By Daji Sani in Yola
Adamawa State stakeholders have drummed support for the ambassadorial nomination of Dr. Clifford Zira over his valuable contributions to the state.
In a rally on Friday in Yola, the Adamawa state capital led by Professor Vanduhe Apagu of Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MUATECH), the stakeholders said their support were informed by Zira’s intellectual prowess, wealth of experience and his contributions to the state .
Apagu who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders said the nomination of Zira was a welcome development following his contributions in politics, banking industry and development.
According to him, Zira had used his hard earned money to develop township roads in Bassa in Michika Local Government Area of the state when he was working with the defunct Standard Trust Bank.
He explained that the nominee also contributed in mending fences between the Christians and Muslims in Michika who were having running crisis after the liberation of the town from the grip of the Boko Haram insurgency.
He stated that not only in term of development, Zira’s intellectual prowess and experience are attributes that cannot be put aside by any one.
His words: “Having spent five years in primary school instead of seven in those days and started in 1968, Zira went to GSS Ganye 1973 from 1977. He graduated with flying colours the WASC examinations and was in the University of Maiduguri for SBS in1978 and completed Bsc Agric Economics and Extension in 1982 with first class honours and got dean’s prize as the best graduating student.”
Apagu said Zira did executive post graduate diploma in management and graduated with distinction and was the best graduating student too even as he added that he also did his MBA International Business with distinction.
“He was also the best graduating student at Lagos State University, Ojo. He also scored distinction in his doctoral course work. Zira had over 30 years working experience in various banks including Standard Trust bank and UBA Plc with a brief stint as Graduate Assistant in University of Maiduguri. He has been identifying with President Mohammadu Buhari’s political ideology since and was an arrow head during General Buba Marwa’s gubernatorial campaign during the CPC days. Zira remains one of the potent persons who delivered two wards to CPC during the gubernatorial election in 2011 in Adamawa State. He was an active member of the party during the various campaigns.” he said.
According to him, he was actively involved in the monthly merger APC meetings of Adamawa citizens in Abuja for several months on the CPC side with some other bigwigs. He served as the Vice Chairman, Finance, Transitional Committee of the Bindow government in 2015 where he together with others assisted in preparing road map for the financial transactions of Adamawa State government. He is not a religious bigot because three of his devout Muslim friends were some of his best men during his wedding in 1984 and were happily matched to the church amongst whom were Dr. Saidu Moruppa his class and course mate in the university, Hon Ahmed Gorko and Alhaji A. Tumba and the Chairman of the occasion was a Muslim.
Continuing, the don said: “In fact since those days they had always been one while he also maintained good associations with people like Professor Sajo, Professor Haruna Bashiru, former Vice Chancellor of MAUTECH and all of them his former class and course mates. Zira had worked for several years in various banks in Yola, Maiduguri, Kano, Jos, Gombe, Sokoto, Lagos, and Kaduna. He loves people from different facets of life be it Muslim and Christian and proud to add that he is a deacon”.
