September Born Lawmaker: Development will happen only if People pay the price – Hon. James Barka Shuaibu
– Sold dry fish and Yam to see myself through school.
By – Okoloji Kosi, Stella
James Shaibu Barka (born 1961) was elected a member of the Adamawa State, Nigeria House of Assembly, and was appointed Speaker. When Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako’s election was nullified in February 2008, Barka became Acting Governor, handing back to Nyako after he had been re-elected on 29 April 2008.
Barka was elected to the Adamawa Assembly for the Hong constituency. In July 2003, as Majority Leader of the Assembly, he successfully moved a motion to dissolve the State Civil Service Commission, State Independent Electoral Commission and the Judicial Service Commission, replacing them by management committees with members nominated by the governor.
After the Election Petition Appeal Tribunal upheld the nullification of governor Nyako’s election, Barka was sworn in as Acting Governor on 26 February 2008. Barka immediately sacked all of Nyako’s appointees including commissioners, committee chairmen, area administrators, special advisers and assistants. Barka handed back power to Nyako on 29 April 2008 after the former governor had won the re-run election.
In March 2010, the House of Assembly passed a law to award Barka a lifetime pension for his service as governor. The law was disputed as being unconstitutional. In April 2010, he was being considered a possible candidate for governor in the April 2011 elections. Nassnews stumbled on Hon. Shuaibu as he celebrated his Birthday on the of 8th September as a member of the House of Representatives.
Take your time to read our correspondent interview with the celebrant
Nassnews: Can we meet you honorable?
Hon. Barka: My name is Honourable Ambassador James Shuaibu Barka. representing Gombi Hong federal constituency of Adamawa State. Before now, I was a speaker of state house of assembly , Adamawa state Former acting governor and former ambassador.
Nassnews: which primary institution did you attend ?
Hon. Barka: I schooled at the primary school in my village where I was born. Kala’a in Adamawa State.
Nassnews: How was your birthday celebrated?
Hon. Barka: Unfortunately I did it on the road. I was on an official assignment to Bauchi and Gombe, I arrived to meet a surprise birthday celebration organized by friends family and colleagues which lasted for only 30 minutes.
Nassnews: About the exercise that brought you here. How was it like for you?
Hon . Barka: Well, glory be to God. I’m here and we are still learning, although I was in the House of Assembly for nine years. But the environment there and here there are two different things, but so far so good, we are working. I’m also on a working visit to Maduguri, Bauchi, Gombe, Yola to Taraba. So far so good we are on a course.
Nassnews: How did u become a successful politician?
Hon. Barka: I’m a believer of destiny. I believe in destiny. Whatever God plans for you will manifest. Because one year before I joined politics, if anyone told me that I’ll be a politician, I’ll say the person is a joker. I was dragged into politics by my people, my people said I should come home and represent them and I could not have gone against their wish. That’s how it started and so far here I am, they are not yet tired of me.
Nassnews: What was growing up like for you?
Hon. Barka: Honestly, I am a typical son of a peasant farmer. When Goodluck Jonathan the former President said that going to school was an issue I was saying wow, so we have people like me. So of course I also went to school. I put my first shoe with my own sweat so you can see my upbringing. I was not born with a silver spoon. So I’m a typical village boy but you know, God’s grace is always upon us.
Nassnews: do you prefer bring a business man or a politician?
Hon.Barka: It depends on the type of business that you do, but you see if you want to really touch the life of people, it’s politics. But if you want a private life to enjoy with your family, then you go ahead with business, but for you to actually touch life of people is politics and that is why some of us left our businesses. It’s not that we left completely, but we dedicated our whole life to politics, to serve people.
Nassnews: What were you doing before politics?
Hon. Barka: Before politics, I was a banker by Profession. Like I said I was from a poor background. In fact, I paid my school fees after my teachers college. I took care of myself and I had to work to get money to be able to pay for my diploma education. I read Diploma in banking and Finance and I joined the bank immediately in 1985, I worked with the bank for almost 12 years. So during the banking period , I studied to be a professional banker. I never got back to university until my adult age, but I lost the position of a branch manager which I was for four years. You know when you are a banker, the bank trains you, anybody that work in a bank will be a successful businessman, because you can be funds manager. So that helped me. So I established a business, I struggled, but God helped me, I had to sell dry fish. I was also a yam dealer on a small scale. At That time i used to drive to Abuja and sleep in my car because I have no money for accommodation, but then God helped me in my business, it flourished them I began to build own my own house in Abuja before I joined politics.
Nassnews: How are you going to bring all these experiences into play in politics?
Hon. Barka: Like I will always tell My younger ones at home in the village, I give them hope. I grew up with them and here I am today. So the younger ones coming up, they should have hope. They can also strive, work hard work and with dedication they will excel. And you know, in life you have to be honest. Honesty is part of growth of man in life. When God said you’ll become something, nobody will stop it. And that is my belief and I believe it can happen to any other person.
Nassnews: What is your advice to Nigerians at this time?
Hon. Barka: Let’s just keep hope. Yes, because the truth of the matter is people are beginning to lose hope. But let us keep hope. God is on the throne. Lets just keep hoping that things will be better, I am from PDP but so far so good, i think the president has taken some of the steps that needs to be taken. So I’m present for that. I’m not that politician that fails to acknowledge facts because I’m the opposition. The President has started well as far as I’m concerned. You see for any development to happen people must pay the price for it so Nigerians have to be patient. We have to pay the price for the wrongs that were done before, we can’t run away from that. We are hoping that in the next four years, definitely for me, I just feel that Nigeria will be better than this.
Nassnews: What is the good plan for your constituency?
Hon.Barka: I’m that type of politician that don’t just do things just because I want to impress people. Yes, I’m talking with my people because when I went on campaign, I didn’t make anyone promise. The only promise I made was I’ll come and sit with them if I succeed and when I look at the situation, I go back to them. We sit down and discuss so I will hear the general problems. But of course we know Nigerians, I’m from a rural place, we don’t have good hospitals, we don’t have good drinking water, we don’t have good schools. So these are the challenges that we have and I think we have to try hard to make sure that some of this challenges are fixed.
Thanks.
Published by Lucky kenedy ose