SURMOUNTING THE HURDLES OF DISABILITY- THE TANKO ALMAKURA(TA-AL) STORY

Background information:

Governor Tanko Al-makura(Ta-al) hailed from Lafia, Nasarawa State. He was born on, or around 1952 in Lafia. He attended Dunama Primary School, Lafia between 1959 to 1966, Keffi Teacher’s College between 1967 to 1971, and then Government Teachers College of Education, Uyo, Akwa-ibom State between 1972 to 1975. He was an Assistant Producer at the Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria for a short period that same year he graduated from GTCE Uyo. He then went to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria between 1975 to 1978, graduating with a Bachelor of Education Degree. For his National Youth Service, he taught at the Government College, Markudi.

In 1978 he formed Almakura Nigeria Limited, importing and servicing agricultural and industrial machinery. Later he ventured into real estate and property development as owner and chairman of Ta'al Nigeria Limited, with properties in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and lastly Washington DC, USA. He is also the owner of the Ta'al Lake Resort, Abuja and the Ta'al Conference Hotel, Lafia.

THE GENESIS OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER:

In 1980, Almakura became the youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria(NPN) in the old Plateau State. He was elected to the constitution Assembly of 1988 to 1989, representing the Lafia–Obi Federal Constituency of what is now Nasarawa State. He also rose to become the state secretary of the National Republican Convention(NRC) party in Plateau State from 1990 to 1992. He was also a founding member of the People's Democratic Party(PDP) in Nasarawa State in 1998.

Almakura defected from the PDP after losing the primary elections for the Nasarawa Governor competition. He was elected Governor of Nasarawa State on 26 April 2011, from the platform of Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) after defeating the then incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe-Doma of the PDP.

The amiable governor also contested in the just concluded 2015 election under the platform of All Progressive Congress(APC), and emerged victorious, having scored a total of 309,746 votes, to defeat his closest opponent, Labaran Maku of All Progressive Grand Alliance(APGA) who polled 178,983, followed by Yusuf Agabi of People's Democratic Party(PDP) who polled 119,782 votes.

He is a very honest man, to the extent that despite the impeachment saga the ruling People's Democratic Party hunted him with for a lengthy period, he could not alter the result of the election when PDP won in his state. The good governor truthfully delivered his state to the PDP candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, despite being in the main opposition party.

 

IMPEACHMENT SAGA:

On 14 July 2014 the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly gave a notice of impeachment to the Clerk of the House to serve on Governor Tanko Al-Makura. The Clerk was told to serve the notice on Al-Makura either directly or through the media. The document contained allegations of gross misconduct and was signed by twenty of the twenty four Assembly members. The impeachment was supported by the twenty Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members but opposed by the four All Progressive Congress (APC) members. On 17 July the House of Assembly decided that the impeachment notice would be served via the media, since the governor had been evading personal service.

On 20 July 2014 it was reported that the Nasarawa traditional rulers had called on both sides to refrain from holding rallies for or against the impeachment so as to avoid violence. On 23 July four members of the Assembly tried to seize the speaker's mace to delay a motion to ask the Chief Judge of the state to set up a seven-person panel to review the allegations of gross misconduct. The members of the House met twenty minutes later and passed the motion by twenty votes against four.

 

The seven man panel in the end of the whole saga dismissed the 16count allegations of misconduct leveled against the governor by the state House of Assembly.

 

 

HIS DISABILITY:

 

Governor Almakura is a postlingual deaf person. By this, it mean he was not born deaf but encountered deafness at a later stage in life when he has already developed and mastered linguistic(speech). According to a story told by him during his deaf son's wedding, he and his son lost their hearing after suffering from the same severe illness(suspected to be Meningitis) about 30years ago. He also lost another child to that illness. He and his deaf son survived, but not without the illness claiming their hearing sense organ.

After becoming deaf, Almakura spent many years looking for cure or alternative therapy both home and abroad. He eventually succeeded in getting cochlea implant in both ears, through which he is able to generate and interpret sound waves. This does not necessarily mean that he is hearing. But the cochlea implant has been of immense help to him as they seem to perfectly function on him.

 

 

APPROACH TO DISABILITY ISSUES:

 

Unlike Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, who it was believed do not like publicly identifying with persons with disability in Nigeria, Governor Tanko Almakura is an exact opposite. He does not joke with anything relating to disability; hence under him, Nasarawa State has legislated on its Disability Bill, just like Plateau, Lagos and few other states. The governor also often take out time to grace programs on disability issues, initiated by or in partnership with persons with disability. He also seem to derive more motivation in advocating for ability in disability, and telling his audience that he is hearing impaired. To buttress his seriousness on disability issues, aside from the social security allowances Nasarawa state gives to its persons with disability, the good governor extended this move by giving automatic employment waiver to its indigenes with disability who are graduates.

These are just to mention but a few of the stride taken by Almakura to enable people with disability from the state to surmount disability hurdles and maximize their potentials.

 

 

Our dear readers, let us call it a day today.

 

We are still on SURMOUNTING THE HURDLES OF DISABILITY..

 

Watch out for our next edition.

 

 

It is all about ABILITY in DISABILITY!!!