Throwback: The New Mutawalle of Sokoto: Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, lawyer, parliamentarian and consummate administrator, was born on the 10^th January, 1966 in Tambuwal, Sokoto State. He had his early education at the Tambuwal Primary School from 1972 to 1979 and Government Teachers College Dogon-Daji, where he obtained his Teachers Grade II Certificate in 1984. Determined to become a lawyer, young Aminu proceeded to read Law at the Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto. He graduated in 1991 and was called to the Nigerian Bar after completing his studies at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1992. In 1997, he ventured into the politics of the Nigerian Bar Association and was elected the Public Relations Officer. And from that period, 1998 to 2002, he held various posts and offices of the association including Assistant National Financial Secretary, National Secretary and Secretary of the Human Rights Committee.

From playing politics at the association level, Aminu Waziri entered the Nigerian politics as a Personal Assistant to former Senate Leader, Senator Abdullahi Wali, from which the bug of mainstream politics was to bite him. He proceeded to contest and win elections in 2003 to represent his constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).  2004 saw him becoming the Minority Leader of the House; a position which he handled efficiently as an effective opposition leader. Again, he was re-elected in 2007 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Winning the election on the platform of the ruling party paved the way for Aminu Waziri to be elected the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, enabling him to bring his legislative experience, array of friends in different parties and sound judgment to bear on the leadership of the House.

By 2011 when he won yet another election to the House, he had become one of the respected and most experienced member of the House of Representatives. His popularity with members across party divide had also grown as his integrity stood steadfast. It was inevitable that when time came to elect the Speaker of the House, he stood out as the most credible candidate, notwithstanding the odds. As Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has remained true to his promise to run a clean House devoid of corruption and power tussle.

Tambuwal has uncountable array of awards trailing him as a man who distinguishes himself in everything he does. His awards and honours include Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR); Abdullahi Gwandu Leadership Award by Gwandu Emirate Council, Kebbi State; Leadership Newspaper’s Politician of the Year 2011; Sun Newspaper’s Man of the Year 2012; Sokoto State Government Merit Award, 2012; Zik Price Award, 2012, etc. He has also won traditional titles of other ethnic groups of the federation such as Osagie of Opojie Kingdom (Edo State), Obong Ufan (Akwa Ibom State), Bubagunwa of Ilaro-Ekiti, Madawakin Gashaka (Taraba State).

He has been Leader of the Nigerian Delegation to African, Caribbean, Pacific and European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly; Leader of the Federal Government team to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the denial of visas to Nigerian female pilgrims; Member, International Bar Association; Member, Nigerian Bar Association; Member, National Executive Committee of Nigerian Bar Association; Alumnus, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, USA; Alumnus, Stanford Graduate School of Business, USA; Alumnus, Tulane University, USA; Alumnus, Oxford University; Alumnus, Usman Dan-Fodio University, Sokoto; Alumnus, Nigerian Law School, Lagos; Regional Representative, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; Organising Secretary and Legal Adviser of Political Parties, Distinguished member of the Body of Benchers, etc. 

Like Napoléon Bonaparte, impossibility is not found in the dictionary of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. To become a lawyer was a feat many told him he could not do, but he did. To succeed in Nigerian politics with your integrity intact was something he was told to be impossible, but Tambuwal has remained true to himself and his ideals despite successfully navigating the murky waters of Nigerian politics; and he has done it unsullied.    

Every risk Tambuwal has taken has brought its rewards – in education and in politics. An anonymous writer has this to say of Tambuwal, “…He was arguably one of the most influential men to have held the position of the Deputy Chief Whip of the House between 2007 and 2011. He brought to the leadership of that House not only his experience as a former leader of the opposition, but a clarity of thought and a personal integrity that was unsullied by politics. By some accounts, he was the glue that held that leadership together.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said to him, “Mr Speaker, I was one of those who didn’t like your emergence as Speaker. But I have watched you and I like what you are doing. You have done well.”  Indeed, it is welcome setting of a positive precedence in Nigerian political leadership arena that for three years of Tambuwal’s Speakership, not one scandal has been linked to his name. This is a very encouraging statement to his people of Sokoto state, that whatever dividend is expected of Mutawalle, Tambuwal is sure to deliver to the masses. A title of trust that is well deserved and appropriately bestowed.

Quotable Quotes form Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Mutawalle of Sokoto:

“The people cannot be said to be sovereign unless their interest becomes the foremost reason for governance.”

“The bitter fact is that Nigeria is grossly in arrears of her development potentials and expectations, and a routine pace can neither meet public yearnings nor real need. Accordingly therefore, while government may appeal to the citizens to exercise, it is imperative for those of us in government to exercise utmost impatience. It is in face, not out of place to decide to declare a season of governmental impatience and I mean righteous impatience for that is the only path to 20-20-20. (Speaker’s overview of the first anniversary session of the 7^th House of Representative at the National Assembly on 6^th June, 2012)

“It is our conviction that rather than continue to lament over our mono product economy, we must take concrete steps to stimulate the private sector which is better placed to create jobs more rapidly. We can further do this by way of revolutionary approach to agriculture as well as massive attack on our infrastructure deficit, especially power”.

“This country has seen too many deaths in recent time. We cannot continue to live as if life is cheap. If the quality of any civilisation is tied to the value it places on human lives, then we are fast regressing into barbarism.”

“Every year our country has to spend more money on security, money that would have been used to reduce poverty in our land. This has made the job of wiping out endemic poverty and disease, for which the Millennium Development Goals were initiated more difficult to meet by 2015”.

“After fourteen years of operation, our democracy ought by now to be feeding on solid food rather than on breast milk. Yet we must admit that we are still operating with absolutely avoidable infirmities and imperfections such as corruption, abuse of human rights, disregard for the rule of law, institutional affront on freedoms and liberties, flawed electoral system, marginal good governance and deliberate limitation of participation by the people to whom supreme power belongs. This State of affairs is unacceptable.”