Governor Sheriff: Opponents Vs ProponentsBy Mustapha Shet Shehu
I doubt if Governor Ali Sherriff, now popularly called GAS, likes blowing his trumpet. It appears so, because it seems Borno State where the governor is Chief Executive is amongst the least reported states in the country. His opponents may feel there is no trumpet to blow after all, as the governor has nothing to show for his two-year stewardship. Whereas his proponents, though so silent and non-rabble rousing like the governor himself, would feel otherwise. But how do you, as a non-partisan and neutral party, assess this seemingly docile-looking governor and still be fair to him? Maybe a look at his antecedents would be pertinent.
Those who went to Bama with him for secondary education in the 70s, would tell you that though he was among the second best ten in his class in terms of academic performance, he was nonetheless a perfectionist, had a knack for details and took any responsibility assigned him as serious as he could. They would also tell you that in spite of his seeming docility, he could be fun to be with, loyal and kind to his friends, mean and vindictive to his enemies. He suffered to fools. If you were given the option to be his friend or foe, it would serve you better and pay you well if you chose the former.
Governor Sheriff never worked for the government. Maybe he didn’t need to, or maybe he deliberately refused to. He might not have needed to because he was born with a silver spoon. Those who knew him as a student in the United Kingdom in the early 80s, after his brief stint at the Borno College of Basic Studies, would tell you that he lived in their family residence in the high-brow Alexandra Avenue in London, and was usually chauffeur-driven to lectures in a Roll Royce. On the other hand, he could have deliberately refused to work for government because he had wanted to consolidate on his entrepreneur background to enhance his chances in participating in partisan politics. It is now a widely held view that he did so well that with the exception of a governor in one of the north central states, he was reputed to be the richest among the serving governors before the 1999 elections. If this were so, his ambition must have been realized and so far he has done well in the political arena in Borno State.
His opponents may argue that his mode of politicking has been merchantile, but would not be able to contest the fact that there had never been a well-grounded politician in the annals of modern Borno political history like him, save Alhaji Muhammad Goni and the Late Ibrahim Imam. They cannot also contest the fact that his decision to make money before venturing into politics has succeeded to set him apart from the hungry politicians of today who rather than to serve, seek for office to loot.
He won the Borno North Senatorial seat on the SDP platform against all odds. He had to beat Hajiya Kolo Kingibe, who in her own right was a multi-millionaire and also senior wife to the SDP National Chairman, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe. This was no mean feat. His proponents may even claim that he had shown his tenacity in contests, when in the 80s, he beat four other suitors in a keenly fought contest to marry his fair, wide-eyed, dimpled wife.
After the demise of the IBB regime and its Shonekan extension, it appeared GAS, then known as SAS or Senator Ali Sheriff, perceived where the Abacha political wind was blowing. Being a good student of power and politics, he decided to concentrate his efforts on his first calling i.e. money making. He was reputed to have executed major defence contracts that put him in the multi-billionaire club. He used his enormous wealth to reposition himself, not only in Borno North, but also in the whole state. His philanthropy knew no bounds and was unequalled in the history of the state. Every local government you went to, the name SAS was on the lips of even the toddler learning to speak. Any time a procession was organized on his behalf in any of the local governments, most especially in the capital Maiduguri, all activities were brought to a halt. It was no wonder then that, so many people from within and outside Borno state, were surprised that SAS opted for the senate again, and instead of taking charge of the affairs of the state, he installed Governor Mala Kachallah at the helm of affairs.
However, his proponents would tell you his decision to join the senate did prove to be a blessing as he was one of the balancing forces in the senate during the tumultuous first term of the Obasanjo presidency. Even though he was not a member of the PDP, and in spite of his closeness to the Abacha family, he was reputed to be one of the few Senators the President consulted. His opponents may not know this and may insist he was rather docile as a Senator, but the fact as claimed by his proponents is that he was a great stabilizer in the senate and did a lot to stabilize the polity and save our infant democracy from early demise. This, they claim, did not distract him from keeping an eye on the way Borno was being governed by the person he installed.
His proponents say GAS was perturbed at the way Governor Kachallah was running the state like a fiefdom. Mundane contracts such as fencing were created and paid up front. So called “elders” were “settled” and their homes renovated. Foreign scholarships were awarded to party thugs and the grants paid up front even when most of these “scholars” never travelled as far as Bulumkutu, talk more of getting to the Maiduguri airport. Unaccountability was rife and was the order of the day that GAS was torn between loyalty to his father’s friend i.e. Kachallah on the one hand, and the interest of the people of Borno on the other. His love for the Borno people over rode his loyalty to his father’s friend that he decided to move against the governor. He took away the party machinery from Governor Kachallah in spite of his incumbency, from faraway Abuja, and forced him out of the party into the Alliance for Democracy, AD. He then decided to be king in 2003 instead of continuing as kingmaker and fought a hard and bitter electoral battle. He battled with the incumbent who contested on the AD platform and had the resources of the state at his disposal, on one hand, and the brash and younger Kashim Imam, son to the legendary strongman of Borno politics; Late Ibrahim Imam, a known and acknowledged Obasanjo boy, and one of the young PDP Turks who was reputed to have acquired enormous wealth as Obasanjo’s Senior Special Assistant and a “Yuppie” in the political dispensation who brought colour to Borno politics, on the other. The rest is now history.
These have been governor Sheriff’s antecedents. His proponents when assessing his two years as governor, would be quick to tell you that GAS has been governing the state transparently and honestly, and that as a stupendously rich man, his decision to be governor was not for selfish reasons since he had earlier on opted for the “less lucrative” senate. They may further claim that as governor now, he has been able to check the reckless misuse of public funds as was characteristic of the Kachallah administration. The beneficiaries of this recklessness are now bitter that it is no more business as usual and have opted to joining forces with the governor’s opponents. Among the many criticisms of the governor are that contracts have been monopolized by the governor’s relations, appointments are filled by the governor’s relations and the governor has concentrated so much power unto himself.
The governor’s proponents may however, dismiss most of these claims. They may posit, firstly, that the biggest contract so far given by the GAS administration is the 700 housing units in Maiduguri, and that these contracts were based on quota system amongst party faithful in all local government areas in the state. Even then, the governor had assembled all contractors and read the riot act admonishing them to work according to specifications or face the wrath of law. In an unprecedented manner, payments were effected on site after periodic assessments of work done. That the project has faithfully been completed is now history. Other contracts like the various health centres and general hospitals, water supply and township roads and drainage were decided by the state executive council based on the concept of competitive bidding.
Secondly, they will also posit that the governor, being a clever politician, allocated most of the political appointments to southern Borno where most of his votes came from. However, his constituency: northern Borno, where his so-called appointed relations, who are not more than three and are qualified ANPP members come from, has equally very important positions in the cabinet in addition to the governorship position. There is therefore, a balance in appointments and transparency in contract allocation in the state.
On the criticism that the governor has arrogated unto himself all power, the proponents may not be able to refute this claim. They may however, want to point out that with the recent political antecedents in the state, it would be unwise, if not outright foolish, for the governor, who is so much concerned about how history would view him, to let lose public funds on the rapacious civil servants in the state. If he did so, he would have only himself to blame, since at the end of the day, his quest for development would remain only a quest as the civil servants will pull the carpet from under his feet.
Sheriff’s proponents would tell you that in spite of the colossal debt he inherited, his record in terms of development can only be matched by Bauchi’s Governor Mu’azu. That even Mu’azu did not do as much in Bauchi in two years as GAS did in Borno. His opponents can hardly fault this assertion, but may claim that the governor’s development efforts have so far only been physical in nature, such as housing, township roads and drainage etc, and they will be right. What the governors proponents would need to tell him is to bring these physical developments side by side human development such as poverty alleviation and education, and in another two years, he would surpass Mua’zu’s present six-year achievement. They would also have to tell him to soften on his political foes and become less of the Machiavellian that he is. He should embrace the adage: “keep your friends close and your enemies, closer”. He should improve on agriculture so as to alleviate poverty. Apart from rainy season farming, he should improve dry-season farming by building earth dams in areas around the state where dry season farming is feasible. He should also fight desert encroachment by encouraging people to plant and maintain trees.
If he is able to listen to them, then he can probably break the second-term jinx in Borno State, and who knows? The people’s prophecy: from SAS to GAS to PAS, may soon come to pass.
MUSTAPHA SHET SHEHU Block 2 Flat 24, Matadi Street, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.
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