Ahmad Yakubu Wanka: A Legacy of Excellence in Public Service

BY IBRAHIM MAIGARI AHMADU

Another close friend of mine was appointed a few days ago as the GM of Regulatory Services at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). Ahmad Yakubu Wanka is a third-generation public servant.

His father, the Late Wazirin Bauchi, Yakubu Wanka, served Nigeria from the provincial to the federal levels in various capacities, including serving on the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria and as the chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority. His grandfather was Nigeria’s first prime minister, the Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

We became friends as teenagers in 1986, during our remedial days at the University of Maiduguri. We read the same course, sat on the same bench (backbenchers) at the Faculty of Law, and stayed in the same room for most of our university years until our graduation in 1991.

After completing law school, Ahmad dedicated his national youth service to the NPA, a decision that would shape his entire career. His unwavering commitment to public service is truly inspiring. He never left the NPA.

During our university days, Ahmad Wanka was not your typical teenager. He was serious, religious, and unrepentantly traditional. He was not too involved in all those ‘crazy, goofy, irresponsible things.’ (Don’t ask me what that means).

We got used to his ways; he was named after the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardaunan Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria.He carried himself well and was always conscious of his pedigree, family name, and tradition.He had always maintained that he would be a public servant like his father and grandfather.

Ahmad’s focus was unwavering, his determination unyielding. He was not interested in anything else but following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and becoming a public servant.

At the NPA, he dedicated his life to transparency, public service rules, and ethics. He held various critical managerial positions at the NPA’s legal department and was, at one time, the special assistant to the MD NPA and the Port Manager at Warri Port. He rose to become an AGM of Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Ahmad is a lawyer’s lawyer—a brilliant one, for that matter. I can tell you that my being a lawyer today is by the grace of God and then his generosity in giving me access to his notebooks. (The guy never missed class).

An expert in international maritime law with two master’s degrees specializing in marine safety law from the IMO International Maritime Institute, Malta. Ahmad Wanka is a member of the Legal Committee of the International Association of Ports & Harbours and a Certified PPP Specialist from the IP3 Institute in Washington, DC, USA.

Ahmad Wanka is also the Sarkin Dawaki Mai Tuta of Bauchi (Meaning the head of the calvary of the Bauchi Emirate). Of all his achievements, this is what I know that my friend is most proud of.

His dream has always been to finish his public career without a dent in his name, integrity, or family’s reputation and retire to a quiet farm in Bauchi, taking care of his horses and serving his people.

I am proud of what he has become. His steadfastness, perseverance, and love for his tradition and culture have always inspired me. If you asked me to name three people I would assign to look after my family when I am gone, Ahmad Wanka would be on the list.

We thank Allah for this recent elevation and sincerely thank Dr Abubakar Mahmud Dantsoho (MD NPA) for finding Ahmad Yakubu Wanka worthy of this appointment.

I do not doubt that Ahmad Wanka will write his name in gold at the current position, as he has always done, and continue with the legacy of excellence in public service, as did his father and grandfather.

Congratulations, my friend.

Ibrahim is the Founder and CEO of RiceAfrika Technologies, a tech-driven agriculture optimization company with operations in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Rwanda.