The Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu I Have Come To Know »

A good leader does not need to make so much noise before people agree and attest to the fact that he is indeed great. A Nigerian saying has it that “Garri does not have adverts anywhere, yet it sells more than Noodles”. The single reason for this is that a good product sells itself. Pharmacist Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu strikes all as a very quiet and easy going man, who does not vainglorify himself about who he was, who he is, what he has done and have not, yet everyone who comes his way have remorsefully had a change of perception and have come to love him without animosity and acrimony.

Asuku Jamiu; an unassuming young man, who has risen steady in public service to the enviable office he occupies today as the chief of staff to the Kogi state governor, by sheer dint of hard work, propelled by selflessness and a desire just serve and always leave a positive mark in the chronicle of time, is the toast of both young and old in Kogi state today. While many other political office holders have been in one imbroglio or the other between 2015 and now, his has been a clean slate. There has never been any form of scandal attached to his personality. This is the evidence of a man who has control over his ambition, emotions and desires ; three great enemy of rising men.

Looks they say are deceptive. From afar, one may be tempted to misjudge his cool, calm and gentle disposition to be the meanness of a brute, ineptitude or a weakling, illusion I do not share anyway, as I do not believe in hearsay but what I see for first hand; and so when it was time our path crossed, I took my time to study the man Asuku Jamiu. For the few time I met with him, I have really come to once again affirm the saying that never judge people by mere looks. It would be extremely foolish and stupid to judge a book by its cover. Asuku is a great leader fit for public office for his rare sterling attributes like kindness , sense of shrewd judgment, fairness, a sense of duty, humility and a listening ear.

I was privileged to meet Chief Asuku Jamiu some weeks back in a meeting at his instance. Even when the meeting was almost aborted due to some unforeseen circumstances, the moment he sighted us, he insisted the meeting must hold. Only a public office holder , with a high sense of duty would have insisted to see us , even when not on his official itinerary . The meeting would have been discarded off. During the meeting, Asuku, a highly coordinated man deftly coordinated the activities of his office, while not losing out a second from the meeting and making his contributions aptly and fairly.

Public office requires the constant desire to improve society’s quality of life, current situation and future opportunities. These are innate characteristic that Chief Asuku has exhibited. He did not impose decisions on us during the meeting, but rather was open to suggestions , while he also suggested ideas he wanted us to look at critically while considering our position. He was fair , he was humble and he listened raptly, not cutting people half way to making their points irrespective of whoever spoke. This gave people around, a sense of calm and ease.

The ability of a public office holder to see through people’s intent, if they are lying or trying to pull another person down to rise and many more other evil vices ; especially ones that have overwhelmed and bedeviled our political terrain in Kogi state, where sycophants, the “oga-he-said-this” and gate crashes thrive over long standing, staunch faithful , is a fundament characteristic that makes a public office holder a unique and distinguished person. One has to see through the veils, as there are many masks people wear to deceive public office holders with small minds. For a public office holder like Asuku , he understands which mask is speaking to him at any particular point in time and this singular characteristic of shrewd sense of judgment has helped him solve a lot of mysteries and heartbreaks.

Eventually, meeting came to an end with resounding ovation. Everyone were jostling to have an handshake and photo shot with him, having put smiles on their faces for his kind gesture. Upon investigation, his kindness to humanity is unprecedented. However, too often than not, we equate people’s kindness with being non-assertive or even being a pushover. There are so many people brimming with brilliant ideas. But those with the kindness and heart to create inclusiveness, powerful ways to shape, deliver and evaluate those brilliant ideas are the ones I keep wanting to connect with and learn from and Asuku is one .

Williams Charles Oluwatoyin
Writes from, Lokoja
wlmcharles@yahoo.co.uk