Talban Musawa’s Aiding Vulnerable People in Musawa, Matazu LGs

People

Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed (Talban Musawa) is meticulously tackling the challenges afflicting vulnerable people in Musawa and Matazu local government areas of Katsina State, writes Francis Sardauna

Katsina State-born politician and philanthropist, Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed (Talban Musawa) has over the years impacted positively and transformed people’s lives, particularly the vulnerable in villages and communities across Musawa and Matazu local government areas of the state. He has also exhibited the courage to speak truth, challenge national policies and decisions which tend to exploit the people, thus standing out as the most articulate fearless voice of the voiceless.

Born in Musawa in 1975, the Talban Musawa grew up in a family where giving and humanitarian services were given priority and he has continued this passion as he reaches out to people through empowerment, scholarships and developmental projects. Many are so amazed why Ahmed is so passionate about charity and philanthropy. What they are not familiar with is that he learnt the art of philanthropy from his father who was a community leader who invested heavily in helping people within his locality.

For his love for giving, most especially in educational excellence, Ahmed popularly known as ‘General’ in his ancestral home, has created an educational scholarship for vulnerable children whose parents cannot afford education and drastically reduced the illiteracy ratio in the areas as he believes education is the bedrock of every society. With years of consistency seeing those he had invested in grow bigger in life, the silent achiever has rededicated his life to cheerful giving.

In protecting and defending the interest and welfare of the residents of the two local governments irrespective of religion, tribal or political affiliations, the young Talban Musawa became a legendary example for his fearless commitment to always stand on the side of the people of the Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency as their champion and his humane and benevolent spirit especially for the vulnerable has been unparalleled in the last ten years.

His endless assistance to victims of banditry and natural disaster in Musawa and Matazu, arguably the first and only political gladiator to have done this within his constituency, is well gazetted. He has also provided resettlement packages for displaced communities in the constituency and other parts of the state, given financial support to families of those who lost their loved ones; he also recognized and rewarded academic and creative excellence.

In the area of education, the strategic interventions of the community philanthropist in the last ten years, in the construction, upgrading and expansion of secondary schools across Musawa and Matazu local governments, have continued with remarkable results. He has upgraded some dilapidated primary and secondary schools in the zone as part of his effort at supporting the Governor Aminu Bello Masari-led government in the state.

One important project in the education sector, which even his critics will reluctantly admit, is the construction and equipping of an amazing block of two classrooms with a befitting staff room and a store at Jikamshi Community Secondary School in Musawa local government area of the state. The Talban Musawa’s regional importance and growing national stature as a politician, a visionary game changer and a developmental leader, has grown in leaps and bounds. 

He has also transformed Kurkujan community in Musawa by constructing a block of two classrooms at Dankande community secondary school with one staff office and a store for the take-off of the community school. When THISDAY recently visited the community, there was jubilation by residents over the project which they described as first-of-its kind and problem-solving in the community. One of the residents, Usman Bilya, said: “Talban has rescued us from educational bondage by bringing education closer to us. This will address our educational need”.

In a bid to boost Islamic education and inculcate the culture of moral upbringing among children in Matazu, the ‘Civilian General’ has constructed two-block of four classrooms at Dissi community Islamiyya School. The Islamic school is expected to admit over 300 pupils in the farmers-dominated community thereby tackling the spate of out-of-school children in Matazu Local Government and the state at large.

In the area of healthcare delivery, he renovated the Maternity ward, Isolation centre and laboratory and purchased hospital beds at the Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centre in Matazu Local Government. The community service provider also promised to buy scanning and microscope machines, Genotype testing machine and two power generating sets for efficient and effective service delivery.

Apparently disturbed by the alarming rate of drug abuse in the state, the Talban Musawa, has built and inaugurated a state-of-the-art centre for the rehabilitation and reformation of drug addicts and offenders. The centre, located in Musawa General Hospital, is expected to provide counseling, rehabilitation and treatment of drug users in order to stem the tide of drug addiction among youths in the area. The drug rehabilitation centre will also focus on patient detoxification and social reintegration by assessing their physical and mental health.

In water supply and hygiene, Ahmed has constructed six toilets and a motorised borehole at Government Day Girls Secondary School, Musawa and six other boreholes at different cemeteries and in some strategic locations in Musawa, Matazu and in other adjoining villages in the constituency. In the past three years, the young Talban Musawa distributed 8000 bags of millets, rice, sugar and spaghetti to vulnerable people in the two local governments to tackle their hardship during the Holy months of Ramadan.

As part of efforts to ensure food production is not affected by the devastating effect of COVID-19 and to ensure a more sustainable and resilient food system in the constituency, the Talban Musawa has been distributing free fertilizers to smallholder farmers. Currently, he has purchased and stored over 600 bags of fertilizers for onward distribution to farmers across the constituency for this year’s farming season to enhance food production, create employment and enable the farmers to recover quickly from sudden shocks of the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as sustain food supply.

At a time where most leaders in the country used the COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity as excuse for non-performance, the Talban Musawa has not only became well-referenced in the developmental narrative of Musawa and Matazu but has left many social commentators in the state, gushing with sincere conviction that he is the only person who can realistically beat the impressive developmental records of a serving senator or House of Representatives member.

However, for not abandoning the constituency in the face of dwindling resources and providing meaningful development through the provision of humanitarian services to residents, Ahmed has won accolades and endorsement of residents of the two local governments to vie for the seat of Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency election come 2023.

Therefore, it is pertinent for the Talban Musawa to answer the clarion call of the chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and youths in the constituency by throwing his heart in the ring for the House of Representatives race to pave the way for democracy-oriented representation in the Green Chamber.

The Talban Musawa attended Yero Primary School from 1980-1987 before proceeding to Government Secondary School Musawa and later transferred to Government Science and Technical College Funtua where he completed his secondary education.

He had a brief stint with the defunct National Guard and later left to continue his educational pursuit in Isa Kaita College of Education Dutsin-Ma from 1996 -1997. From there, he enrolled into Bayero University Kano (BUK) for Political Science and graduated in 2003.

Upon completion of his university education he ventured into business and joined the services of D Radda Ventures as its General Manager. In 2015, he was appointed as Personal Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Katsina Government House, Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, and when his boss was appointed to head the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), he was again reappointed as his Personal Assistant, a position he holds till date.