All Hail The Chief Of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba

By Abdullahi Yusuf

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, Nigerians woke up to the cheering news about the fresh appointment of one of the nation’s foremost Information Managers, astute Administrator, thoroughbred Journalist and Union Leader, Comrade Muhammad Garba.

The news had it that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had appointed Malam Muhammad Garba as his Chief of Staff.

The appointment was announced in a statement on Tuesday by one of Ganduje’s media aides, Abubakar Ibrahim, to the joy of people from all walks of life, including politicians, administrators and members of Comrade Garba’s primary constituency, Journalists.

They described the appointment as well-deserved in view of his impressive pedigree as a two-term Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs in the immediate past administration of His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, as well as two-term President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

They also cited his unmatchable records to include his position as a former President of the West African Journalists Association(WAJA) and one-time Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 90s.

Comrade Garba was also the President of, Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) as well as a member of the Steering Committee of, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Dublin, Ireland.

He also served as the Spokesperson of the Gawuna/Garo governorship campaign organisation ahead of the  2023 general elections.

Again, he is a former Federal Commissioner at the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, as well as a former member and convener, Federal Government Subsidy and Reinvestment and Empowerment Committee (SURE-P).

Some civil organisations in Kano also commended the appointment, describing Comrade Muhammad Garba as an experienced technocrat who had served humanity meritoriously.

“His appointment is certainly the height of putting a round peg in a round hole. More like doing the right thing, at the most appropriate time,” the Chairman of the coalition of Northern Nigeria civil society groups, Abdullahi Muhammad, said in a statement.

“The appointment reiterated the competence and resilience of comrade Garba in defending the ideals of his Boss, Dr Ganduje, at all times, regardless of the backlash arising from deliberate misinformation by detractors.

“Mr Garba is well-suited for the job looking at his antecedents and cognate experience spanning over three decades as a reputable journalist,” he said.

The group prayed for both Dr Ganduje and Comrade Muhammad Garba to succeed and exceed all expectations in the course of discharging their duties for the progress and development of the nation and humanity.

It is noteworthy that Comrade Garba’s appointment came less than a week after the confirmation of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the APC by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which further testified to the trust and confidence the former Governor has in the appointee’s ability to deliver, always.

Equally remarkable is the fact that the appointment came less than three months after Malam Muhammad Garba left office after an eventful eight-year tenure as Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, when the experience he garnered over the period is still fresh in his mind.

During those memorable years, the former Commissioner excelled in promoting the good image of Kano State as well as managing information about the activities of the administration of his Principal, the then Executive Governor of the State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Over such period also, he built good relationships, and earned goodwill and respect among his professional colleagues in particular, members of the APC and other Nigerians,to the delight of his Boss, Dr Ganduje.

Expectedly, the former Commissioner would deploy such pedigree in executing the tasks assigned to him as the Chief of Staff to the National Chairman of the ruling party, the APC.

Comrade Muhammad Garba has already hit the ground running, discharging his statutory functions at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja, with high sense of commitment, responsibility and vigour.

May Allah guide and protect him as he works for the progress and development of Africa’s leading political party, the APC.