“For being such an exemplary public servant, for being an evergreen mentor to generations of civil servants on the one hand and students on the other throughout Nigeria, for being an uncommon legion of professional and trade unions and associations, for being a peerless compatriot in his public and private life to the admiration of all and sundry, Thinkers Magazine is proud to present Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, mni, as its Man of the Year 2019.”
These are the words of the management of Thinkers Magazine, as its Editor-in-Chief, Yahaya Eneji Musa, announced the emergence of Dr Dikwa for the honour.
Dr. Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, is the pioneer Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
According to the Editor-in-Chief, he was picked among numerous nominees following a rigorous selection process.
A statement released on Monday by Musa said the nomination of Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, among numerous others, for consideration for our Man of the Year would hardly come as a surprise to discerning minds. Starting from 1985 when he set out to serve the land of his birth by joining the Borno State Civil Service as an Internal Auditor through the period he transferred his services to the Federal Civil Service to the moment he bowed out of the service, Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa epitomised all the qualities and virtues of selfless contribution to one’s country and its people.
The statement reads further, “Granted, anyone can assert with the due justification that each and every civil servant is contributing his or her small quota to the progress and development of our beloved nation. In Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa’s case, however, he didn’t just contribute his modest quota. Instead, he went the extra mile to serve his fatherland beyond the call of duty in different capacities and in addition his primary duties and responsibilities.
“For instance, even as a Permanent Secretary, he ventured to undertake a number of challenging obligations, including being an examiner, part-time lecturer, public speaker (at seminars, workshops, in-house training, etc.) and author of an impressive array of seminal books. As a real craftsman intent on remaining faithful to his vocation, this uncommon public servant continued to be hardworking and patriotic even as his retirement moment inched closer. In a clime where it is taken for granted that someone who is in the twilight of his career would be forgiven for “taking it easy” with his or her job so as to prepare well for post-retirement life, Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa made it a point of duty to put into his daily chores the same passion, dedication and commitment that has characterised his performance over the years. As many of his colleagues aptly put it, the gentleman remained a workaholic to the end of his tour of duty.
“For being such an exemplary public servant, for being an evergreen mentor to generations of civil servants on the one hand and students on the other throughout Nigeria, for being an uncommon legion of professional and trade unions and associations, for being a peerless compatriot in his public and private life to the admiration of all and sundry, Thinkers Magazine is proud to present Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, mni, as its Man of the Year 2019. We join his friends, family and other well-wishers in congratulating him for this well-deserved honour.”
Early Education & Giant Strides:
Back then in the Northern part of Nigeria and elsewhere, western education was hardly reckoned with by the average family. To the credit of the Malam Kyari and Hajiya Amina, however, Mohammed was enrolled at Central Primary School, Dikwa in the early 1970s and obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1977. And this began an educational sojourn that subsequently took him to Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Gushua, where he acquired his General Certificate of Education (GCE) in 1982.
His next port of call was Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, where he bagged National Diploma (ND) in Accounting from the Ramat Polytechnic in 1985.
He later proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, obtaining a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in 1991 and Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance in 1996. This was followed by a sojourn at the National Institute for Policies and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Jos, Plateau State, leading to the conferment on him of the prestigious Member of the National Institute, mni, in 2012.
This remarkable scholar took his seemingly insatiable quest for knowledge beyond the shores of the nation. First, he ventured to the University of Bakht Al- Ruda in the Republic of Sudan for his Doctorate Degree in Accounting and Finance, which he successfully completed in 2017.
Dr. Dikwa enrolled at the Business School of the prestigious Oxford University in England, earning a Certificate in High-Performance Leadership Programme in 2014. He was to later attended University of Cambridge (Judge Business School), where he was awarded a Certificate in Leadership and Governance, also in 2014.
Dr Mohammed Kyari Dikwa proceeded to Harvard University with a stint at the Kennedy School of Governance in 2014. The fruit of this endeavour came in the form of a glittering Certificate in Public Financial Management Reforms.
The former permanent secretary is a chartered accountant (CAN member), fellow of ANAN, among many other professional bodies.
He is a recipient of the prestigious Nelson Mandela Award and Ambassador of Peace by the United Nations (UN).
Yahaya Musa recalled that “When Thinkers Magazine was being conceived ahead of its subsequent emergence as a bold, fearless and innovative magazine, among the ideals embedded in our noble vision were high ethical standards, editorial standards of the loftiest level, and so forth. Next on the list was the need to institute an annual award to be known as Man of the Year Award as has been the practice globally.
Our Man of the Year Award is a unique recognition which is reserved for a person who has sparkled beyond expectations in his or her field of endeavour within a given year. Such areas include academics, art, science, sports, politics, philanthropy, law, leadership, community service, business, diplomacy, and so forth.
