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The mark of a great father: A tribute

Dan Pearce once said: “The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.” Two types of people…

Dan Pearce once said: “The greatest mark of a father is how he treats his children when no one is looking.” Two types of people populate Nigeria, those who make themselves and those who make history. History-making individuals are rare to come by. They are  dominated by the desire to fulfill a noble goal. They think less about personal comforts. They reflect more on the common goal. Profit in worldly pursuits does not appeal to them. They stand by lofty principles  and pursue them to a logical conclusion.  They are the movers of events. They are the newsmakers. 

The history  of human institutions  shows that people have benefited  immensely from such individuals. They have built philosophies and they have found institutions. One of such individuals was my late father Alhaji Gidado Idris, GCON. And I say this with all sense of modesty. In all the regimes he served, he was not only an enigma, he was a phenomenon.  He was a man who was several things to several people. To his people (civil servants) , he was a leader, a guide and father. To some observers, he was a role model and a statesman, while to his family  he was a humble man, hardworking, determined, proud and one who cared a lot for his family.

Whatever we feel about my father, the fact remains that he made history. In terms of community service, my late was always there to contribute to the building of historic edifices, especially in Zaria, while lending commendable support to community development organizations. He was also reputed to be one of the North’s illustrious sons on account of finding federal government jobs for many unemployed graduates in the region, but he never wanted or liked to be seen as a regional champion because of the kind of friendship and goodwill he had built across the regions of the nation. He maintained such a level of humility that many were wondering what a simple man he was; no flamboyance, no claims of glory, even though many saw him as someone who bestrode Nigeria’s civil service history like a colossus. Like a journalist friend of mine said, the late Gidado Idris was a “different breed” of Nigerian, who did not beat his chest despite his array of achievements in various spheres of human endeavour. 

One significant thing he had achieved during his sojourn in the civil service was mentoring a new generation of civil servants with the motivation to serve the society rather than illegitimately making millions of naira out of public treasury. This philosophy had guided my late father’s career life as he was never found wanting in any of the official probes by subsequent Nigerian governments. This was partly the reason why he commanded a lot of respect even after his exit from the public service.

Like many observers have rightly pointed out in their newspaper tributes shortly after his demise, he was never openly involved with decidedly partisan issues and this has helped his quiet lifestyle after a civil service career spanning over 35 years. He was never a part of the political controversies that have continued to dominate the democratic space in Nigeria. You hardly ever heard of him being associated with even partisan groupings like the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) or the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). He was never identified as among the founders of any political party or behind wooing any candidate for any elective office. Perhaps owing to the disciplinarian in him, he deliberately shunned Nigeria’s brand of politics where lying openly was the norm or even the use of abusive language against opponents. 

Nevertheless, he had granted a number of revealing press interviews, giving good insight into the historical happenings in the country since the era of Sardauna Ahmadu Bello. Some say they have never come across interviews on national events of the first and second republics as the ones by Gidado Idris. Others have even concluded that the man was a moving encyclopedia of sorts, especially on the transformation of the nation’s civil service since independence. He was like a historian.

His amazing career records are there for all to see. He was the only secretary to the government  of the federation  and head of service that had served with two heads  of state, namely General sani Abacha and General Abdulsalam Abubakar. He was also the only chief executive officer of the legislative arm of the government in Nigeria, that was clerk of the National Assembly, who had occupied the exalted position  of SGF. He was possibly the last civil servant to combine  the post of Secretary  to the Government of the Federation along with that of Head of Civil Service  of the federation.

As his son, I have to admit and with all sense of modesty that he provided me with the sufficient  guide I needed to empower myself through personal effort and the logic of hard work and selflessness.  He had frowned at laziness and encouraged all his family members, friends and even associates to strive for success through sheer hard work. Even his siblings would readily admit how he hated laziness. “Read extensively, learn a lot, ask questions, work hard, be honest to yourselves and the people around you, and life could be a bed a bed of roses for you,” he would often say. 

My father told all who cared to listen, that it pays a great deal to be just and fair to others at all times. I owe a lot of gratitude to him for not giving me the fish but an idea of how to catch it. I humbly submit that he played a pivotal role in my life for which I’m eternally grateful  to him, and would live to remember him for it. May Aljanna be his final abode, ameen.

Idris wrote from No.5, 36 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.

 

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