THE former chairman of Kumbotso Local Government of Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, has returned fully to his tailoring business, which he said offers more stability than politics.
In Sheka ward, the hum of sewing machines and the rhythm of scissors cutting fabric tell a story of Shitu’s resilience, according to a Daily Trust report.
Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, who until March this year chairman of the council, now spends his days supervising apprentices, cutting cloth and stitching garments, saying he returned to his tailoring business to send a strong message to people that politics should not be the sole focus.
He said politicians must have a trade that sustains them and viewed politics as just an opportunity to serve people, rather than as a full-time means of livelihood, adding that tailoring funded his political campaign.
“Tailoring is not a small trade; it is a major one. It sustains livelihoods. Even in politics, my tailoring business helped me financially to support my campaigns and organisations.
“Without it, it would have been impossible to sustain political activities.
“My goal is to modernise tailoring, establish a garment company and employ 50 or more people. I want to contribute to the economy.
“My message is that they should not despise trades; they should value and modernise them. Value your trade more than politics, because it sustains you and enables you to support your political activities.
“Politics can change overnight. You can be in the office today and out tomorrow, but tailoring remains. It feeds you, it supports your family and it allows you to help others.
“Whatever one does, if they have a trade, they should value it above politics. Tailoring is a noble profession, even greater than holding political office.”
For him, tailoring is not just livelihood; it is philosophy, a way to show that honest work can outlast the uncertainties of political office.
Even with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science and a political network that could have earned him more befitting white collar jobs, Shitu chose to go back to his tailoring, because it has always been his passion.
Shitu’s political journey was shaped by his admiration for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, founded by a former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
He founded Kwankwasiyya Reporters in 2015 and served as state chairman of the Alliance National Party (ANP), contested for a senate seat under it in 2019 and later joined NNPP, where he was appointed senior special assistant on Information.
In 2024, he contested and won the chairmanship of Kumbotso Local Government and during his one year and three months in office, Shitu established schools, facilitated hospitals and sponsored the education of over 2,000 students.
But in March this year, a Kano State High Court nullified his Certificate of Return, holding that it was issued in violation of an earlier order, and consequently declared Ali Musa (Hardworker) the rightful winner and ordered his immediate swearing in.
He, however, does not rule out the possibility of returning to the political arena.
