By Hamzat Lawal
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu became a household name in Nigeria during the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. He was a prominent face in the small team of reformers put together by Obasanjo to set Nigeria on the path of democratic progress and economic prosperity in the dawning years of this Fourth Republic. I guess I was too young to care about politics and politicians at that time, so I do not have any memory or personal impression of the man Ribadu during that period.
The first time Ribadu had a direct impact on my life and future career was in 2010, when I heard him give an inspiring message to the Nigerian youth. As a matter of fact, it was Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s remark that directed me to Ribadu’s speech. In a post on his Facebook wall, Nasir El-Rufai wrote, “In an age when elders are telling youths that they are incapable of leading and are not well educated, it is refreshing to listen to Nuhu Ribadu’s message of hope. Please watch this and pass it on. Nigerian youths need to hear this message of encouragement…. Nasir.”
Having been born and bred in the Federal Capital Territory, I already knew everything to be known about El-Rufai. He was like my governor. But I did not really know Ribadu. I considered El-Rufai a no-nonsense, incorruptible public officer – my kind of person. Therefore, such an endorsement of Ribadu’s message was something I knew I had to take seriously. As fate would have it, at that particular point in my life, the internet was my workplace. My mentor and employer, Ewah Eleri of the ICEED, had introduced me to the world of digital activism and I was a dedicated member of the African Youths Initiative for Climate Change (AYICC).
So, I clicked on YouTube to listen to Mallam Ribadu. That singular casual action would change my life. Ribadu was the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, and the speech was in reaction to a trending news item where a presidential aspirant from another political party said that Nigerian youths were not capable of leading the country.
Ribadu, who actually had a youthful face, gripped me with his candor and authentic air of patriotic zeal. He presented a strong message of hope, renewal, and possibilities to the Nigerian youth, whom the British Council, just weeks earlier (in 2010) had declared to be facing a future of what they called a ‘Demographic disaster’.
But I saw beyond candidate Ribadu’s charge. It was like an epiphany. As I looked at him, I saw myself soaring above the confines of the environmental sector. At that time, I was a bona fide global citizen, connecting with young people and development workers from other parts of the world and pushing the bounds of climate activism. I was working for Africa and the world, and I could visualize what I wanted for Planet Earth: Free from all pollution and strong enough to survive the emerging impacts of global warming and climate change. I was a young climate leader.
But now, suddenly, I saw myself as a Nigerian citizen, and a contributor to the progress of my country. I saw myself as a youth leader!
The idea of being a youth leader sank in so much that I pulled up the search engine to get more perspective. I saw an explanation that struck me with insight. It says, “The Youth Leader will be responsible for creating a safe and nurturing environment for young individuals, offering guidance, mentorship, and organizing educational and recreational activities. This role aims to empower youth, promote personal development, and foster positive relationships within the community.”
To be candid, something in me made me realize that I was not mature enough for this role. I told myself that I needed a mentor, in order to become a ‘qualified youth leader.’ The next moment, I found myself thinking, no one was qualified than the man through whom I had just received this inspiration. That was the beginning of my relationship with Ribadu. When we eventually met some years later, I was psychologically prepped for impact.
Indeed, it is an open secret that Nuhu Ribadu is Hamzat Lawal’s mentor. And, today, I can declare with all sense of responsibility, that I consider myself fortunate for having come under his tutelage. Needless to say, he guided me into a successful career in my chosen vocation and gave me the spiritual fillip to engage the realms of higher ideas from where I plucked the condiments to birth and nurture my flagship project, Follow The Money.
With the benefit of hindsight, I am glad that I started early. But I am most thankful that I tapped from the energies of a trailblazer. A leader who seemed to know exactly what he wanted. A citizen who had a clear vision for a very long time in his life, of what he was going into, right from the very beginning when he joined the Nigeria Police Force. He understood the problems confronting his country. He knew that the reforms citizens yearned for would never come unless you sanitized and cleaned up the system.
A patriot who believed that the foundation of reform is basically to address the problem of mismanagement, incompetence, and the wastages that emanated from corruption and misrule.
My vision was similar. Right from the cradle, I felt the need to positively change my society. That was why I joined the Boy Scout. When the opportunity called, I joined other young people in the global community who were trying to make a mark on the environmental scene. Yet, when it was time to confront corruption and governmental opaqueness, which had arrested our country’s development, I latched onto a man that had strove all his life to leave a legacy of integrity, unity and godly counsel for the younger generation. This is why I always strive to keep the light shining for the younger generation coming up after me.
Nevertheless, there is no iota of doubt in my mind, that now he is here for the second leg of his national service, the weight of his patriotic dreams would bear down on him with even more intensity. Certainly, there is a price to pay.
Those that do not know him would think he is just another politician here to feather his nest, and then throw dirt at him because he is one of the most prominent advisers in the government. Those that misunderstand him would paint him in the hackneyed and contrived hue of a loose cannon, or ace law enforcement officer out to grind an ax. Those that simply envy his position as a shining star who enjoys unalloyed goodwill locally and globally, would willfully pervert legitimate instruments of scrutiny into cots of calumny.
Fortunately, there are still citizens that know him, understand him, and are patient with him – like Ben Murray-Bruce, who publicly made avowals for Ribadu’s characteristic integrity. I, too, will not hesitate to vouch for his genuineness and fiery patriotic passion.
Nuhu Ribadu has demonstrated unwavering commitment to integrity, transparency and good governance throughout his illustrious career as pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He not only fought and defeated corruption, he instilled a new culture in Nigeria and beyond. He turned a new chapter in our struggle to be civilized humans, and to do things properly and correctly. He sparked the fire that burnt in me and many other young leaders across the length and breadth of Africa. He proved that it can be done, and that corruption is not a birthmark which cannot be obliterated. That because there is hope, change will come.
This is the same burden he now carries as the National Security Adviser. By the grace of The Almighty, he will succeed this second time. In a country that was literally under siege – by insurgents, bandits and terrorists – before the advent of this present administration, his job has unfairly elevated him to that pedestal where he bears the spirit and the face of our collective advancement in these difficult times of renewal. Therefore, the little we can do is to give him our maximum support.
Hamzat Lawal (Hamzy!) is a renowned activist and campaigning currently mobilizing, organizing and leading a group of young people in bringing needed changes across African communities using Follow The Money. He is currently the Chief Executive of Connected Development (CODE).
