By joshua “Behind the sculpturing of a man’s destiny is the unseen chisel that perfects his purpose and heralds his mission in life”.
Asiwaju’s administrative tenacity and veracity is chiseled mostly by his childhood experiences. As a person that came from a family where his mother was a business mogul, it will not be farfetched what molded his business tactics as an astute banker, solid administrator, now a modern politician and a financial expert for Governor Yahaya Bello’s New Direction Administration.
Asiwaju’s personality traits is also a caste on the clarity of his vision furnished with due diligence and discipline to make a difference in any situation requiring wisdom and transformational leadership. As a child who had experienced deprivations, disappointments and betrayals in life, he had learnt the importance of a goal-driven ambition on the road to success. Little wonder he rose above the impiety of the mundane despite limitations that surrounded him.
His level of dedication, and unflinching support for GYB to succeed in laying the utmost foundation for social and economic transformation of Kogi State cannot be undermined. This is obvious in the exceptional doggedness he brought into the New Direction Administration of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello.
In terms of carrying out his assignment as the Special Adviser on Finance, Investment and Economy to Governor Yahaya Bello, a role which was later upgraded to the Commissioner of Finance, it suffices to say that his experiences will be of immense benefit to the future of Kogi State.
The intricacies of handling a State’s finance comes with a lot of ethical attributes. One that includes emotional stability, the resolve not to allow your integrity swayed, and not been moved by immediate gains and gratification.
These were the elasticity of behaviour Mukadam Asiwaju Asiru Idris faced as the Money Man of Kogi State. Asides ethics comes the official assignment of keeping the State’s economy fiscally stable, and protect her from economic shocks.
The deployment of strategies on economic diversity, entrepreneurial ecosystem and growth are the major economic strength of a State, and these indicators play an important role in helping States withstand economic downturns, and can often be a predictor of future success.
The mandate of His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello is crystal clear and as a way of putting a round peg in a round hole, he appointed Mukadam Asiwaju Asiru Idris due to his expertise and resilience and his performances have been nothing short of outstanding.
Asiwaju faced this uphill task strategically. He assembled a team of technocrats and experts (highly spirited civil servants, each with their core area of specialization) and formed an Economic and Investment Management Team, which was established to interact with investors for the growth and development of the State.
Working towards results on the mandate given to them, the team successfully facilitated some valuable investments which have being of immense benefits to the citizens of the State. Few amongst these are the partnership deal with Agri Integrated Services Africa Limited, The World Bank NG-CARES Covid-19 Programme, The IFAD VCDP Programme, Anchor Borrower Scheme, and the APPEALS programme. All of these have empowered youths and women, increased their purchasing power and enabled increment in aggregate demand, which has helped the economic flow of the State.
Asides the need to look outward, there is also the need for substantive increase in Internally Generated Revenue for capital projects in the State. Asiwaju was strategic to effect a change in the status quo from the Board of Internal Revenue to an Agency, and with the graceful assent of Governor Yahaya Bello in granting full autonomy to the agency, BIR was restructured to Kogi State Internal Revenue Service with 11 Directorates.
This was also accompanied with employment of about 450 professional graduates as revenue and tax officers and a pool of competent professionals in the service of the Board (a rejig that brought about N1.2Bn monthly IGR for the State). These efforts did not go unnoticed, as a letter of commendation was issued to the State based on these proactive steps.
There is also the implementation of the special Super Political Action Committee (Super PAC) on IGR which Asiwaju chaired. The SuperPAC was established to increase the State’s internal generated revenue (IGR) to match the State’s aspirations with her targeted projections, and thus reduce her level of financial incapacitation. The committee came up with resolutions on areas to boost the State’s economy which includes
Water ways transportation
Building and construction of jetties
Tourism boats
Regatta Shows
Granite quarry
Mining activities
Mineral resources
Asiwaju with his insight extended the State Government Bond by spreading the repayment process to a longer tenure, so as to ease the burden on the State’s monthly allocation. A move that could have only helped the State from collapse.
Asiwaju’s capacity for consistency is also evident in the demonstration of the policy finance reforms he engineered under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello. These include:
The Harmonization of taxes, dues, levies, rates, fees and charges due to the State and Revenue Appeal Tribunal Law 2017 for KGIRS
Treasury Single Account (TSA) guidelines
Kogi State Board of internal Revenue Administration
Governor Yahaya Bello understood that a State could only succeed with a proper plan, fiscal discipline, and harmonized budget, and as a result, he appointed Asiwaju Asiru Idris as the Commissioner of Finance, to bring about a different era in which things would be done differently.
In proving that he was up to the task his boss assigned to him, Asiwaju established Transparency, Efficiency & Accountability Unit to rationalize overhead expenditure in line with budgetary provision. The preparation and publication of financial statements online has also gotten Governor Yahaya Bello’s Administration accolades and awards of about $5M for State Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) for three (3) consecutive years.
Following in the footstep of his boss, His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello, he has fostered leadership with foresight, encouraged innovative mindset with coordination, transparency and accountability, this has become a lifestyle for him, which is a great requirement needed by any leader.
One of Mukadam’s talent is the change in mindset about governance. His ingenuity is evident based on the fact that he puts round pegs in round holes just like his principal, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, by delegating authority among his subordinates to enable a turnaround in their attitude to work and enhance productivity in the Ministry.
Asiwaju has given rise to the several major reforms such as infrastructure, revenue generation, ICT, amongst others. He broke the glass ceiling in terms of budgetary performance. All of these productive achievements are engraved in the scribes of this unsung individual.
The transference of these characteristics to others will help build a solid systems and institutions required for the transformation of Kogi State. Mukadam Asiwaju Asiru Idris FCA is that talent needed for the future Confluence State.