|
Dictatorship in Shariah Apparel: A Kano Model By Umar S.I. Nuhu
If my memory serves me well, Ibrahim Ali Amin (Little) a political underdog, whose superficial popularity and vague mandate were ‘secularly’ deprived of by the court of competent jurisdiction, presided by Justice Saka Yusuf. Mallam Shekarau’s prayer was granted as follows: That the order earlier given, nominating Ibrahim Ali Amin as ANPP Gubernatorial Candidate was discharged, nominating Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau as ANPP gubernatorial candidate.
That Ibrahim Ali Amin tendered his resignation letter as ANPP chairman 11 days to the gubernatorial primaries contrary to the provision of the ANPP which requires him to resign 30 days before primary election.
So I wonder what Jaafar (the author of the article: Dictatorship in Shariah Apparel meant by saying Little’s mandate was ‘piously deprived.’ It was court order, so everyone has to heed. Mallam believes and uphold the paramount principle that no one is above the law.
The screed with the above title pasted on the www.gamji.com on Oct. 10, 2005 was full of subjectivity, diatribes, impudence, sarcasm and deliberate attempt to portray Mallam in bad light and for his own parochial and myopic knowledge, making allusion to Shariah, no doubt amounts to sacrilege.
Antagonists like Jaafar, in their myopic opinion tent to criticize the establishment of three Shariah implementation bodies by the law of the state House of Assembly (Shariah commission, Hisbah Board and Zakka commission) contrary to his claim that Dan Hisbah sees his relevance as a traffic warden, Hisbah are virtually involved in every facet of our socio-economic life. Before the proper implementation Shariah in Kano, people who are involved in accident rarely had any emergency evacuation to hospitals. With the adequate manpower of Hisbah corps, who are ready to bring succor to the people in dire straits, Kanawa are the happiest people in Nigeria. Today’s Hisbah Corps are ergonomically kitted to face the complexities of modern society and the attendant contemporary challenges but not to equate themselves with the police. In those days during the prophet Muhammad (SAW), the society lacked sophistication. Contrary to the present situation where social vices and crimes have also been devised to face the novel trend.
Much to Jaafar’s chagrin, the Zakkat commission has disbursed millions of Naira to the poor for the first time in Kano history. The epoch–making and rigorous disbursement of Zakkat during the Holy month of Ramadan was clear for every one to assess.
I was piqued as I read Jaafar’s naked comparison with non Shariah and Shariah states. His arguments lack substance and its illogical of him to make such moronic analogy that “corruption, sleaze, ostentation and political injustice are also pervasive in Kano, despite the government pretences to religious puritanism.” He further described the humble politician (I have ever seen) as haughty, autocrat ‘who justifies his actions and inactions and tie it down with injunction to give it a Shariah flavour.’
I’ve often assumed some things are too glaring for everyone to see or rather blind to perceive. Where lies the basis of Jaafar’s blasphemous comparison with non Shariah and Shariah states like Kano where the Shariah-led Shekarau government sown the seeds of peace, progress, development, empowerment and cohesion capable of dousing tension, easing hardship, encouraging productivity, reducing envy to the barest minimum, building and strengthening brotherhood and making people feel belonged. We have reaped the fortune, the vintage is outstanding and the impact is all encompassing. YAN BAKINCIKI SAI SU MUTU.
The Shariah led Kano State government committed more than 20% of its budget to education. It has committed more resources to the rehabilitation of dilapidated infrastructures that has been in deplorable conditions for decades. It has constructed over 200 classrooms in the secondary schools and built 26 new secondary schools. It provided over 33000 secondary school students with seats. Jaafar, the son of a gun, was hyperbolic enough to say: “CRC has built and rehabilitated zillions of secondary, primary and Islamiyyah schools in all the 44 local government of the states (emphasis mine).” How much are the figures that Jaafar could accurately state? The figures are so low to state but to describe them as “zillions”! In the first place, it’s not the job of a reorientation body to build classrooms, but he avowedly hailed CRC for doing what it was not originally established to do. We have had, at the national level, reorientation bodies like War Against Indiscipline (WAI) during Buhari/Igdiabon era. We also had MAMSER during IBB and presently have during OBJ (I can’t recall the prefix) …National Rebirth. I dare ask Jaafar, whom among the mentioned involved in building classrooms? The answer is none! It is primary tasks comprise among other things, to educate people, enlighten them, direct them and put them on the right track.
To demonstrate fair play, in line with the spirit of Shariah, the Shariah-led Kano State government committed hundreds of millions of Naira for reconstruction (I can’t call it rehabilitation) of Sabon Gari Roads (an area inhabited by more than 90% non Muslims). Similarly, IBB, Obasanjo and Ajasa roads in the metropolis are under thorough overhaul. In the matter of reconstruction of ten round abouts, even “Dr.” Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso to whom Jaafar sarcastically kowtow, has recently described the reasons for it as a civil engineering necessity, as they had no drainage. Surprisingly, Kwankwaso did not talk about contract inflation.
Critics tend to be oblivious of Shekarau’s giant strides to eradicate the problem of potable drinking water in the state. No sooner had the wise Shekarau assumed office than he voted N1.5m (the amount that turned out to be a chicken feed, because it can not cater for that gigantic project). For his own knowledge, the amount now voted for the project is N5.6billion! The contract is the largest ever awarded by any state government in Northern Nigeria. The project, Challawa Water Works, on completion before February 2007 Insha Allah, will provide 150 m liter per day.
Going back to the major issues, Jaafar criticizes the populist-oriented social welfare programmes of Shekarau by saying that they are marred with irregularities. Okay, let’s peruse the importance or the basis of the purchase of the tricycles. Therefore some salient points might prove him wrong. He had said that they are refurbished, archaic and the price outrageous. First, the tricycles are brand new ones and not refurbished ones; secondly, the wise Shariah–led Kano State government preferred them to be tropicalized, rugged, and robust so as to match the bumpy terrains of our feeder roads. Thirdly: these tropicalized, customized tricycles are purchased at the rate of N630, 000.00 each and not N500, 000.00 he claims (this, once again proved his arguments to be unsubstantiated). People tend to say it was a rip off. It was not one, because “such specifications could have reached N800, 000.00 if not thorough and rigorous bargain were not undergone,” said an expert.
In the matter of the election of ANPP (Kano chapter), let me make it categorically clear that Mallam Ibrahim has no hand whatsoever about it. The election was ably assisted by all the ANPP Senators, Rep. Members, Assembly members; in fact all the stakeholders were present. I was privileged to be at the scene of the election. So I don’t know where Mallam Shekarau admonished The Buhari Organization (TBO), nor did I hear him “poured his well–calculated tirade against them, the said benefactors.
It was also a deliberate attempt to portray Mallam in bad light that Jaafar reduced the self effacing, tightfisted and pious politician to haughty and ‘ego–tripper’ of sort. Mallam’s official or unofficial junkets were not flamboyant, frequent or unnecessary as described by the critic. How often do you see Kano State paid and unnecessary advertorials in the newspaper, compared to states like Jigawa, Delta, Bauchi, Rivers and so on? If I could vividly remember the award of the Challawa water works contract carried little or no headlines. The detractors were worried and chided the administration that the contract dully awarded to Paterson Candy International (one of the best water engineering companies in the world) lacked publicity. So where lies the Jaafar’s threadbare logic of publicity stunt?
Real Kanawa are not ingrates, the mass food production programme aimed at providing food and employment for the teeming populace of Kano. The over 9600 farmers groups have engaged more than 100,000 people KNARDA provided them with inputs worth over N900m at a subsidized rate. The employment of 3781 teachers is something to write home about. Provision of employment to 9,000 Hisbah Corps is commendable. The payment of pension outstanding arrears was a masterstroke. The state with highest unemployment rate (according to NDE indices) now ranked among the lowest. The achievements are too numerous to be mentioned.
These make us (real Kanawa) to come into the conclusion that Shariah implementation in Kano is morally, socially and economically different to the previous era. Therefore whether they (detractors and image-damaging mercenaries) like it or not, we are liberated from recession!
Nuhu, a political analyst writes from Kano. He can be reached at umarsin@yahoo.com
|