Princes master their feelings by fulfilling their duties to humanity while others in silence bow down and accept destiny that oppresses them.
But for Rt. Hon Umar Ahmed Imam who is from a humble home, he has learnt to take his destiny into his hand despite the rough and tough roads he followed to be what he is today, a man with difficult beginning that led him to have a fulfilled ending. As tender as young he was in the family, when I perused his biography I discovered the young Imam knows too well the inherent challenges that lie ahead of him.
He is the teenager whose near Spartan upbringing only helped to shape his future. Hence, he left nothing to chance in pursuit of Western education.
Today, he is a renowned and celebrated politician And imagemaker with an international repute standard of practice. Despite these accomplishments, the erudite politician and a relentless philanthropist to the cause of life would not want to flaunt this.
For him, giving is a nature of his personality and serving human beings in full sense of humility remains his slogan. In this edition, the story of Rt Hon Umar Ahmed Imam is akin to a man who rose from zero to hero and who wants to take the people of lokoja to greater heights.
Imam who appears to be the political generalissimo and hero In the present tense cut his philanthropist hubby when he completed his secondary school and discovered that to live a meaningful is for him to further his education where he can be better position to help human beings of all race, as an hustler, Imam artistic work were meant to help the needy and the less privilege, a good virtue of a tiny attitude he turned as a hubby that degenerated into a giant habit of rescue.
Imam’s influence in my life suffuses my intellectual and personal development as an individual and constituent. I am highly favoured to have encountered this great man. first as a student, and later in discourse, not only in print but also in personal encounter In the first place, I count him as one of my intellectual companion and representative through the tough but enlightening maturation of my intellect. It was therefore a huge surprise to me when I got an unexpected call from the sturdy Attona himself to commend my little effort at making sense of our collective trouble Lol.
Who would have thought that Rt Hon speaker, of all people, would notice a lilliputian me, of all people! I was totally dumbfounded by the admission that he had been following with interest my several narratives on the contributions of intellectual compatriots in Lokoja. I was totally dumbfounded by the admission that he had been following with interest my several narratives and contributions about good governance
The Life of a Politician Philanthropist
Before becoming a renowned politician Rt Hon Imam’s life is more of serving humanity through his hard earned income which to him “all he had is being given to him by God and he owe God an obedient when he do not give it back to him, it an obligation to him to help people around with little or much he had.
Being a benevolent man by nature, the flood in the recent times showed more of him when his root Lokoja was been over run by the disaster and the first of its kind, Imam became restless and could hesitate than to rushed to his own kings men and kindred to unleashed his gifts and sympathy to them.Thus uncommon qualities of him earned him a great love and respect to many people in Lokoja local government.
Imam’s pre and post teenage activities of politics are laced with classic political reach and giving comfort to the less privilege. It was therefore not surprising when the Osun kingdom recognised his greatness and decided to crown him with the special traditional title of ‘Attona’ meaning a pathfinder.
It is well to personified that the Attona title in all ramifications links to his selfless service to the people of Kogi and beyond.
Like the proverbial lion that’s not afraid to face the impossible and take the maximum risk. Imam contested the bye election into the House of Representative in his constituency, losing out by giving his opponents a tough contest and the incumbent won the election by a narrow margin. It is at this junction that his political star began to shine more among the contemporary politicians of his time.
Imam believes that no matter which ethnic group, race or religion we may belong to, our needs for help, acceptance and motivation remain the same across the globe. It is this believe that pushes him to continuously support and sponsor youths in education and all human endeavours across the state.
As a confirmation of his national political recognition, Imam became the secretary of President Muhammadu Buhari campaign organization In kogi state one of the most respected politician in Nigeria.
His steady growth in political activism delineated his honesty, doggedness, hardwork and political focus, and this sway on his relentless support for the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari and governor Yahaya bello.
In a recent interview with some indigenes of Lokoja in regards to his fast growing reputation as a selfless leader. Many of the people who spoke, are said that in an age characterized by an obvious dearth of selfless leaders, Imam had carved a niche for himself as a man of the people, a leader who has the best interest of his people at heart.
Many are looking and counting on him to be the number one man to join hands with the Executive Governor of the state for the continual revival of Kogi state from total collapse as a result of bad governance from the previous administrations. And plans are in motion to achieve this desired objective in 2019 as voices has since echoed out on him to go and be a voice by supporting all the Kogi West senatorial districts candidates. This is found in him, the power to inspire people in all walks of life, a great gift that’s rarely seen on people.
Great orators can and do change the world through simple words of honesty. They can speak simple and fundamental truths for all people and for all time. But it is not enough to simply convey a vision; you have to make firm politic decisions and get things done to realise that vision. This is exactly what Attona has done all his political life.
His Philosophy
Rt. Hon Imam, although not as wealthy as one would have imagined. But he is ready to share the little he has when he sees one in need. A man of his words, Imam is peace personified, a giver by nature and also a contented man who doesn’t believe that stealing public funds for his personal use can ever make him rich. He believes in matching responsibility with accountability.
He is a strong believer, who prefers to empower and invest in lives through knowledge, like he had always done in the past and he would do in the future if given the opportunity. A man who would not want to blow his trumpet. He is a quiet performer and silent achiever.
For Rt Hon Imam, it is a story of how a man was groomed to be a selfless leader with an innate ability and concerted effort to reach that height. Neither quality on its own lead to that glory, it is his sheer believe in both nature and nurture with the power of nature primarily influential during his childhood years.
I am not trying to paint Rt Hon Umar Ahmed Imam as a saint without any flaws. He had his own shortcomings too, after all to err is only human. There are a few things he did that could have been done in a better way. But if you are looking for a person close to perfection in politics and humanity, look no further than Rt Hon Imam. He is really for the changing times.
– Abbas Yahaya
