By ABDUL-WAREES
In about two months from now, the incumbent Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Abubakar Jijiwa (MFR) who clocks 52 as a son of Nigeria, will be exactly 20 years in the service of the Corporation, eight years as its director general, both milestones deserving some sober reflection from this quintessential public manager and a re-dedication or commitment to work for the greater good of the country beyond life in VON. For, in the next two years, he should be completing his second term as the helmsman at the nation’s authoritative choice. By then he would turn 54.
Jijiwa came to VON in March 1993 from the News Agency of Nigeria where he was the Assistant General Manager (Enterprises). His sojourn in the federal government established media actually began at the Kaduna based-New Nigerian, where although he was employed as a senior accountant, he was drafted to the editorial board as a special correspondent because of his gift of the pen which he had been wielding as a regular contributor in the New Nigerian since his university days while studying accountancy at the University of Maiduguri.
Impressed by the brilliance and lucidity of his writings, the NN management felt it would be an under-utilization of talent consigning him to merely poring over cold figures instead of giving him the platform and the space on the pages to churn words and ideas to influence opinions. Since New Nigerian in 1984, Jijiwa has not looked back in providing leadership in the mass media, returning home briefly the invitation of the Gongola state government to serve as Secretary to the Fufor Local Government. After completing the Fufore assignment he returned to NN and shortly after in 1988, he picked an appointment with the News Agency of Nigeria as Ag. Chief Accountant, a position he held until 1989 when he was invited by his home government, Gongola to lead the state-owned radio station, Gongola Broadcasting Corporation.
In less than four years of heading GBC, later Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation, Jijiwa turned around the fortunes of the local radio station to an enviable one in the north east of Nigeria. ABC which had no permanent site and transmitting station, built one under Jijiwa. Then Jijiwa as the GM had been designated Director General and sole administrator of the corporation. With this feat, he was soon back at NAN as AGM enterprises in 1992 and in March 1993, he joined Voice of Nigeria as Director Finance and Supplies. But in-between his service in VON, he had the privilege of being invited home to serve as the Adamawa State commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Finance.
This rich experience jijiwa placed at the service of VON when he returned from his leave of absence and assumed office as Director Administration and Finance of the Corporation under Aremo Taiwo Allimi in 1999. Being the most senior director in VON when Aremo Allimi completed his single term in 2004, this rich experience also recommended him to the post of Ag. Director General. Again, this rich experience facilitated his confirmation as the substantive DG in March 2005 and secured him a reappointment in 2010.
As DG VON since the past eight years, Jijiwa has used this experience to pilot the affairs of the Broadcasting organizations of Nigeria (BON), the umbrella of all public and private broadcasting services in the country. Four of these eight years, he also used to etch Nigeria’s name on the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association hall of fame as he was elected CBA president in 2006 in the Indian capital, New Delhi for a two-year term, securing another CBA mandate in the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas in 2008.
Since relinquishing the CBA presidency in 2010, Jijiwa has dedicated himself to providing leadership in public service broadcasting globally as he is regularly invited to public service broadcasting forum worldwide as a lead speaker, authority and resource person. He has used broadcasting to confirm Nigeria’s eminence in all regions of the world: Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, Australia, Europe and here in Africa He is enriching broadcasting for Nigeria. He is mentoring a lot of leaders and managers in the Nigerian public service broadcasting firmament. He is contributing to to the growth and development of the Nigerian public information sector.
The Greatest beneficiary of course is the Voice of Nigeria which he has provided the leverage for global network and partnership, affording the staff of the corporation tremendous learning and development opportunities in countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, south Africa, Indonesia, Egypt, Angola etc. Name the country and you are likely to find one VON staff studying or working or participating in international conference, workshop or seminar on broadcasting there. Jijiwa facilitated these. This writer is a beneficiary in winning a Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Scholarship to pursue graduate studies in Public Policy and Administration at Brunei Darussalam’s premier university in Bandar Seri Begawawan.
From Jijiwa in VON in the past 20 years are so many lessons in leadership, service, comradeship, compassion and integrity. He readily gives credit to whom it is due, acknowledging every little effort of staff, colleagues and superior. Ask his predecessors in office, Mallam Yaya Abubakar and Aremo Taiwo Allimi. They are always full of superlatives in describing Jijiwa as a team player. Ayo Sulaiman, Ben Egbuna, kabir Muhammed Ahmed, Timothy Gyang, Sola Tijani, Okey Nwachukwu, Margaret Obanya, Frank Ilogu and others who worked with him on the VON Board of Management consider him a gift in leadership and Management of human resources.
Jijiwa’s uncommon leadership qualities and humility are to be traced to his humble background in rustic Fufore, via Yola Adamawa State, the grace he has enjoyed in his growing up years, the men of eminence he had served and the challenges imposed on him by his community which find him worthy of the title of Sardaunan Ribadu, a traditional title of prime ministerial status in Ribadu District of the Adamawa Emirate. But the most eminent is the national honor he was conferred with by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. He was honored with Member, Federal Republic (MFR). Successive Ministers of Information since 2005 found Jijiwa an asset in the information ministry under which VON falls as a parastatal. His colleagues regards him highly just as he respects all immensely.
In the next two years, 2015 when he would bow out of VON, Jijiwa, established as a Gamji, would be leaving behind a worthy national heritage. At 54 by then Jijiwa would of course still be strong for greater service to his fatherland. One unique feature of Sardaunan Ribadu is his limitlessly elastic patience, confounding belief in destiny and unusual spirit of sacrifice. With these, he just waits on God for direction on every step he makes. This I know since I met him in Yola almost 22 years ago when he was the General manager of the Gongola Broadcasting Corporation in 1990. Seeing in him the practical manifestations of virtues I hold dear, I have been impressed by his outlook to public office and life generally. So, 20 years in the service of Voice of Nigeria, the authoritative choice, I can only wish Abubakar Bobboyi Jijiwa more of the blessings of the light of faith, wisdom, understanding, discernment, courage, fairness and justice. These are the essentials of success in public leadership. These are implied in the Nolan Principles of public life. Every leader or aspiring public office holder can also learn from Jijiwa.
ABDUL-WAREES SOLANKE
B.Sc. Mass Comm (Lagos); Master of Public Policy (Brunei Darussalaam)
Head, Voice of Nigeria Training Centre, c/o VON Transmitting Station, Ikorodu, Lagos was formerly the special assistant to the Director General, VON
korewarith@yahoo.com 08090585723
