In his time-honoured characterization of successful leaders, Niccolo Machiavelli, author of the famous political treatise, The Prince said “While fate and fortune determine one half of our lives, the other half, will depend on us.”

Machiavelli’s aphorism on life and its changing circumstances appears faultless in the case of Dr.Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu whose accomplishments in all spheres of endeavour, fit neatly into the astute observation made by the Italian political philosopher.

From November 12,1955 when he was born in Minna,Niger State, till today (November 12,2010) when he will be celebrating his 55th birthday, Governor Aliyu’s life can best be described as a lesson in resilience, hard work, diligence and steadfastness. The Niger helmsman was born into a humble, economically poor, even though culturally rich background.

He had to toil to survive, from tending horses, packing the dung, going to Arabic /Islamic School and attending public schools from the primary school level up to his degree education. As William Shakespeare would say, Aliyu was not born great, rather he achieved greatness on his own.

He chose early in life to pursue the ambition of serving his country through academics. As a school boy, Mu’azu showed preference for teaching above all other professions. His reason was that the then Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the Premier of the defunct Northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello were both teachers.

Although he knew what he wanted from the outset and went on to prepare adequately for it, the journey to stardom was rough. In his sojourn in the civil service and now politics, the Talban Minna would  sometimes ‘step on toes’ if he believes in a cause, a reason for which he was and is still being labeled a non_conformist.

But like the swashbuckler that he is, Dr Aliyu would rather die than show pain. This character  became manifest recently when he kept his head high and remained unperturbed in the face of attempts by disgruntled elements within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) to ambush the governorship seat through the backdoor. Instead of being distracted by the series of legal battles from both within the PDP and the ANPP, Governor Aliyu opted to concentrate on the onerous task of transforming the state.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling’s postulation on the behaviour of great leaders aptly captured Governor Aliyu’s comportment during the period of the litigation. Kipling,a great poet had once told his son, “If you meet triumph and disaster, and treat these two imposters just the same, you would be a man.”.Aliyu’s ability to ride through storms and triumphs accounts for his larger than life image which is now being recognized through the award of honorary doctorate degrees, chieftaincy titles and other commemorations across the country.

Throughout his carrier as a teacher, civil servant and union leader, Aliyu displayed peerless capacity for sailing through turbulent waters and emerging victorious.

His large heart and capacity for elevated reasoning have led to a big leap forward in the fortunes of the state. Niger State under Mu’azu’s watch has recorded impressive gains in all areas of human endeavours.

The administration has tackled seemingly intractable problems that had bedeviled the state before Aliyu mounted the saddle. The first was the non_payment of gratuity and pension which had accumulated for almost a decade. Shortly after taking office, Governor Aliyu paid up arrears of gratuity and pension to all retirees and continued to promptly pay as at when due the monthly pension of these old folk.

The retired federal permanent secretary turned politician has explained several times that personnel emolument will continue to be settled as and when due if the best must come out of workers. It is his belief that you cannot expect discipline out of a staff you owe.

A lot of work has been done in the educational sector with the introduction of free education for females up to Senior Secondary School as well as payment of WAEC and NECO fees to all students regardless of students’ state of origin in Niger schools.

Aliyu has also embarked on rapid reconstruction of township roads in Minna,just as he is providing access roads in all the local government areas through the construction of 10km roads by each local government council. .

In the area of health, Aliyu has moved in to reduce maternal mortality through the introduction of free ante_natal care for pregnant women and also free medical care for the aged and children from the age of 0_5years.

He has also created conducive atmosphere for participatory democracy through Jama’a Forum, a popular meet the people programme and a well constituted poverty eradication programme through Small & Medium Scale Enterprises/Micro Finance Banks, NAPEP,CCT etc.

Conscious effort has also been made to ease housing problems faced by Nigerlites. This is done through the provision of housing units in all the major towns of the state.

Danladi Ndayebo is the Director General (Media Relations & Strategy), Government House, Minna.