By Ahmad Muhammad Danyaro
History is full of testimonies, promises and antecedents that many important people across the world have been remembered for various reasons, and for becoming outstanding in human affairs, some for their simplicity, others for their generosity, many more for their compassion and still others for commendable act.
In his success story, few people erroneously tend to view it as if he employed underhand tactics to achieve them and in the process underestimate his midas touch.
The fact remains that he attained his present height through dint of hard work and unparalleled exhibition of moral discipline.
In the lives of many, birthdays are usually periods for sober reflections .The period for stocktaking. Numerous personalities with eyes on the verdict of history use such occasions to reflect on their contributions to the betterment or otherwise of their societies .Prof Odinkalu @52: Garland for an unrepentant Human Rights Activist
For Mr Badamasi ,he would have wished that the occasion of his 52nd birthday anniversary on `15th November 2020, be observed silently in strict compliance with his natural humility and simplicity. But the man is not an ordinary man today as he is the Group Managing Director / CEO of First Class Group and Founder ,Badamasi Burji Foundation .
Alh. Badamasi Buruji was born on November 15, 1968, in Burji village.He is a publisher, entrepreneur, writer, journalist and a generous philanthropist.He attended Burji Central Primary School from 1973 to 1980 before proceeding to Government Technical College, Wudil from 1980 to 1985.
He worked with Forestry Division in Birniwa, now in Jigawa State, for a while.After working for the Forestry Division, he finally relocated to Kano metropolis where he joined his uncle, Alhaji Salisu Hamza Kadawa, to be part of his industrial chemical business (Nasibi Pest Control Enterprise). He served as a sales manager.
Not long after, he got back to school to study Mass Communication at Bayero University, Kano, after which Burji attended the Institute of Alazhar (ALIYU IBN ABI Talib Kano, from 1986 to 1987 ) for religious study.
He worked with Danfodio Islamiyya School as a teacher and personal assistant to the school’s proprietor, Malam Mahmud Aliyu Mahmud from 1987 to1999.After that, he ventured into the world of business and entrepreneurship by joining Nagari General Enterprise, a leading gas and electric gas cooker distributor in Kano.He served as a chief accountant.His stellar performance propelled him to the position of the managing director.
The momentum the company gathered under Burji helped it expand to the extent that more branches were opened in different places in Kano.
The company soon expanded to trade in cosmetics, goods, services, and bookshops.
Burji, as he is popularly referred to, is an author of many books both fictional and prose; he is also the publisher of Concern magazine and one-time chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Kano branch and a senior member of Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Badamasi Burji Foundation was established in 2015, which started with sponsorship of the establishment of special Islamic and Western primary and secondary school in the area with about 5,212 pupils currently studying and with the gestures of free education, free uniforms, free feeding, free books and writing materials. Living in a conducive environment with well furnished classrooms. It has sponsored 109 students 98 girls and 11 boys into different junior secondary schools.
Girl-Child Empowerment programme was also initiated with the aim of training the young girls in various skills with a view to making them become self-dependent. The initiative behind the empowerment programme is to minimize rural migration to the urban centre, job creation, self reliance and create opportunity for the community to improve the socio-economic development of the area.
The women had already been trained in different kinds of businesses which include soap making, pomade, menthol, toiletries and many more. Second batch of the empowerment programme will soon kick start.
The foundation is embarking on free plantation to go with the climate change. Which include social, communal, environmental and economic benefit to the society. In part of the world programme of making the environment green. BBF launched 10,000 (Ten Thousand) Trees to be done by the school children, their parents and adult education centre students.
Today, the condition of public education in many states in the region is very poor. Most schools here lack qualified teachers and teaching materials, even as school buildings are alarmingly dilapidated. And corruption thrives among education managers, who would rather send their children and wards to private schools.
It is for all these reasons that Malam Badamasi Burji sacrifices to reverse the ugly trend, reducing the number of out of school children in his locality by freely providing qualitative education for men, women, and children in Burji.
This manifest in his philanthropic strides that have ensured the construction and establishment of a community school engaging five thousand, two hundred and twelve (5,212) students.
Burji strive to become a journalist, biographer and author, venturing into printing afterwards. Today, one of his firms is spearheading printing in Northern Nigeria, specializing in educational books for nursery and primary schools and other publications for library use. He recently opened a restaurant that serves mouth-watering traditional dishes and delicacies, offering take-out and catering services. A consummate manufacturer of packaged foods too, his products are marketed nationwide and exported to Malaysia, Ethiopia, Turkey, China, the United Arab Emirate, the United States, and so on.
One of the Burji proposal’s is to build National open university community study centre which already has been approved to do it in his Burji community.
Mallam Badamasi Burji is a man who has distinguished himself in the service of his beloved community, home state of Kano and indeed, Nigeria as a whole. He is man who is active and decisive who weighs intellect against intuition, which is fair and firm in his dealings, a man who encourages cooperation rather than confrontation as he works in partnership with others. He is a man who bears all that comes his way with internal grace and humour.
By any benchmark one deploys to assess him, and in whatever clime in our firmament of the planet earth, Mallam Badamasi S.Burji, the Group Managing Director of First Class Group and Founder of Badamasi Burji Foundation , is a stunning success, a unique gift to humanity and he deserve to be celebrated by all and sundry within the Nigerian geography and beyond as he turned 52 years on the planet .
Danyaro wrote in from Wuse 2 Abuja and can be reached on ahmaddanyaro2017@gmail.com
