Politics

• NewsDesk

As Nigeria approaches May 29, the inauguration date of a new administration, newly elected lawmakers and politicians have intensified the lobby game. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights group, has also joined the debate. Though a Muslim group, MURIC wants the Senate presidency to go to a Christian from the South. The group has therefore called on all Muslims vying for the post to withdraw.

This was made known in a statement issued on Thursday, May 18, 2023, by the Executive Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“As the clock ticks away for the 29^th May inauguration date of the Bola Tinubu administration, elected lawmakers and politicians have intensified the lobby game. We have seen how the different geo-political zones, as well as individual politicians and stakeholders, have demanded key positions in the National Assembly.

“Chief among those positions is the Senate presidency as it is the Number 3 position in the country after the president and vice president. As a major stakeholder in the affairs of Nigeria, we have followed with keen interest the imbroglio, which greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket and how it ended in Nigeria having a Muslim President-Elect and a Muslim Vice President-Elect.

“In view of this outcome and considering the multi-religious character of our dear country, Nigeria, it is our considered opinion that the post of senate president should go to a Southern Christian. Nigeria needs the cooperation of both Muslims and Christians because only such collaboration can engender peace and development.

“Although we are a Muslim group, we believe very strongly that Muslims should not take all the top posts despite being the undisputed majority group in the country. Muslims must be ready to share power with their Christian compatriots. Politics is a game of give and take, and Nigerian Muslims must play it right.

“We must all be ready to demonstrate a willingness to work together as a people in spite of our religious differences. Afterall, there is no Muslim electricity supply, no Christian roads, no Muslim public transport system and no Christian naira. Our problems are identical, and whatever affects our country affects both Muslims and Christians together.

“A good example is COVID-19. Hunger knows no Muslim, and malaria knows no Christian. Poverty is common among the adherents of both faiths. Let us, therefore, share what belongs to all with love and find solutions to our common problems together.

“MURIC, therefore, calls on all Muslim candidates vying for the position of the senate president to withdraw in order to allow Christian candidates from the South to have a free hand in the competition (preferably the South-South because the South East has occupied the post on several occasions).

“In addition, MURIC tips any suitable candidate from the North West for the post of deputy senate president in view of the fact that the zone gave the largest number of votes to the party and the candidate that won the election.” 

By Amir Sa’ad Ribadu

The 2023 election cycle has introduced quite a handful of female politicians ranging from the candidates themselves to the wives of candidates. Some female politicians have garnered massive publicity and relevance within their states, while others have become national figures and inspirations to women all over Nigeria.

One such woman is the wife of Katsina state Governor-elect Hajiya Fatima Dikko Radda, whose sudden emergence in the Katsina state political scene has made her an inspiration to women and a political force to reckon with in Katsina.

Before her emergence into the scene as a result of her husband’s success at the Katsina APC primaries sometime in May 2022, Hajiya Fatima, fondly known in Katsina as Zinariya is only known for her philanthropy, passion for educating the girl-child and healthcare delivery by a few beneficiaries of her foundation, PAC-F. PAC-F, which she founded a few years back, has kept her busy. In a recent interview, Hajiya Fatima attributed her passion for philanthropy, which birthed PAC-F, to her late mother.

In another interview in December, she told reporters how she intends to support her husband’s policy, especially in eradicating poverty and improving the healthcare and educational environment for the Katsina girl child.

It is therefore not surprising when she was seen campaigning so vigorously that she is said to have taken her husband’s message personally to 146 wards out of the 361 wards in Katsina, which is unprecedented for the wife of any guber candidate in any state in the North.

Her campaigns mainly centred around her husband’s policy document. Also, they focused on her passion for helping the girl child and supporting her husband in making healthcare delivery accessible to all in Katsina, especially women.

She seems to have been accepted by women and young people in Kastina because most can relate with her, owing to her age, ability to understand and proffer solutions, and natural propensity for generosity. Her acceptance is evident through the crowd she gathers every time she’s at a campaign rally or even in her house when she’s around Katsina.

Her Batagarawa low-cost home has become a popular destination for many who need assistance for medical purposes or daily needs. Her humility, they say, is akin to that of the carpenter of Nazareth.

Her youthful determination and willingness to contribute to her husband, Dr Dikko Radda’s campaign, could be seen in how passionately she reached out to the electorates in Katsina villages. She travelled through the length and breadth of Katsina’s Funtua Zone, a zone marred by insecurity and violence, and on many occasions, some members of her entourage have opted to stay back, but not Zinariya. This is because she was determined to witness first-hand the situation of the typical Katsina family in the villages where insecurity and poverty are rife.

It is, therefore, not surprising to see youth and women rally around her, chanting slogans of hers and her husband’s whenever she is around. This and many more reasons are why Katsina is said to be lucky to have a youthful, energetic, and passionate Governor in Dr Dikko Radda, who shares precisely the same qualities as his wife, Zinariya Fatima Dikko Radda.

Amir Sa’ad Ribadu writes from Libreville Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. He can be contacted via mrribadu@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has proposed a 20 to 50 years development plan to help address the menacing underdevelopment issue in Nigeria.

Bisi Akande, Pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), disclosed this on Sunday in a public lecture in Ondo.

Akande, who is also a former governor of Osun State, lamented that the failure of successive governments to have a development plan for critical sectors of the economy is responsible for the country’s underdevelopment.

He stated, “We fail to plan and, yet, we are surprised that we fail in almost all sectors as we are all lapsing into generations of plan-less hypocrites.

“I can assure you that was not what we inherited. In this same country, we used to have five years capital development plans and seven years capital development plans. Now we only plan for the immediate next election.

“We thank God that this time around; Nigerians have elected a leader who has planned for a long time to be our President.

“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a well-known person to Baba Fasoranti, and he is also an inheritor of the Awoist legacy of planning and integrity.

“Therefore, it is right and necessary to expect a 20 or 50 years master plan for Nigeria from President Tinubu which would transform this blessed country into a great one,” Akande added.

By Mansur Hassan, PhD

The Kano State government, under the administration of HE Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje spent eight years without offering employment opportunities to the state’s youth, only to make such opportunities available after losing the 2023 election. The added insult to injury is that these opportunities are being sold for exorbitant prices, ranging from N50,000 to N100,000.

This kind of behavior is not only unethical but also unacceptable in a society that aspires to be just and fair. Employment opportunities should be based on merit and offered to those who are most qualified for the job, not to those who can afford to pay for them.

The fact that such opportunities are being sold at all is evidence of a corrupt and dysfunctional system that is failing to serve the interests of the people.

It is particularly troubling that this situation has arisen in Kano State which happens to be a home to a large population of young people who are in dire need of meaningful employment. Youth unemployment has been a major challenge in Nigeria, and Kano State is no exception.

It is estimated that over 50% of the state’s youth are unemployed or underemployed, a situation that is fueling poverty, social unrest, and other negative outcomes.

The failure of governments at all levels to address this issue during their eight-year tenure of the current dispensation is a clear indication of the lack of concern from the outgoing administration of APC for the well-being of the state’s youth.

Instead of investing in job creation and skills development programs, they chose to focus on other priorities, leaving the youth to languish in poverty and hopelessness. This is a failure of leadership, and it should not be tolerated.

It is also alarming that the situation is unlikely to change, as the person who is widely believed to be responsible for this state of affairs, Governor Ganduje, is not expected to change his ways.

The fact that he is accused of being behind the sale of employment opportunities further underscores his lack of concern for the welfare of the people. It is clear that he has lost touch with the realities on the ground and is more interested in consolidating his power than in serving the interests of the people.

In conclusion, the situation in Kano State is a sad reminder of the many challenges that Nigeria is facing as a country. Youth unemployment is a major issue, and it requires urgent and sustained action by the government and other stakeholders.

The sale of employment opportunities is a symptom of a deeper malaise that is undermining the country’s development and progress. It is time for all Nigerians to demand better from their leaders and to work towards building a more just and equitable society.

Mansur Hassan, PhD is a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Yusuf Maitama Sule University
He can be reached via mhassan@yumsuk.edu.ng

By Mukhtar Jarmajo

It is startling to learn that for most politicians and their supporters, elections are simply the means to grab power by hook or crook. Perhaps, for many politicians, politics, especially in Africa, is a power struggle for the sake of bad governance. Or better still, politics, as it is played here, is not about the promotion of the citizens’ quality of life. Rather, it is about ruling them for gaining access to excessive personal wealth and pleasure.

For this reason, politics here is hardly issue-based. It is mostly about religious, regional, ethnic or regressive political and socio-economic sentiments predicated on the desire of grappling power to rule based on personal gains, thereby subjecting the people to untold hardship.

Here in Bauchi state, the story is no different, as evidenced by the miasma of hopelessness with dead public schools, ineffective healthcare service, vulnerable women and children, moribund industries, poor housing schemes, ineffective food production system and dead civil service. Yet, all that some politicians care about is retaining power.

Sadly, this crop of politicians wants to remain in power, not because they have ever shown any propensity for making the lives of the people any better as they hold sway, but because being there, for them, is a means of survival even if that is at the expense of the masses. Surprising as this is, more surprising are the supporters of these regressive politicians who are at the receiving end of the actions and (or) inactions of their political leaders.

It beats every imagination that there is anyone out there who consciously endorses ideas that aim to reverse progress, suppress change as well as ensure social, economic and political retrogression. Maybe, this is a pointer to the fact that our people need more enlightenment on the concepts of government, governance, democracy and politics.

Jarmajo wrote from Kukadi/Gundari ward, Misau Local Government.

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Now that the storm in the drama-filled Adamawa gubernatorial election has been subdued, the two big contenders, Aishatu Dahiru Binani and Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, will have the opportunity to retrospect and strategize for their next steps. 

On Binani’s path, there are two junctions. First, stick to the moment. Second, make a U-turn to a new path. 

The fact is, the actions of the now-suspended Adamawa state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Yunusa have ‘dented’ Binani’s public sympathy, especially outside Adamawa. The REC’s actions have put the APC on edge. So, Binani needs both ‘on-the-shelves’ and ‘off-the-shelves strategies, as her next moves may make and mar her political future. She has three (3) options.

First, continue to insist that she is the Governor-Elect, as declared by REC, Hudu Yunusa Ari. In this case, Binani will approach the tribunal with a sole demand – the court to proclaim her Governor-Elect,  based on Section 149 of the Electoral Act 2022, which states that: ‘Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, any defect or error arising from any actions taken by an official of the Commission in relation to any notice, form or document made or given or other things done by the official in pursuance of the provisions of the Constitution or of this Act, or any rules made thereunder remain valid, unless otherwise challenged and declared invalid by a competent court of law or tribunal.

The second option for Binani is to pursue her cause through the tribunal while completely ignoring Hudu’s bizarre actions. She can reinforce her case by hammering on the alleged irregularities in some local government areas during the 18^th March 2023 gubernatorial election. Places like Governor Ahmadu Umaru’s village, Madagali LGA, which claimed a whopping 42.2% voter turnout

Binani’s third opposition is to retreat – congratulate Fintiri, discard the option of any litigation and move for the future.

These three options have implications for Binani, Adamawa politics, and Nigerian polity.

If Binani and her team decide to take the first option, she would be testing the effectiveness and the efficacy of section 149 of the Electoral Act 2023. While it will be good for democracy, as the court will interpret the section, INEC will do whatever possible to save its face.

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu government may be interested as well because it may want to distance itself from Hudu’s actions to show the international community and Nigerian ‘eagle eyes’ that the election which brought Tinubu to power was fair and that the umpiring was not jungle-like. Binani taking this option means that many heads will roll, as Hudu may spill the beans. Binani may also continue to lose support because Hudu’s actions were a ‘third-rate’ action in politics (elections are best won at the polling units). REC Hudu’s action has attracted many observers even outside Nigeria.

For the second option, Binani has good advantages over Fintiri if she can assemble an excellent legal team alongside experienced politicians, political experts, and intellectuals from Adamawa to provide data, facts and figures, and shreds of evidence to back up the claims of irregularities during the elections. Binani has a bright chance of winning the case based on technicalities, while Fintiri will face a lot of hurdles here. This option is very expensive and requires both political and individual commitment from Binani’s team.

The third option for Binani is to retreat, congratulate Fintiri, and move on. This is the most difficult option for her, in fact, for any politician who has come as far as she has. If Binani goes for this option, many of her supporters will be initially demoralized. But in the long run, she would relieve the entire polity of the suspense, uncertainty, and unknowns. In fact, the investigations on Hudu Yunusa, securities heads, and other people will be inconsequential.

Binani will rediscover herself, remove the dent of Hudu’s action on her political outlook, and technically trounces her adversaries in the Adamawa APC. She will create the road to becoming  Adamawa’s version of Kwankwasiya because of her well-known philosophical activities and for being an Iron Lady.

Furthermore, with this (third) option, Binani will ‘save the day’ for many people. But it is a very difficult option; only politicians operating with a complete mind of their own will opt for such an option. It requires foresight to see tomorrow from today.

 Binani may have depleted her arsenal, but she has had a good fight; Fintiri will not forget her in a jiffy.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja via zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Mahmud Dambazau

Despite being the ruling party; having the President, Vice president, majority in both the senate and the house of representatives, 21 state governors and majority of states houses of assembly, a formidable national spread and structure, adequate financing and financing opportunities, easy access to intelligence from the security (in addition to other privileges of the government), seasoned politicians and the political profile, political sagacity, connection, foresight, friendship across the divide for its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, still All Progressive Congress (APC) had to take the risk of flying Muslim-Muslim ticket at a time when religion could be a sensitive factor than at any other election period.

The risk taken was, for obvious reasons, the most probable option for winning at the polls and most importantly, it has been successful. Similarly, the success or otherwise of the incoming administration is directly proportional to its success at the legislative arm. The 8th national assembly, despite being led by members of the ruling party, was adjudged by the party itself as part of the reasons for the low and abysmal performance of the outgoing administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The ABAT administration therefore cannot afford to fail in the choice of the presiding officers of the national assembly and most importantly, the senate.

A brief analysis of the 2023 presidential election results indicates the APC got the highest votes from three of the six geopolitical zones; the north west, south west and north central with 2,652,824, 2,542,979 and 1,760,993 votes respectively with Lagos and Kano states being the only two states that had given the presidential candidate more than five hundred thousand votes. But despite the numbers from the northwest zone, the APC came first in only two of the seven states in the region; Jigawa and Zamfara but Zamfara has now aligned with the PDP. The APC therefore now more than ever, needs to be strategic in ensuring the northwest region, which has the highest number of votes and gave it the highest remain within its fold.

Now back to Kano, the most important state in the region which was before the election and since inception of the APC being under the party but now turned its support towards the NNPP, producing their only governor and most of the other elected positions from the party. The state governor, the deputy governor who also doubles as the governorship candidate of the APC in the state as well as the state party chairman who was heard in a widely circulated video boasting that they will win the elections no matter the consequences all lost their local governments to the NNPP during the presidential election. Senator Gaya, a former governor of the state who has also been at the senate since 2007 also lost his reelection bid to the NNPP candidate.

The story is the same for the son of the state governor, who contested for the house of representative’s seat at the governor’s constituency. Out of the 22 House of Representatives seats announced, the APC got only 5 with the rest lost to the NNPP. It wasn’t coincidence or surprising that all these five came from Kano north senatorial zone, where Senator Barau Jibrin hails from. It should also be noted that Sen.

Barau resoundingly defeated his major challenger, the NNPP candidate who is a staunch ally of Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and also a former Executive Secretary of TETFUND. Sen. Barau defied all odds and won with a very wide margin. In view of that, it is safe to say that the fate of APC in Kano solely depends on the political future of its most acceptable candidate as shown from the polls.

I believe the APC will agree that Kano is too important to be abandoned politically and the surest way of a comeback is undoubtedly through Barau. The fate of the PDP at both the presidential and governorship election in the state, despite having Senator Shekarau; a current senator, a former minister and a former two term governor of the state should be a case study.

The Senate president is not just the head of the senate but also the leader of the legislative arm of government as well as the chairman of the national assembly which comprises both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Among all the contenders, Senator Barau Jibrin is the only one who has been at both the house and the senate. He was not just a member of the House of Representatives, but also served as the chairman of the most important committee; that of appropriation. He has been at the senate for two terms and has headed the committees of petroleum downstream sector and that of tertiary education and TETFUND. He is currently the chairman of the appropriation committee of the senate under whose leadership, Nigeria has consistently maintained its budgets within the year circle. Despite all these successes, not once has he ever been accused of any act of corruption! His performance at his constituency (visible at all the nooks and crannies of the constituency and beyond) were what endeared him to his constituents.

Just recently, the President approved the appointment of the management of the newly established Federal Polytechnic Kabo, one of the fruits of the senator’s representation. His bills at the senate were more than those of the other contestants of the senate presidency combined. What more could we possibly ask for?

The first 8 years of the PDP from 1999-2007 produced five different senate presidents from the same region; Senators Evan Enwerem, Chuba Okadigbo, Anyim Pius Anyim, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani but they were unable to push for the construction of the Second Niger bridge. It was accomplished under a president from the northwest, a minister from the southwest, a senate president from the northeast and a chairman of the appropriations committee from the northwest. So, the jostling for the position might not particularly mean the dividends of democracy to the masses. However, their occupation of the position has ensured continued support of the PDP at the region within the period.

With the now overwhelming support of the Labour party in the region and the inability of any of the contestants from the region to secure 25% for the party at the presidential polls make it necessary for APC not to sacrifice its biggest support region, the northwest, in anticipation of an unlikely support from the southeast.

At a time in 2007, three of the four highest offices in the country; President, Vice president, Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives were held by occupants from the same religion. That has happened again from 2019-2023 and it has not religionized the country or stopped adherents of other religions from practicing their religion. Nigeria will certainly progress faster if we set aside religion or ethnic considerations in favor of competence.

Without an iota of doubt, Senator Barau Jibrin is the most competent among all the contestants for the senate presidency of the 10th senate. The facts are there and it is now left to the APC and the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s incoming administration to decide how it will respond. However, any action taken will have its consequences in the 2027 election!

Mahmud wrote from Kano and can be reached on madambazau@gmail.com.

By Umar Ardo, PhD

Again, having won this hard earned victory against all odds, it is critical for the sake of the country that the regime succeeds. And this success is largely dependent on four key elements; 1. The sincerity of purpose and commitment of the president in carrying out the functions of the office he contested for and which Nigerians entrusted him with; 2. Coordinated consultations and taking of advice; 3. Careful consideration of those to be appointed into key offices of government, i.e. ministers, advisers, chief executives, etc.; and 4. Learning to avoid mistakes of predecessors.

Given the underlining nationwide political variables of his coming to power, these four elements will essentially be the bedrock of determining the success or otherwise of his administration. The first point is actually an issue of intention, which entirely rests on the personal disposition of the President-elect. Once he is sincere in his intentions towards the nation in the use of state power then the rest is easy. All that will be required is to bring his noble intentions to bear in the exercise of the state power now in his control.

The second point rests on the familiar standard of the universal norm of leading through consultations and advice, which are foundational elements of successful leadership.

This third point is the institutional offices of Ministers and Special Advisers, with their functions, which are vital in the due discharge of governance. Those appointed to these offices constitute the first line of official teams for advice and execution of public policies. The success or failure of his regime rests as much on his ability as a leader as on the competence or otherwise of his ministers and advisers. This point needs further explanation.

In underscoring the point, the 1999 Constitution of our country (as amended) creates at the federal level the Council of Ministers and offices of Special Advisers for the good purpose of executing the powers and functions due to the Office of the President. This invariably means that the stability and good governance of the country are dependent on the sound character, right practice and good judgment of the President; while the well-being and quality judgment of the President depend on the knowledge, skill and honesty of his official advisers. Blessed therefore, is the President with truthful, knowledgeable, intelligent and right-doing advisers. Advising a leader, therefore, is an onerous task that necessarily requires very special proficiency to perform.

Great political thinkers agreed that ministers and advisers need five basic attributes, if their works are to be fruitful and satisfactory; i. Wisdom, whereby they will perceive clearly the outcome of everything into which the Principal may enter; ii. Knowledge, where by implications of actions of the Principal will be open to them; iii. Courage, to act as and when appropriate on the Principal; iv. Honesty, so that they will treat all things and men truthfully without exception; and v. Discipline, to keep official secrets as secret at all times. If the President is able to appoint suitable men, then he is most likely going to succeed, for “a good minister/adviser is like the ornament of the King”; but if he is unable and appoints unsuitable men, then his regime is most likely going to fail. Aristotle, that great Greekphilosopher, said that when a ‘king’ has an unsuitable [ignorant] minister/adviser, his reign will be like a cloud which passes on without dropping rain.

Instructively, in our presidential system of government, all ministers/advisers are solely appointed by the President. This means that the quality of advice and execution of public policy are also solely dependent on the kind of ministers/advisers the President-elect assembles to himself. In appointing ministers/advisers, the president’s skill or lack of it to distinguish the great disparity that exists between men who are suitable and men who are not, in itself can decide the ultimate destiny of his regime. The President-elect may well need to heed to Aristotle’s admonition; “good advisers are needed to help the King spare his reign”. The fourth point is to learn from past historical trends, especially the mistakes of his predecessors and avoid them all. I will expatiate few examples on this point.

First, is the inauguration of the National Assembly (NASS). The President-elect needs the NASS

on his side to perform optimally. To this end, the President-elect should avoid the mistakes of his predecessor and personally inaugurate the NASS so as to create an interpersonal relationship with members. This would not only forestall the crises which the Buhari’s presidency faced with the NASS in its first term, it would instead create a strong bond of goodwill and confidence-building between the two arms of government, thereby earning the executive full cooperation of the legislature. He will be able to also influence the type of leadership he needs in the legislative houses.

Second, unlike his predecessor, he must compose his governing team quickly. It is important to carefully and decisively take charge of all the levers of state power and immediately create effective authority to drive government policy thrusts, create a good first impression of the President’s leadership style, trigger people’s confidence in his government’s policy initiatives, and substantially muster public faith in his personal capacity to provide effective leadership to the country.

Third, in resolving the intractable debilitating problems of the country, especially the security issues, the President-elect should also avoid the mistakes of his predecessor. For example, in deciding the policy thrusts of his administration, he initiates the appropriate wide range consultations with necessary stakeholders; thereby appreciating the fact that the problem is more of a sociopolitical than a military one. It is therefore advisable that before the President- elect takes any decision and makes any pronouncements on any critical issue, wide ranging coordinated consultations are made with critical stakeholders so as to arrive at the best form and method of handling the issue at hand.

These consultations are important on two aspects – first, they will help formulate alternative devises that are locally initiated, people-owned, people-friendly and practically effective in the resolution of the issue at hand; second, it will be politically beneficial to the President-elect because he will be seen to be carrying the people along in his policy formulation and implementation processes. This way the people will feel part of it and therefore support it. But failure to do so will alienate the people and distance them from such policy initiatives, thus further create a poor impression of government’s policy directives with its debilitating loss of peoples’ confidence in the president’s method of governance; leading to policy implementation failure.

Fourth, is recognition and careful consideration of those who contributed to the success of the president, especially the competent and qualified amongst them. The biggest political problem of President Buhari is the outright neglect of those who contributed to his political success. The President-elect must identify, recognize and patronize those who sincerely supported and contributed to his political aspirations. This way he will retain their support and be guaranteed of their loyalty. If these points are taken into account, it is my humble submission that the Tinubu regime will succeed where others have failed.

By Amir Abdulazeez

I became familiar with politics before the age of ten. One contributing factor was family members who contested for elective positions during Nigeria’s botched 3rd Republic in the early 1990s. I was close to people contesting positions as low as councillorship and as high as president. Whenever they were having discussions, there was one name that came up frequently, and that name was Malam Aminu Kano. At that time, his death was not even ten years old.

I knew little about this frequently discussed man then, but I grew up striving to understand more about him. I noticed that politicians from all affiliations adore him, pray for him and then treat him like a prophet. Whenever he is mentioned, people get filled with nostalgia. There is virtually no politician in Kano and, by extension, the greater part of Northern Nigeria who doesn’t want to be associated with the Aminu Kano brand.

For over thirty years since I first heard his story, I have struggled to understand more about him.  The deeper I went, the more I realized how special he was. From 2002, when I became much keen on observing and studying Nigerian politics, up to date, I have been very much convinced that the majority of the set of people we call politicians today are mere jokers without any vision compared to the likes of Malam Aminu Kano. Only a very few of them have tried to replicate the kind of discipline and honesty he was known for. During their era, the likes of Aminu Kano were in politics for a reason which was never self-centred.

Although he was known mainly as a politician, emancipator, reformer and activist, Malam was also a great author, orator, mentor and educationist. He is credited with establishing the modern Islamiyyah system we operate today. He is also believed to be one of the shapers of mass education practised today. He had touched society positively in many ways other than politics. That is why we have diverse institutions named after him; roads, schools, hospitals, airports, etc.

At the peak of his powers, Malam was literally the owner of Kano politics, yet he was humble, kind and generous even to his opponents. His honesty was uncommon even for his era. It was reported that one day, the then Kano State Governor, Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, visited him with the gift of an electric generator. Malam enquired whether the governor had provided a generator for all the people of Kano State. That was how he rejected it, and Rimi had to leave with it. When Malam died, he didn’t leave any wealth for his family. His only house is now a research centre managed by Bayero University, Kano.

Today marks exactly 40 years since the demise of this rare human being. Although his ideology, ethics and teachings have remained significant, the people have never stopped mourning him. Every year, his death looks fresh; Malam will be mourned forever. He was a champion of progressive politics and justice, a defender of the oppressed and downtrodden, a true man of the people and a dedicated ad unique statesman. He is among the most outstanding Nigerians and a role model to millions of citizens and leaders. He will remain a reference point for a long time or forever. His history will be written and rewritten severally.

His death marked the end of ideological politics in Northern Nigeria. I see him as the greatest Kano citizen of all time, at least in the modern era. He has established a norm by living a life that any right-thinking person would aspire to lead. But, unfortunately, a society like Kano, which enjoyed a solid political foundation laid by the likes of Aminu Kano, is now governed by the kind of shameless and self-centred people we see today.

While some political leaders have worked hard and tirelessly to sustain the Aminu Kano legacy, many others have been anti-people, playing the politics of self-interest at the expense of society. The bitter part is that even political crooks and criminals disguising themselves as leaders are claiming to be identifying with the teachings of Aminu Kano.

Today, we have so many pretenders who claim to be disciples of the late sage, and only people with historical knowledge can unearth their treachery. It is funny that some people even wear his kind of attire, bragging about being like him, while in practice, they are corrupt, morally bankrupt and don’t adhere to any of his teachings.

Unfortunately, many who lived with him did not inherit his modesty, honesty and simplicity. Many of the influential people who remember him today only do so hypocritically. They were never sincere about promoting his virtues. People who claim to have him as their role model are stupendously rich beyond rationality while maintaining a questionable character. If he were alive, he would disown most of these pretenders.

Malam Aminu Kano was not wealthy; he didn’t hold many government positions. Malam didn’t force people into building a political empire, and he wasn’t greedy; his name has been written in gold, and nothing can erase it for the rest of history. The corrupt leaders of today will die to have his kind of name, but they can’t exercise any of his virtues. Instead, they are shamelessly hell-bent on garnering wealth, wealth and more wealth as if there is no life after death.

All my life, I have aspired to become myself and carve a niche from my own view of life. I had understood very early in life that every human being is unique in his own right, and there is no rigid template that everyone must follow to become great. Many great men have inspired me, but I still enjoy being myself. However, for every rule, there is an exception; from what I’ve gathered about Malam Aminu Kano, he is one person I can give up everything to be exactly like him.

Twitter: @AmirAbdulazeez 

By Abubakar Suleiman

The 200-page book with 17 Chapters titled, “Stepping on Toes: My odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority,” is a very interesting book with damning revelations. It is an inside story of Hadiza Bala Usman’s stewardship as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the mess that is the Nigerian public service.

The book is written in simple and straightforward English that even a high school student will comprehend so well. My interest is piqued and waxing stronger from one Chapter to another thereby making the book to be unputdownable.

The first two chapters of the book highlighted the events that summed up her closeness to the former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Ameachi, his recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari for her appointment as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the President’s subsequent approval.

Chapters three, four and five discussed the status quo or context in which Hadiza met the top government officials, internal reforms and her steps toward turning the place around for the better. Her innovation or attempts at decongesting the ever tiring Apapa’s traffic was also captured here.

The rest chapters delved into the ‘stepping on toes,’ the root causes of her imbroglio with vested interests in the industry and her boss-cum-witch-hunter and eventually her ‘stepping aside.’ It was either a major player in the industry or contractor breaches the contract agreement with impunity or it was the Minister who wants an extension for a contractor after a procurement process has already commenced.

The final chapter, Chapter 17, was the icing on the cake. If you’re not given to reading books, try to read this last chapter titled “The lessons I learnt.” For anyone who eventually finds themselves in the public service. The chapter needs to be etched in our memories before we get carried away by the allure of wealth or the sweetness that comes with the corridors of power whenever we are called to serve. I implore everyone to read the book especially people who have a tinge of interest in the public service.

It is good that she documented her experiences and travails as the boss of the NPA. Her successor or anybody with an interest in public service will learn some lessons on the political scheming, politics, lobbying, vested interests, backstabbing, soft and tough decisions and, careless and honest mistakes that come with public office.

Some decisions taken by public office holders might seem awkward, insensitive or uninformed but we never could tell the context and variety of information and decision available to them. An autobiography will give us these insights. And I am particularly happy that politicians or public servants are toeing this path of detailing their experiences, thoughts and decisions making in their public service sojourn. We hope, some day, the former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Ameachi will also write a book so we could get his own version of the story. The revelations are indeed damning.

Without falling for the danger of a single story and without prejudices to Ameachi, Hadiza’s story is not unusual as far as the public service terrain is concerned. From Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to Yewande Sadiku to many other patriotic Nigerians who left the call to serve the nation somehow scathed; it has always been a case of being loyal to the truth and country or being uncritically loyal to your boss or some vested interests who call the shots with impunity and clear disregard for the rule of law and the country’s image and integrity.

The Nigeria’s public service is a very intriguing space and it would be difficult not to step on big toes especially when you really want to carry out reforms or bring about change or sanity in the system. The beginning of your suffering as a Nigerian, whether as a leader or the led, is to insist on following due process in your dealings. With this sole decision, you’ve kissed peace a goodbye.

A reformed minded person will always come onboard with disruptive decisions and vested interests who have enjoyed monopoly, formed cartels and compromised previous and existing civil servants don’t go down without a fight. They will pull all the strings available in the book and it could be done in the most harshest and dirtiest manner.

From getting a court order to restrain you from proceeding with a well planned and thought out process to employing hoodlums to attack you and to using dangerous politicians to fight you on their behalf. And these dangerous tendencies have pushed many intelligent and patriotic people away from public service.

Furthermore, when it comes to feasting or latching on the national cake, the collabo between politicians or vested interests knows no political party, ethnicity or religion. The most important thing for the interests is to just align and every other thing or person is just a chess pawn.

Public service is increasingly becoming a toxic and thorny path many reform-minded persons will not want to toe. Now, should we decline a call to serve our country? The definitive answer to that is no! Whenever you are called to serve the country don’t hesitate to oblige, it is an opportunity to make decent contributions for your country. The public service is too important to be left to the sharks. Go into the public service terrain, get your fair share of scars but make sure you leave an imprint of integrity, transparency and accountability. And in the end, publish your story.

Abubakar Suleiman writes from Kaduna and can be reached via abusuleiman06@gmail.com