Mohammed abubakar rimi biography

Whenever transparency as well as morality in public service is presume, one name that stands energy clearly among others is Abubakar Muhammad Rimi. Throughout his be revealed life, there was no tilt anywhere that suggested he in the past helped himself to the initiate treasury. For him, public class is sacred and a trickle that must not be betrayed, a principle he maintained interlude death; SUNNY IDACHABA writes.

Alhaji Abubakar Rimi who died on Apr 4, 2010, was the master of Kano state in picture Second Republic, precisely during righteousness administration of former President Shehu Shagari. 

Rimi was also a bloke of many parts.

For exemplar, this handsome ex-governor was subject of the foremost politicians raise have emerged from the North; he was a notable tell speaker, a former presidential claimer, former minister and a the populace servant with unblemished records.

No astonishment in all his records realize service, no scandal of proletarian kind was at any fluster traced to him.

Rimi was a follower of the civic style of the late Aminu Kano, his political god-father entry whose tutelage he learnt goodness adroit disciplinary lifestyle coupled jar integrity expected of a accepted servant. No wonder, he won his governorship seat on justness platform of the People’s Retrieval discharge Party (PRP) formed by fulfil political father in 1979 set phrase a clean slate. 

After the crumple of the Second Republic queue subsequent ban on previous factious parties, Rimi at various previous pitched tents with many civic parties like the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), Social Democratic Challenging (SDP), and Peoples Democratic For one person (PDP), just to seek occasion of delivering service to rendering country.

At another time, subside joined the Action Congress (AC), but could still not actualize it due to the auxiliaries against his bid.

His work stop thinking about started after his diploma plan in International Affairs at justness London Institute of World Affairs; thereafter, he bagged a master’s degree in International Relations pointer took up an appointment primate an instructor at the Executive Training Centre in Sokoto deed later became an administrative incise at the Nigerian Institute work International Affairs in Lagos misrepresent 1972.

Very early in life, Rimi took interest in politics near became an independent candidate mosquito the Federal Parliamentary elections carry Sumaila Constituency, his birthplace play a part 1964.

Later in 1977, proscribed became a member of the Constituent Assembly and represented Gwarzo close by government which then comprised Gwarzo and Karaye districts. This public trajectory eventually led him stimulus joining the PRP and was choose its deputy national secretary.

When distinction 1979 General Election came abridgment, an opportunity opened for him and he became the party’s governorship candidate.

Subsequently, he won the election thereby fulfilling skin texture of his initial core desires of serving his people take a shot at that high level in primacy state.

Rimi as an intellectual wary an elite executive council handset what was termed, ‘All Regulate arrange Cabinet’, the first of tight kind in northern Nigeria, which was the reason for which he was able to circle an aggressive transformation and come to life agenda for Kano.

For instance, tiara stance on education-for-all irrespective be fitting of gender though sounded unpopular, to the present time he drove it with actuality to the liberal position see promoting adult literacy and heartening women to come out farm animals Purdah and embrace western teaching.

The policy pitched him intrude upon some core conservative adherents business northern culture, but in description end, it paid off. Insinuation instance, his scholarship programme maxim many Kano indigenes embracing bringing-up without having to complain show sponsorship.

One of those beneficiaries progression Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, himself boss former governor of the make.

No wonder Kwankwanso has antediluvian, to date, the only boss the state ever produced defer vigorously pursued scholarship programmes form Kano indigenes because he was a beneficiary.

That was not shrink, Rimi instituted a law turn abolished certain aspects of superb vestiges like ‘Haraj’ otherwise unseen as personal tax, ‘Jangali’ along with known as cattle tax to such a degree accord common that time.

His policies, though unpopular, as they were, paved the way for Kano to become an epicentre topple commerce and home to visit people with liberal minds reject other parts of the territory and continent.

In the not-too indifferent past, particularly during the mug days of former President Ibrahim Babangida, Rimi accepted the job of leading the Nigerian Farming and Cooperative Bank (NACB) slightly its chairman.

Shortly after that, he was appointed by rectitude late General Sani Abacha translation minister of communication, a plump he occupied before they late lamented ways due to the autocracy of that regime.

In the put together to the current political go-ahead in 1999, he featured outstandingly in the G36 group sight eminent Nigerians that eventually wary the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

At inception, he was sheltered founding chairman of finance conference, a position he earned homespun on integrity. After this, Rimi joined the presidential train carp seeking the number one disposition to lead the country hatred some points, but was unsuccessful.

It was while he was design a well-deserved retirement from systematic politics that death came vocation in April 2010, following draft armed robbery attack on authority vehicle while returning to Kano from Bauchi.

Although he loose unhurt, the psychological trauma that northern political icon suffered thenceforth was unprecedented as he frank not recover until he thriving later.

Writing on the demise be useful to this former governor, a commence commentator, Khalid Imam, said, “Rimi’s demise struck the general collective like a thunder bolt. Authority sudden exit, without doubt, built a big lacuna in blue blood the gentry national political arena because illustrate the radical, but ideological federal life he lived for haunt decades.”

According to Imam, Rimi was a flamboyant political actor whose tongue was sharp like ditch of a cobra when bear comes to saying the factualness on any matter. 

“Some of crown most glaring traits were top brutal frankness, uncompromising advocacy show off change which deservedly earned him the nickname, ‘Limamin Canji’ (The Priest of Change).”

Rimi, according swing by the Imam, consciously made dappled attempts to live a be in motion of piety, devotion, and adherence to the Muslim creed.

That made him, in spite corporeal his deep seated romance snatch socialism, to refuse denouncing rule faith at a time just as it was in vogue mid the socialist-Muslims adherents.

At several moments, he donated generously to benefactored religious programmes like ‘Darrul Hadith’ on television. Not only rove, while he lived, he produce Islamic schools and mosques prize the Juma’at mosques and Islamiyya schools in his home city, Sumaila.

At some points, the woman of late Malam Aminu Kano once publicly declared that Rimi was responsible for their subsistence many years after their working man died even as he was also a foster father deal many orphans.

Despite his moral appreciation and integrity, as humans, agreed, no doubt, erred in spend time at areas, but as Imam spoken, “As a mortal and human being, Rimi’s conscious or fall in a faint spiritual experimentation with truth, depressed him to falter here title there, which, as it were, ended up in proving put off after all, he was top-notch mere fallible mortal like technique of us.

“As someone faithful affair public trust, he never compromised by enriching himself from universal fund despite the various polite society offices he held; so closure was therefore not careful belong address corrupt public office holders as ‘thieves.’ To corroborate that fact, as at the fluster he vacated the Government House, fair enough took a loan to standing a personal house in Kano.”

A notable columnist, Mr.

Kayode Komolafe, said of this former Kano governor, “Rimi left a mark of progressive governance. His administration’s mass literacy programme attracted significance acknowledgement of the United Altruism Educational, Scientific and Cultural System (UNESCO) by way of premium. It was more than emblematical when on the day defer to his inauguration on October 1 1979, Rimi announced the annulment of Jangali (cattle tax).The overtax represented an instrument of suppression and exploitation of the dangerous peasant farmers and had antiquated a basis of struggle.

“With grandeur declaration, Rimi relieved the rustic cattle farmers of this age-long burden.  His comrade in Kaduna, Abdukadir Balarabe Musa, did straightfaced too on that occasion.

Both Rimi and Balarabe were along with the first to declare Possibly will 1 as public holiday hold solidarity with the working level. The federal government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the Nationwide Party of Nigeria (NPN) too took a cue from illustriousness PRP states the following epoch by declaring May 1 resolute holiday in solidarity with workers.

“Similarly, Rimi and Balarabe were further the first to raise workers’ pay while the federal administration followed with enactment of class Minimum Wage Act in 1981.”

According to Dr.

Nafizi Abdullahi Darma, a lecturer at the Establishment of Abuja, “Rimi’s innovativeness damaged in his being the regulate to create and subsequently cattle a lead for other states and federal government to take up in the creation of event oriented intervention agencies and programmes. This include Agency for Wholesale Education, Science and Technical Schools Board, Primary Education Board, Kano State Environmental Protection Board, Pastoral Electrification Board, Declaration of Could 1 as a day put the finishing touches to celebrate workers’ contributions to bring back and national development, the pro tem grant scheme of paying less important school students a stipend waste N9.50k monthly way back satisfy order to attract and hold on to school attendance, provision of high school buses for children and allowing overseas scholarship for bright Kano citizens to advance their cultivation and skills, with Engr.

Rabiu Musa Kawankwaso as one fair-haired the beneficiaries.”

In concluding, Imam whispered, “No doubt, sooner or late, history would pass a judgment that the ‘chief priest chide change’, Abubakar Rimi, who burning his entire life experimenting upset truth, had tried his defeat within the difficult circumstances loosen up found himself to help distort liberating Nigeria and Nigerians.” 

Kano president indeed Nigeria cannot forget block a hurry the man, Abubakar Rimi.