Katsina Governor Explains Why He Chose His Successor at SMEDAN

Governor Umaru Dikko Radda of Katsina State has shared that he was the one who picked his successor as the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to the late President Muhammadu Buhari before he left to chase his governorship dream.

The governor, who spoke about working closely with his successor, Dr Olawale Fasanya, said he made the recommendation because he fully trusted his skills, honesty, and dedication to the MSME sector.

Radda made this known in Abuja on Thursday during the launch of Fasanya’s autobiography titled: “Cradle to Saddle.” His deputy, Faruk Lawal, represented him at the event.

Radda described Fasanya as one of the key officers who dedicated his career to developing SMEDAN and Nigeria’s small business sector. He said, “In every institution, there are individuals who merely occupy offices, and there are those who carry the institution in their hearts. Fasanya belongs to the latter category. He was among the pioneering officers who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the vision and mission of SMEDAN.

“When I left SMEDAN to pursue my governorship ambition in Katsina State, I recommended Dr Fasanya to succeed me as Director-General because I had absolute confidence in his competence, integrity and commitment to the MSME sector. I am grateful to His Excellency, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who graciously approved that recommendation. Today, I am proud to say that history has justified that decision,” he stated.

Earlier, the former Director-General of SMEDAN, Fasanya, shared that many people thought he was “mad” when he left a well-paying job at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) for a position at SMEDAN that paid him less than N300,000.

Fasanya explained that he walked away from a monthly salary of about N1.2 million, first-class travel privileges, and other benefits at PTDF to take a job at SMEDAN paying less than N300,000. He said this decision was about more than just money.

“Some people thought I was mad by leaving a job that actually paid roughly about N1.2 million and went back to a job that pays less than 300,000 in SMEDAN. Then, I was in the Petroleum Technology Development Fund. Of course, you know the kind of salary they pay, and I was at the level of a general manager.

“Again, I had all sorts of perks of the office. Apart from the salary, I could travel anywhere in the world for training three times a year. If I travel, it is business or first class. But I was working with a chief executive who was later replaced. The new executive also found me useful and begged me not to leave. But I wasn’t in charge.”

Fasanya said that despite the tempting salary and perks, he could not stay in a role that did not let him make real contributions. He said, “He just wanted me to be there as a figurehead. That’s why I said, I can’t be where I will not be able to be on top of things. You cannot warehouse me. So I’d rather go to where I’m getting less, and I’m not warehoused, and can make an impact.

“So, I left all that to be in SMEDAN, where I was travelling for economy, not even knowing that God had something big in store for me and that I would become the director-general one day,” he noted.

The former SMEDAN boss said his choice was never about money but about making a difference in an agency he helped build from the start. He said, “So, if it was about money, I would have stayed back and been enjoying that N1.2 million. But I wouldn’t have been able to complete the history of SMEDAN because, as I said, I was the 001 employee of the agency.

“So it’s my joy that, before me, we only had political DGs. They appointed them from outside. I was the only DG appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 6, 2022, who has been part of the trajectory of the SMEDAN. So it gives me joy. Looking back, I feel that I’ve done well by going back to the agency.