In the history of public service in Nigeria, there is one man who has served the nation meritoriously without collecting emoluments and without asking for anything in return.
That man is Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Wakilin Adamawa, who is 85 years today.( May 25, 2025)
After having made positive impacts in the private sector especially in the industrial and manufacturing sectors as a manager and investor and acquiring strong financial power, he was drafted into public service at different times and he served creditably well without accepting remuneration.He was chairman of many boards of federal parastatals , an ambassador and a minister on three different occasions. In all these positions, he neither accepted allowances nor privileges attached to the offices.
No To Prebendal Politics:
As one of the nation’s greatest patriots, Adamu has at different times, advocated for politics of responsibility where those who are really interested in serving the nation as politicians should ensure they have done well in other areas and are financially comfortable before venturing into politics. In other words, they should avoid prebendal politics; where politics is a means of acquiring wealth for personal or group interest at the expense of the people’s welfare. To him, this is the system we are practising and this is the bane of our politics.
“It is a do or die affair . It is seen as a zero- sum game where winners take all.”, he noted.
To discourage this trend, the Wakili advocates further that our politicians should not be paid for their services. This, according to him, will ensure that only those who are genuinely interested in serving the nation go into politics. .
Economy Holds The Key To A Stable Polity:
The Wakili believes the nation’s politics can only be stable when we build a strong economy.According to him:” Nigeria can only be stable if the economy is in good shape. There cannot be stability when people are hungry , uneducated and unemployed.” It is only when people have got their basic needs that they can contribute meaningfully to the development of the country”.
Achievements as MAN President:
As a founding member and former President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ( MAN), he insists that manufacturing and agriculture are the major sectors that can contribute significantly to the economic development of the nation as they have the greatest potentials for export and generation of foreign exchange for the country.
His tenure as MAN President ( 1990-1997) witnessed some of the glorious years of MAN. Many member companies performed well, the association was in strong partnership with government in shaping government’s policy decisions on the economy and it was also able to build its permanent edifice located in Ikeja, Lagos .
He talks authoritatively on subjects like economics, management, investment , industrialisation and public service where he distinguished himself.
As a manager of men and resources, he was the first Nigerian and the youngest General Manager of the then Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC) later New Nigeria Development Company Ltd between 1969 and 1974.
He retired early at the age of 34 to establish his own company- A metal fabrication factory in Maiduguri starting the business with a loan of N600, 000 as at then without collateral other than his personal integrity. He repaid this loan within 12 months and went on to establish many more businesses.He was chairman of the following companies:
Nigeria Industrial Complex Limited, Hadeja Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Bulkship Nigeria Ltd, Frenchies Nig Ltd, Bagale Motels and OAN Agency Ltd.
He was also on the board of directors of Lever Brothers, Cadbury, Nexim Bank, NAL Merchant Bank, FCMB, Wiggins Teape ( Nigeria) Limited, Crown Flour Mills , New Nigeria Development Company Limited and Conti-Foods Limited .
His Role in Public Service:
In recognition of his accomplishments in the private sector, he was invited by the Federal Government to serve as chairman of the board of the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria(NAFCON) , National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria, ( NICON, Nigeria Re-insurance and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation( NDIC). In all these positions, he distinguished himself as a resourceful manager of men and resources culminating in his further appointment into other public positions including Secretary ( Minister) of Power and Steel Ministry, Ambassador to the United States and also accredited to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas as Nigeria’s High Commissioner, Minister of Environment and Minister of Agriculture.
Achievements As Ambassador:
Appointed as ambassador to the United States in 1996, Adamu was the first Nigerian ambassador to the US (US) to be received by an American President in the White House . This was even at a time Nigeria had become a pariah state in the eyes of many countries in the world as a result of the annulment of June 12 , 1993 Presidential election by the Babangida administration and the resultant political crisis in the country.
He was unanimously elected Ambassador of the Year by the Committee of Foreign Embassies in Washington DC , US in March , 1999.
He convinced the then US president, Bill Clinton to officially receive an African military head of state, General Abdusalami Abubakar into the White House.
His argument was that that such recognition would override any pressure on General Abubakar from ambitious Generals in the Nigerian military who might be nursing the idea of extending military rule beyond May, 1999.
Ministerial Appointments:
He was Secretary ( Minister ) of Power and Steel, pioneer Minister of Environment who turned the Federal Environmental Protection Agency into a full fledged ministry as well as Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Demonstration of Public Spiritedness and selflessness:
Though now retired from all business activities, the Wakili explains that his demonstration of public spiritedness and selflessness by refusing to accept allowances and privileges he was entitled to while serving as a public servant was a way of paying back for the opportunities afforded him by the nation and the Almighty.
According to him:”Serving the nation is a privilege so politicians should not be paid but rather contribute to the nation out of what they have been able to do for themselves.”
Background:
Amiable, humble and urbane , Adamu was born on May 25, 1940 to a noble family of Adamawa Emirate .His title: Wakilin Adamawa ( which in Hausa means Minister or Ambassador of Adamawa), is inherited from his grand parents. He began his primary education in Yola in 1945 before proceeding to Yaba Higher College now Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos. He left Yaba to Britain, where between 1961 and 1966, he attended Newport College of Technology, South Wales and Northwestern Polytechnic, London.
From these institutions, he obtained two bachelor degrees- one in Economics and Statistics and the other in Law of Transport. He later earned a postgraduate diploma in Transport studies from the University of London.
On returning to Nigeria, he first worked with the Nigerian Ports Authority and later the NNDC.
After a successful career in the public service, he ventured into private business where he made his fortune.
Honorary Doctorate Degrees:
Adamu has been honoured at home and abroad . He was awarded honorary doctorate degrees of Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria, Clark Atlanta University, US, Enugu State University, Enugu. Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State among others.
National Honour:
He was awarded the National honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger( CON) by the Obasanjo administration in October, 2001.
The Wakilin Adamawa, a great philanthropist, who has donated generously to many causes locally and internationally, is married with both biological and adopted children.
Ogbamosa, a lawyer/Journalist, writes via mack_ogbamosa@yahoo.com
