By, Shabu Mazadu 

It is a fact that ideologies rule the world, emanating from people who understood the essence of their existence and curved a niche of guiding principles to direct their sojourn upon the earth. 

Their principles and philosophies serve as guide to others especially if they are progressive. Dr. Nnnamdi Azikiwe said, “Life is an odyssey, Man comes into this world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of travels, gaining experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life.” So is Professor Patrick Sunday Dakum.

Dakum, a multidimensional careerist of humanitarian services has advanced practical norms which exquisitely guided him into extraordinary successes in all his fields of endeavours medically, spiritually and politically; thus making him a trailblazer in diverse and multiple fronts.

Politically which is the centre of concentration of this piece, Dakum’s philosophies toe the path of Zikism and Awoism that served as guides to Africa and Nigeria in particular. Though Zikism is not revered and taken as prototype by the Eastern Region where he hailed from, Awoism is very much in effect in the South West, and is used as political and developmental template.

Dakum did not write a memoir on his political belief, but his submissions and postulations in many fora, electioneering campaigns and interviews on media outlets, likewise walking the talk, gave rise to the ideology, “DAKUMISM.”

From the outset of the Fourth Republic, he was a Commissioner of Information and Health whose performance was remarkable and his legacies highly contemporarily and excellently effective to this very day. 

As his contemporaries divorced their professions and career and stick to political prostitution since 1999 to date in different administrations without mentorship of upcoming youth, he wasn’t cajoled to toe such path by the juicy privileges of being in the corridor of power, but went ahead to start the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, IHVN, with five persons using his profession as Public Health Doctor to liberate the country and grant it health security. This depicts his mentality of bettering the lives of the people in every way he finds himself. 

His vision has yielded results of expanding IHVN with the workforce of over a thousand employees, covering 23 states of the Federation; and with over four hundred thousand HIV/AIDS patients receiving free medical treatment from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, which he oversees in Nigeria.

While most of his contemporaries as commissioners and other political appointees since 1999 are being recycled as old cargoes as LG chairmen and political advisers, and like crabs in a can, domiciled in Plateau and gasping for survival through political patronage and best described as fish in well, Dakum is hitting the limelight both nationally and international touching lives, making his tribe, Plateau State and Nigeria proud.

Dakum who values family life trained his children with his profession without seeking to be in the corridor of power first to send them overseas for studies and making them rich  with public funds as a then governor whose son celebrated being a billionaire in his father’s first year in office. 

Amazingly, a Public Health Doctor exhibits political awareness and expertise in words and practice on and above most of the best political scientists. His guru in politics was bred from the inbuilt passion of replicating the developmental strides of developed countries in his third world country, Nigeria, starting from his state, Plateau.

Dakum is of the school of thought like Zik and Awolowo who postulated that the first prerequisite of joining politics is preparedness excluding self-centered and the greed for wealth, but a call to service. In view of this, he criticized the mentality of envisage politics as monetary conduit pipe saying, “The mentality of being rich as a result of being in politics is a huge problem that must change.” And further calls for the advancement of political offices synonymous to civil service. He said, “The less financially beneficial the job of the politician is, the better for democracy. And when I said less financially, I mean let’s put the politicians on salary scale and subject them to the civil service rules.”

This clarion call was born out of Dakum’s desire for rapid development of the country which cannot be achieved by spending hugely out of the meager resources of the nation on political office holders instead of on infrastructures.  

Dakum doesn’t see winning elections as the ultimate participation in democracy, and losing as inferiority, and shamefacedly. He believes that every participant in the game is heavily contributing to its success including the voters, the umpire (INEC), the judiciary, aspirants and candidates, campaigners and all others. 

He said, “Many politicians don’t understand that the democratic journey requires participation and not only winning elections. If I don’t win, it doesn’t mean that I did not contribute with a vital role. We are not in one party state. 

And any country that moves into one party state, its development will go down because nobody will ask critical questions that need to be asked.

 But if there is healthy competition between the political parties, and at the end of it, you didn’t win; it doesn’t mean you have not contributed.” In essence he is saying that the people should partake in building a viable and virile democracy and not necessarily joining the game to win elective positions.

While most politicians use defamation to win elections, Dakum doesn’t believe in that. He is not a coward, as only cowards use such approach. Chief Obafemi Awolowo said, “But it is mean and cowardly, and an evidence of weakness and utter demerit, for any group of people to attempt to commend themselves to the public by the negative process of belittling and condemning others. Strong, courageous, resourceful and self-confident people are never afraid of rivals or competitors.”

Dakum’s campaign hinged on what Awolowo said, “What our people want to know above all things else is not the defect or incapacity of this or that organization, but the plans and programmes which we have for improving their lots and the relative merits of such plans and programmes.”

His belief is also in line with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s postulation which says, “I will not score an off-side goal; I will not hit below the belt; I will not beat the gun in order to become the Executive President of Nigeria.” Dakum said you cannot win an election through fraudulent means and attribute it to God, adding that God will judge whoever does that.

Such spirit hamstrung him from deploying thugs in his campaign and character assassination. Other things he frowns at are the use of ethnicity, religion and money and the involvement of god-fathers. He said, “As a politician I must campaign based on issues.”

 He added, “The unifying factor should be the desire to move the state forward and consider candidates vying for elective positions based on their antecedents and capacity to deliver good leadership.”

This pragmatic approach earned him the European Union Observers applauds in the 2023 general elections and declaration  as the best and cleanest campaigner in Plateau. 

 Dakum wants elections to be cleanly and keenly contested, adding that using criminality in politics will barricade the defeat of crime in the society and frustrate the rule of law which is recipe for lawlessness. 

Dakum believes in party democracy on a clean sheet before the secondary elections. He said, “My personal opinion is that there has to be democracy within political parties, otherwise the occupiers of parties will be decision makers. And whoever wants to run in an election must be elected.

 So, if there is no democracy in the party, general elections will be null and void.”

Contrary to non-sportsmanship exhibited by losers in elections, and sabotage to governance instead of concrete criticism, Dakum believes in defeat acceptance, support for good governance he said, “We have a government, we should work towards making it succeed because it will be for our good. But it doesn’t mean that when it comes to elections we do not have our opinion that someone else will do better.”

He believes in advising the incumbents and holding them to account. He said, “To you journalists, do you have the pamphlets given to you during elections? 

If you do, then begin to read and challenge the winners.” “I will advise that whatever it is you have as advice, rally round and give the governor. Never should you wrongfully fight to occupy an office whether in Plateau or at the Federal level, but do it in the fear of God and integrity.”

On the role of opposition in politics, Dakum believes that they must be active as Awolowo said, “It is the duty of the opposition to express its views candidly in opposition to any government measure which in its view is not in the best interest of the people.”

On the prevailing winner takes all, Dakum believes in bringing capable hands irrespective of their affiliations to achieve results in government since the essence of governance is to better the welfare of the governed and to develop the society.

On court litigations, Dakum believes the defeated should go to court and all court verdicts should be obeyed. And in the case of dissatisfaction with court’s judgment aspersion and attacks should not be options; instead, concerted efforts should be made to correct all ills.

There are so much to talk about on Dakumism which will run into volumes, however this summary should draw every Plateau citizen to reason and reminisce whether the political cliché has impacted positively on the state and developed it infrastructural wise, enhanced unity amongst the ethnic blocs, eradicated corruption, boosted the economy and harnessed human resources for greater productivity and survival.

  If the old way isn’t working, and our democracy is endangered, then we must do as Tupac Shakur said, “It’s time for us as people to start making some changes… you see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what we gotta do to survive.” And the way out is new ideology which is DAKUMISM.