By: Adamu Muhd Usman
“Even though a ruler may be wise as a sage, he must humble himself and yield to others. Then the intelligent will offer him their counsel, and the brave will exert themselves to the fullest for him.”
— Sima Guang (1019–1086), Chinese Writer
My party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), lost the 2023 gubernatorial election. But failure, as they say, is simply the opportunity to begin again—this time, more intelligently.
Failure is often orphaned; victory has many parents. Today, everyone, including vested interests and those who resisted any form of change, has suddenly found a voice. They now offer advice, propose roadmaps, and raise alarms about developments in Jigawa. This is expected because Jigawa belongs to all of us.
However, take it or leave it, since 2015 Jigawa has rarely been free of internal political crises. Even under the current administration of Malam Umar Namadi, the ruling party continues to grapple with internal frictions, governance rifts, and power tussles. The first major spark came from the election of the Speaker of the State Assembly, where the former governor, H.E. Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, reportedly insisted on retaining the Speaker from the previous 8th Assembly. Governor Dan Modi rejected this backdoor arrangement—perhaps rightly so—and that marked the beginning of the current tension.
Anyone who studies the ruling party’s internal disagreements would be compelled to ask: Why is this happening? Why is the sitting governor facing attacks, criticisms, and even sabotage from within his own party—especially through media channels?
If this continues, it will threaten the unity, peace, political stability, and progress of both the party and the state. Unless the key actors—Dan Modi and Badaru—do the needful, and unless those who choose to be enemies of societal progress (for reasons best known to them) stop their antagonism, the Jigawa APC will go into 2027 marketing a very bad product.
Senator (H.E.) Ibrahim Saminu Turaki served Jigawa for eight years. He was more of a politician than an administrator. H.E. Muhammadu Abubakar Badaru, who also served eight years, was more administrator than politician. But H.E. (Dr.) Sule Lamido (CON) combined both attributes, which is why he remains distinct and exceptional in many respects. Among his peers, Sule Lamido stands first among equals.
Now to the current governor, Malam Umar Namadi (FCA), popularly known as Dan Modi: he must be allowed to do his work.
When Dan Modi took over in 2023, the state was in visible decline. Many of the institutions, human development projects, educational gains, healthcare structures, and reforms Lamido built were abandoned or destroyed. Schools and hospitals suffered. Flooding worsened. Out-of-school children increased. Retirees’ pensions went unpaid. Scholarships were ignored. The situation was dire.
The state had been grappling with cash-flow problems since 2023. More than 70% of the 2022 infrastructural projects were carried over into 2023 because the previous administration could not fund them. Malam Umar inherited billions of naira worth of uncompleted projects and direct liabilities. The backlog of retirees’ benefits alone created untold hardship; many retirees waited 8–12 months without receiving anything. Some died. Some became ill. Many children dropped out of school or turned to begging.
To his credit, Malam Umar injected billions into the pension fund, settling many cases—both for the dead and the living.
Then there were the Jigawa medical students sent to Sudan during Badaru’s tenure, despite pleas for a medical college at Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa (SLUK)—a cause I, Adamu Muhd Usman, publicly championed. When war broke out in Sudan, their studies halted. Governor Dan Modi relocated them to Cyprus at great cost, purely out of compassion and responsibility. (Malam Umar, please hasten the completion of the Faculty of Medicine at SLUK; that is a discussion for another day.)
Why the Attacks on Dan Modi?
Why, then, are Badaru or his supporters envious of Dan Modi? Why the constant attacks and attempts to portray him as a failure when, in truth, he is performing better than his predecessor?
Is it:
To distract Dan Modi from governing effectively?
To prevent Jigawa people from enjoying the dividends of democracy?
To push APC into disunity and crisis?
To create room for the opposition to win in 2027?
To sabotage Malam Umar’s sincere efforts to repair what was neglected or destroyed?
To disrupt the rotational arrangement of power among the three senatorial zones?
To deny Jigawa Northeast (Hadejia zone) its rightful eight-year tenure, after Northwest and Southwest each had theirs?
Since 1999, the rotation of the governorship across the three senatorial zones has ensured fairness and stability. If two zones completed eight years each, what moral or democratic justification exists to deprive the Northeast of the same?
Sule Lamido, one of the pillars who fought tirelessly to restore democracy in 1999, understood this principle and honoured it. Let us be fair and sincere.
It is true that Dan Modi and Badaru have come a long way. Their relationship must now be anchored on mutual trust, respect, and political maturity. Badaru must remember: once you cease to be governor, the sooner you accept it, the better. He is a political father in Jigawa—not the leader. He must allow his successor the space to govern freely and independently.
Let them work together as allies for the greater good of Jigawa.
Some people attempt to make Badaru sound like John F. Kennedy, who famously urged Americans to ask what they could do for their country. But the truth is: Kennedy spoke of service to the nation, because government exists to serve the state. A leader who puts government before the people misses the essence of leadership.
We may agree or disagree—that is life. But two wrongs never make a right. Good leaders are great simplifiers; they cut through arguments and doubts to offer clear solutions.
A Word of Advice
You can grow without destroying others. Your dreams can be fulfilled without sabotaging anyone. No one must fall for you to rise.
People may not value you the way you value them. Stop forcing things. If they cannot appreciate you now, they will later. And if they don’t, they never deserved you in the first place.
Marcus Aurelius wisely said: “People find pleasure in different ways. I find it in keeping my mind clear.”
May we all keep our minds clear—for the sake of Jigawa and her common people.
Adamu writes from Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State.