Reading that former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar recently went to Jos, Plateau State for vacation warmed my heart in no small way. Although the event itself was a footnote in many news medium, meaning it wasn’t such a big news item, I saw it differently.
First, I like his choice of Jos where, I learnt, the former number two man had a residence. Jos! The very theatre of all sort of crisis? Jos, the beautiful bride turned ugly by years of waste and heartless infighting? At a point, it appeared the only kind of story that could come out of this crown jewel of tourism was that of war and more war.
Jos became the symbol of pain and hopelessness, robbing it of its pristine beauty. And I remember the Jos of my youth: Picturesque city of television, FMs and gwotai (a corn meal). Jos, the land of pretty damsels and macho men. I recall the wildlife parks, museums and the gaiety of a people given to the good life thus producing the Panam Percy Paul, MI’s, Adu Demes, Karkuzu, Dan Maraya, Ice Prince of this world. But then the crisis came and the bombs followed and Jos was stained almost forever. However, gradually like the famed Phoenix, Jos appears to be resuscitating and that Atiku visit seems to me like the icing on the cake. His trip there is a reassurance of sorts that the bad bleak days are over or waning. It is also a statement of abiding faith in the march of peace in Nigeria for Atiku to build his house in the heart of Jos.
I know people who would not invest in a place they believe is combustible. I admire Nigerians who courageously build their homes in the countrysides prone to all sorts of crises. They would certainly work for the peace and progress of such places in my view. Atiku in Jos was a winner for me.
So, what’s in a visit? Plenty. The former VP could have chosen to fly out like most people do to take a rest. Actually they never get to rest when they jet out: The shopping, late nights, sight-seeing, partying and adventure hunting – all of that ensure that there is indeed no rest for the rich. So, they go overseas and then they don’t get to rest. They return and start to talk of more rest back home. “Oga and madam just returned from their vacation and are resting,” is a common phrase. Yet, no better place to really rest like the cold ambience of Jos city and its beautiful climate. The other place is the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State where, almost as if on a cue, Atiku’s boss, the one and only Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, also went to rest last weekend.
Like Jos and maybe even better, the Mambilla Plateau is a place of beauty. Nestled on one of the many hills in Sarduana Local Government of Taraba State, the Mambilla Plateau is simply one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With a weather that makes you think you are in Europe, I still don’t know why it hasn’t become the Camp David of Nigeria, complete with presidential retreats. I don’t know why lawmakers and other public office holders (even in the state) would go elsewhere for vacations. No wonder all the big men you know have their country homes there. General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), Alhaji Ahmed Joda, and even the subject of my column this week, all have sprawling country homes there. I’m waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari to plan a retreat there. Nothing would endear me more.
But I digress. I like the way Atiku Abubakar patronises Nigeria. His is not a lip service to the concept of “Buy Nigeria”. From what I heard, mansions apart, Atiku have almost all his businesses here at home. That means he has faith in the nation’s economy and would be constantly thinking of how to stimulate it for better performance. Another thing I learnt is that Atiku truly believes in this country, loving it the most sincere way he could. This has been his motivation, according to sources close to him, why he is even in politics in the first place. And Atiku is your quintessential politician. I have never really met him but I have this keen fascination about the man: The way he survived the Obasanjo years, his private life riddled with all sorts of bitter rumours, his business acumen and his connection across the globe. I’m also fascinated by the way he has continued to be a factor in national politics. I know he still wants to be president since that’s about the only thing he hasn’t done. He was a state governor but has never dabbled into the legislative arena. Most politicians love the transition from the legislative to the executive. But for Atiku, the number one seat in the land is his quest and I like the way he goes about it. When he fails, he gets up again, dusts himself all over and returns to the ring. I watch from a distance how he has the uncanny ability to assemble great hands to work with him. While in government, he’s credited with recruiting the likes of Nuhu Ribadu, Mallam Nasiru el Rufai and a great other people. He was instrumental to the creation of some institutions that stood the Obasanjo regime out. Even the epochal debt relief is said to be his brain child. And the mystique continues, even outside the corridors of power.
In the media, for instance, Atiku is the inspiration behind some of the most formidable hands in the business: Garba Shehu, Chris Mammah, Onukaba Adenoyi, Paul Ibe, among others. It is not for naught that such great minds continue to abide with Atiku in or out of power. They have remained true to the brand.
It is amazing too that his old allies are still with him in the slippery world of politics. In a business where you never can count on continuous loyalty, the Atiku crowd has remained solidly behind him. I’m amazed to see old names like Isa Kaita, Funke Adedoyin, Boni Haruna, among others remained solidly loyal. And unlike big time politicians, who have lost touch with the base, it appears Atiku is the darling of his native Adamawa State, with the current governor said to be a loyalist to the man from Jadda.
So, when his name was subtly mentioned in the on-going fracas between two factions of the PDP, I knew the time has come. Atiku has not abandoned his presidential dreams. Some say that is why he is suddenly talking restructuring – a ploy to get the South. But Paul Ibe told me last week that as far back as 2008, Atiku had already started worrying about our federal structure. That at an Enugu retreat, Atiku made a case for the autonomy of local governments. Back in the day, this was almost an alien concept but there he was making a sound case for it, says Ibe. When he lost the latest bid to be president again after the APC primaries, Atiku was said to have assembled his team to thank them for a job well done. He then threw all his weight behind the current holder of the office by even donating Garba Shehu to the president. In the hoary world of African politics, that is almost a rarity. I like the guy and wish him well.

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