Review of ‘Standing Out in the Crowd’: The Story of Senator (Dr) Alex Usman Kadiri

                                      
By, Professor Samuel Olajide Timothy-Asobele, Dept of Foreign Languages, (French Unit),
Lagos State University Ojo, Lagos State.

Introduction

          Writing the Review of the biography of Senator Dr. Alex Usman Kadiri, is like writing the story of all young pupils of Northern Nigeria before and after independence.
Dr Alex Usman Kadiri went to school during the administration of late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria, 1954-1966.
            Sir Ahmadu Bello’s major policy was tagged: WAI (War Against Ignorance); and he had as allies to prosecute this policy: Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, Yahaya Gusau, among other personalities.Realizing the fact that “Development is about people,” and sure that education is the bedrock and beacon of development, he established WAI in order to fight ignorance among the citizens of all the 13 provinces that made up Northern Nigeria.

          Education
Dr Alex Usman Kadiri was a beneficiary of WAI at Igala Native Authority that granted him right to education in Igalaland and later to Kabba Provincial Secondary School Okene in the old Kabba Province with Headquarters in Lokoja.
            It was at Kabba Provincial Secondary School, he imbibed the following virtues which stucked to him in his adult life. The character traits of a PSS pupil in the 1960s included the four Discipline, Devotion, Determination and Diligence. These are the character traits or virtues that stand PSS Okene pupils out wherever they are found in the helm of affairs all over the world. The word ‘stand out’ is a recurring phrase in the biography of Dr Alex Usman Kadiri. Standing out appeared more than fifteen times in the biography.

PSS Okene bred the likes of late Prof Femi Koyode, Wilson Aiyepeku, Francis Idachaba of University of Ibadan Dept of Economics, Dept of Information Economics, respectively Francis Idachada of Agric Economics Dept, Prof Jimmy Olufegba and Prof Kingsley Ologe, Timon  Ilugbuhi, Chef James Olu, Arc Musa Tanko, Alfa wali Prof Beita Yusuf of  Kano State, Mamman Daura, Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle, Onoja and Ahmed Mohmmed Daku GOC  first Division Kadun from Katsina, among others.

What can we say of these present day drifting youths who have lost the Sense of Direction? The answers is No. Our main purpose of writing this review is to show today‘s youths the Life and Times of Dr Alex Usman Kadiri, as a worthy ambassador of the virtues that made him who he is today. The thread that runs through his life are: forgiveness, love, joy kindness, peace with detractors, meekness, patience (not the spirit of desperation) in his life Trajectory. 
          A great Old Boy of a school that won Isa Keita Cup for best HSC result from 1960 for Keep, Called, The Lion of the North etc, Nigerian youths are to emulate the qualities of other PSS Okene pupils like Prof Jerry Gana, Dr Atanu, Umar Abubaky and Milverton Ali. Makele, General A,B Usman who were Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
            Regime after regime in Nigeria, it has always been a reign of Greed, Selfishness, insalubrious -and depraved immorality, both financial and physical. One regime takes over from the other to plunder and stealth the national wealth which they stalk in European banks, instead of a focused national economic reconstruction projects that will usher in a future of peace and plenty.
        The Military, instead of the Commander Staff, it is the customs- made bullion type brief case intended to plunder our nation‘s wealth and the presence of armored vehicles to gag the voice of reason to submission that is the Order of the day. He is like the prodigal son’s father, who through love waited patiently for the return of the prodigal son by love in order to give his Stray child a second chance. So reading Dr Alex Usman Kadiri ‘s biograph, we have a great hope that love will afterall triumph over the forces of wrong, greed and selfishness and darkness in Nigeria 2023 and beyond.
                The Biography of Dr Alex Usman Kadiri put a dagger of truth in our governance traits in Nigeria; and with Dr Alex Usman Kadiri biography, we see the truth of the conflicts that beset our body polity of Nigeria to wit. The conflict between good and evil as well as the issues involved in the conflict, the characters or personages seen and unseen, who hold the key to the resolution of Nigeria’s governance conflict, is also considered. We are all a victims of a hoax: a sort of April fool.

 Below are some of the questions that Dr Alex Usman Kadiri’s biography answered;
 how the conflict between right and wrong begin? How are we related to the conflict?
 Will our Nigeria sink into the abyss of sunless night in perpetuity? Or is there a bright future that can be before us as a nation?
            The last and the final question is: will God’s love for our fallen humanity triumph over the forces of evil in Nigeria? Many moral questions trouble the mind of Dr Alex Usman Kadiri. How half of Nigeria‘s wealth was siphoned into Abuja and Lagos and half of Nigeria’s poverty festered in Ajagunle, other places, etc?

Philosophy of Life

          Dr Alex Usman Kadiri is not a desperado in his pursuit of life’s goals. He believes moderate prosperity is good character and humanity should hold that in greater honor than fame and great wealth. He believes in establishing a community of good and nothing is nothing is easier than the established equality of condition and to affirm on this double foundation the well-being of man.
Education
          Born in Odu village in Dekina Local Govt Area of Kogi State, he started out his education in a Quranic school after which he attended Native Authority Primary school in Odu Ogboyaga. He was a standout pupil who loves a life of giving to his peers at School. This giver streak of his made his school mates to nickname him “ Akpa Enelile, “ – a giver from the native.
          From Authority Primary school, he moved to PSS Okene for his Secondary School, from 1962-1966. Here again, he showed his leadership gift by organizing the Igala Pupils and searched for vehicles to take them to Idah and to find Igala Native Authority scholarship for the Igala pupils from Igala N.A.
            His life cycle have seen him cultivating a love for Igala traditions, custom and culture, which helped him to be first a lover of Igala people progress in the Nigerian nation. From Okene, he enrolled for his HSC 1967-1968 in Government Secondary School Maiduguri. From Maiduguri, he attended University of Ibadan where he graduated with a Second Class Upper Division in physiology and Human Anatomy. However, University of Benin gave him his first Academic stand as a Lecturer. He rose to the post of Senior Lecturer.
            Senator Alex Usman Kadiri is a Roman Catholic, a member of the Knight of Saint Murumba. He left for University of Leeds in the UK in September 1974, where he earned his PH.D. He got married to Miss Pauline Osude in Leeds. He served as a member of board and committee of ASUU 1981. Management Committee of NUC 1983-1990 and many more from (page 29-32).

Public Service
He was appointed a Commissioner of Health in Benue State 1984-1985. General IBB appointed him as the Director General of Federal Ministry of Water Resources. In all these appointments, he showed his love for Igaland. He was also a patriot. Dr Alex Usman Kadiri was appointed UNIBEN’s Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Council 2003, where he distinguished himself as a fair- playing Administrator, following officially laid down Rules and regulations. .
        He is a great family man gifted with five children great grandchildren. He is loved by his wife and children and grandchildren, who wrote in his biography about his love for them, despite the partisan politics..
  He was loved by his All Nigeria Peoples Party Peoples Democratic Party stalwarts as a credible leader of man. He is not a desperate politician.         

              The writer hinges his exposé on the ideas of Western philosopher Kant, John Dewey, Ernest Hagel, Sidney Hook, Roy Wood Sellar – Naturalism, Biblical meaning of Life Death. More than the exposé of philosopher‘s on life and Death, this chat of a blissful life in Paradise Speaks Volume on life and after life where. ‘’All worries shall be over. Temptation shall be over when we get to Paradise. The story of his property in Maitama Abuja shows his forgiving Spirit. The Epilogue is a sum total of the résumé of the biography from chapter one to chapter Ten.   
       

Conclusion
I therefore, recommend this book to all Nigerian Youths – It is a National Bulletin Prospective of how to move Nigeria forward through Discipline, Commitment, Devotion and Diligence.
            Like all biographical works written for People like Dr Alex Usman Kadiri who stands out in our society, there is the absence of the name of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria omission (1954-1966), the architect of Education in Northern Region. But this omission was compensated for by the publication of Ganji, a play devoted to the life and Times of Sir Ahmadu Bello, written by this Reviewer in 1992 with the Hausa  versions sponsored Dr Tunji Olagunju Minister of Internal Affairs, during IBB. Administration and Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Minister of Finance during OBJ Administration.
It is our belief that Bola Tinubu and Shettima will sponsor the re-issue of the two versions for the good of our drifting youths to learn the Leadership streak of late Sir Ahmadu Bello as good gift to the Nigerian youth to imbibe the Spirit of patriotism and heroism of Sir Ahmadu Bello.

Edited by: Ganiyu Obaaro