From council office to sewing shop: Ex-Kano LG chair returns to tailoring
July 29, 2026 10:47 am
Former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf. Photo: Daily Trust
A former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has returned to his tailoring business months after he was removed from office by a court.
Basaf, who served as council chairman until March 2026, said his decision to resume tailoring was intended to demonstrate that politics should not be regarded as a full-time profession or the only source of livelihood.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Wednesday, the former council boss said politicians should have sustainable means of income outside politics and see public office as an opportunity to serve.
According to him, tailoring has remained his major source of livelihood for over a decade and even helped finance his political career.
“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,” he said.
Basaf currently operates a tailoring shop in Sheka Ward of Kumbotso Local Government Area, where he supervises about 20 apprentices.
He said he hopes to expand the business into a garment manufacturing company capable of employing at least 50 people.
“My goal is to modernise tailoring, establish a garment company, and employ fifty or more people. I want to contribute to the economy,” he added.
The former council chairman urged young people to embrace vocational skills rather than relying solely on politics or white-collar jobs.
“My message is that they should not despise trades; they should value and modernise them,” he said.
Basaf maintained that tailoring offers greater stability than politics, noting that public office is uncertain.
“Value your trade more than politics, because it sustains you and enables you to support your political activities,” he advised.
Despite holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science, Basaf said he chose to return to tailoring because it has always been his passion and he intends to grow the business into a larger enterprise.
Before becoming Kumbotso LG chairman, Basaf founded the Kwankwasiyya Reporters platform in 2015, served as Kano State chairman of the Alliance National Party, contested for a Senate seat in 2019, and later joined the New Nigeria People’s Party, where he served as Senior Special Assistant on Information.
He won the Kumbotso chairmanship election in 2024, but his tenure ended in March 2026 after a Kano State High Court nullified his Certificate of Return and declared Ali Musa, popularly known as Hardworker, the duly elected chairman.
Although he said he remains active in politics, Basaf insisted tailoring would continue to take precedence.
“Politics can change overnight. You can be in office today and out tomorrow. But tailoring remains. It feeds you, it supports your family, and it allows you to help others,” he said.
He, however, ruled out quitting politics, saying he would continue to participate in the country’s political process.
Adetutu has three years experience in publishing stories on gender, health, education, metro and fact-checking.
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