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Kabir Maiwada: The Twinkling Star Of NANTA

By Frank Meke

Alhaji Kabir Maiwada, the First Deputy National President , National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, ( NANTA) hugs humility and love for humanity as an effectual dress code. Maiwada is unassuming, crypt, sensitive and possibly the most gender sensitive leader in nanta in the last two decades of the association’s lifetime

I met Maiwada about a decade ago and I had watched him over and over again, sacrifice his time and resources to the grow nanta, particularly in the vast northern zone.

Maiwada devotes same vision, dedication and commitment to his various trade companies just as his selfless and voluntary service to Nanta stands out.

He has two homes in Kano and Abuja, travelling round the country, tending to his home and business, and has never allowed the pressure of managing his young family to deter him from shuttling to Lagos where Nanta head office is situated to attend its crucial meetings.

Sometimes such meetings could drag into the night and days, but Kabir Maiwada will sit through it and sometimes, the only voice of reason when heated engagements comes to head.

He is passionate, marvelous, a compassionate leader and for the sake of unity and progress of the association sacrificed opportunities to become president of nanta in order to give women in nanta opportunities to be heard and make contributions.

A Consumate travel trade professional and gregarious fellow, the well travelled trade influencer, believes that most issues in life and human management, remains solvable if those with huge responsibilities on their shoulders, endeavour in most transparent manner to effortlessly make sacrifices for the good of all and in particular for generations yet unborn.

Maiwada is seen within the Nanta circles as a philosopher, and bridge builder. Under his guidance, he has quietly, equitably and transparently provided opportunities, encouraged younger trade operators in the north to come up with one of most ambitious edifice to which the regional cum zonal members are proud to show off. The Nanta northern zone head office which is about 90 percent completed, a four floors skyscraper, is a dream to which this kanuwa travel inventory merchant helped to mobilized his peers to make hay.

Though Maiwada is not the zonal president of the association, his influence, not doubt flows freely within the zone, and like the twinkling star, lights up the way for upcoming travel trade professionals to survive.

Maiwada is also generous, hospitable and a vital link bridge between the older generation of trade professionals and the young ones. He is their respected generalisimo.

Kabir Maiwada was vice president, northern zone between 2014 and 2016, Second Deputy President 2016 to 2020 and first Deputy President, 2020 to 2024 and if the tradition in nanta is followed to the letter, Kabir Maiwada maybe elected into the association’s prestigious elders council during the April national conclave in Lagos.

Though a key player in nanta politics, Kabir Maiwada is known to be very sensitive and responsive to protecting the interest of his zonal members who primarily engage more in hajj operations and religious tourism than contemporary travel offerings, hence would frown at competitions that would ridicule and make his members mere vehicles of impoverishment.

Just recently and collaboration with the zonal vice president, Ibrahim Abdulrasaq, Maiwada mobilized the zonal strength, got the ever available and reliable amazon and president of nanta , mrs susan Akporiare to gain advantage over a two year deadlocked trade dispute with a foreign airline over unexplainable hajj operational hiccups which tied down millions of naira belonging to the members in the north.

Maiwada strength lies in the good of his zonal members. He believes that every interest must have effective local presence and backing without which no leader can genuinely clamour for national attention and opportunity to serve.

Every politics at home, the market place, among peers and friends are local, Maiwada once told me in one very cold night in the United Kingdom over a cup of hot chocolate. He believes going forward for nanta growth, efforts must be made to weed out any operator(s) without visible and verifiable means of income to hold national or zonal office in nanta, thus eliminating leeches as leaders. To Maiwada, the up voting of any aspirant to national office must have majority of local zonal members backing as that is indicative of the acceptance and popularity of such aspirant.

An orator and amazingly cute guy without being seen as a ladies man, Kabir Maiwada is one of the strong pillars behind the successful administration of Susan Akporarie led NANTA presidency.

Twice, he was at world Travel Market in London, pulled strings to support the Nanta tourism show exposition, standing for hours on his feet to identify with the dream of providing new trade offerings for nanta members and also selflessly helping the female members of the association to stay strong.

If you call Maiwada a mentor or godfather of the young operators in nanta, you won’t be wrong as he is quick to defend and protect their interests. No wonder, Kabir Maiwada is the twinkling star of NANTA.

Those who misconstrue his gentle and unassuming disposition with intent to use his reach and integrity to flourish, possibly are not aware of the strong inner stuff that this God fearing enigma possessed.

As NANTA heads into elections next month, I particularly looked forward to his midas touch of engagement as a veritable elder in steering the wheel of nanta into another century.



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