By Momoh Jimoh
Excellence, most times, they say is like a golden fish. The golden fish like excellence has no hiding place in the waters. There is no gainsaying the fact, that Bashir Muhammad fits into this anecdote, his, has being a life of selfless service to humanity and this has found expression in Bashir Muhammad life’s sojourn. He is therefore imbued the spirit of excellence to deliver wherever he found himself.
Muhammad has positively impacted his immediate environment and beyond that he shines like a million starts in the firmament. His colleagues eloquently speak of him as one of the most impactful and remarkable leaders the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has produced.
Muhammad often referred to as (work-alcoholic) indelible footprints in the sands of time cannot be washed away and it speaks volume signposting the FCTA as a befitting legacy that administrators from the 36 States and other African countries are quick to emulate.
Bashir Muhammad has proven that socio-economic difficulties and challenges thrown by global disruption can be overcome. Here lies the overarching question? Can Muhammad’s leadership ingenuity, accomplishments, values addition that have given the FCTA an outlandish face light be appreciated and replicated for generations to see and copy? As a silent operator he has fixed the many challenges besetting the territory and deliver on its mandate.
The tapestry of time has woven a legacy that mirrors the remarkable journey of Muhammad, who, since assuming office as the FCTA’s Director, Human Resource Management, has risen to become the engine room of the FCT administration, in addition to his rather overwhelming additional official responsibilities.
It will not be wrong to describe him as: Jack-of-all-trades and Master of all, for by dint of intellect, hard work, entrepreneurship, patriotism, and public-spiritedness, Muhammad has worked his way through the rungs to occupy a pride of place on the administration of the seat of power, the Federal Capital Territory.
This is one Nigerian engrafted with a humble beginning in Nasarawa. Bashir, who was born into modest beginnings in 1964, started his education at Nahadatul Islam Primary School, Gwammaja, Kano and Government Arabic Teachers College, Gwale, Kano, (1983) before proceeding to Bayero University, Kano in 1988 where he obtained B.A.(Hons.) Islamic Studies and M.A. in the same field from University of Jos in 2005.
This no doubt prepared him for life’s challenges and he tackled them headlong with a spirit of resilience that foreshadowed his future endeavours. From the halls of academia to the corridors of power, his unwavering commitment to excellence and service became the bedrock of his character.
It is easy to say that the job was cut out for him, when you consider his background in Islamic Studies (he is currently undergoing his PhD in Islamic Studies from University of Abuja), little wonder Bashir started from his NYSC days as Religious Instructor, Islamic Cultural Centre, Iwo, Oyo State, and became a Personnel Officer at the FCDA, from where he rose through the ranks to delve into administrative and security issues as Assistant Secretary to FCT Security Committee, while being Senior, Prin. Admin, Asst. Chief and Chief Admin Officer, respectively.
In addition to his education, exposure and experience, it’s not hard to tell how he has been able to navigate his many responsibilities, and it is without a doubt that Bashir is very hands-on and his ability to coordinate activities of government as well as make peace amongst members of the administration.
Considering the daily influx of people into the FCTA, it confers on the FCTA the onerous responsibility of ensuring the management of the security sector is in line with democratic best practices and the provision of security as a public good.
In this respect, Bashir had been involved in the FCT administration’s security for several years since his days as the Asst. Secretary to FCT Security Committee and became the Asst. Director (Security), Head of Security & Secretary, FCTA Security Committee, Deputy Director, Ag. Director and Director (Security)/Secretary, FCTA Security Committee, meaning that he served in Security Services Dept. from 1993 – 2014 (21years).
No doubt a bulwark of the administration, Muhammad was, with profound impact, comfortable with overlapping the functions of many offices, e.g. as Director, FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (from 2014 – 2019), Ag. Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, Director, Archives and History Bureau (2019), before rising to his current position as Director, Human Resource Management (February, 2020 – till date).
Transparent and effective human resources management provide a robust means for enhancing professionalism; therefore, it was only a matter of time before his illustrious career began to unfold like a meticulously crafted masterpiece, each chapter revealing the depth of his expertise and the profound impact he would leave on countless lives.
Bashir is renowned for his resilience and transformational leadership that continues to resonate, irrespective of the obstacles thrown his way, and owing to his remarkable contributions, he emerges in glowing terms, owing largely to the principles and values he lives by.
Given his track record with fluency in English, Hausa, Arabic, thus a member of the Abuja Centre for Islamic Propagation (ACIP) and the National Qur’anic Recitation Committee, FCT Chapter, Bashir Muhammad, who is a traditional title holder, the Salanke of Nasarawa, is an embodiment of authentic leadership, a mentor to many, and a catalyst for propelling numerous individuals into the administrative spotlight and responsible for elevating many members of the current FCT Administration. His ability to find, and deploy, capacity anywhere he finds it is legendary.
It is a measure of providence that that he has consciously stayed away from scandals, avoided enemies, but continued to pay sufficient attention to his office, with maturity and experience, he has acquitted himself as deserving of his office.
Yet, despite his accomplishments and the heights attained, Bashir Muhammad remains very simple, unbelievably approachable, unassuming and remains a forthright, trustworthy, firm, and principled man. And there is no doubt that he is a man, who, through various initiatives and heartwarming contributions, have touched lives far and wide.
When one takes into cognisance his administrative endeavours, and how his style of leadership has impacted, positively, as an extra-ordinary mentor, on the fortunes of many public servants, he therefore deserves all the accolades and encomiums coming his way. The pages of his life’s narratives are inked with the stories of countless lives he has impacted,
If there was to be any doubt as to the suitability of Bashir’s acumen, one has to look at the variety of training he received through several courses e.g. general management course, security management, international security conference, fraud scheme course, intelligence gathering courses, including course on crime prevention and criminal justice, and executive development programme on community policing, among several others.
Suffice to add that Bashir attended Executive Course 39 of 2017 at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), thus becoming a member of the institute (mni).
History beckons and there is the urgency to make significant contributions to the growth and development of the federal capital territory and also the need to develop and ensure a consistently rigorous system with the best administrative expertise.
But then, that is the way of only those who, like Bashir, understand duty and service. So having served, and still serving meritoriously for decades, capping it with the headship of a department that was his nostalgic base, to say that Muhammad Bashir came prepared for the job is no exaggeration, or platitude.
We thus applaud a man whose life story is a litany of service to humankind, and whose stage is set for a legacy that continues to flourish.
Momoh Jimoh is a Public Affairs Analyst. He writes from Abuja.
