Senator Sunday Marshall Katung: The Ultimate Representativ
If Senator Sunday Marshall Katung represented the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District between 2019 -2023, a Federal University of Science and Technology would be functional in Manchok today. Senator
“A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
John C. MaxwellIf Senator Sunday Marshall Katung represented the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District between 2019 -2023, a Federal University of Science and Technology would be functional in Manchok today. Senator Katung, the consummate politician, would have gone to any length to actualize the dream of the average Southern Kaduna man for a university that’s long overdue in the zone.
While former Senator Danjuma Laah succeeded in getting the bill passed by both chambers of the 9th National Assembly, he failed to get former President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the bill, largely because of his defective approach to politics. Senator Laah was, unfortunately, hostile and spurned the overtures by the Nasir El-Rufai administration to engage, unlike Katung, who, as a member of the House of Representatives, maintained a very cordial bipartisan relationship with his home governor.
Senator Danjuma Laah’s bill was transmitted to President Buhari on December 11, 2022, who out of pure mischief, reportedly asked that Laah come in the company of El-Rufai his “arch enemy” for the signing of the bill into law. Laah, who had carried his unyielding opposition politics too far, never knew he would ever need El-Rufai’s support on any issue. After all, his zone was a haven for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform he had secured an unprecedented two terms as senator.
If the university had been Katung’s baby, it definitely would have graduated its first set of students by now, because despite being members of different political parties, Senator Katung would have been well known to Buhari or would have friends that would have fixed any issue with the president.
Fast forward to July 2024. The Tsoriyang bridge on the Madakiya-Kafanchan road, which connects many communities across three Local Government Areas in Southern Kaduna collapsed. Senator Katung, who enjoys an extremely good relationship with Governor Uba Sani, quickly alerted the governor on the plight of his people due to the challenges they faced traveling. He got more than he bargained for.
All the senator wanted was an alternative bridge to ease the nightmare of his constituents and the eventual reconstruction of the bridge. But Governor Sani did not only direct the Kaduna State Roads Agency (KADRA) to construct an alternative bridge but went further to give a matching order for the immediate reconstruction of the entire stretch of the dilapidated 14.5 Kilometres Madauchi-Madakiya-Kafanchan road.
You can only imagine how the situation would have played out if Danjuma Laah was the sitting senator, going by his negative antecedents.
While politicians must have principles, a good politician must never totally shut his doors to persuasion. A good politician must be able to put aside partisan differences when necessary because there are issues that should be above partisanship since all good politicians essentially work for the common good. Senator Katung’s story proves the benefit of cordial relationships and fruitful engagement across party lines.
Unlike Laah, Katung bluntly refuses to see Governor Sani as an enemy to be annihilated. And despite engaging with El-Rufai and now Governor Sani, Katung has remained a die-hard member of the PDP and gets the job done for his long-suffering constituents, who elected him precisely to better their lot.
Senator Katung reminds us of President Joe Biden and the late Senator John McCain, who became known for their willingness to find common ground in the highly polarized American politics.
Representation is about reaching out and working to advance the interest of your people and, at very critical times, sacrificing certain principles. The late Mallam Aminu Kano, Leader of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and a good Muslim, had no hesitation in buying alcohol for the late Comrade Uche Chukwumerije who was invaluable to the PRP as the Director of Research and Publicity.
The late Dr. Junaid Mohammed described the situation as unpleasant and agonizing for Aminu Kano, but the revered Mallam couldn’t help, because “Chukwumerje needed his booze to function and Mallam provided it despite his religious beliefs”.
Senator Laah was no doubt a hostage of the forces opposed to El-Rufai, who they believed “hated” the Southern Kaduna Senatorial zone. They vehemently opposed any relationship with El-Rufai, but as the elected leader, Laah had the responsibility to have convinced them of the need to engage with the sitting governor.
Southern Kaduna suffered great reversals in fortunes due to this lack of engagement. Laah was to eventually pay the price for leadership failure in 2023 with his defeat by Katung because the people wanted to move on. Katung is not a pushover who can be intimidated or dictated to who to relate with and how which is not to say that he is not amenable to advice. But if push comes to a shove, he would rather resign than be asked to toe an antagonistic line.
Senator Katung epitomizes the maxim that leaders are individuals who influence and guide others. According to Ken Blanchard “the greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision”.
Senator Katung, though a ranking member, could easily have been named a committee chairman, but he is not, because he made a strategic decision in the race for the senate presidency by aligning with Senator Abdulaziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State and his northern brother, against Senator Godswill Akpabio from Christian South, who eventually prevailed. Katung’s support for Senator Yari remains a huge surprise to many Northern Muslims.
Due to the crisis between them and their Northern Christian minority brothers, the natural gravitation of an average Christian Northerner would have been to openly vote against Yari in favor of Akpabio. While he might have lost out on being a chairman, Katung has several I Owe Yous (I.O.U) that would certainly come in handy sometime in the future. There is no way Yari and the other northern senators would not vigorously back the bill for the establishment of the university for Southern Kaduna.
Katung is a realist. While Southern Kaduna is predominantly Christian, he is not in denial that there are Muslims in his constituency. During the last Ramadan, he distributed grains to all Muslim communities to aid their religious obligation. The gesture has no doubt gone a long way in fostering peace and harmony in the zone. Katung, by that singular gesture, earned the confidence of the Muslims.
Senator Katung reminds you of the late Senator Isaiah Balat, who was very comfortable with Mallam Adamu Bello, his good friend, and the longest-serving Minister in the Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, as he was with General T. Y. Danjuma. You can also think of the late Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, who was extremely close to Munir Jafaru, the Madakin Zazzau, as he was with Thomas Etuh, the fertilizer billionaire from the South-South. Katung is following in the footpaths of Balat and late Yakowa by making friends across regional and cultural boundaries.
In politics, building relationships is invaluable. Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State is Senator Katung’s very good friend. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is also his very good friend. It’s the relationship that enabled him to facilitate the appointment of his constituent as a Legislative Aide to the Speaker and another two of his constituents as Senior Legislative Aides to the Deputy Senate President, his good friend.
In the last year, Senator Katung has focused his attention on the pressing needs of his constituents. His bill for the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Manchok, a specialized university to provide higher education with a focus on applied sciences, has passed a second reading and has been referred to the committee on tertiary institutions/ Tet-fund to report back to the Senate for a third reading and passage. If Katung delivered to the university (and he certainly would), he would have written his name in gold.
The other area that the People’s senator has paid attention to is the health sector, and this is understandable. Many people from his zone patronize hospitals in Plateau State due to the overstretched facilities at the Patrick Yakowa Hospital Kafanchan.
Katung’s vigorous push for the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan would not only enhance access to quality healthcare services but would also provide his people employment. There would be other spin-offs in terms of accommodation, and increased demand for foodstuffs which impact the economy.
In Nigeria, a politician is only rated as “performing” if he doles out cash gifts and embarks on empowerment programs. So, despite Katung’s outstanding contributions and push for projects that have more lasting benefits, he had to behave like a Roman while in Rome.
It is to Katung’s credit that he has equally remained focused on pursuing projects with long-term benefits for everyone. For him, education remains critical; the reason why he awarded scholarships to 1,500 students studying medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and law in various universities. He has equally constructed and equipped ICT Training Centres in Jema’a and Kauru local government areas through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to equip young entrepreneurs with essential digital skills.
There is absolutely no doubt that the election of Sunday Marshall Katung by the people of Southern Kaduna was a smart choice. Like good wine, he keeps getting better with time. His vision is a Southern Kaduna of confident citizens who believe they have a stake in the state, a zone that is economically developed and politically relevant. Governor Uba Sani, his good friend is making the vision easier with his smooth relationship with the zone.
Senator Katung has completely changed the dynamics of Kaduna State politics. While a staunch member of the PDP, he has shown that cordial relationship with the APC-led state and federal governments is critical to his effectiveness in helping his people. As they say, new times call for new leaders, and Senator Sunday Marshall Katung fits the time. He has shown that a political leader requires ‘statesmanship” as opposed to just being a “politician”.
