Gambari: A breath of fresh air

BY DEJI OLUMIDE OKE

It was in the year 1997 and I had just been elected as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the African Society of International Studies (ASIS) at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The association was in a near comatose state and there was a need to rescue her from the jaws of political death. At the handover ceremony, I was handed huge, dusty and near rusty files that revealed the fact that the association had an intellectual giant as grand patron in the person of Professor Ibrahim Gambari who was the founder of the Bsc International Studies course in the then Department of Political Science. Today, that vision has grown to become the Department of Political Science and International Studies. It was clear that for the association to attain the standard that we dreamt of, we had no option than to reach out to and tap from the wealth of experience and guidance of the grand patron of the association.

The worry however was that the father of the association was far away in New York representing his country as the Permanent Representative at the United Nations. That fact was not going to deter us. As a new executive committee determined to succeed, we launched out. I co-opted some members of the executive committee especially the Vice president and we headed to Abuja to seek an audience with the then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the person of Ambassador Chinade. We had embarked on that trip as near broke or actual broke students with no assurance of finding the father we were determined to reach out to. We met Ambassador Chinade and after a very hospitable meeting, he revealed that the long sought after Grand Patron was coincidentally in Abuja at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers at the time. Wow! That was an answered prayer. And thus began a journey of deep intellectual mentorship. This was in the year 1997, some twenty three years ago. We launched out to make contact with this great diplomat. After a couple of calls and waiting at the lobby of the hotel, we were invited to meet our host upstairs. He made out time from his usually extremely busy schedule. For a second, I heard my heart beat as my fist knocked on the door with fear and trembling. Yes, fear and trembling; after all we were going to see a ‘Nigerian big man’. When Prof (as we fondly now call him) ushered us into his room, It was like being in a dream for us as very young undergraduate students at the time. In all honesty, I was expecting to see a Professor whose “Gambari” name suggested that he would be a turbaned conservative with whom we will have a chat across a wide room with a retinue of aides. He is a prince after all. Alas, I was wrong, very wrong. I was proved totally wrong, because the moment Prof opened the door, he ushered us with a reassuring smile into a very modest room.

Modest because, as a Permanent Representative to the United Nations then, I expected that we will be ushered into an Olympic sized foot ball pitch room. His simplicity was immediately noticeable, his mien was very receptive, and he immediately ensured that we felt at home. As the teacher that he is, he delivered his first lesson when he calmly said to us upon opening the door that; “you have been quite persistent with your bid to have this meeting. This is your first lesson from me to you;if you must succeed in life,you must remain persistent until you reach your goal”.Wow! That lesson got the reception of a ‘magnet to   metal’ in my mind.

Those words have stuck and have never leftmy mind. A journey of a life time has thus started. Prof became a mentor and guide to many of us. He is indeed a father of many children. His calmness, large heartedness, forthrightness, magnanimity and firmness became and is a reservoir of blessings for many. He was generous with his passion to share and impart knowledge. You can never encounter professor Gambari and leave empty. Prof will take his time to write letters to us personally and even send Christmas cards at the end of the year. Such was his level of humility.

The credentials and experience of Professor Gambari is no doubt very intimidating and inspires confidence that he has capacity to handle naturally challenging tasks. He is a respected and revered global citizen whose wealth of knowledge, experience and influence will benefit our great nation at a time like this. The appointment of a man of his status is a very clear indication that this administration is adopting a change in strategy and may just be ready to reposition and strengthen capacity in the area of providing purposeful, ‘state of the art’ leadership at a time this crucial. The appointment of this teacher and technocrat of global standing towers far above sentiments, melts conspiracy theories and will hopefully open the gates for us to enjoy a breath of fresh air.

The president has just refueled and increased the capacity of the seat of power to take direct, deliberate and measured shots at good governance.

The expectations are quite high for this gentle professor. On the economic front, Mr. President will have a reservoir of knowledge and strong international network to tap from.

With his inclusion in the leadership of the think- thank of Mr. President, I foresee an improved positioning and perception of Nigeria within the comity of nations. My hope draws its strength from the fact that the executive arm of government may now have an opportunity to develop domestic policies that will in turn strengthen our foreign policy approach. His appointment will no doubt help to reverse some of the negative perceptions this administration may have suffered over the years.

Furthermore, his appointment will help to restore the much needed dignity, aura and reverence of our seat of power. The seat of power may just have been delivered from the jaws of needles over politicization and unpleasant internal wrangling. I hope the era of confidential memos being leaked easily to the public and all sorts of unprofessional conduct from the seat of power has now come to an end. This is professionalism restored.

A reset button may have been activated. He is not a typical politician and this should help to bring focus to issues that relate to governance.

In the same vein, Mr. President will himself be refreshed as his new Chief Of Staff is blessed with a very deep well of wisdom, knowledge and experience to tap from on a daily basis. This also may be a wakeup call to political appointees. He is never tired, always energetic; a workaholic just got into the saddle.

Nigerians should expect an era of bridge building, conflict resolution and less conflagrations. As an academic himself, I will expect that incessant labor crisis within the education sector will be better managed. The fact that he is a professional negotiator, peacemaker and seasoned diplomat should also raise our hopes that the many internal upheavals confronting the nation will be met with professional handling.

Nigerians will expect to see elaborate efforts being deployed to achieve extensive nation building, through reconciliation, bridge building and balancing in the distribution of who gets what, when and how; just as justice, equity and fairness should take the lead in decision making. His knowledge of the international political and economic environment and network of international friends should help to enhance multilateral cooperation with other countries with an aim to eliminate terrorism through diplomatic means.

The character, integrity and modest lifestyle of Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari will no doubt help in amplifying the effort of his principal at fighting corruption. He is a man with so much at stake. He has his name and legacy to protect. As a very God fearing person, Nigerians will expect that he will allow this virtue to rub off on the seat of power. May I mention here that much as Prof possesses all of these sterling qualities, he is human and will therefore require our goodwill, prayers and support.

In conclusion, what Nigeria needs at this stage of her development are conscientious, innovative, honest and deliberate leaders, and not leaders whose aim will be to rev up their megalomaniac whims and caprices. Prof has always been one of the vanguards of good governance in Africa, and Nigerians will expect that he will take advantage of this opportunity to help this government deliver same.

This decision by President Muhammadu Buhari is a master stroke. The reset mode may have been activated. Mr. President has just refueled, please fasten your seatbelt for what promises to be an interesting and productive ride.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

 Olumide Oke writes from Maitama in Abuja. Feedback: [email protected], 08072222291.