22/05/2026
BABA MALUM WALI mni, YOU CARRIED YOBE IN YOUR HEART LONG BEFORE YOU CARRIED OUR FLAG, GOVERNOR BUNI MADE IT HAPPEN. CONGRATULATIONS BABA
By my Boss Sa'id Alkali Kori
Dr. Sa'id Alkali Kori
Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigeria Food Corporation;
Honorary Special Adviser on International Relations and Investment to the Executive Governor of Yobe State; and Technical Advisor to the Chairman , Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum.
Some moments in history arrive not with thunder but with the quiet certainty of a sunrise. The emergence of Alhaji Baba Malam Wali, mni, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 general election and the preferred successor of His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN, is exactly that , a moment so perfectly aligned with destiny that to witness it is to feel providence itself at work.
I write this with a heart full of emotion, as someone who has been shaped, guided, and lifted by this extraordinary man. I write as Former General Manager of Family Homes Funds when I first met him in 2019. I write as Special Adviser on International Relations and Investment to the Governor. I write as Technical Advisor to the Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum. And I write as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Food Corporation. In each of these roles, Baba Malam Wali has been a pillar of guidance , genuine, selfless, and unwavering.
My first encounter with him was on the soil of Yobe State , at the groundbreaking ceremony of 3,600 housing units, a Presidential Initiative on Affordable Housing under President Muhammadu Buhari. Family Homes Funds, the federal agency I was leading as General Manager, funded this transformative project across all 17 local government areas of the state. But what struck me more than the scale of the project was the man standing beside the Governor.
From the very first moment, I understood I was in the presence of someone different. Baba Malam Wali did not speak of projects in the sterile language of contracts. He spoke of people. And in every sentence, there was that phrase: "We the Yobe." "Just Yobe." It was not a slogan. It was a heartbeat made audible. Yobe was not a place he worked for; Yobe was a place he carried within him.
Then I noticed something that defined governance for me from that day forward. Whenever I approached Governor Buni on any matter, His Excellency would pause and simply say: "Go and see the SSG." Not "we will look into it." Not "let me get back to you." Just: "Go and see the SSG." In those words, the Governor revealed everything. Baba Malam Wali was the custodian of trust, the engine of ex*****on. And it came as no surprise. He had earned that trust , not through flattery, but through decades of uncompromising service.
That housing project was successfully delivered , all 3,600 units , and stands today as one of the enduring legacies of the Buni administration. Behind the scenes, Baba Malam Wali coordinated, resolved bottlenecks, and ensured the promise made to the people was kept. That is the Wali way.
What makes this man exceptional is something no CV can fully capture , though his CV is extraordinary. He served as Secretary to the State Government for over eleven years under two administrations, earning recognition as the longest-serving SSG in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a distinction confirmed by the Progressive Governors Forum. Before that, he spent eight years as a Permanent Secretary across critical ministries: Youth and Sports, Transport and Energy, Environment, and Administration and General Services. His career spans over four decades , from the Chad Basin Development Authority, through the North East Arid Zone Development Programme, to the National Poverty Eradication Programme. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and is a proud Member of the National Institute (mni), having completed the Senior Executive Course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. No one knows Yobe more intimately than this man.
Years after our first meeting, our paths crossed again. By then, I had left Family Homes Funds and had been honoured with appointments I could never have imagined: Special Adviser on International Relations and Investment to Governor Mai Mala Buni, Technical Advisor to the Lake Chad Basin Governors Forum, and Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Food Corporation. Each role came with challenges I had not anticipated. And in each moment of uncertainty, there was Baba Malam Wali , not as a distant figure, but as a genuine mentor offering heartfelt guidance.
He mentors not because it is his duty, but because building people is the essence of who he is. There is no calculation in his generosity, no transaction in his support. He simply gives because he genuinely wants others to succeed. That is the mark of a man whose greatness is rooted in goodness.
Today, as he emerges as the APC governorship candidate, I am filled with quiet, unshakeable confidence. The stakeholders who endorsed him described him as "a seasoned technocrat with the requisite qualifications for effective leadership and governance." He is more. He is the institutional memory of Yobe State governance. He is the bridge between hard-won gains and boundless promise. He is a man who carries Yobe in his heart , not as a constituency, but as a sacred trust.
To His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN, I owe more than words can express. Your Excellency, you brought me into public office. You mentored me. You entrusted me with responsibilities that have shaped my life and career. I serve you with deep conviction because I have seen your vision, your integrity, and your unwavering commitment to Yobe State. In choosing Baba Malam Wali as your preferred successor, you have once again demonstrated the wisdom that defines your leadership , choosing not the loudest voice, but the most competent mind. We are profoundly grateful for your vision and your courage.
Congratulations, Baba. You have paid your dues. You have served with loyalty, competence, and an unshakeable love for Yobe State. The journey ahead is momentous, but you have been walking this path your entire life. We walk with you , full of hope, full of pride, and full of faith.
