The Bible emphatically teaches in the synoptic gospels that whoever would be great must make himself available to serve. Of course, this sort of service is not the type that seeks the approval and praise of man but of God Almighty. This principle is no respecter of religion, race or even age. And in fact, service is giving. And each one of us has something to give. The Almighty in His infinite wisdom has blessed everyone of us with the capacity to contribute tangibly or intangibly to the pool of the milk of human kindness.ย
Yes, how much we are willing to _go_ it depends very hugely on us. I must say clearly that I do not wish to make light of the grace of God in our individual lives which makes doing His will easier or even possible at all, I am only out to acknowledge the fact that some persons among us demonstrate the will to bring succor to people’s lives in ways that command our regard and recognition.
Pharmacist Abdulkareem Moh’d Jamiu popularly known as Asuku is reputed to be the youngest – and by far the most handsome – Chief of Staff in Nigeria. By training, the gentleman Pharmacist belongs to the elite class of professionals. Having held important positions from being Head, Pharmacy Unit at the Maritime University in Oron to serving as Director General Protocol under the leadership of his ‘father’ His Excellency Yahaya Bello, and now the Hon Chief of Staff to the Governor, Asuku, men would agree, is a great man. And, yes, if our barometer of greatness is merely of flesh, we are right. But if we are concerned about the consequence of his person, that is, the import of his humanity, of his mission on earth in the hereafter, we would merely have celebrated but a fleeting illusion.
What then has made Asuku truly and enduringly great?
As noted earlier, his unusual interest in easing the burdens his fellow human. I call this the fanaticism of human kindness.
I have restrained myself from writing about Mr Jamiu. This is in view of the official relationship that exists between the two of us. As my boss, I feel more beholden to him in a manner of strict official engagement. But there comes a time in life when it is meet to take a stock. To be clear, there is never a formal without the informal. In fact, quite often, the informal is the oil that powers the formal. And, I daresay, Pharm Asuku is much more a brother than anything else. And because he has done well, I owe the world a moral debt of telling them a bit about this human phenomenon.
Mr Asuku is a cynosure of human interests today not just because he holds one of the most coveted positions in the state but because many owe their debts of career successes, social capitals and even of their being alive and healthy to God through him. And this is instructive for anyone desiring to please the Almighty. I can say for a fact that the riches of this illustrious son of Ebiraland is not necessarily in cash but in kindness. His medical support knows nothing but sheer humanity, even as it sometimes runs on huge indebtedness. I am sure he wonders how God helps him to meets up.
While doing my Master’s degree in his Alma matter Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 2017, I listened intently to fellow postgraduate students talk about the man Asuku in the common room. At แปba Akenzua, discussions centres around important national topics and personalities. A man must be of a remarkable consequence to be worthy of mention. Asuku made it.
Asuku made it because when his contemporaries were gathering every penny they could – in the hopes of setting up a secured future for themselves and family, the young man Abdulkareem Moh’d Jamiu was ‘scattering’. He was sowing into the lives of other men and women who needed a helping hand.
Recently, a friend, Abdulmutolib, told me how my oga financed his studies at Bayero University, Kano without as much as knowing either of his parents. In fact, quite frankly, at the time he was sending him school fees, Asuku hadn’t seen him in person. They only communicated through Facebook messenger. For some of us who have had to send messages upon messages and make calls upon calls to the people who we believe – rightly or wrongly – hold certain keys to our next levels, we should easily relate to this. Today, Mutolib is one of the brightest political science undergraduate and, in my judgment, the best photographer that I know in the entire Kogi State. (Whoever does not agree may organize a contest).
The human capital development drive of the Hon Chief of Staff is coalescing into a new foundation billed to be unveiled January the second – his birthday. The day will feature a public presentation of his stewardship as Director General Protocol in the New Direction administration. This, in my view, will lend some impetus to the lessons that must be learned by the sons and daughters of our various communities in Kogi state and the country at large.
It is important to bear this witness to make it abundantly clear that consistency in doing good is an asset. And that, contrary to what our somewhat politically drunken society may be making of the surge in his popularity, nothing is indeed unusual.
On the whole, it must be acknowledged that doing good is not easy. This why it is important to pray for those who are doing well among us even as we pray for ourselves.
– Oshaloto Joseph Tade is Personal Secretary to the Hon Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor. He writes from Lokoja
