Ja’afaru Isa’s tour of duty in retrospect

Looking at the unfolding developments in states across the federation in the current political dispensation reminds me of the time when Col. Lawal Ja’afaru Isa, who later retired as Brigadier- General held sway as military administrator for Kaduna State. I am not, in any way, comparing Ja’afaru’s administration with the present leadership in Kaduna under […]

Looking at the unfolding developments in states across the federation in the current political dispensation reminds me of the time when Col. Lawal Ja’afaru Isa, who later retired as Brigadier- General held sway as military administrator for Kaduna State. I am not, in any way, comparing Ja’afaru’s administration with the present leadership in Kaduna under Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i or elsewhere in the country. It is just a reminiscence which I believe may be of tremendous benefit to some of our political leaders alike.  

I was a reporter of Daily Times in Kano when Ja’afaru was appointed administrator in November, 1993. I could vividly recall he was the darling of the press as he was always in the news. In fact, he was far ahead of many of his colleagues as he tried to make Kaduna a model in terms of infrastructure development and quality leadership for others to emulate. It was a great feat indeed; and that earned him a number of prestigious awards. For example, in 1995 he clinched BBC Hausa Service Man of the Year Award, and the following year he again bagged Voice of America Man of the Year, all for being an epitome of administrative finesse.

Throughout his tour of duty as Kaduna military administrator he was never an arm chair administrator as he was very much on ground and in control of everything under his watch. Ja’afaru’s leadership dexterity was probably derived from the political philosophy of the founder of Sokoto Caliphate Sheikh Usmanu Danfodio who believed that a leader must not only be on ground but must also be visible and accessible at all the time. 

As a very charismatic administrator, Ja’afaru provided the needed leadership in Kaduna as every part of the state was given a sense of belonging irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliations. He was well known for his regular visits to churches and other places of worship all over the state just to ensure everybody lives in peace. This was after he successfully resolved the crisis that followed the Kaduna religious violence of 1992, and created chiefdoms for the very first time, a development that brought a lasting peace in the Zangon-Kataf area.

Expectedly, Ja’afaru would continue to be remembered for a number of positive developments he brought to Kaduna. His administration designed an effective fertilizer distribution programme which the federal government adjudged the best, and thus recommended same to all other states. It was also to his credit the cracking down on the notorious roadside fuel marketers that permanently solved the protracted fuel crisis in the state.

Equally, the administration was credited for introducing a novel practice where manufacturing companies were contracted to produce generic essential commodities, including textiles, drugs at half their brand name version prices. The initiative became so popular that government employees travelled all the way from Abuja, Jos, Kano, and Katsina to cash in on the savings to be made. And later the initiative was expanded to cover agricultural produce and livestock, especially at Sallah and Christmas celebrations.

In an effort to ensure accountability and transparency the state published its budget performance in national dailies for all to appraise twice every year giving full account of government income and expenditure. This earned Kaduna government a commendation from the World Bank which recommended to other states in the federation to adopt.

After leaving Kaduna as military administrator, he was appointed Nigeria’s Defence Attache to the United Nations in 1996. His schedule of office at the United Nations included among other things the administration of Nigerian military and Nigerian police on peace-keeping missions of the United Nations. It also involved extensive travels to UN mission areas, in which Nigerian troops were deployed in addition to assisting in projecting Nigeria’s interests in the UN drugs and other related issues as well as anti-financial crimes matters. On account of his leadership acumen he was made President Association of Military Advisers to United States.

The annual performance evaluation reports written on Ja’afaru during his tour of duty both as military administrator and defence attaché were all rated excellent with each report attracted a citation and he was thus promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General in December, 1998, the rank on which he retired.

The parade he conducted during the NDA Silver Jubilee in 1998 as Academy Adjutant was adjudged the best ever held by the Nigerian military; and his performance evaluation as Academy Adjutant at NDA earned him the maximum score possible and a citation. He was thus retained in his office much longer than any Nigerian officer to date and this is besides being the first officer to be promoted to the rank of Lt-Col in the office of the Academy Adjutant. And from then on, it became the standard that only officers of the rank of Lt-Col are appointed to that office.

After joining politics soon after his retirement from active military service he easily became a leading politician in his home state, Kano when he picked the Congress for Progressive Change’s ticket to contest the governorship election. He was at one time special adviser on special duties to Vice President from 2003-2006, and currently member APC Board of Trustees.  

The former military administrator is also prominent for his active community service. He is chief executive of JAFCO Transporters, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting employment among the youth. Over 500 youths have so far benefited from the rider-owner scheme from this initiative. He is also chairman United Nigerian Development Forum, an NGO established for promotion of peaceful co-existence among Nigerians from all divides.

Umar wrote from Samaru, Zaria