By: Dr. Isa Muhammad Inuwa
BRIGADIER GENERAL LAWAN JAFARU ISA is popularly and commonly regarded as a highly disciplined military officer, a past Military Governor of Kaduna state.
Like a double-edged sword, similarly, the persona is seen as a seasoned political giant. A one-time Kano state Governorship candidate under the defunct political party of CPC, in 2011.
HIS BRIEF BIODATA
Born in the 1950s at Yakasai Quarters of the ancient city of Kano, General Lawal grew up in the normal ways of life of the Kano people, starting his education from the Quranic and Islamiyya schools before proceeding to the formal elementary (primary) school and later to the Government Secondary School Birnin Kudu, in the old Kano state.
As from the scratch, the young Lawan Jafaru, admirably grew up a disciplined, respectful, shy and responsible gentleman.
LAWAN, THE GALLANT MILITARY TOP BRASS
He later enrolled into the Nigerian Army, at the Nigerian Defense Academy, NDA, whereby he judiciously rose through the ranks through dedication, discipline and qualification, rather than through mediocracy, nepotism and favouritism.
General Lawan took his steps from bottom to top by undergoing series of military trainings and courses both within Nigeria and more so in various countries abroad, whereby he garnered his highest military intelligence and expertise.
Among others, Lawal attended various courses at India, United Kingdom, France and America, at which he was opportune to have some competence in Indian and French languages, apart from his proficiency in his mother tongue, Hausa and English as second language.
Serving his mother land with zeal and vigour, he kept on rising through the cadre from one responsibility and assignment to the other, until when he was crowned as the military administrator of Kaduna state.
That was where General Lawan demonstrated with leadership and administrative competence through dedication, justice and innovations of viable developmental and viable projects for the people.
In fact he could be rated as one of the Kaduna Governors that contributed in its development to its present status.
HIS POLITICAL SOURJOURN
Although never his starting point nor his first launch-pad of political experience, Lawan’s candidature and campaigns for governorship under the CPC was the most outstanding and the most memorable, that further portrayed him into the mainstream social and public limelight in the Nigerian political terrain. Indeed, General Lawal’s profile and track-record of achievements in developing Kaduna state through viable and human oriented projects have tremendously helped in promoting his image and his acceptance in the Kano state governorship race.
It only through the providence, largely due to the prolonged internal controversies and wrangling that the CPC lost the grip of the Kano state governor’s seat in the race.
HIS SUPPORT AND SUCCESSES IN OTHER GOVERNORSHIP & PRESIDENTIAL RACES
As a dogged fighter and struggler, General Lawan was never daunted by the electoral loss. Rather, he preserved his calm and reposed everything to the Almighty Allah as well as calmed down his mammoth adherents and followers.
Also, far from being a self-centered politician, General Lawan graciously agreed to support the leadership of the elected party in 2011, when invited.
He even supported the subsequent governorship campaign of the ruling party, APC in the state, for Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to have been elected in 2015, and subsequently in 2019.
As fate had it again, Lawal’s staunch support and contributions to the presidential campaign of General Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, didn’t yield him any political post. However, in the long run, he remained unshaken to the incident that he was sidelined from the cabinet of General Muhammad Buhari’s government.
HIS ROLE AS THE CHAIRMAN L. J. ORGANIZATION & THE KANO STATE ICC COORDINATOR
At the present dispensation however, well aware of his potentialities, the president elect, Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu drew General Lawan into his presidential campaign train.
Luckily enough for Tinubu, Lawan was not forsaken by his followers, nor were they forsaken by him. Thus, he commandeered his people in all the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano state. They consist of individuals, important personalities. Retired government officials, women and youths’ groups as well as numerous other volunteer and support groups from the civil society.
Soon as the campaign for the Tinubu’s presidential bid kick started, more and more other support groups emerged and paid their homage and registered their support with the L. J. Organization for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under General Lawan Jafaru Isa, in Kano. The Director General of the L. J. Organization, Alhaji Sulaiman Muhammad Mambo, asserts that well over 550 groups had registered with the organization.
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After assessing and appreciating the performance of the L. J. Organization in its campaign for Tinubu as well as the personal visit of Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima to the Organization, it was qldeemed timely to also create an Independent Campaign Council, ICC to complement the effort of the Presidential Campaign Council, PCC.
General Lawan was appointed as the Kano state Coordinator of the ICC, in order to reach out to the grass-roots as well as to win acceptance, due to the popularity and neutrality of General Lawan Jafaru Isa and his organization to the Kano people.
THE BEST MATERIAL FOR NIGERIA’S DEFENSE
In view of the present situation of numerous security challenges in Nigeria, ranging from the Boko haram and ISWAP insurgency in the North-East, the Banditry and Kidnapping in the North-West and the North-Central states, as well as the IPOB, the notorious oil bunkers, the gas pipe-line breakers and the Biafra dissidents in the South-South and the South-Eastern part of the country.
There is no better way to end of these crises bedeviling the nation and thus, hindering the country from development, than having a highly intelligent, competent and experienced ex-military combatant such as Brigadier General Lawan Jafaru Isa in place.
The aforementioned profile and history of military endeavor by Lawan gives him an upper hand and qualifies him for the job in question.
Far from exaggeration or nepotism, just for the true love of the nation, I therefore recommend General Lawan Jafaru for the ministerial chair of the nation’s defense.
Dr. Isa Muhammad Inuwa
Department of Linguistics & Foreign Languages,
Bayero University, Kano
