- HOW TRUE IS BEING TRUE TO MYSELF: SULE LAMIDO’s AUTOBIOGRAPHY
BY: LAWAN A. KAZAURE
I kindly begin by congratulating my former boss, Dr. Sule Lamido,CON for the successful launching of his autobiography with a cover titled: “BEING TRUE TO MYSELF” which was launched at NAF Conference Centre, Abuja on Tuesday 13th May, 2025. The launching has attracted dignitaries across the Nation including the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was ably represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Dr. Muhammad Idris Malagi, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, GCON, the two former Vice Presidents of Nigeria in the persons of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Arch. Namadi Sambo, Former and Serving State Governors, former Ministers as well as former National Security Adviser, Gen Aliyu Muhammed Gusau amongst other important dignitaries.
The Book Launch raised over N200 Million, with the highest donation coming from Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Inuwa who donated N60 Million while his counterpart from Jigawa State, Alhaji Umar Namadi doled out N50 Million. What is important about the Book is its title which every participant at the book launch will love and wish to have a copy with a view to having a glance at what it contains inside with a probable assumption that the book will be free from malice. I have participated in so many book launches in the past. The most prominent amongst them is the one in which I served as the Secretary General. I was the engine room to its success right from onset to the final day of its launching. That Book, is the ” *Dan Masanin Kano – Maitama Sule”.*
The author of the Dan Masanin Kano – Maitama Sule is a Renowned and Respected Scholar as well as an Administrator par excellence in the person of Dr. Ayuba Tanko Abubakar Falakin Dutse. He was at one time Secretary to the Jigawa State Government. It took the author about ten (10) years to complete the book as well as another two years for the Launching Committee to complete its preparations leading to the colourful launching, which took place on 4th May, 2002.
Writing a book of any subject matter could certainly be regarded as a painstaking process from its beginning to its conclusion. Similarly, planning to launch the book to the general public is also a tedious work but, the most important of it all is its acceptability in the eyes of the general public judging by the author’s impartial account of his narratives without attaching it to some prejudices or casting aspersions to others. It is indeed very encouraging for our leaders to write their memos telling their own lifestyles for role modeling to which future generations could be guided.
The Maitama Sule – Danmasanin Kano is a reference material reflecting with nostalgia his personality including all those who grew up together with him as well as those he became associated with them later in public life thereby given credit to those who helped him to achieve his mission, the episodes of the post colonial history of Kano and Nigeria in general were so encapsulated in the book.The account as duly captured in the Dan masanin Kano, Maitama sule has gone into a couple of serializations in National Dailies including a dedicated programs in broadcasting services both Radios and Televisions, yet no one ever criticized the book!
Going to the specifics, one could observe the absurdity in some of the narratives contained in the autobiography of Dr. Sule Lamido, CON, which in my personal opinion was characterised by bewilderments and of too many wrongful praises making it difficult to understand or to be impressive of. The author’s thinking based on his personal instinct and thoughts have made him a master of all jagoans, given credit to no other persons who in the course of his political journey between 2007 – 2015 helped to achieve his objectives. One wonders what lesson(s) one will learn from such misgiving narratives, containing nothing but an intensive pathological hatred; personal enmities attached to political struggles/competition for power; immutability and self glorification and biases against one political group or the others as well as inneoudos suggesting bad comments or unfavourable remarks about his opponent’s political life.
The reality of the situation as it unfolded then, was absolutely contrary to what was written in the book for documentation purposes and posterity’s judgement! An example of outright misrepresentation is as per pages 324 – 325 of the Book on subtitled “The Politics of the 2007 Elections in Jigawa State.” talking on Malam Jinjiri Dutse and Arch. Aminu Kani contesting primary election with him. It could be recalled that Malam Jinjiri Dutse was no longer the Head of Service of Jigawa State at the time he indicated interest to contest for the governorship of Jigawa State in 2007 as erroneously captured in the book. Actually, Alhaji Kabiru Ali Chai-Chai was appointed Head of Service Jigawa State in 2005 following the retirement of Malam Jinjiri Dutse from the Public Service, having reached 35 years mandatory period and thereafter, got a political appointment as Senior Special Adviser to the Governor and simingly moved to PDP with Governor Saminu Turaki having, collapsing his ANPP government into the PDP.
Similarly, the book was so economical with the truth on the circumstances warranting Malam Jinjiri Dutse going into Primary Election with His Excellency, Dr. Sule Lamido in 2007. Right on the eve of the Zonal Party Screening Exercises in Kaduna, His Excellency Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso then Minister of Defence indicated interest for an amicable resolution of the contest and urged both of them to meet at his residence at Kwankwaso town. To the disappointment of both Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and Malam Jinjiri Dutse as so arranged, the meeting did not hold because of the pompous nature of Dr. Sule Lamido’s refusal to comply.
The trajectory as so transcended in the book was a deliberate distortion of facts in order to bury the truth! The inevitable circumstances that warranted going into the primary contest was that, one day to the primary election and having foreseen a glaring danger ahead of him, Sule Lamido sent a 3-man Delegate consisting of Late Senator Garba Taura, Alhaji Aminu Muhammad Gumel and Hajiya Sakina Ringim pleading to Malam Jinjiri to withdraw from the Primary Contest, at which Mal Jinjiri instantly responded by urging them to let Dr. Sule Lamido to personally dialogue with him on one to one and not through an emissary of which Lamido blatantly ignored. Consequently, the election results were incomprehensible and beyond the eye to see! Heavily backed by the SaminuTuraki’s government influence, the figures as recorded have outnumbered the number of delegates!
As blatant lies were put to cover the over-shadowing facts of the matter in the book as also contained on page 324 – 325 with the sub-title “The Politics of the 2007 Elections in Jigawa State.” The entire narration on this subtitle was a distortion of reality. Books were written to serve the generation yet unborn and it is a glaring betrayal of knowledge for anyone to write a book and at the sametime deviate from the main substance of reality and facts.
The amiable nature of Jinjiri Dutse in agreeing so easily with destiny in spite of the glaring nature of the outcome of the primary election, further ignored the advice of Architect Aminu Kani to write a joint petition to the National Headquarters of the Party! At this point it is pertinent to refresh the memory of the author of the autobiography that Mal Jinjiri did not join Alh Aminu Kani in writing a petition letter to the PDP National Headquarters over the Party’s Governorship Primary Election. The incontrovertible fact is that Jinjiri ably wrote a letter of Solidarity which was duly signed by all his Campaign Directors of which, I am one of them and subsequently pledging their loyalty and readiness to join his Election Campaign Team for the overall success of the Gubernatorial election. The said letter was personally delivered to his person at Sharada Office! The certified true copy of the letter is reproduced here verbatim
10th Dec. 2006
Our Ref: JINJIRI/2007/SEC/1/6
Hon. Minister Alh Sule Lamido,
Gubernatorial Candidate, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
2007- Election, Jigawa State.
Dear Sir;
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE
We wish to refer to the recently concluded Gubernatorial Primary Election
of our great party the PDP in which the Honorable Minister emerged with
resounding victory as the flag bearer of the Party for the 2007
gubernatorial election in Jigawa State and to on behalf of the Jinjiri
Campaign Organization and in particular Malam Jinjiri Dutse to formally
congratulate the Hon Minister.
Indeed we have to also through you, congratulate the National and the
State leadership of our Party for organizing the most transparent and
peaceful gubernatorial primary elections ever conducted in this Country.
It is therefore a credit to your astuteness and political sagacity.
We therefore want to use this maiden to assure and pledge to the Hon
Minister of this group’s unalloyed loyalty and commitment to work
relentlessly to the attainment of your objective of capturing power come
2007 in Jigawa State ‘In- Sha- Allah’! It is needless to infer that this group
has been the Minister’s creation and would remain a child of the Minister!
Hence we believe and share your great vision and aspirations to move
Jigawa State to greatness under your leadership.
Consequently we are ever ready to be called for any assignment and
would put all our talents, experiences and expertise to ensure your
success and that of our great Party in all elections.
While we humbly pray to Allah (SWT) to ensure that you become the
Executive Governor of Jigawa State in 2007, kindly accept our sincere
congratulatory message.
Musa A Kazaure, FNIM
Chairman, Defunct Jinjiri 2007
Gubernatorial Campaign Organization
Hence this fact has entirely invalidated the information contained in pages 324 – 325 quoted above and urged the Author to call for the expungement of the pages from the book in order to make the records straight. Furthermore, the author haven being driven by emotional touch said to Jinjiri Dutse Campaign Organisation a week after the delivery of the said letter, that our congratulatory letter is what saves the primary election from going into the re-run as a result of the weighty petition filed by Arch. Aminu Kani.
It is very much unfair for the author, having been fully aware of the above circumstances to blindly contradict the title of the book he so laboured to produce. The new unfolding political development between two of them shall not be the basis to bury historical antecedents to the extent of twisting factual information capable of depriving readers from haven a fair view of history as well as polluting the mind of the yet unborn generations who may in the future come across the book for the purpose of education or political research.
The most malevolent subtitle of the book is contained on pages 359 – 360 ” *Intrigues, lies and fetishism.”* Those pages have a strong desire to harm the personalities involved thereby creating the cord of perpetual enmity between the three families lasting immemorial. Every dissenting reader of the book will not be happy with the way the author narrated some of the past happenings. The fumbling is an awkward action upon which the emotion attached to the particular narration negates the principle of sharing information for research purposes and may cause the book to be withdrawn from public circulation if the parties involved decide to challenge the book in a competent court of law for defamation!
Therefore, judging by the author’s personality as well as his status and standing in the nation’s politics, it is shameful and crudely unethical to descend too low in verbatim reporting on a conversation said to have engaged with Alh. Salisu Kanya all in an effort to destroying and defaming the personality of Mal Aminu Ringim. How could Malam Aminu Ringim, ( Sule Lamido’s Chief of Staff for eight years) and his generational family view Governor Sule Lamido as well as Alhaji Salisu Kanya in their future relationship? That cordiality has been deliberately and permanently injured for reasons best known to the author!
Moreover, it is laughable and ridiculous to observe that the author lacks consideration and seriousness in the assemblage of his facts while writing his own memos as he so illustrated on page 334 – 335 while talking about his transition committee. The Manuscript should have gone through his closed associate in person of Dr. Aminu Taura who serves as the Secretary of the transition committee for refining in order to concur with the reality. The author should have put at the back of his mind what he is writing must resemble factuality as a driving instructor to a good destination. How could a personality like the author forget so soon the composition he wrote by his own hand to slip out of his memory? To begin with this, Alhaji Suleiman Baffa and Barrister Ibrahim Ismail were never part of His Transition Committee nor a Co-opted Member.
Seemingly, it appears so contradicting for the author to have mentioned only 5-men as his Committee members. It is a serious blunder so erroneously captured in the Book. The actual Transition has a 7-man committee apart from the 2 additional co-opted members. In order to put the record straight, the following were the composition of the committee:- Alhaji Adamu Muhammed (Wazirin Gumel) as Chairman with Malam Jinjiri Abdulkadir Dutse, Alhaji Hassan Alhaji Haruna Hadejia, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibrahim Ringim, Late Alhaji Rabiu Isa Taura, Late Alhaji Isa Jet Korayal as Members while Dr. Aminu Abdullahi Taura serves as Member/Secretary. Other Co-opted Members are Alh. Muhammed Musa Umar Lami Gumel and Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Nomadic respectively.
One of the most contending topics that need a critical review in the book as contained on page 329 – 331 was the relationship between the author of the book, Dr. Sule Lamido, CON, and his predecessor who became Senator in 2007. Determined to replace the incumbent senator in person of His Excellency, Ibrahim SaminuTuraki with another candidate, as portrayed in the pages while describing his perplexity for losing power at younger age. The author unreasonably condemn his predecessor’s action and inaction in government on a very strong expression through, accusations and counter accusations all in an effort to saying that, he has ran his government wrongly. It is regrettable to say that, the topic may perpetually keep the readers wonderful judging by the sacrifices and the unflinching support given by His Excellency Ibrahim Saminu Turaki towards the emancipation of PDP’s victory in the state in 2007.
So also, the controversial losses of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general election as encapsulated in the book on pages 412 – 416. The technicalities attached to the unjustifiable attributes blaming Malam Aminu Ibrahim Ringim as the sole cause of the Party’s defeat in the State was a shallow casting and could be thrown to the dog for the simple reason that the vituperation has a wider distance between true and false. In the contrary, the government in power then, and Party’s leadership should have been joined in the blame which, the book deliberately ignored to mention.
Whatever narratives contained by the book, the court of public opinion has already passed its own judgment which superseded the trashes of unreliable facts as encapsulated in the autobiography and as such, we do not need them appear anymore in the sub-titles as reflected in all pages of the book “BEING TRUE TO MYSELF”. IT IS SAD AND UNFORTUNATE.!!!
LAWAN A. KAZAURE
is a former Editorial Staff,
Triumph Newspapers, Kano.