Former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area in Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has returned to his tailoring business following his removal from office, saying the trade offers greater stability than politics.
Speaking in his tailoring workshop in Sheka Ward, Kumbotso LGA, Basaf said his decision was intentional and meant to encourage politicians and young people to embrace vocational skills rather than depend solely on political office for survival.
“Politics should be seen as an opportunity to serve people, not as a full-time means of livelihood,” he said. “Every politician should have a trade that sustains them.”
Basaf, whose tailoring career spans more than a decade, said the business had financed his political activities long before he became chairman of Kumbotso LGA. Despite holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science, he said tailoring remains his passion.
“Tailoring is not a small trade. It sustains livelihoods. Without it, it would have been impossible to sustain my political activities,” he said.
His workshop currently employs about 20 people, while he hopes to expand the business into a garment manufacturing company capable of employing at least 50 workers.
“My goal is to modernise tailoring, establish a garment company and contribute more to the economy,” he added.
Basaf was elected chairman of Kumbotso LGA in 2024 but lost the position in March 2026 after a Kano State High Court nullified his Certificate of Return, ruling that it had been issued in violation of an earlier court order. The court declared Ali Musa, popularly known as Hardworker, as the rightful winner and ordered his immediate swearing-in.
Rather than viewing the court’s decision as a setback, Basaf described it as a turning point.
“Politics can change overnight. You can be in office today and out tomorrow. But tailoring remains. It feeds you, supports your family and enables you to help others,” he said.
Although he remains active in politics, Basaf said tailoring is now his priority and urged young people not to despise vocational trades.
“My message is that they should value and modernise their trades because they provide lasting security,” he said.
Before becoming chairman, Basaf was actively involved in Kano politics, founding Kwankwasiyya Reporters in 2015, serving as chairman of the Alliance National Party (ANP) in Kano State, contesting for the Senate in 2019, and later joining the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), where he served as Senior Special Assistant on Information.
Despite his return to tailoring, Basaf ruled out retiring from politics, insisting that public service remains part of his life but should never replace a sustainable means of livelihood.
