Politics

By Umar Farouk

Your Excellency, I am writing you this letter with indubitable respect to your humble personality. Unfortunately, I am obliged to address you openly since personal access to you may be barred by your bureaucratic and routine security protocol. Hence, people like me can’t get access to meet you privately.

My joy is neither limited to the letter’s content nor the means of satisfying my professional conscience. It is rather vested in my utmost trust that you have a listening ear. It is on this that I implore that you gracefully through to be mention perception consider the actualisation of the message therein.

I, therefore, pray that this letter meets you well and that God would grant you the grace, wisdom and the presence of mind to accept this for what it is. It’s an honest attempt at giving you a perspective on handling the existential crisis facing Jigawa state and its people.

On many occasions, your administration claimed to be transparent, accountable, and respect the commoner, especially young people. I believe we have to grow beyond sentiments about those that govern us if we really want to move in the right direction, but I think your administration has performed below our expectations. 

Your Excellency, you may kindly wish to recall that the youths have been at the forefront of every struggle since the creation of this state. Also, most of the protagonists for the emancipation of Jigawa from Kano State were young people. 

Sir, youths’ trust deficit and loss of faith in you as the governor of our esteemed state is in dire need of rebuilding and assurance. I am particularly hoping you do this in earnest so that it won’t go down in history as one governor who lost his fort to secure his people out of obscurity and perpetual distrust in governance.

The younger generations have no patience for long messages; their understanding outstrips speeches and press statements lacking facts and pragmatism. They want today a vital social ideal for which to live and labour in. A system that will ensure their voices count while the equitable distribution of wealth and resources is guaranteed now and in the future.

My dear Governor, please note this, our youths, who graduated recently, are in large numbers, and many cannot find means for a decent livelihood. Many who desire to advance their education further cannot do so. Many of them, due to pressure, fall prey to employment scammers. The challenging life experience pushed many into drug peddling, organised groups engaged in stealing and all sorts of crimes. 

It would be a great thing if His Excellency’s administration would avoid lip service to youth’s plights but work concretely with them, not just with celebrities and most opinionated social media activists alone. We must also not forget to accommodate the army of young people that do not possess any skill and therefore would not fit into any formal employment description

The resourcefulness of Jigawa youths is enormous, of which I know your Excellency is very much aware of going by the information at your disposal as our governor.

About 65% of our population are young people between 18-42. Therefore, the need to invest heavily in developing this energetic group can never be overemphasised. Therefore, youth empowerment and development should have been the cornerstone of your administration. 

Your Excellency, after the end of your first term and second year into your second and final term, many believe you have not done well on those matters, and others think you can do better. The unemployment rate in Jigawa is simply worrisome and should not be taken lightly. Furthermore, the NBS reports for three consecutive years have shown we are not doing well in job creation.

I am, however, aware of the various intervention measures your administration has initiated to engage our young people in gainful ventures. Still, they are a far cry from addressing the hydra-headed problem. They need more opportunities to discover their capabilities and an encouraging environment to grow and innovate. For this reason, the government needs to develop initiatives to train and retrain the youth and create awareness about new and emerging fields of entrepreneurship. 

Sir, Your top aides, political leaders within your party and your friends may not tell you the truth even when they complain bitterly within their closets and are quietly compiling a list of your sins they will use against you at the appropriate time.

You must understand that a leader who takes delight or cares less about his people’s disturbing condition is not worth being called a leader. Jack Welch said, “Great Leaders love to see people grow. The day you are afraid of them being better than you is the day you fail as a person” John Maxwell added that “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.”

Sir, this clamour is not in any way aimed at attacking you, as I remain ruthless in our support to ensure the State of Virtues rise above the shackles limiting it to a desirable standard that places it in the heart of all and sundry, but it’s just as important to speak against the repression of this sort, as I believe and stand convinced that the price of unflinching loyalty shouldn’t be undue abandonment. 

Mr Governor, have my best wishes as you reform and initiate programmes and policies that have positive effects on our State and people. 

Best wishes. Thank you.

Umar writes from Jigawa, and he can be reached via umarrfarouk2015@gmail.com. 

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

So great are the expectations. Some people believe it to be long overdue, and others are immensely surprised. But, to those who understand, the Infallible Saints Party (as they call themselves) and its government are much to be anticipated. Probably, it seems like coming with strong whims of making a revolution.  

Is it a one change whirl like that championed by the ANC in South Africa under its propellant, Nelson Mandela? Or the CCP in China contrived by its mastermind, Mao Zedong or the PAP in Singapore with the engineering of its leading figure, Lee Kuan Yew? But, as the change charlatans are about to leave office, people have realized that their revolution is nothing but a trick, deception and betrayal. Thus, the malignant political parties of old crooks and the treacherous ISP of the self-righteous saints are but the two sides of a coin. 

As the stormy wind of politics swept across the country in 2015, people were in a dilemma because the incumbent party had taken the nation to the verge of absolute rot. Hence, it was necessary for a vibrant new captain to take over so as to save the capsizing ship on the muddy, turbulent and already disturbed ocean. ISP and its leading forces, the messiah, who promised a miraculous change, were our last hope for survival. Therefore, we undoubtedly reposed the trust, firmly believing that the mess would be cleared once and for all, come what may. 

For over a decade, people sacrificed their wealth, resources and lives for the success of the so-called “jagoran talakawa” (masses emancipator). Today, what is the gain earned? An excoriating economic hardship, an avoidable but seemingly inevitable mass killings and abductions. Sadly, he campaigned unwaveringly for the big office for more than a decade. However, he practically lacks any blueprint for the motherland’s development. 

They violated the faithful confidence and trust of compatriots for personal gain. It was a deliberate and calculated disregard for trust and faith, failing to understand that change requires tireless efforts, sacrifice and effective policies. 

Contrarily, the head of the government remains aloof. As a result, the government’s obsolete and unrealistic policies aggravate the people’s misery. They make life worse, more challenging and make the poor poorer. Moreover, they deepen the crises rather than resolve them. 

ISP has assured people that they are the masters of ineptitude and mediocrity by engaging dirty incapacitated politicians to do the job. This is why they are making the project uglier than ever before. 

The sanctimonious Mai Gaskiya (The Truthful One) and the die-hard cohorts of the ISP boastfully brag that the administration performs better than the preceding regimes since the inception of democracy. This is a gaffe and a baseless argument to fool the psych of those who are gullible. If the ISP believes this to be true, it’s a self-guile at its most deceitful form. This evidently shows that they are only specialized in the game of political wangling and finagling. Indeed, this is the worst government in the history of the modern motherland. And expecting them to do better is like kicking a dead horse.

On account of this, people are in deep regret as frustration is boldly written on their faces. This is the worst decision and mistake they have ever made. Consequently, they have fallen from the frying pan into the fire. 

At last,  they will leave next year as ones who promised a better life but made it more grievous. Those that vowed for a quintessential change instead come with an illusionary one. They can not save innocent souls being murdered in cold blood daily, ones who couldn’t save us from woes. Those saviours have turned into disappointment.  

Lawi Auwal Yusuf wrote from Kano, Nigeria, via laymaikanawa@gmail.com.

By Ibrahim Tukur

For many years, persons with disability have been encountering various forms of discrimination from the government of all levels in Nigeria. From the onset of Nigeria’s democracy, nay, independence, there had been the executions of different, life-changing, life-saving and life-enhancing projects. However, if meticulously observed, one can see that only a very few numbers of persons with disability have benefited from it. Finally, in its bid to battle against abject poverty, and thanks to the establishment of the National Disability Commission, the current administration began to make a difference.

Persons with disability, for many years, have been using various mediums to battle against the discrimination thrown at them by the government. They clamour for their right, but their efforts yield only a slight result. Although the current administration enacted a law prohibiting discrimination against persons with disability, it has yet to be implemented in its entirety.

Disability-based discrimination is a huge problem that seems to have abounded every nook and cranny of our country. Fighting such entails a decisive element in the vicinity where the discriminations exist.

Persons with disability in Nigeria receive little concern or attention from the government regarding employment, health, education, empowerment etc. This happens as a result of the fact that persons with disability do not have a voice that will fight for them.

To eradicate this irrational discrimination, persons with disability should participate in politics. They can then play roles or be advocates of good leadership to help their kind and the general public.

Ibrahim Tukur wrote via inventorngw@gmail.com.

By Abdulrahman Yunusa

The fact is that no matter how saint or pious you tend to be in the realm of politics, the rotten eggs surrounding the defined political territory must, at all cost, drag you to the diabolical clique of corrupt individuals.

“Politics at whatever level has no nexus with morality,” I have said this over and over, and I will reiterate it now and forever. Therefore, when you see people ditching or bashing people of high repute and class, be it among scholars or royal personalities on a political basis, don’t ever worry about it. They buy it themselves by aligning themselves to the dirty game of politics and paying the price at all costs.

You can’t eat your cake and have it. It’s either you stay away from politics and get your dignity saved or choose to be part of the game and get your dignity torn apart. That’s just the truth. As a person of class, if it appears must for you to associate with men of power, you can do it but with diligence and yet without being actively part of the game. Therefore in another term, you can choose to be passive in the sense that you can air your advice from far for that will earn you more respect in the world of murky politics as of today.

Although, under no reasonable circumstances, you can dive into the gutter with a clean dress and still expect to come out as clean as before. Don’t hoodwink yourself, my man. However, in the meantime, you can possess the guts and audacity to challenge power on behalf of the weaker masses and remain respectful ever in their sight, but getting intimidation by power can worsen your personality. So get this, don’t say we don’t tell you. 

However, suppose you have an interest in politics. In that case, I can advise you to humbly naked yourself from that regalia of dignity and respect for the simple reason that environment you set to get yourself involved in doesn’t favour people of such type. Instead, it brings about gross damage to your hard-earned personality knowingly or unknowingly. 

The case of Sheikh Pantami and Kwankwasiyya supporters of 2019 isn’t far from us, as it trended over and over anyone conversant with Nigerian politics can attest to the overt fact that it’s the Sheikh that once crossed the path of their Messiah (accidentally) without knowing the repercussions that might follow back. Thus, since he believes he is ready to play the game, he has to pay the price of his action in such an unwanted way. 

In addition to that, the bulger case against Bukar Abba, former Yobe state governor, is also a famous instance to prove me right. His private affairs with some ladies who were once brought to media. Such a dirty act cost him much from his dignity. Because many went with the idea that HE IS A WOMANIZER and you know how sensitive every saner society react to case related to sexual content thus, Bukar was trolled and later left in the abyss of shame. However, he wasn’t showing any sign of regret about it, but none can deny the fact that his dignity was mischievously touched.

Meanwhile, you better know that when you get yourself into the chaotic environment, don’t ever anticipate a position that won’t get you compromised. It’s either you recant and make a public apology against your step or delve deeply and get compromised.

Therefore, anyone trying to make “Politics and Morality” two exclusive things in the case of Nigerian politics will forever be proven wrong. The system is designed to favour nothing except indecency, corruption lewdness and injustice at all realms.

Even if they find it sweet and succulent to ridicule the personality of our beloved Sheikh on every single move taken by him, don’t be anxious or worried. The Sheikh is not the first and will never be the last victim of such devastating and nauseating political reality. For many will rush to get themselves into the corridor of power, thinking they are shrewd enough to escape the traps set on the paths without knowing the fact that those deadly traps are not set in the way someone can go through them without being injured or distracted.

Know when and how to set your foot in politics and prepare well for the challenges ahead. 

Thank you!

Abdulrahman Yunusa is a political and public affairs analyst. He writes from Bauchi and can be reached through abdulrahmanyunu10@gmail.com.