Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, the Senator representing Zamfara West in the National Assembly, is one man his detractors will never understand. They will not understand him because the man is ahead of them and their little minds. While the senator is busy thinking about the best way to ensure that the people are taken care of, those who do not mean well for the people are busy scavenging for materials for cheap blackmail. Some are even saying that the senator is not visible enough to warrant the level of recognition he gets from notable institutions and individuals. But as his detractors bellyache over matters like this, the msn has continued to fly high.
But it is important to draw the attention of those who do not know to the fact that those who are adept in analyzing the parliament the world over are agreed that the legislature is composed of two broad categories of members – those who speak and those who deal. Those who speak are friends of the gallery. They are the ones who are given to arguments and disputations. They are also the ones who throw chairs and fling objects when situations get tense.
But the dealers are behind-the-scenes operators. They are those who go beyond what you see to bring about changes and take actions that define every legislature. This category of legislators is hardly heard. They keep away from the gallery. But they are the engine of the house, if you like to call them that.
Each category has a role to play. In fact, they complement each other. But oftentimes those who judge a book by its cover tend to think that those whose voices we hear too often are more consequential than the others. But experience has shown that that is hardly the case. Those who understand the workings of parliament easily appreciate the fact that the dealers control the levers of the house.
As a three-time legislator, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari has passed through all the mills. His legislative journey dates back to 2007 when he represented Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Now, he is serving as a senator for the second consecutive tenure, having been first elected in 2019. Senator Yari, to be sure, has operated in both categories. He has been heard. And he has operated behind the scenes. But as an experienced parliamentarian, Senator Yari knows what matters most. Legislative impact in terms of what benefits the constituents most is the name of the real game. It is not how much a legislator appeals to the gallery that matters. What truly matters is the impact a legislator makes in the lives of his people. This is where Yari appears to be concentrating his attention lately.
Yari’s latest bent in legislative engineering stems largely from his experience as the chief executive of his state. As governor, Yari was credited with many development projects that positively impacted the well-being of the people. As governor, his impact on infrastructural development remains a reference point. He did not just excel in rural development; he constructed extensive township and inter-city road networks linking Zamfara to neighboring states. Records show that he upgraded and equipped many general hospitals and healthcare centers across the state.
In the area of Education, Yari established the Zamfara State University to boost access to higher education. The impact of all this is still visible in Zamfara, several years after he left office. What the people of Zamfara are enjoying today stems from the former governor’s long-term vision. Yari saw beyond the immediate. He peeped through the clouds of tomorrow like a crystal ball gazer and was able to recognize that you could invest in tomorrow today. Beyond all this, Yari stands out proudly in the area of philanthropy. The scholarship initiative he launched in Zamfara years ago now boasts of a number of products. The scheme funded university education for hundreds of the underprivileged. It was also extended to outstanding students who may not necessarily be indigent. Graduates of the scheme have become a useful addition to the state’s educational backbone, which has helped the state tremendously in its drive against educational backwardness.
Yari, naturally, looks beyond the classroom. Hundreds outside this bracket have been captured by his philanthropic gestures. His free eye treatment programme has pulled many out of blindness. Not long ago, over 1000 patients in his Zamfara West senatorial district benefited from his free eye treatment and surgical programmes. For Yari, therefore, politics is about the people. It is about their wellbeing.
When, therefore, we begin to situate governors or legislators who understand what governance or representation is all about, Yari naturally occupies an enviable position in the scheme of things. It is important to underline this point because many observers in the public space tend to think that those who are given to pontification and hair-splitting on the floor of the parliament are the real legislators. They are useful in their own right. But they trail behind those who look beyond the camera to find where the people’s shoes actually pinch.
For an outstanding performer like Yari, what he should be getting from the people should be nothing short of prayers. It is a good thing to pray for public office holders so that God will continue to enable and energize them to do more. At the same time, we should pray for non-performers so that God will help them to mend their ways. But there is a snag in all this. In Nigeria, the people play politics with everything. The people witch-hunt one another as if that is the only thing that will give them a lifeline. Such pettiness has not helped the growth and development of the country.
In the case of the likes of Yari who have invested so much in the people, they should be applauded, not vilified. It is only a wicked soul that plots to pay back the good deeds of people with evil. Those who have been nosing here and there to find out how Yari makes his money are mischief makers. They are idle brains that do not know how to manage their time. I implore them to find meaningful work to do. Wealth is a gift from God. Yari is deploying his own for the good of society. We should encourage him to do more.
Mbah, a public policy and governance expert, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
