Adamawa Community Award: Sen. Aminu Iya Abbas evening of glory

By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro

Giant’s strides made by man are usually relieved with pomp and pageantry. While some roll out the milestone amidst glass clinging. Some play the breakthrough low but all in praises and anticipation of a better future ahead. In this momentous instance, the success story always overshadows the nauseating hurdles and barricades accompanying such feats.

Saturday, 11th November  2023  would long be a memorable day for Senator Representing Adamawa Central senatorial district, Senator Aminu Iya Abbas(Iya Adamawa  & Madawaki Shelleng )  and other celebrants as Adamawa Community Association, Abuja organized a  civic reception to honour illustrious sons and daughters of Adamawa State.

That cool evening witnessed an unprecedented gathering of crème de la crème sons and daughters of Adamawa at the magnificent theatre of Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development under the Chairmanship of Alh Dr Dahiru Bobbo OFR(Dan madamin Adamawa).

The Adamawa Community Association (ACA) is an organization of indigenes of Adamawa State residents within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs. It was established in 1999 with the aim of uniting the indigenes, fostering understanding and mutual care for each other and enabling them to contribute to the socio-economic development of Adamawa State.

Senator Aminu Iya Abbas hails from the highly respected Alhaji Iya Abbas(An educationist of national repute) family of Uba town, Uba district in Hong Local government area of Adamawa State. Young Aminu then attended primary and secondary schools in  Central Primary School and  Government Secondary  School both in Uba and completed in the years 1984 and 1989 respectively. He proceeded to Federal Polytechnic Mubi for his ND in Accounting between 1991-1993. Thereafter, he gained admission into the prestigious Bayero University,  Kano where he obtained a BSc in Accounting in the year 2000  with Upper Second Honour and a master’s degree in Treasury management in 2008 from the same university.

After the mandatory National Youth Service at the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, he has worked in both private and public sectors which include: Sigma Securities Ltd as Assistant Manager and Finance, Economic and Financial Crimes as accountant and investigator he is a foundation team staff & member of officers course 1 officers of the commission. He moved to Africa Petroleum Nigeria as a budget accountant of the company, KPMG Professional Service where he left as forensic Manager to join politics in 2011. He is a chartered accountant and a leading member of a team that established the forensic unit of the KPMG in 2008. He also worked with Nasiru Muhammad and Co. as a Forensic Partner between 2016-2019.

In his success story, few people erroneously tend to view it as if he employed underhand tactics to achieve them and in the process underestimate his Midas touch. The fact remains that he attained his present height through dint of hard work and unparalleled exhibition of moral discipline. He is a man of many parts, blessed with the ingenuity to break boundaries and discover new frontiers.

He was a member of the State House of Assembly from 2011-2015 representing the Uba/Gaya constituency where he served in various capacities of leadership in the house including Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Leader, Deputy Chief whip and Chief whip of the house. Iya Abbas was also the chaired  Public Service and Electoral Matters, Labour & Productivity and Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Finance as well as a member of several other committees of the House.

After trying a different hand in 2015-2019, the people of his constituency craved for his return to the House and therefore elected him back to the State House of Assembly and subsequently got elected as Speaker to lead the  7th Assembly between 2019-2023.

Going by the records of his achievements in the State House Assembly, both as member and Speaker, people of Adamawa Central unanimously voted him to the senate as Senator representing Adamawa Central in the 10th National Assembly. In recognition of his hard work, dedication and quality legislation, the senate leadership approved his appointment to chair one of the frontline committees of the Red Chamber which is the Senate Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation and membership of 15 other  Senate committees.

The former Speaker Adamawa State House of Assembly is truly a representative of the people going by the amount of work he was able to do for the overall benefit of his constituents. So far he has proved to be one of the few federal lawmakers that people are people the impact of their representation. No matter what anyone would say, the amount of dividends of democracy that this senator was able to bring to the doorstep of the people he is representing is unmatched.

      

Senator Aminu Iya Abbas’s quick start at the upper legislative chamber with vital legislative engagements clearly shows a great sense of responsibility, exceptional courage, sincerity of purpose and diligent service to his senatorial district, Adamawa State and Nigeria in general. This has distinguished him as a worthy icon of a rare breed whose been etched permanently in the annals of creative and legendary representations. There is no doubt that his legacies shall remain an eternal source of inspiration for many generations to come as more accolades are coming his way from Adamawa communities and externally from vanguards of democracy and legislative excellence.

Danyaro is the Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to Senator Aminu Iya Abbas and can be reached at ahmaddanyaro2017@gmail.com