In an age when, and a place where moral values and a sense of propriety seem to have taken flight away from the realm of leadership, where integrity and all that it connotes have become unfashionable among Nigerian leaders, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Bornu State has, lately, demonstrated that there can be light amidst the ‘darkness’ that pervades high places in the land.

Two blocks of students’ hostel built in the state-owned Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri with internally generated revenue of the institution were commissioned by the governor and promptly named after him. He in turn promptly rejected the ‘kind consideration’ saying ‘I will not allow any project named after me while I am in office. It should be after my tenure…’  
He further reinforced his position on the matter by, according to media report, skipping his name while reading the commissioning plaque. This act is unusual in this clime; it is uncommon in this polity; it is indeed a blow of fresh air to see a holder of high office in recent times reject an offer that massages his or her ego.

Ego, that exaggerated sense of self, has in recent times characterised leadership culture in this country. But it is in fact the refuge of little and vaguely talented people who must talk and act big to compensate for being so ‘small’ in the qualities that truly matter. Nonetheless, since no one can give what he does not intrinsically have, by their behaviour, the discerning can quickly assign them their deserved ranking in the order of human value. Egocentrism, megalomania, vainglory and mindless acquisitiveness are the trademarks of occupants of high office in all sectors of the Nigerian elite –traditional, political, business, and even religious.   

Governor Zulum, born August 25, 1969, is a professor who holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Engineering.  He has held senior positions in the academia including acting dean in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Maiduguri, and in public administration including being the Principal Water Engineer in Bornu State, and at one time Rector of Ramat Polytechnic of which he is a product, and commissioner in the Kashim Shettima administration that he succeeded. As governor, it can be said therefore that, for a 53 year old, Zulum has achieved enough to earn some bragging rights. But character determines how a man responds to success.

The heart of good leadership is integrity, both demonstrable and demonstrated. Integrity connotes honourableness, character, modesty, simplicity, trustworthiness and wholeness. When the governor said that he would rather be honoured when he is out of office, he demonstrated his rejection of sycophancy, eye service, and false adulation – acts that, sadly, are prevalent and widely accepted in Nigeria’s political culture and even other spheres of national life. This is one Nigerian leader who is not afraid of his record, now and after, who thinks, nay believes that history will be kind to him. 

The hostels were constructed with funds earned by the school from its commercial activities.  And, it is noteworthy that this was achieved under the direct supervision of the   Commissioner for Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr.  Babagana Mallambe Mustapha. He has been in charge since September 2021 when Zulum suspended the school management for incompetence. He had paid an unscheduled visit to the polytechnic, found first, the rector and his deputy away from office when he arrived, and second, teaching facilities in a deplorable state.

Zulum recognises that since the hostels were not built with his personal money, it was improper to append his name to them. Furthermore, it may be said that he has acted in line with his oath of office. Under the Constitution, a governor’s oath of office enjoins the oath taker to, among other things, ‘abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifth Schedule’. This provision urges  in Par.6(1) that a public officer  shall not  ask for or accept  property or  benefits of any kind for himself or any other person  on account  of anything done or omitted  to be done by him in the discharge of his duty’.  

Here and now, too many in leadership positions are saying and doing the wrong things; they are doing harm to societal ethos and misleading the rest of us. But, public office is, to adapt the words of former American President F.D. Roosevelt, not merely an administrative position; it is ‘preeminently a place of moral leadership’.

Governor Zulum is setting standards of morality and behavior that are unusual in these times. But these are the values desperately needed to rectify all that are wrong with the country. He may be a rare case these days, but he has precedents. Once upon a time in this clime there were leaders who put service for the common good above self. One of them is Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who, as governor of Lagos State, executed many projects but never named one after himself. But a good man never goes unsung. Succeeding administrations accorded him deserved honour. On the other hand, some who named after themselves projects executed with public funds found, when out of transient power, such names were changed by their successors. Wisdom is characteristic of true leadership; Zulum wisely recognizes and lives by values that endure. This is a leadership lesson we urge on all persons in position of trust. It will not only serve the common good, it will, on the long run, be accounted to the leader for righteousness.