Former Kumbotso Local Government Area Chairman of Kano State, Abdullahi Gali Shitu, popularly known as Comrade Abdullahi Gali Basaf, has returned to tailoring months after a court removed him from office.
Basaf, who served as chairman until March 2026, said he resumed tailoring to show that politics should not be seen as a full-time career or the only way to earn a living.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Wednesday, he urged politicians to have steady sources of income outside politics and view public office as a chance to serve.
He said tailoring has been his main source of income for more than 10 years and helped fund his political activities.
“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 runs a tailoring shop in Sheka Ward, Kumbotso LGA, where he supervises about 20 apprentices.
He plans to turn the business into a garment manufacturing company that can employ 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.
He also urged young people to learn vocational skills instead of depending only on politics or white-collar jobs.
“My message is that they should not despise trades; they should value and modernise them,” he said.
Despite having Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Science, Basaf said tailoring remains his passion and that he wants to build it into a bigger business.
Before becoming chairman, he founded Kwankwasiyya Reporters in 2015, served as Kano State chairman of the Alliance National Party, contested for Senate in 2019 and later joined the New Nigeria People’s Party 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.
Basaf said he remains active in politics but will prioritise tailoring.
“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 ruled out quitting politics and said he would remain involved in the country’s political process.
