemporary and close friend of my late father Dr. Ibrahim Tahir (may Allah bless his soul). So I pen my belated happy birthday to my sister Hadiza, who has been a paragon of excellence in public service, at a time when good values in stewardship are being lost to mindless self-aggrandisement tournaments that continue to qualify its participants for damnation.