By Tanko Ahmed
Pardon me for my ruthless title of a Tribute to the most brilliant and hardest worker I ever came across in my entire 34-year career in government service, particularly at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies.
Let me, first of all, put the late Prof Habu Shuaibu Galadima on a scale of brilliance and hard work with my example.
I am generally rated as a workaholic who never gets tired or age in years – I spent my first 19 years at work before I took my first annual leave – I fell sick halfway and had to resume back on duty so I could be normal again – on average I report to office 8 am and closed around 9-10 pm – People like us are termed ‘work crazy’
Galadima was the only Boss that ever got me tired of work – sometimes I fell asleep while in meetings under his Chairmanship – He would exclaim: ‘Yaya dai Mallam Tanko, Yau kuma har da barchi?’
We agreed that I was becoming older getting to 65 towards my retirement in 2018 – and we joked over it as a waning ‘Gyel Commercial College’ work discipline – we attended the same secondary school where I senior him with 8 years – I finished 1972 while he finished 1980.
I could write a complete lecture, or publishable article, at seating in just a few hours – But, one day, I witnessed Galadima built a full 3-hour presentation with only posters in just 2-hours – a Marvelous feat.
I played golf first thing every money practicing ‘pin shots’, the equivalent of ‘marksmanship’ in gun range shooting – Golf was mostly considered as an elitist military habit I brought back from the War College – But, other Golfers joined in, including Galadima – Within some few months Galadima could take shots across the hardest terrains of the NIPSS Golf Course – One day, he delivered an almost impossible ‘N100,000-set’ Birdie which the ‘Hole Convener’ declined the prize because it was not in a Tournament.
Galadima never got angry with anyone and when it seemed he will be angry, even his aggressiveness was hilarious, more like a comedy stance – many times he shielded punishable offenders from my wrathful Ninja official justice as I was in charge of discipline.
If General Joseph Naven Garba, the Best DG NIPSS ever had, would give a Tribute on Galadima it will be of the highest rating on record.
Adieus Prof Galadima, My Younger Brother, My Boss, My Friend and Best Golfer too.
Allah Ya Jikan ka da Rahaman Jannat Firdaus – Ameen Ya Rabbi.
TANKO AHMED, fwc
Retired NIPSS Senior Fellow
Bukuru – 02 JAN 2021
