As scores of attendees thronged the venue, their jubilant mood could be seen from the broad smiles, warm embraces and joyous laughter, which made for a lively atmosphere. Many of them were from Nigeria’s vibrant civil society; there were many more from other walks of life. From across the country, and the globe, they all converged to be a part of an evening to celebrate the Africa Office Director of the MacArthur Foundation, and Chair of the International Governing Council of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Dr. Kole Shettima, who turned 60 on Wednesday. For the ever-busy civil society crowd, the evening was a rare retreat, an opportunity to relax, reflect and take a breather from the plethora of activities aimed at addressing the complex challenges confronting democratic governance in Nigeria.
As such, the cozy atmosphere afforded speaker after speaker the space needed to engage in personal reminisces on how they met Shettima, and the impact their relationship with him has had on them, ever since. All of the many testimonies, interspersed with some comic anecdotes of interesting remembrances and encounters within and outside the shores of Nigeria, brought to the fore the many sterling qualities of the celebrant as a humanist, leader and as an administrator. The outpouring of encomiums began with the Chair of the occasion, renowned political scientist and helmsman of the CDD Election Analysis Centre, Professor Adele Jinadu who eulogised Shettima’s commitment to democratic governance and his resilience in the pursuit of set goals and objectives.
Professor Jinadu reminded the audience that the celebration of Kole Shettima amounted to the celebration of Nigeria’s civil society because the legacy he has been building signposts the very significant contributions Nigeria’s civic voices are making to the country. He observed that the presence of the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mrs. Amina Mohammed at the event was a recognition of the celebrant’s life of service to the country and to humanity. His words: “I am happy in your happiness; I see this celebration of Kole Shettima as my own celebration, and the celebration of all of us. It is so because his life is one we have found to be very motivational and with a lot of inspiration. In the long run, you (Kole Shettima) have remained your modest self. In that celebration, I also celebrate myself because I believe I found in you a role model, even though there is an almost 20 years (age gap) between us.” Professor Jinadu further noted that among the many other things for which he respects Shettima, his (Shettima’s) commitment to the power of the intellect to move and reshape society, would stand out. He recalled that the celebrant has encouraged others by working tirelessly to give them the opportunity to pursue their various intellectual endeavours.
“I think his work at the MacArthur Foundation is a real testimony to the fact that he believes in the power of the intellect to transform society. He has not shied away from pushing and encouraging us to use our intellect for the betterment of our society. The second thing that he represents for me, is his passion for democracy and democratic governance; it is in that context that some of us that have had the privilege to work with him call him “Chairman Mao.” We call in Chairman Mao in the sense of somebody who has a purpose and who wants to achieve results, and who will not let you rest until you achieve the results.” Jinadu gave his best wishes to the celebrant, just as he admonished him to keep being himself as he looks to the future. Professor Jinadu in his parting shot, urged the celebrant not to be afraid of the future, just as he counseled him to seek the counsel of those already in the club of elders on how to navigate without being untrue to one’s self.
Next with the encomium of the evening was the Adminsitrative Program Head Women Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Saudatu Mahdi who read a citation, which was adopted from a piece written in honour of Shettima by Signature TV. The citation referenced Dr. Shettima’s humility as one of the striking qualities of the celebrant. Mahdi added that Dr. Shettima has for so many decades worked tirelessly to inspire his colleagues in the quest for a better country. The citation read in parts: “If you have not met Dr Kole Shettima and you have a referral to see him, the tendency is that you will meet him at the modest premises of the MacArthur Foundation, pass him and still be asking to meet the Africa Director of the MacArthur Foundation.
“The impact of his work on the development of our country today belies the extreme humble beginnings of a man who lost his father at a tender age, with no memory or recollections of him and ended up under the care of his father’s trusted friend, Mallam Mammadu, a Quranic teacher and the guidance of his maternal grandmother Zainab. The citation goes on to note how Dr. Shettima an indigene of Machina in Yobe State, Northern Nigeria grew up in a community with had no pipe borne water, no electricity and no roads. The citation quotes Shettima as saying that in spite of the deficiencies in basic necessities to make of life, the people of his home town had human beings with soul.
“Growing up, I did what my peers did: played pranks, went to Quranic school, did home chores, farmed, reared animals and the one I hated most was cleaning horses during the raining season…certainly doesn’t sound rosy but I really don’t have bad memories. Life was simple,” the celebrant was quoted to have recalled according to the citation. Dr. Shettima’s passion for issues affecting poor people especially in rural Nigeria, where the development process has left millions behind was traced to these very humble roots, which he has not forgotten.
Earlier in the day, the Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi in a statement commended Shettima and his fellow birthday celebrant Amina Salihu for their abiding faith in the possibility of a better world in which justice, equity and respect for human dignity prevails. Zikirillahi said: “Their collective commitment to the well being of fellow human beings is well reflected in the dedication, passion and belief with which they have been working for “a just and verdant” world. Kole and Amina, in spite of the many challenges see great possibilities in the future of Nigeria, and have against the many odds been working with a team of other great colleagues to contribute towards realising it. He said CHRICED particularly celebrates the MacArthur Foundation duo for their stellar contributions to policies, plans, and programmes, which have empowered and mobilised civic agencies in Nigeria to deepen the conversation around human rights, accountability and good governance.
“The renewed vigour in citizen action, and resonance of the civic voice in Nigeria, particularly the reinvigoration of grassroots efforts to promote citizens demands for accountability in the use of public resources, are some of the results of the hard work, which the celebrants and their colleagues at the Foundation have put into the collective push for a better country.
“These are no mean feats considering the complexities of the transparency and accountability deficits Nigeria currently faces. Notwithstanding the scale and difficulty of these challenges, the two patriots celebrating today have continued to believe and persevere. As an organisation, CHRICED has taken a lot of encouragement from the optimism, belief and dedication of the MacArthur birthday duo. We join all their many friends and well-wishers across the world to celebrate them for the inspiring roles they have played in galvanising civic actors in Nigeria to work for the citizens of our country. As they celebrate the milestone today, we wish them more joy, strength and God’s bountiful blessings as they continue to serve the nation and humanity.”
The evening of tributes, and encomiums was further spiced with a dance drama titled the Agbada, which depicted the crisis confronting democratic governance in Nigeria, and how civic leaders like Shettima were critical to the task of re-asserting the supremacy of the civic will. Among the array of distinguished personalities who graced the event are the Director of the CDD, Idayat Hassan who hosted the event, CDD Fellow, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Deputy Country Director, MacArthur Foundation Oladayo Olaide, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, Director-General, National Orientation Agency, Dr. Garba Abari, Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, Country Director, Action Aid, Ene Obi, Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) National Commissioner for North Central, Professor Antonia Okoosi-Simbine, INEC National Commissioner for South East, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, Special Adviser, INEC, Professor Mohammed Kuna, Country Representative of OSIWA, Udo Jude Ilo, President, Women in Politics Forum, Ebere Ifendu, Chair, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsajani, Olarenwaju Suraj, Development Consultant, Jide Ojo, former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Abubakar Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Cable, Simon Kolawole, CEO of Signature TV, Vin Martin Obiora Ilo among a constellation of other dignitaries graced the birthday event.
