It has become abundantly clear that Senator Uba Sani has etched his name in gold on the fight against hunger, poverty, unemployment and insecurity since he was elected to represent Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone in 2019.
Within one year, since election, Sani has impacted positively in the efforts to address these challenges in critical moments Nigerians have found themselves. The masses of Kaduna Central constituency can surely testify to how he has generously touched their lives.
From helping victims of banditry attacks, to supporting the people with palliatives in critical moments like the lockdown and special annual rituals like Ramadan and Christmas, Uba Sani has proven that he is a man of the people – reason why he was elected to the senate.
Sani came to the aide of the masses to cushion the crippling effect of the lockdown by providing foodstuffs and other items worth N80 million for distribution. The welfare of his people has always been a priority to him.
He is a man of immense capacity, connecting voices between two layers- simply put, he is a bridge.
One can say he has made ample use of his high connections with influential people in the corridors of power to quietly convey the feelings of Nigerian masses.
Interestingly, he has always done so without using abusive words against such influential leaders. He applies political diplomacy to secure the rights and privileges of the people, within the multiple economic advantages available in government.
For instance, I can’t remember the last time a considerable number of youths from the North joined their southern counterparts in seizing the opportunity to apply for soft loans through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s policies on Small-scale and Medium enterprises. This is exactly the product of awareness by the senator.
He has been in the forefront in the campaign against the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic by launching an intensive campaign against the virus through sustained public enlightenment in the media.
Significantly, the provision of palliatives to his constituency is still the biggest effort by any politician in Kaduna State, nay Northern Nigeria, since the tough challenges of lockdown.
He has also assisted many indigent students by paying for their WAEC and NECO exams.
I also recall how he joined other prominent Nigerians in the corridors of power to make a strong case for an upward review of federal government’s Covid-19 palliative budget against a paltry N500 billion.
Take or leave it, Senator Uba Sani, who is currently the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking Insurance and other Financial Institutions, has demonstrated beyond familiar Nigerian political brands, that it is possible you bond with the masses.
What more do we expect from a top politician who is noted to be one of the top grassroots mobilisers in the north? He has the capacity to bring together millions of supporters at very short notice, a task that many of his contemporaries would probably find almost impossible to achieve.
Significantly, this lawmaker has given observers, analysts and commentators on Kaduna politics, one more food for thought.
He has given analysts the opportunity to differentiate between game-changers, political adventurists and reactionaries. So far, history will remember Uba Sani as the man who came, saw and changed both the way politics has been played in Kaduna Central in this era and the brand of the inglorious past.
This opportunity presented by the lawmaker, for comparing our political notes has one important nexus within the future of Kaduna’s democratic history.
It has proved that any politician can play the game while building a reservoir of loyalists from amongst the masses and standing by them in moments of happiness and in times of tragedy.
The unassuming lawmaker has taken commentators off-guard, his critics even more confused, while leaving his predecessors biting at their fingers.
Nasir Dambatta, Kaduna
