Adamu Adamu, public service, critics and the rest of us
By Abubakar Suleiman
“Why waste your money to study your family tree? Just go into politics, and your opponents will do it for you free.” – Mark Twain
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has become the subject of public scrutiny lately, after members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) deserted university classrooms for a one-month warning strike to drive home their demands.
To compound Mallam Adamu Adamu’s ordeal, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) President, Asefon Sunday Dayo, threw decency, good English grammar and coherence to the dogs and confronted him for the way forward on these incessant strikes. The Minister, within his rights, could not stomach zingers from the NANS President; hence, he peacefully walked out.
What the Nigerian academics and critics need to crucify Adamu any day is to comb his past articles on the sorry state of education in the country and the possible solutions he highlighted in addressing the anomaly, notwithstanding the practicability or sustainability of the solutions. Blessed with astonishing writing prowess, Adamu doesn’t pull punches whenever he decides to take the government of the day to the cleaners on education.
Mallam Adamu is not alone in the blowback of past written or spoken words. Isa Ali Pantami, Reno Omokri and Reuben Abati are good examples of how venturing into public service can force critics to chew some of their words or elegant analyses raw. They get to see, first hand, the depth of the rot in the system they seek to reform. Moreover, thanks to their fantastic writings, their readers or fans expect them to do wonders, including unrealistic expectations actions.
History is replete with critics who ended up being the worst versions of the people or policies they obsessively criticised. So also, the grave is filled up with critics whose know-it-all dispositions and elegant solutions never get tested.
Criticism is sweet and romantic. However, it is undeniably required to hold elected or appointed leaders accountable as humanly possible. It helps improve a system and checks leaders’ excesses, thereby insulating them from being despots or demagogues.
However, criticism should be accompanied by good knowledge or grasp of the subject matter, moderation, realistic approaches, and viable solutions. The quick urge or attitude of some critics pontificating on, or criticising, everything under the sun without critical thinking is among the reasons many critics presumed as messiahs ended up as disasters.
Nothing humbles most critics like public service. So, they either choose sheer populism or face the realities or challenges that come with purposeful leadership amidst competing demands, meagre resources, criticism and tough decisions, which are often unpopular. With the latter, they get more kicks than halfpence.
As it is true with an onlooker who sees most of the game, their opinions are birthed from the outside on the premise of poor exposure and little information, which invariably make them see complex and daunting challenges as straightforward.
Interestingly, opinions could change due to contexts or circumstances. People learn from exposure, old age or new knowledge. We may find ourselves opposing some views we hold so dear today in the future when we are eventually called to serve the people. Therefore, if you are called to serve the people, don’t hesitate to oblige. However, be ready to get your fair share of kicks and past opinions unearthed.
Abubakar Suleiman writes from Kaduna and can be reached via abusuleiman06@yahoo.com.
