If one’s journey in life could be chronicled in his impacts to humanity through various philanthropic interventions and service to mankind, then, Late Senator Alex Kadiri (P.hd) was a determined man with informed cranial contents who wrote his name on the sand of history.
A shrewd politician per excellence and an Icon with a matchless oratorical prowess, Senator Kadiri hails from Odu Ogboyaga, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi state and was born on 21st June, 1942 to a humble family of Mallam Abdulkadiri Agbali Oyidi, and Mallama Memuna Ageji Abdulkadiri.
Satisfying his voracious quest for knowledge acquisition, Senator Kadiri was enrolled at the N. A. School at Odu Ogboyaga in January 1952 where he remained till December 1957. Thereafter, he was transferred to Q.I.M School Aloma between January 1958 and December 1958. In January 1959, he transferred again to N.A School, Okikili, Dekina, where he completed his primary education in December 1961.
Not willing to rest on his then juvenile oars, Senator Kadiri was admitted into the Provincial Secondary School, Okene (now AbdulAzeez Attah Memorial College) in January 1962 and graduated in December 1966 after which he went to Government Secondary School, Maiduguri for his Higher School Certificate (HSC) course between January 1967 and December 1968.
After a short working experience as the Currency Clerk at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kaduna branch, Senator Kadiri was admitted into the University of Ibadan in October 1969 and graduated in June 1973 as one of the best graduating students of the year.
With a relentless determination to reaching the apogee of his educational career, between 1974 and 1977, Senator Kadiri attended the University of Leeds, in England. Thereafter, he further accelerated his educational pursuit between January to December 1981 when he attended the University of Heidelberg, West Germany and in 2002 he attended George Washington University, United State of America. It’s also worth mentioning that, Senator Kadiri is one of a few privileged Nigerians who successfully completed their P.hd programme within thirty-six (36) months anywhere in the world.
As a lovely husband and a passionate father, Senator Kadiri is married to Mrs. Pauline Kadiri, a 1975 graduate of Microbiology from University of Benin, and their Union was blessed with four (4) beautiful and elegant children.
As an illustrious and goal setting man, the Down-to-earth Senator Kadiri, pitched his vocational career’s tent in various working domains which include Central Bank of Nigeria, Kaduna in 1969 where he worked as Currency Clerk. He joined the staff of the University of Benin as an Assistant Lecturer on July, 11th 1973 and by October 1978, through diligence and unwavering commitment, he rose through rank to become Lecturer 1 and he became Senior Lecturer in October 1981.
In June 1982, he joined the National Universities Commission, Lagos, as Assistant Director of Planning and later, Acting Director of Planning in June 1983. In February 1984, he had his first taste of politics when he was appointed Commissioner of Health and Social Welfare in Benue State. From August to September 1984, he acted as Commissioner for Education. In 1985, he became Commissioner of Works, Transport, Housing, Lands and Survey, Benue State.
After the Military Coup of 1985, he returned to his job at the National Universities Commission as pioneer Director of Research and Post-graduate Development Department. In January 1988, he became the Director of Administration of the Commission in Lagos. He was appointed Director-General Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Abuja, in 1990 and served in that capacity till February 1995. After the change in government, he returned to his former post as Director of the Research and Postgraduate Development Department at the National Universities Commission, Abuja before he finally retired from active public service with effect from January 4th 1995.
At the dawn of the Forth Republic, He was elected a distinguished Senator of the federal Republic of Nigeria between 1999 and 2003. Apart from chairing Senate Committee on Education, the outspoken Senator Kadiri, brought his wealth of experience to bear at the Upper Chamber and was described as one of the legislative voices of his era.
It is on record that, during the legislative sojourn of Senator Kadiri, he single handedly midwife the birth of National Examination Council (NECO), apart from being an employment opportunity to thousands of Nigerians, NECO has become a potent alternative to WAEC, thereby ending the national cliché that says “Yaba yab me” as it has aided millions of Nigerians to earn a requisite requirement for entry into Nigerian Universities thereby opening tertiary institutions’ doors to enormous number of Nigerians.
More also, the conduct of JAMB Exam at Anyigba Centre was the handwork of Senator Kadiri when he was on the Board of JAMB in 1984 culminating to alleviating the suffering of our people who were only confined to Makurdi as their writing centre. The opening of NECO, WAEC and JAMB offices in Lokoja was a direct product of Dr. Kadiri’s intervention. Aside proximal advantages, having those offices at the state Capital has culminated to the employment of the locals. He has also assisted a lot of Kogites in securing jobs as well as admissions to various tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Seeing education as a panacea to the endemic poverty in the state, as a benevolent but silent Philanthropist, Senator Kadiri pays school fees for several people of Kogi extraction but in most cases, he preferred it not to be made known. Interestingly, he has grown a matchless wing of honour in hospitality as he abhors seeing people living dejected. To this end, during his legislative years, he gave out his official Senator’s quarters at Apo, Abuja, for the use of his constituents. The Apo quarters was made opened every day with free accommodation, food and drinks for its occupants.
A senator with prudent management of resources, Senator Kadiri executed and completed the power project to supply electric power from Anyigba to Odu, Dekina and Oguma. Needless to mention Ankpa Bridge and other auxiliary drainage works within the same axis.
Other developmental projects executed by Dr. Senator Alex Kadiri are contained in his quarterly magazine (during his time as a Senator), The Legacy.
Besides not being able to rule Kogi state as the governor, there was nothing he discriminatively put his mind on that the late Odu born senator didn’t succeed. He was probably not destined to be on the golden seat in the Confluence state.
Dear great people, Senator Kadiri was a rare breed, blunt and hard, tough as nails, brilliant and detribalized when desired to captain the ship of the Confluence state to the desired seashore but never had the opportunity.
He was a picture of a man at peace with himself and the world at large; he had a critically balanced view of the various problems confronting Kogi State. He had a dream that one day the hills of suffering in Kogi state shall be made flat and the valleys of despair, uplifted and filled up with hope; a dream that one day every Kogite, Muslim or Christian, will break down the walls that our generation has erected and be replaced with the bridge of compassion, celebration and happiness. That Dream never came through.
As the great late senator goes home to meet his creator, it is worthy of note to assert that, the vacuum created by his demise will be too difficult to be filled in Igala land. His sincere dispositions, his humane reasons, his unbiased judgments and his unstained integrity will greatly be missed.
Adieu to the great and silent achiever!
– Oyigu Elijah writes from Abuja.
Note: I wrote this piece in 2015 and was reproduced as a special tribute to the late Senator.
