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Naka Sai Naka and Identity Politics in
Journalism
By
Muttaqa Yushau Abdurrauf
myushau@yahoo.co.uk
It becomes obvious that the media especially in
northern Nigeria is being awash with advertisement of
the vice president Atiku Abubakar under the the
programme titled NAKA SAI NAKA, this piece is prompted
to explore the rational behind such a bid, which in
all its ramification is aimed at deploying identity
politics to champion a particularistic interest which
would be detrimental to the masses. In view of the
above this piece would answer the following question.
What was the position of the vice president Atiku
Abubakar about the north before the souring
relationship with the His Boss?, what is the rationale
behind NAKA SAI NAKA? What implication does the NAKA
SAI NAKA has on the Nigerian politics?
It is suffice to say that, when the going was good
between the vice president Atiku Abubakar and
president Olusigun obasanjo, nobody heard about their differences and
Atiku jettison being identified as a symbol for the north and it cherished
value system, why is he now becoming a true son of the north? may be
because he is eyeing the number one sit in the country, so he is deploying
identity politics to deceive people, the reader may be curious to ask some
evidences showing the VP’s total dis engagement with the north. The first
evidence that clung in my memory was the VP’s assertion during the one
hundred days of democracy that was in 1999 in an interview with the weekly
trust news paper, VP Atiku lamented “I am not representing any section of
Nigeria… and therefore the wishes of the president must be the wishes of
the Vice President” The above assertion has shown the position of the Vice
President during the pre cold war politics between him and the president,
but in the post cold war politics the vice president and his media
apologist are blowing the trumpet of identity politics to deceive the
masses there by continuing with their primitive accumulation which is
detrimental to the Nigerias development. In similar parlance, the way and
manner in which Vice Atiku Abubakar boycott the north and its cherished
values prompted some people in Kano to chase him with stones in their
total dis enchantment with the VPs utterances especially on muslims, I
think that was what Dr Aliyu Tilde in his interesting piece called Kano
intifada. The next task of this piece is on the rationale behind NAKA SAI
NAKA, Perhaps one of the cardinal objective of the programme is that of
washing the political sins of the Vice President, portraying him as a
political borne again and a messiah of the era that could save this
country from the present economic doldrums which he was part of. NAKA SAI
NAKA to the utmost surprise of must Nigerians tend to relate the politics
played by the hitherto Northern political Juggernauts like malam Aminu
Kano and the late sardauna of Sokoto, with the the politics played by the
Vice predieent Atiku Abubakar, as a matter of fact no body in the north or
out side it doubt the way Sardauna and co have a genuine identity with the
north, and no body equally doubt the way they cherished their established
values as against the people who wanted to use their shadow to do a
political mischief.
Furthermore the speeches of these former Nigerian
leaders is equally used to show their resemblance with
vice president Atiku Abubakar , NAKA SAI NAKA is doing
all this in the name of P. R mhm ……moreover the P.R
does not stop at the level of Radio programme it went
to the extent of deploying the services of Hausa
Jingles which is burgeoning in northern Nigeria,
virtually many children crime the song of Naka sai
naka without knowing the danger it has on them , and
the consequences it may have . It becomes ubiquitous
for every dick and hary among the Nigerian politicians
to equate himself with great men of history who died
with out living wealth or companies, excetra ,for
their children, therefore it becomes an urgent task
for all rationale Nigerians perhaps including NAKA SAI
NAKA to be using political balance sheet in weighing
the great men of history with their Bosses.
This step brought us to the implication of NAKA SAI
NAKA on the Nigerian politics, first and foremost
politics is the way and manner in which the basic
needs of the people are being address so as to have a
better life in the world which could pave way for them
to have a prosperous life in the hereafter. If
politics is to be viewed from this perspective, then
we need to interrogate NAKA SAI NAKA on the policies,
or philanthropic activities his boss has ever
initiated in satisfying the aspiration of rank and
file Nigerians, if the answer is in negation then,
the implication of NAKA SAI NAKA will be that of
nurturing the culture of deception,
The second implication is that of portraying the vice
president Atiku as an alternative to Obasanjo, mhm how
comes? Therefore the implication of this is that if
the bid of NAKA SAI NAKA at all becomes successful
then there is every tendency to have the same OBASANJO
with a deferent nomenclature.
The third implication of NAKA SAI NAKA on the public
sphere especially in northern Nigeria is that of
diverting people attention from what is at stake in
terms of penury, un employment, and what have viewed
to the stream of identity politics which aimed at
satisfying the whims and caprices of some of the
Nigerian elites.
Concluding Remark.
As a matter of conclusion NAKA SAI NAKA should under
stand the fact that you can fool people some times,
but you can not fool the people all the times, so
based on this NAKA SAI NA KA to me is a mere political
jargon and a political metaphor that aimed at
portraying the Vice president as politically
infallible, while forgetting his past political
history, but any way Nigerians constitute the panel of
judges to judge, Allah save us and choose for us
leaders that would deliver this country for the
benefit of the younger generation amin
Muttaqa Yushau Abdurra'uf Department of
political Science Bayero University, Kano
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