Kano, know your Comrade
By Murtala Sani
Beyond the eloquence and vibrancy that are attributed to the newly elected Deputy Governor of Kano State under the platform of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, there are other special qualities that earned him the title of a Comrade. His entire life, from teenage to date, is spent in the struggle for the betterment of the lives of the people.
Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo was born at Gwarzo Local Government, Kano State, on 6th November 1960. He was set for the quest for Islamic knowledge at Alkalawa Islamiyya and then transferred to Kofar Fada Islamiyya, all in Gwarzo town. He was later enrolled into Gwarzo Central Primary School from 1966 to 1972 and then proceeded to Kano Educational Development Centre (K.E.D.C) in 1973 for Secondary School Education.
Within one year, Aminu was transferred to Kano Teachers College (K.T.C) and graduated from the college in 1977. In the same year, he started teaching at Kara Primary School on 1st July 1977 for six months, when Kano and Jigawa States were in the folder old Kano State. The brilliant young Aminu was the youngest primary school Headmaster when he headed Salihawa Primary School in Gwarzo Local Government.
In his quest for more knowledge, Aminu got admission into the School of Management Studies, Kano State Polytechnic, in 1981, where he obtained a National Diploma in Banking and Finance, the qualification that propelled him to get a new job at the Kano State Board of Internal Revenue in 1986. In the same year, Aminu was re-admitted to the same School, School of Management Studies, Kano State Polytechnic, and bagged Higher National Diploma in the same course, Banking and Finance. In 1988, Aminu received his National Youth Service Certificate (NYSC) after serving as a corps member at Nigerian Mining Corporation, Jos, Plateau State.
As a youth, the comradeship of Comrade Aminu started manifesting glaringly when his activism beckoned him to join Gwarzo Youth Progressive (GYPA) in 1980. The Association was founded in 1979, but he became its first Chairman in 1981 due to his immense struggle to bring positive change within his society. The dominant role he played in stabilizing the then embattled Gwarzo Development Association (GDA), an association of Gwarzo elders, made the elders accommodate the useful Aminu into their association. They also considered his impact on the progress of GYPA, especially the way his wonderful leadership brought huge development within Gwarzo Local Government.
As a civil servant, his activism earned him the seat of Interim Secretary General of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) of the Gwarzo branch in 1981. Again, he became the Secretary-General and then Chairman of the National Civil Service Union (NCSC) board. Noticing his charisma while steering the leadership of the Union in the board, the then Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Kano State, Comrade Baffa Gaya, suggested that talented people like comrade Aminu should not be limited to a low level. Therefore, Comrade Aminu was propelled to the position of Auditor General of the Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU), Kano State branch, from 1987 to 1991.
After carving Jigawa State out of Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam clinched the seat of Chairman National Civil Service Union, Kano State. As a politician, the Comrade was among the seven Local Government Chairmen that initiated the formation of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON) in the whole Country. He was the pioneer Chairman of ALGON in Kano State. He was the pioneer National Co-ordinator of ALGON North-Western States comprising Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Jigawa, and lastly, the pioneer National Auditor of ALGON.
His passion for the struggle for the masses led him to support Mallam Aminu Kano’s Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). He was also an active member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party registered alongside Nigerian Republic Congress (NRC) by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Comrade Aminu’s diving into mainstream politics was when he contested and got elected the Chairman of Gwarzo Local Government of Kano State in 1996 during the reign of General Sani Abacha’s military regime. After the formation of New Political parties by the same Government, Aminu vied for membership in the Federal House of Representatives to represent Gwarzo/Kabo Constituency under the umbrella of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN). The controversial election declared his opponent, Alhaji Aminu Sule Garo of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), the winner of the election. Therefore, Aminu Abdussalam challenged the victory in court.
On 5th December 1999, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam was elected as the Chairman of Gwarzo Local Government, Kano State, where he defeated Engineer Abdullahi Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo, who contested under the platform of All Peoples Party (APP). His pragmatism led him to develop Gwarzo through the execution of countless developmental projects, providing employment and other humanitarian activities. This moulded him to become a strong political clout in the stream of Gwarzo Politics. From 1999 to 2011, Comrade Aminu was the Director General of Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo’s Campaign Organization, the leadership that hugely contributed to the victory of the senator throughout his four Senatorial races. During the Presidency of late Alhaji Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua, the Comrade was appointed the Federal Commissioner of the National Assembly Commission.
When Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso was re-elected as the Governor of Kano State in 2011, he appointed Comrade Aminu Abdussalam as the Commissioner of Monitoring and Evaluation. Satisfied with his hardworking, honesty, trustworthiness and loyalty, Kwankwaso promoted him to the position of Commissioner of State Affairs, thus, occupying the office very close to the Governor. The duo decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and supported Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the state’s governor. In President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure from 2015 to 2019, Comrade Aminu was appointed the Chairman Governing Council of the Federal College of Education, Kwantagora.
After the eruption of a feud between Kwankwaso and Ganduje, Comrade joined his boss, Kwankwaso, by decamping back to PDP, where he and Abba Kabiru Yusuf contested for Deputy and Governorship seats, respectively, in 2019. Although they won against Ganduje with more than twenty thousand votes, the election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to the controversy that trailed the election. Again, Comrade and Abba contested and won the election against Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and Murtala Sule Garo under the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) during the 2023 gubernatorial election.
One of the greatest challenges against Comrade Aminu was when he was contesting for Member at the Federal House of Representatives to represent Gwarzo and Kabo Constituency. At that moment, more than twenty of his prominent supporters were arrested by the forces challenging his candidature. This made others flee from Gwarzo to other hidden places within and outside Kano State, seeking refuge.
At the same time, Comrade’s house was invaded by political goons who attempted to break into his house and assassinate him. With the help of his die-hard supporter, a ladder was erected for him and his entire family and escaped to his neighbouring house. This forced him to run for political asylum in the Cameroon Republic, but on his way, he found refuge in Gombe State. Again, the Comrade escaped lynching by some political thugs in 2003 at the Madadi ward of Gwarzo Local Government when they set his official car ablaze.
Every discerning mind could detect Comrade Aminu’s erudition and intellectual analysis either on the podium of a political campaign or interview. He expresses himself with facts and figures while debating. He laces his speech with quotes from Qur’an or Hadith.
Comrade faces a lot of criticism, one of which is his austerity measures at home office or public. He doesn’t pamper his children to run a luxurious life. He doesn’t embezzle government funds or throw money at his followers. Furthermore, Comrade frowns at favouritism and nepotism. He only relies on creditability and merit. Moreover, he detests thuggery and bloodshed; he allows things to flow naturally. More so, the Comrade doesn’t hesitate to get his beautiful, educated and morally sound children married to commoners or children of commoners.
The Comrade has two wives with twenty-three children.
Murtala Sani, a lecturer at Kano State Polytechnic, writes from Kano.