Ibrahim Shekarau And The Illusion Of Power (1)

By

Ishak Galadanci Ibrahim

baauzini61@yahoo.com

 

 

 

The good people of Kano State have been swayed into yet another unprecedented phenomenon and murky waters of political tension. This time around to your great surprise has to do with the current ANPP Administration in the state under Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.

 

The political climate of the ancient city of kano at the moment is cloudy and obviously, the indigenes have yet not recovered from the political ills and the injuries they sustained during the fo ur years of PDP misrule in the state, to have only recently found itself again into another quagmire; A muddy political scenario which is tainted with sickening inanities.

 

This is the case of Ibrahim Shekarau, the erstwhile Governor of kano state who barely three years ago was a product of political tussle for which his former master, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso accused of high handedness and holding unauthorized meetings with the Ulama among other  numerous charges.  Considering the fact that kano people are known to be detribalized and politically focused and as men of conscience they took side to reason with the plight of their brethren, campaigned for him massively and tipped him as a Gubernatorial candidate for the ANPP, which overwhelmingly led to his success, courtesy of Buhari factor (a.k.a. SAK)!

 

The political history of kano state is as old as the state itself, for now, to say the least, is replete with examples of the use of naked power. This transcends from the good old days of the late Audu Bako up to the present dispensation under Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. Interestingly, no leader ever admits use of power for evil. Every leader believes he uses it for the good of the inner society. Perhaps a dictator would be the first to admit and insists he does not abuse power. He merely exercises it. No man can be trusted to corner power around him and expects transparency. Part of the man’s problems with power is not just the quantum of it. It is indeed its usage. What ever a leader does and in whatever forms good or bad, he has reasons for doing so. A good leader may not misuse or abuse power. Circumstances do change human beings. Many men are good until they attain the reigns of power and surprisingly things begin to happen. Man being what he is and power being what it is; power in a mans hand can make him a dangerous monster.

 

It took a different coloration recently in the state, at the instance of a phoney party selection held in the name of free and fair election in favor of those the Government termed formidable materials. Surprisingly, this rape on democracy grievous as it is shouldn’t be expected in the regime that launched several phases of wars against vices, for instance   A DAIDAITA SAHU directorate- an outfit for ethical rejuvenati on, HISBAH Board, and SHARI’A Commission e.t.c. The Government attitude to these religious setups speaks volumes about the disarticulation in the politically reformed hidden agenda of his administration.

 

Displeased with the rot on the conduct of the state party executives election that fateful Saturday, the defeated contestants called for a press briefing at Tourist Camp on the conduct of the election and the way the Government used its machinery to emasculate opposition in favor of her loved ones, and the manner the crowd received the rough end of the stick in the hands of   the Government, signifies a symptom of system failure. This show of fame at the Tourist Camp has brought to the fore the sharp contradiction between the rhetoricsof Shekarau administration and the conduct of its agencies.      

 

It would be seen that such a political miscal culation against the dictates of the national working committee of the party is tantamount to greasing his executive position above the demands of justice. I do indeed maintain that the Governors decision to hold the Kangaroo elections, cuts deeply across controversial and vendattal lines.  His desperate efforts to distance himself from the Buhari factor and vis-ŕ-vis another level in the northern political arena should not be attempted in a vacuum.  It would certainly be counter productive if all that was achieved in the efforts is exploiting the break up between his “Master Generals”  vis-ŕ-vis northern caucus to pursue a personal agenda. 

 

I discovered painfully that all these things are happening in a state that proclaimed Shari’a as its watchword and governance assumed to be tete –a-tete with the doctrines of Shari’a adopted by our great heroes past. Malam Ibrahim Shekarau stands to be quoted.

 

Indiscipline of an ordinary citizen regrettable as it may be, does not pose a ser ious threat to society. Indiscipline of a leader is a different matter all together. First, he has no obstacles to restrain him, even the police and the press are in his employ. The worst of it all he has immunity. 

 

When we hear of political reforms during our school days in the campuses, we used to limit ourselves to presidential system of governance. Presumably, we now understand that it goes beyond, in the sense that political reforms are also about widening the frontier freedom. Shekarau administration hates comparison with the days o f Kwankwaso tyranny. But odious events such as the one of last phoney state party elections and the Tourist Camp episode and other series of assaults on democracy could compel a comparison. These altogether depicts Kwankwaso era of mayhem.

 

The importance to society of people like Aminu Kano or Buhari is not that every politician can become like them for that would be an impossible and totally unrealistic expectation. But the monumental fact which they underscored and which no one can ignore again is this. Aminu Kano was human and Buhari is human too. Both were not angels. During their times and after the demise of Aminu Kano, no Nigerian who reduces the high purpose of politics which they exemplified without a display of unprincipled compromise, selfish interest or corrupt tendencies.

 

The examples of incorruptibility of Aminu Kano or Buhari,, which Ibrahim Shekarau claims to have been treading upon and stood for is far from being real. More so, the current brand of politics being exhibited by our politicians today signifies the fact that power not only entices, intimidates and subdues, it may also incite to resentment and rebellion.

 

In the uncertainties of Nigerian politics, political opponents do often become friends. Zuwo and Rimi resolved their political differences while in Benin prison, demonstrated shattering futility of political rivalry. In the words of the controversial German Philosopher “Nitsche” and I quote “Political Art is a higher form of art even more complex than war “. In his further words in the same vein he added “politics is a game of plan in w hich peoples qualities are measured”.   Some of the junk political actors we have in kano today have no pride of ancestry and have no hope for the posterity. The Elites have begun to wonder whether the current political terrain in the state under Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is still worth following. Nobody in authority raised an eyebrow. Nobody among elders bothered or troubled to check, challenge or question governmental actions in the state good or bad. The challenge is certainly yours!

 

1.     In getting it right, Governor Shekarau must at this juncture confine interests to mending political fences with his mentors and the wretched political class who have lost focus with the administration since his assumption of office.

2.     He must also need to checkmate and overhaul his executive machinery of government /cr eam of Advisers and play the game and rules of politics devoid of smacks of political gangsterism.

3.     He must also display a right political machinery against a stable platform to effectively translate or truncate whatever politics he finds disagreeable.

4.     The administration must display a high degree of maturity by accommodating more rooms for criticisms as an avenue towards effecting necessary corrections

5.     There is a need to embark upon completion of abandoned developmental projects which the administration inherited from its predecessors.

6.     Activities of public office holders must be checked to ensure probity if the government is really sincere about its campaign against corruption.

7.     There is need for a change in the baton of leadership from the hands of friends and accomplices, to a balanced political structure sharing formula

8.     There is need to revisit the conduct of the recently concluded state elections.

9.     There is need for a reversal on sending thousands of people to pilgrimage and lesser Hajj while hundreds of patients are dying in the state hospitals for minor operations requiring less than ten thousand naira which they could not afford.

10. There is a need for the government to set up and independent solar energy to complement with the fair share of the national grid to the state. Regrettably, over three hundred and fifty manufacturing companies ranging from large, medium to smaller ones in the state have shut gates, even before the advent of this administration, with their premises reduced to mere beehives of reptiles.

 

What is Shekarau’s political interest beyond the present seat? Could it be the same interest again come 2007 elections? May be, alternatively not. In the days before his election into the office of the Governor of kano state and in the early days of his stewardship, Shekarau looked timid and kano people had finally thought they had voted someone who will never rock the boat (A Messiah). The scenario is quite distinct from all that was assumed.

 

Noticeably road constructions have opened up, but incidentally at very slow pace. Rural – Urban drift is still on the increase. Life of an average villager in the state is akin to being at stake. With the Governor being an educationist, even the educational sector has bee n thrown to the backyard as our children still learn on bare ground. In kumbotso local Government Area of the state for instance, Neighbours had to sacrifice their garages free of charge to provide learning spaces for the newly established UBE secondary school. Jaoji junior secondary school is a good case in point. The worrisome of it all,  is the fact that  250 pupils  per class in the primary school section as against 40 set by international standard  is a common  phenomenon  in the state. It becomes obvious, the fact that, tax payers money has not been judiciously utilized in most local councils of the state in general and in kumbotso local government in particular, leaves no one in doubt, if one takes into cognizance the manner in which the incumbent chairman in the person of Sagiru Abdul’kadir Panshekara was made a caretaker and subsequently imposed upon us (The Electorates) in the 2003 elections against the demands of majority wish, requires a cursory reversal of historical perspectives. The substantial amount of fund received from federal coffers as grant to the local council does not correlate with what has been done on ground reflective of dividends of democracy; more particularly in the context of rural integration and meaningful infrastructural development, is a clear testimony that all is not well with the polity. If in his capacity as the chief operating officer  of the state,    an educationist par excellence, and  who is  supposed to be taken seriously  cannot c heck the excesses of officers in organs of state power and more specifically is the governors inability to provide  conducive atmosphere for learning in the state and in the period at which more than enough is being provided by the Federal Government. Then  what hope is there for the rest of us? In the same vein furniture in most primary schools in the state are grossly inadequate to meet growing pupils enrolment. More so there are still pending admission cases into secondary schools in the state.

 

I t is equally imperative to note that the Government must put in place strong policy measures designed to bring long lasting relief to Kano people in areas of medical care, declining productivity, energy crises, endemic corruption and pervasive poverty. Other areas could be the attainment of transparent legal framework and strong impartial judicial system.  With these done, rights will be protected and lives and properties of  non-indigenes will be secured.

 

 

Governor Shekarau must also at this juncture avoid the mistakes that his predecessors made. If the mission of his administration is to enthrone good democratic governance in kano state, he must show the example by listening to the voice of the people devoid of propaganda and patent pomposity of those noise makers around him whose unenviable task is the defense of an intensely unserious government. After all, democracy is built around the popular will of the vast majority and Shekarau must change positively to the yearnings of the people if his administration has any positive commitment to democracy before the time runs out.

 

ISHAK GALADANCI IBRAHIM

Is an ACD Chieftain in Kano State