POWER DUMPED, NEEDLE PICKED: Ex-Kano Chairman Blasts Political Culture, Says Tailoring Beats Nigeria’s “Unstable” Power Game
In a political climate where many former officeholders cling to influence, chase contracts, or quietly scheme for a comeback, Abdullahi Gali Shitu has done the unthinkable he walked away and picked up his scissors.
The former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area in Kano State, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has publicly rejected the illusion of political permanence, declaring bluntly that tailoring offers more stability than Nigeria’s chaotic and uncertain political system.
From the corridors of power to a modest tailoring shop in Sheka Ward, Basaf’s transition is as symbolic as it is confrontational. The whirring of sewing machines has replaced political noise, but his message is louder than ever.
“Politics should not be your only source of livelihood,” he said pointedly. “If that’s all you have, then you are at the mercy of a system that can discard you at any time.”
Basaf’s return is not just personal—it is a direct challenge to a political class obsessed with status and allergic to anything resembling “ordinary” work.
In Nigeria, many politicians treat public office as a lifetime entitlement, often distancing themselves from grassroots trades the moment they taste power. But Basaf has shattered that unwritten code.
Rather than lobby for appointments or leverage connections for cushy roles, he has chosen a path many of his peers would consider beneath them.
Yet, he insists they are the ones living a lie.
“Tailoring is not a small trade,” he fired back. “It funded my political journey. Without it, I couldn’t have survived in politics.”
With over a decade in tailoring, Basaf understands what many career politicians refuse to admit—politics in Nigeria is anything but secure.
While in office, he balanced governance with hands-on business, buying fabrics, sewing clothes, and building a livelihood independent of political favour.
Now out of office since March 2026, he has doubled down on that independence, supervising over 20 apprentices and running a business that continues to grow without government backing.
His next move? Building a full-scale garment company and expanding his workforce to at least 50 employees.
“I want to modernise tailoring and create jobs,” he said an ambition that contrasts sharply with a political class often accused of doing the opposite.
Armed with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science and a network that could easily secure him a comfortable white-collar position, Basaf made a decision that cuts against the grain of elite expectations.
He walked away.
Not out of desperation—but conviction.
“My passion is here,” he said. “And it is more reliable than politics.”
Behind Basaf’s story lies a stinging warning to young Nigerians chasing political relevance without a fallback plan.
His message is blunt, uncomfortable, and difficult to ignore:
“Value your trade more than politics. Politics can fail you. Your skill will not.”
As he bends over fabrics instead of policy files, Basaf is not just stitching clothes—he is tearing apart a dangerous national mindset.
In a country where power is temporary and survival is constant, his decision exposes an inconvenient truth: when the political spotlight fades, only those with real skills remain standing.
