By Mukhtar Jarmajo
Surely enough, one of the banes of our society is that, in most cases, whom we have at the helm of affairs, whether in power or at the community level, are rulers, not leaders. There is a clear distinction between rulers and leaders. Rulers do not listen to their people. They rather authoritatively give directives that must be obeyed without any hesitations and whether or not the result of taking such action will be in the best interest of the greater majority.
While leaders are good listeners who walk and work together with their people in the greater interest of society. And as John Quincy Adams, the 6th US President who served between 1825 and 1829, would say: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Thus, by the words of John Quincy, leaders are motivators who not only reposition the society to greater heights but also make the people become better in themselves. And that is why it is said that one of the functions of a leader is to build more leaders. Thus, if building people is rightly one of the functions of a leader, then Mallam Isa Yuguda is a true leader.
Deliberately, the Matawallen Bauchi has, over the years, built people as he journeyed from the banking sector through the federal executive council to the Bauchi state government house. Without putting much emphasis on how he transformed the defunct Inland Bank from regional to national and indeed his excellent performance at the aviation and transport ministries as well as in Bauchi state when he held sway between 2007-2015, Yuguda is also an excellent team player who coaches the people that work with him. With the needed dose of confidence characterized by conviction and determination, he is humility and modesty personified. This is why Isa Yuguda is imparting positive behaviours to many and, thus, a role model.
Today, Mallam Isa Yuguda stands tall on the ladder of success. But unusually, Yuguda`s success is, among other reasons, simply because of the number of people he has trained and built. He is second to none in Bauchi state in this regard. In the tripod stand, either directly or indirectly, the Matawallen Bauchi has positively impacted the lives of as many people as possible. For instance, including the incumbent governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi state, Matawallen Bauchi has played essential roles in the lives of almost any shining star in the Pearl of Tourism.
And while his virtues are extolled in appreciation of Isa Yuguda`s immense contributions to the growth of humanity, it is also right to urge other community and political leaders to emulate the Matawallen Bauchi. After all, as Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher and essayist, would say, the essence “of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
Jarmajo wrote from Wuse 2, Abuja.
