It was William Shakespeare, who rightly observed that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”
This perfectly captures the life of Distinguish Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura (Sarduanan Gwandara), a man whose life and contribution to the society will never be forgotten in a hurry.
Senator Al-Makura, till date has many things to his credit especially in grassroots politics of Nasarawa state, particularly in Lafia, his ancestral home. He has remained a strong force years after leaving office as governor of the state.
All over the world, men of intellect and people who in the true sense of the word are noble and honourable in thoughts and deeds, are highly venerated far above men of means and wealth.
This implies that nobility of character is a more valuable and dignifying asset than other material assets. It is this category of men that my boss the man of the moment belongs.
Senator Al-Makura, is indisputably a pride of his generation, who could be rightly said to be one of the most accomplished, most distinguished and a veritable role model to the coming generation.
Dr Al-Makura, is a personable gentleman of esteemed and enviable pedigree, who rose through dint of hard work and commitment to excellence.
He has shone, and is still shining brightly like a radiant star in the Nigerian political firmament; generally considered as someone with a sound mind who has attained high public reckoning like no other, he is one with courage of conviction, forthrightness, consuming passion and uncommon commitment.
The Al-Makura, that I worked with for over a decade and know very well is a system’s person who is extremely organised in character, very intelligent, meticulous, painstaking and regulations-compliant.
Ask those who know him closely more than I do, or have worked with him in the past. Ask his childhood friend and DG Campaign Organisation, Ambassador Musa Illu, ask his former deputy, Hon Silas Ali Agara, ask Ambassador Henry Omaku, ask Nasiru Tanko (his principal private secretary).
You may also ask Danazumi Mohammed (his former chief of staff), or Barr Mohammed Hassan, his former Commissioner for Justice, or Hon Hajara Danyaro, his former adviser and now member representing Nasarawa Central, at Nasarawa State House of Assembly, they know him very well.
How about Sonny Aggasi, his commissioner of environment for almost 8 years, Mohammed Atose, his SLA for four years, what of Tanimu Tancy, Alhaji Adamu and Sarkin Makada, his personal driver who continues to be in close contact with him daily? I should also know a thing or two about his work regimen too; after being associated with him for more than a decade.
The first eleven (11) set of his commissioners who organised a coloquim to mark his 70th birthday in November, 2022 and so many others too numerous to mention, you can ask them about this distinguish personality, Senator Al-Makura.
The Sarduanan Gwandara, always has his plans and itineraries, which define his local and national engagements, all pre-planned and worked out, except for emergencies and save-our-soul situations, which may precipitate adjustments.
As a leader, Senator Al-Makura, possesses outstanding leadership and organizational skills, as well as an endearing elevated mind that is given to deep-thinking
My first encounter with Al-Makura, was in 2010, when my then publisher of SUMMIT Newspaper, Chief Ray Ugba Murphy, who previously had a relationship with Al-Makura, directed me to join him in the campaign train for reportage.
As directed by Ray Murphy, I took notes, filed news stories and wrote articles and the next morning, every bit of Al-Makura’s campaigns formed the major headlines of the paper then.
We toured the nooks and crannies of Nasarawa State; we took his campaigns from January 2010 to January 2011, to some major rural communities of Nasarawa State. That tour enabled me to know majority of the hinterlands of the state.
I, won’t forget the jovial side of Al-Makura; we were in his house one of those days during campaigns early 2011 and he invited us over to a dinner table. It wasn’t a buffet, but we all had to stand in a file while people took their rations, went round and returned to their seats.
Al-Makura, came in my direction en route to accessing his seat, looking at my face, he threw one at me, “Danjuma, you are having an executive dinner with the governor and the dinning table erupted in laughter.
Al-Makura’s humourous nature and charisma regularly keeps people around him and that he has been doing since I know him more than a decade ago.
These great attributes were very evident when he served as a governor for good eight years and as a Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria, where he represented Nasarawa South for four years.
His Excellency, Senator Al-Makura, is majorly described by many as a father figure and a help to many lives. It is this that has also gained him utmost respect among peers and mentees in the state and beyond.
In conclusion, for those who may not know, Distinguish Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, was the the Governor of Nasarawa State, from 2011 to 2019 and a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from 2019 to 2023.
That is the Umaru Tanko Al-Makura (Sarduanan Gwandara), you just may not know.
Leave a Reply