WAKE UP: A Friday with JUBI like no other before

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Exactly eighth day after I jetted out of the Seat of Caliphate, where I had spent days from the night of the moon sighting to the day after Eid-ul-Fitri with Baba, the Sultan of Sokoto and Amir-ul Mu’mineen of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, I had a great day with yet another wonderful Nigerian on Friday 21st May, 2021 at Sofunde Bus Stop, that is what the location of the building accommodating the office of Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem in Agege, Lagos State, is called.

Popularly called JUBI in his political circle, Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem is former Chairman of Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State.  After having successfully completed his two terms in office, long ago, as Chief Security Offer of the Third Tier of Government, he continues to be relevant and exceptionally influential, not only in the local government area where his performance included both of human capacity building and infrastructural development but also, to an extent, in the politics of the Centre of Excellence.

But his clericism and Islamic spiritualism brought to bear in playing politics of a state as complex as Lagos, JUBI should be in Lagos State House of Assembly by now. Are they many in politics, the likes of religious scholars or personalities like Jubril, who refuse to allow the human desire for material and power lure them away from the warnings of their Lord? They are very few. Among the few I stand to count JUBI is conspicuously positioned.

First is Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is not an Islamic scholar but but a devoted Muslim that has found himself in the political football field in one of world’s most difficult-to-govern nations, Nigeria. He is one of few Islam oriented personalities doing well in politics and government. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), pastor of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is not just religious scholar but devoted Christian. I know of Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State, whose transition between power as number four citizen of Nigeria to another power as number one citizen of Sokoto State in 2015 was like a walkover. He too is a doing well Islamic personality that refuses to be swayed, by intimidating materials and powers of politics and government, away from doing what is right. You can also talk of presidential aides like Mr. Femi Adesina, a pastor, Lauretta Onochie, a conscious body language expert of the Catholicism, I know of religious consciousness of the likes of Garba Shehu and Laolu Akande. They are also doing well. Not many such people I have seen.

Of course, Dr. Isa Alli Ibrahim Pantami, who would not give in to the envy of wicked wailers wanting to use irrelevant past to destroy the good, great job of the present that he is doing to help the security forces of Nigeria achieve victory over the Boko Haram/ISWAP, IPOB terrorism, banditry/kidnapping, cultism, ritualism, armed robbery, treason and other criminal elements militating against the country. Pantami is one of the uncommon Islamic religious scholars in politics and Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem, a proud Markaziyyah, is another.

Time spent with Hon. Jubril yesterday, Friday 21st May, 2021, cannot but only qualify to be described as fantastic. He is a comfortable political leader in Lagos but would not accept to be comfortable until those behind him are comfortable like him. Jubril has the character of a good Muslim, who will love to remain hungry until others are fed and will not consider himself stabilized on the political terrain until those around and behind him have attained comfortable positions in politics. He did not just start to display this attitude. Before, during and since after his days in office as Chairman Agege Local Government, that has been the Man Jubi and he never backslides.

It is only expected that the experience he and I shared together in Minna and Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2019 will be repeated again this year as it now looks more realistic that the Saudi’s Government will allow international pilgrims to enter the all-important country and Seat of Islam for the Holy Pilgrimage. Nothing can be more heartwarming than just that. But, in all, we can only continue to wish Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem a more successful sojourn in his political journey in Lagos and Nigeria.

*WAKE UP is opinion article column of Lagos-based media practitioner and Prince of Akure, Ondo State, Bashir Adefaka. Reach him in his e-mail: omope72@gmail.com