A LIFE OF SERVICE, AND DIPLOMACY: Tribute to Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda @75.

A LIFE OF SERVICE, AND DIPLOMACY: Tribute to Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda @75.

By Inuwa Bwala.

At 75, we are not just the age, but the substance, the grace and the towering legacy of Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda.
I state without any fear of contradiction, that, he remains one of the finest public servants Borno has ever produced. The story of his life is a textbook of dedicated public service and diplomatic excellence. From his early days as a brilliant Political Science graduate from my own almamater, the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, to his Master’s in Development Economics and Advanced Diploma in Development Administration from Manchester University, United Kingdom, Baba Ahmed Jidda, seems to have set out early to prepare himself for service.

We first felt his impact in the civil service, where he rose through sheer merit to become a Permanent Secretary, then Secretary to the Military Government, and later, Secretary to the State Government under successive administrations.
From the military era, to the administration of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to the first term of His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, he has been noted to be the virtual engine room of the government.
In all these roles, he remained the calm and calculative leader, even in stormy periods, serving as the institutional memory, and the man who understood the files, the people and the soul of Borno.

At the national level, Nigeria found in him a patriot of rare capacity. As a Director in the Federal Civil Service, as a Member of the National Political Reform Conference, as Senior Special Assistant to the President, BAJ brought the famous Borno discipline and intellect to national assignment.

On the diplomatic field he truly shone as a global citizen, in Burkina Faso, to the People’s Republic of China, Baba Jidda redefined economic diplomacy. Under his watch, Nigeria-China relations witnessed could be said to be her best in infrastructure cooperation, education exchange, trade and people-to-people ties. Even after leaving that post, he will be remembered for his fatherly role in protecting Nigerians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, for facilitating the landmark Air Peace direct flight to Guangzhou, and for ensuring Nigerian interests were never compromised.

What makes Ambassador Jidda stand out at 75 is character.
He is loyal without being sycophantic, powerful without being oppressive and wise without being arrogant.
He remains one politician who never lost the civil servant in him, and a diplomat who never forgot his roots and Borno identity.

To all of us who had the previledge of serving with him in the Borno state executive council, he remains a mentor.
BAJ has also been the tutelage to countless young men and women who today are Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, Directors and business leaders.
We regard him as a stabilizing force in Borno APC, a bridge between the old and new generations, and a trusted confidant to leaders at all levels.
At 75, he is not old; but a classic fine wine, which gets better with age.
May God grant him many more years in sound health, and continued service to Borno, Nigeria and humanity.

Happy 75th Birthday sir.

A LIFE OF SERVICE, AND DIPLOMACY: Tribute to Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda @75.