A tribute to late Ambassador James Tsado Kolo
JT had been in Zaria two days earlier in his love for his alma mater as part of his involvement in the Golden Jubilee of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), where he was among the 1962 set at the Institute of Administration. Prior to that, he was in my house to hand over his generous […]
JT had been in Zaria two days earlier in his love for his alma mater as part of his involvement in the Golden Jubilee of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), where he was among the 1962 set at the Institute of Administration. Prior to that, he was in my house to hand over his generous cash donation to me as his contribution to the funding of the Zaria celebrations.
In addition, he brought a finished manuscript of his authorised biography for me to see, and to seek my advice on its publication. He had kept me in the picture of this venture of his personal history, to which he had insisted I write the foreword. And I, gladly, with humility, did.
For, he was my boss in the civil service, a man from whom I learnt the ropes and the finer ethics of public service in the pristine form, and, more importantly, we remained friends up to the time he took his unexpected final bow. JT was thus a bundle of support, candour and inspiration to the young entrants into the public service of those good old days.
The thing that first came to my mind at the news of his demise was the biography. I re-read my foreword, which I had written with restraint because of his stature as well as my respect for him, as do many who know him and his passion for excellence in the public service. I do, however, want to share my modest thoughts then on him in the foreword with other people, unedited as below, before the book sees the light of day:
“Who is Ambassador James Tsado Kolo? This is the question this volume of his biography attempts to answer. I deliberately say ‘attempts’ because, J.T. Kolo (now over 70 years old) as he is best known by his friends of many years and many climes, has a recurring uniqueness that registers him as a bundle of admirable qualities which endeared him to those he interacted with.
Thus, as with all biographies, this biography cannot reveal everything about the personality in focus: mostly it confirms what only a few people know well; it reveals many things which even those who claim to know him do not know, and carries in its narrations many aspects about his life which most people do not know, and deserve to know for their invaluable lessons.
Hitherto, I did lay claim to being among those who ‘knew’ JT. By this biography, I must admit that there were many aspects of his life I never knew. It is akin to having only a glimpse of a treasured bird, viewing only the colours of a few feathers and causing one to become endeared to the creature. The true plumage is only revealed when the bird is on public display, for a proper viewing of its grandeur. So, it is with this biography, which in as much detail as possible and necessary, recollected with great care and clarity, answers my opening question.
From the preface to the last page, readers would have a chance to ‘view’ the magnificence of this rare bird, a gentleman of principles and courage, outspoken yet plays to no gallery, honest with himself and frank to all with a rare candour, not uncommonly with an appropriate diplomatic sweetener, and, above all, very passionate in his commitment to serve the people in accordance with the dictates of the public service responsibilities thrust on him.
One of the sterling qualities I found quite admirable in him was his work ethics: persistence in striving towards achieving goals he firmly believes in, with a resilience that would assure the attainment of the desired results, and a not-so-easily-exhaustible energy in his commitment in the pursuit of such goals. He was ever focused, organised, and with an eye for details which abhorred superfluity.
He was blunt without malice or prejudice, and with a strong bias for the hardworking and those he believed were intelligent, without tainting his stance with primordial sentiments. This is where he was most admired in his career as a public officer, and a model officer respected and admired by the younger public officers and those who had the opportunity to serve under him.
I came in contact with JT for the time in 1976, when he was posted to the Niger State Ministry of Finance as the permanent secretary. I was then a planning officer in the ministry’s Economic Planning Division, a tyro in the Civil Service, having joined the service of the then North Western State in Sokoto, in August 1975.
A chain of events, soon after the take-off of Niger State, starting from the tragic death of the new state’s Secretary to the Military Government (SMG), Alhaji Abdulkadir Lafene, and the subsequent appointment of Alhaji Sulaiman Liman, the then permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, as the new SMG, brought J.T. to head the finance ministry. I worked under him for just about three months: I left for the USA for my master’s degree in economics. However, in those few months, J. T. Kolo created such an enduring impression on me, and my career in the Civil Service.
When I joined the government in the then North Western State, I soon convinced myself that the mainstream Civil Service was not the place for me. The University of Ibadan had offered me the position of graduate assistant after my national youth service prior to the end of my service year in July 1975. I shelved that offer to go and offer my services to government and people of my state, a pay-back conviction, which was soon in conflict with my earlier dreams of the academia.
In April 1976, I received an admission letter into a US University in Kansas for a master’s degree. The then permanent secretary of my ministry, Sulaiman Liman, turned down my request for approval to go to the US. His reason? Lack of sufficient number of staff. He had a valid argument, and I had to accept his stance.
Soon after, Liman left the ministry. JT succeeded him. And another postgraduate came from the US, this time from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. I had not given up my dreams but hesitated in seeking another approval to leave. The abortion of my first attempt was still fresh in mind, but nothing pushes a person to dare like a cherished conviction. I sent my file to my new permanent secretary, who I knew had the reputation for having no tolerance for the frivolous. He called me to his office.
Was he going to admonish me, and refuse to give his approval as well? To my surprise, he said, as a young man, he was happy I was aiming high and correctly too, and he would encourage and support me to go! But he advised that I should return to the ministry to contribute my quota. And he showed me great respect.
I returned from the US in 1977. By 1978, I received an admission letter from Cincinnati, Ohio, to pursue my PhD in economics. I wanted to go. I went see the permanent secretary again. JT talked with me like his younger brother rather than a subordinate employee.
He advised to tarry a while. He said my career prospect in the civil service was quite bright. He also added that I could seek the advice of my family and close friends. I had (as I still have) great respect for him. I sought no other person’s advice: I took what he had advised. And even as I write this, I remain happy I did; I never had a moment’s regret over it.
I went to this recollection for the way it encapsulates the nature of our subject matter: quite thoughtful in his judgement; with foresight. He was honest and fair in his advice to individuals, regardless of their status, giving room always to any possible second opinion, ever willing to defer to, and even defend the best alternative.
In my subsequent interactions with him as his employee in the economic planning department, I found him to be exceptionally serious-minded and passionate about issues of economic development of Niger State. He was ever thorough, insistent on clarity and conciseness, qualities that were evident in his minutes and oral presentations at meetings, all with his conscientious courage (which many termed bluntness).
Ambassador James Tsado Kolo’s biography, as represented by this volume, has great merits, not simply in knowing more about the man, but in understanding him better, learning about the environment in which he grew up and worked, and learning the necessary lessons of both human attitude and historical nature which could in many ways help in the development and growth of our society.”
And that was JT: a great friend to have; so supportive to many; so candid to all; so ever blunt, albeit seemingly discomforting to a few, and unafraid of none. As we all, in condolences, join his family to mourn his death, we should console ourselves on the loss of the remaining few voices of courage, reason, wisdom and a veritable compass that points to the right direction we ought to be navigating in our search for a rational and purposeful society.
Abubakar Gimba is a renowned writer and former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He writes from Minna, Niger State