By Haruna Usman
Abubakar Gari Malam (Shattiman Gwandu) can be described as the proverbial cat with many lives in Kebbi politics. The foremost philanthropist whose generosity positively transformed the lives of many families in Kebbi and some neighbouring states that was honourably and sincerely requested to cut short his service career and come home and serve, under a democratic dispensation..
With the full assurance of the then government and unambiguous preference of the people, he resigned from Nigerian Customs Service with the rank of Deputy Comptroller General from where he effectively impacted his community.
It is on record that he was instrumental to the employment of many promising young men and women in
different federal government agencies, in addition to contributions to provision of facilities in primary, secondary and Islamiya schools which earned him a secondary school named after him in Birnin Kebbi.
His love for the young Kebbi was demonstrated when he became the first in the state to introduce cyber cafe when there was none nearby, the place, however, grew to multi-purpose business complex housing hundreds of shops as it was named Equity Plaza creating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs for teaming youth in the state.
Dissatisfied with his personal magnanimity, Gari ventured into politics and joined the defunct All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) preparatory to 2007 general elections. This was based on the invitation of the people in order to widen his scope of help to his people. Apparently, the unprecedented support he enjoys from the people made him to be seen as a threat to the powers that be which resulted to denying him the governorship ticket of the then ANPP.
Determined to achieve his political ambition, Abubakar dumped the ruling ANPP and picked the governorship ticket of the then Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). Within a short period of time, following his emergence, its governorship candidate, the situation that sent shivers to the ruling All Nigerians Peoples Party( ANPP) under his friend Adamu Aliero, believed to have betrayed him.
However, at the end of the election,Shettimam Gwandu was edged out by incumbency factor but won two state House of Assembly seats in Birnin Kebbi local government.
From 2007 to 2022, when Governor Nasir Idris ventured into the state political scene, Abubakar Mallam was unbeatable.
He has been in politics for nineteen years and remained in the opposition for seventeen years until in the last two years when saw in Comrade Nasir Idris a compassionate, determined and selfless leader, he joined him in the interest of the overall development of Kebbi State that suffers serious neglect in virtually all sectors of development.
In 2023, when the incumbent governor of Kebbi State, Dr. Nasir Idris emerged the APC’s flagbearer, he swiftly incorporated Shattima into his campaign team which reawakened his political platform perceived as dead after 2007 election lost.
Armed with already established political base, Abubakar traversed nooks, crannies, and hamlets in the state to sell the candidature of Idris to his lovers who answered his call and massively voted for Comrade Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu. Some of the rare qualities Shettimam Gwandu and Kauran Gwandu have in common include accommodating and generosity. Even before joining partisan politics, Comrade is a famous philanthropist. Therefore, his romance with Gari Malam became solidified because they share common philanthropic gestures of reaching out to the needy at all times.
To widen the scope of their philanthropy, Idris secured a federal appointment for Shattima as Managing Director, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, igniting a huge human investment in terms of giving out to the poor, vulnerable and orphans thus cementing an already established romance with Kebbi voters. Even the sky cannot be the limit of the cat with many lives.
With the likes, Abubakar Gari Malam and many other patriotic stakeholders genuinely interested in the development of Kebbi State, President Bola Tinubu and Comrade Nasir Idris should be assured of easy ride to 2027.
Supported by Abdullahi Idris Zuru, Special Adviser to Kebbi Governor on communication and strategy.
