In a few days, I commence my pre-retirement leave which terminates in three months, at the end of which I shall have clocked 35 years of service.
I am full of gratitude to Almighty Allah for unscathed working career.
There's not much I haven't seen in my public career which began with Kaduna State Government to Katsina state Government and ended with the federal government.
I read somewhere and which I find apt to quote here that, "The trick in this complicated life which we're trying to live is to appreciate the good moments and discount the bad ones". On that account, I will only highlight some of the responsibilities I was saddled with during the course of my 35 year service and which gave me immense experience which you cannot get elsewhere.
I began my working career as a secondary school teacher and taught for about 8 years. I rose through the ranks to become Senior Master and Head, English Department before venturing into the Journalism profession.
I joined Katsina State Television (KTTV) as a Current Affairs Officer and held various positions after going through all kinds of work as a News Reporter, News Editor and a Producer of Current Affairs Programs, Documentaries and Personality Profile Programs.
The positions I held there included Head, Current Affairs Unit and Manager News & Current Affairs. I also did a brief stint at Katsina State Radio as Head, Current Affairs Unit. In all, I spent about 8 and a half years as a broadcaster before I transferred my service to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Abuja.
At NBC, I started as Chief Public Affairs Officer and after three and a half years, the then Katsina State Governor, late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, appointed me as the General Manager (GM), KTTV. I went back on secondment and spent two and a half years and came back to NBC.
One year after returning to NBC, I became the Acting Head, Public Affairs, when my boss and the then Head, Public Affairs, Ladan Salihu, the earstwhile DG, FRCN, got appointment as the Zonal Director, FRCN Kaduna.
One year later, I was posted to Kaduna as the Zonal Director, NBC, Kaduna Zone. I spent four years there before I was transferred to NBC Sokoto Zone as Zonal Director. A little after two years, I was asked to temporarily relocate the NBC Maiduguri Zone to Gombe which had hitherto been virtually shut down due to security challenges. Two years and a few months when the security situation improved I was directed to relocate the NBC Maiduguri Zonal Office back to Maiduguri. I have now been in Maiduguri for more than a year from where it's time for me to take a bow.
During the course of my work, I have won quite a few commendations, too.
At KTTV, I earned the following commendations:
1. Commendation Letter on Excellent Performance in feature writing on Road Safety (KTTV) Katsina - 1995
2. Commendation in Appreciation of the Excellent News Feature on Crime (KTTV) Katsina - 1995
3. Best Feature Writer of the Year Award
(KTTV) Katsina - 1995
4. Commendation on Excellent Performance on a Documentary on Katsina State at 10, (KTTV) Katsina -1997
5. Certificate of Merit (International Institute of Journalism, I.I.J., Katsina Satellite Campus) - 1998
At NBC, I earned the following commendation letters:
1. Commendation Letter on outstanding performance at the 3rd Kaduna International Trade Fare (NBC) - 2002
2. Commendation Letter on impressive articles published in some newspapers (NBC) - 2002
3. Commendation Letter on outstanding performance in leading a team on Exhibition (NBC) - 2003
4.Commendation Letter on Observance of Financial Regulations (NBC) - 2011
All the commendations I got at NBC, except the last one, were initiated by my former, DG, Mallam Nasir Danladi Bako, Kogunan Sokoto, who employed me at NBC.
Mallam Nasir is someone who recognises excellence and goes out of his way to reward it. He misses nothing under his supervision. He's the only DG we had who can call, by name, a security guard in Uyo, a cleaner in Lagos, a gardener in Akure or a newspaper vendor in Maiduguri! He is that kind of a fellow.
Only that kind of person will identify and recognize the good work of an unassuming, taciturn and introvert person like me and go out of his way to reward it. I'm the kind of person who can be in a place and if you're not very observant, you won't notice my presence.
So let me start by thanking Mallam Nasir Danladi Bako, Kogunan Sokoto and former DG, NBC, for giving me the opportunity to work in NBC. And I thank the entire NBC Maiduguri Zonal Staff for sending me off in this fashion.
I was overwhelmed with emotion by what my staff said about me. They also contributed their personal money to buy all these gifts for me. I was particularly moved by a security guard, Malam Ali Hassan, who brought a personal gift on behalf of his wife and himself. I have no words to thank them. I can only pray to Allah to reward them abundantly.
And let me bid goodbye to my friends in Maiduguri; notably, my secondary school classmate, my professional colleague, who also grew up in my home state, Katsina, Shettima Kolo; my Facebook friend who I eventually met, Dr. Abdulrahman Muhammad; the indefatigable unsung hero, an Engineer who constructed a Radio Transmitter but is yet to be recognized by government, Engr. Manu D. Ibrahim; our Broadcast Assessor, Kawu Usman Zangina and so many others I came to know on or off Facebook.
Adieu!!!