Bomba Dauda
Sunday Marshall Katung (SMK) typifies greatness. As a lad in his native homeland of Batadon, Madakiya district, in the present Zango-Kataf LGA of kaduna State, SMK was never availed with luxury, privileges, and choices of becoming successful. Even if these requisite conditions did exist, they were not laid on a platter.
SMK walked through the tight rope between peasantry and poverty. Growing up, he lacked the basic conditions that propel young aspiring children to greatness. He toiled the soil like many poor children to feed and trekked long distances like most deprived children to have Western education.
As the popular saying in Southern Kaduna goes: “We become who we are by sheer providence and hard work.” A typical Southern kaduna boy has never been a child of establishment. As a people, we work assiduously to access what we deserve. We are never favoured by the system, we deserved what we earned. The story of SMK eclipsed all of this and more.
The federal lawmaker navigated through obstacles, barriers, and complex labyrinth to become successful. Celeberating such a man with immense qualities, who is selfless and has positively impacted many lives comes with so much excitement and funfair.
SMK means different personalities to different folks: to Abigail, he is a husband. To some, he is a father. To others, a politician, a role model, a natural giver, and a leader. SMK is indeed an icon to an array of people. The nexus between all of this is the passion that he does anything he cherishes. SMK has enormous love for people as he does spread positive energy around.
Educational pursuit
SMK started his educational pursuit at LEA Primary School, Madakiya. Upon completion, he secured admission into Kufena College, Wusasa, Zaria in 1975 and obtained his School Leaving Certificate in 1980.
Having performed excellently well in WAEC exams, he was admitted into the College of Advance Studies, Zaria and sat for the IJMB exams in 1982 and scored high points that guaranteed him admission to read Law at the University of Lagos from 1972 to 1986. Between 1986 and 1987, he was at the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he secured his BL(Barrister-at-Law).
After the completion of his programme at the Law School in Lagos, he was posted and served at the Directorate of Air Provost of the Nigerian Airforce Headquarters, Lagos, from 1987 to1988
He later went further to read a Post-Graduate (PGD) in Management at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an MBA from the same institution and another Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy (MIAD).
Hustling Life
While talking to social media influencers in Kaduna some years ago, he challenged them to always approach politicians and wealthy individuals with a blueprint instead of going cap-in-hand begging for handout. “Life rewards only those who use their time in lucrative ventures,” he said.
He drew example from his personal experience as a student and a hustler when he used to travel to Lagos to buy clothes and sell to co-students, he mentioned Hon. Isa Ashiru Kudan as one of his customers. When he was in University of Lagos, he said he was a professional DJ and because he was making money he wasn’t asking people for money. “But today, politics has spoiled our psyche, our youths have now become professional politicians,” he decried.
At the gathering of some 108 recipients of N50,000 (each), Sunday Marshal Katung Scholarship early August, 2021 the humanitarian made a startling revelation about his schooling days at the University that hauled a reverberating shock.
The hall was at graveyard silence, the 108 students listened to Marshal in desperation, he spoke specifically to the students to motivate, stir up positive emotions and reorient their psyche towards been winners. He did that unambiguously. “Every successful man or woman has a story,” he told them.
All the 108 recipients of Sunday Katung Foundation scholarship are from impoverished families in Southern Kaduna. I recalled, a tall black boy sitting adjacent to me subconsciously exclaimed, “wow!” to Katung’s emotional story.
The story was not about how he tried to fit in, into the urban culture that characterizes Lagos, rather, how he learned and perfected the act of Disco Jockey (DJ) and sold Compact Discs (CDs) on the streets of Lagos. In Lagos, he lived a life of a student and a street hustler.
As a public / civil servant
SMK has served both in the private and public sectors. After his graduation as a young lawyer and the completion of the mandatory NYSC scheme in 1988, he secured a job with the Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, which he rose to the position of company secretary/legal adviser. The youngest in the history of the company.
As the position entails, he was providing general legal advice to the company, in charge of minutes at Board Meetings, among others. He later resigned from the company and pursued his personal business.
He also served the Kaduna State government in various capacities. During the late Sir. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State administration, he appointed SMK as the Commissioner for Finance and Member of the Kaduna State Executive Council.
After the 2011 elections, Katung was reappointed to serve as the Committee for Water Resources by Yakowa. He was again redeployed back to the Ministry of Finance in a cabinet reshuflement by former Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero after the demise of Yakowa.
Touching Lives
Touching lives has become the linchpin of his life. A kindhearted gentleman that takes joy in extending a helping hand to those in need. He is revered for his compassionate service to humanity.
On 1st April, 2021 Katung celebrated his 60th birthday at the Rafiki Orphans Home Ungwan Rimi and ECWA Widow’s Training School, Samaru-Kataf both in Zangon-Kataf LGA of Kaduna State, where he donated computers, clothes and food items to the orphans. He equally donated food items and wrappers to the widows. In his closing remarks at the two centers, he promised to do more to cater for their well-being. This is a philanthropic effort more than a political gesture.
In July, 2021 he gave scholarship to selected 108 undergraduates from Chikun, Jema’a, Kachia, Kagarko, Sanga, Kajuru, Kaura, Jaba, Jema’a and Kauru from designated tertiary institutions: Kaduna State University; Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria; College of Education, Gidan Waya and College of Nursing and midwifery, Kafanchan.
Before the above gestures, he has visited the Internally Displaced Person’s Camp and shared palliatives amid the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, he has increased the number of scholarship beneficiaries from 108 in 2021 to 400 today.
In September 2023, SMK partnered Beacon for Hope Foundation and embarked on a skill acquisition training on seasoning production, soap making, catering, and bag making for rural women across the 8 LGAs of the Senatorial District. According to the digital senator, as he is being referred to by his admirers, “Our women can be effective agents of economic growth who can help steer our Senatorial District towards the global wave of improving lives. We just need to give them the opportunity to do so. This is why I will stop at nothing until we give our women and youth the skills they need to grow financially.”
Political life
Senator Sunday Marshall katung (SMK) is a member of the 10th Assembly. Before being a senator, he was in the House of Representatives(HoP), where he represented Jaba/Zango-Kataf federal constituency from 2015-2019.
In 2019, he won the People Democratic Party’s (PDP) primary for the second time in a stretch, but he relinquished his ticket for the current serving HoP member, Hon. Amos Gwamna is against the interest of the party’s apparatchik. The reason is that the Kaduna State governorship ticket bearer of the PDP in 2019, Rt. Hon. Isa Ashiru Kudan picked SMK as his running mate. However, SMK priotised the interest of the region and the younger generation to have a say in the scheme of things in the region’s politics, this is why he opted for Amos Gwamna contrary to the opinion of PDP’s elites.
The decision to cede his ticket to Amos Gwamna didn’t synchronise with the thoughts of the vast major of the people of Jaba/Zango-Kataf federal constituency. The people of Jaba/Zango-Kataf federal constituency wanted SMK more as a lawmaker than as a deputy governor because of the quality of representation he was churning out for their general good.
Legislative Function
Senator Sunday Marshal Katung is the Vice Chairman Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and he is serving in 17 committees at the Senate. These committees are: 1. Aviation 2. Agriculture Production Service 3. Appropriation 4. Local and Foreign Debt 5. Power 6. Senate Services 7. ICT and Cyber Security 8. Inter-parliamentary Affairs 9. Interior 10. Tertiary Education and Tetfund 11. National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure 12. Solid Minerals 13. Works 14. Women Affairs 15. Defense 16. Land, Housing, and Urban Development 17. Health.
In the 10th Senate, SMK is one of the prolific senators contributing efficiently in almost every session on the floor of the house. He is vocal, and he has been visible. So far, SMK has raised the following motions:·
*Motion for the urgent need to revive the textile industries in Nigeria with particular reference to the kaduna – Kano axis.
*In response to the diphtheria outbreak, he raised a motion on the Senate floor advocating for containment strategies, ensuring public health safety·
He proposed the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Manchok to enhance higher education opportunities.
To address financial barriers to accessing higher education, he introduced the “student loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Amended).”
As a result of the recent disease outbreak affecting Ginger farms predominantly in Southern Kaduna, he called:
*For an immediate on-spot assessment tour of all affected areas of the ginger pandemic in southern kaduna on NCDCP to immediately coordinate surveillance systems to collect, analyse and further prevent spread of phytonosis
*On NEMA to provide palliatives to the affected ginger farmers at Southern Kaduna, whose means of livelihood has been crippled by the disease.
