Abubakar Audu (1947-2015)
The death, last Sunday, of Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Kogi State, a few hours after he exercised his franchise in his home town, is as shocking as it is instructive. It reminds us of the death of General Sani Abacha in 1998, at a time nobody ever envisaged it.
Audu, it was learnt, died at about 5am the next day after the gubernatorial election in his state in which he was leading, according to the result so far announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Here was a man who crisscrossed the length and breadth of the state soliciting votes and was very sure that he was going to dislodge Idris Wada, the incumbent governor. On the day of election, he was chauffeur-driven to his polling centre where he voted, escorted by a retinue of security personnel, accompanied by a dozen of aides, family members, a multitude of friends, well-wishers, praise-singers and hangers-on.
Audu’s sudden demise should jolt politicians in the country, particularly those who believe in the do-or-die brand of politics, into the realisation that life is ephemeral. It should also be food-for-thought for those who think they have come into the world to stay. This sudden and irreversible development further accentuates the Biblical King Solomon’s admission that life is all vanity.
For too long Nigerian politicians have taken the people for granted. Most of those who seek political offices do so to serve their own selves. Over the years, while the resources of states have dwindled as a result of poor governance, those responsible for the woeful condition of such states are today super-rich. The evidence is everywhere. There are still run-down schools across many states of the federation; the young people are without prospects for the future as unemployment is rife; there’s infrastructural decay all over the place and governance appears to be non-existent in the country.
We use this period of mourning, therefore, to nudge the conscience of politicians to realise that life is transient and to appeal to them to rethink the nature of service they render to the citizens who vote them in. Before they embark on primitive accumulation of wealth, they should not forget that the riches of this world do not follow anyone to the grave; and for those who have the opportunity to serve others, what counts at the end of the day is their service to mankind.
No doubt, the late Audu touched the lives of common folks in Kogi when he presided over the affairs of the state previously. These were probably among the mourners who besieged his country home, weeping and wailing while the interment lasted. The fact that he was coasting home to victory against an incumbent is a clear testimony of his wide acceptance in the state. But it also points to the fact that the incumbent may not have made much positive impact on the lives of Kogi citizens.
Indeed, the story making the rounds is that since Audu left the Government House in May 2003, development in Kogi has been stalled and all that are seen in the state today in terms of infrastructure were those he erected when he was governor.
Born on October 27, 1947 in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Audu was educated in Kogi, Onitsha, Jos and London. He made a successful career in banking, where he spent 25 years, serving in various capacities at management level. Kogi State was created in 1991 and Audu became its first elected governor in 1992. He was again sworn in on May 29, 1999 as the second executive governor of the state.