Many people were amazed and awestruck by the CV of Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the Press Secretary of the Governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf, when the announcement of his appointment was made after the 2023 Kano Governorship election victory.
By the time the memo of his appointment as Press Secretary of His Excellency Governor-elect Abba Kabir Yusuf was announced, everybody was ecstatic, meaning Abba got his first appointment right, which is a good sign that things will go as expected.
However, many people who know him or have worked with him were not surprised, as they already know that he is capable and ready; they know he can do much better; they know he can deliver; they know his capacity is good enough; they know he can do much better; they know he can deliver a successful delivery.
It was at Bayero University Kano, the university’s non-commercial radio station, when Sanusi Bature opened the door, searching for the whereabouts of the then station manager, Muhammad Salisu Rabiu. I was in the newsroom translating news stories.
He asked whether Mallam Salisu Rabiu was around. My eyes were on my computer, concentrating on my work. I raised my head and assured him that he was not around.
He then directly spoke to me, “wannan ba Abba Gwale bane.” I humbly nodded my head in assurance. “Yes, I am,” I answered affirmatively.
He said “Suna na Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa”, I vividly created his picture in my mind; I knew him on Facebook; I knew him very well.
It was the first time I met my future boss, the conscientious Sanusi, the man who offered me a job with just a single phone call.
I don’t have much history of how Sanusi Bature ventured into politics, but in some of his Facebook posts, he revealed how, when, and why he opened the door and set his foot into politics, a journey that he started with a good step.
There is no one clear path to success because different people achieve success in different ways, but there are some traits that successful people have in common that help them reach their goals. Sanusi almost has all those traits and drives, and he engaged in them.
Confidence is one of the cornerstones of real success; it determines how someone sees things, reacts, and makes a decisive decision. This is what elevates many people to a higher level than their expectations.
Sanusi’s bosses have that confidence in him. I was talking with one of my friends who also worked with Sanusi recently, and he narrated how Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with Kano State Governor-elect Abba Kabir Yusuf, have confidence in him.
My friend once told me that Kwankwaso said Sanusi can do a job even before you ask him to do it because he knows it should be done; that is a sign of someone who knows the way.
I was together with Sanusi Bature when we visited Tudun Wada local government in Kano to see with our eyes the odious scenes of the New Nigerian Peoples Party’s secretariat and to visit the victims of the unfortunate, barbaric, and heinous action meted out against the innocent people of Tudun Wada.
Within the almost two-hour journey, Sanusi Bature was busy talking with the Presidential Candidate of the NNPP, Senataor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and other stakeholders of the party about how they would help the victims and console the bereaved families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate Sunday in Tudun Wada local government.
Even though they are his bosses, they were asking him to come up with solutions, which he successfully provided and completed within five hours.
Let me go back a bit. Before we embarked on our journey to Tudun Wada, we asked for a security cover since the case was about security; it was about some people that lost their lives, got serious injuries, and the uncertainty of the people living in the area.
We of course couldn’t have that police escort due to the tensed security situation in the state.
When Sanusi heard that we could not get the security cover, he just looked at us and said, “Let’s go and proceed with our journey. It was a nerve-racking journey, but at the end, the mission was accomplished.
During the 2023 general elections, I was at the polling unit of Abba Kabir Yusuf.
I was there to interview Abba about the conduct of the elections, the security, INEC, and the voters.
I was lucky to ask Abba questions, and he answered all the questions professionally. That’s the effect of working with someone who knows how to do his job.
It was Sanusi who organized everything, even though it was his duty, but the way he convinced Abba I can say the governor-elect is lucky to have Sanusi Bature as his press man.
One thing about Sanusi is that he is not only a press secretary, or traditional press secretary, but he also has a sense of engagement with people in many social media spaces; he is digital, vocal, friendly, open, and ready to participate in many social issues and to offer his support in any form.
After Sanusi announced that he was stepping down to pave the way for Abdulkadir Jobe, a member representing Tofa, Dawakin Tofa, and Rimin Gado, to contest in the election, I told him, “Sir, I want you to get this ticket; it is your time”, but he responded, “Abba, my time will come; just keep praying.”
“I said, “All the best, sir.” I then realized that it was not abnegation but belief with time. It was an awe-inspiring decision.
Abba is working with MY BOSS, Â someone who is ready for the job, someone who is equal to the task, someone who is friendly with his colleagues, someone who is always ready to build and raise the younger ones, someone “WHO KNOWS THE WAY.”
Written by Abba Gwale
