Dangote: Maintaining The Rich Kano Tradition; A Rejoinder

By

Abdu Isa Kofarmata

kmatagigi@yahoo.com

 

17th AUGUST, 2007

 

 

You think you can fool some people sometimes but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

                                                                   BOB MARLEY, 1981

 

Recent economic and political moves by the president Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’dau has started to yield positively in the country. Availability of refined petroleum products such as PMS, AGO, LPFO etc in all locations can serve as a proof to this assertion. Similarly, the presidential intervention in the reversal of fraudulent purchase of our refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna receives the blessing and support of larger percentage of our people.

 

After reading through the article of Mallam Kabiru Mohammed in the New Nigerian Newspaper of Thursday, August 16, 2007, I was compelled by the strong feelings of responsibility as an indigene of Kano state and a northerner to respond on the above captioned subject matter. Ordinarily, I would have not wasted my precious time to respond to this kind of sentimental write-up, however, I feel it is important to correct the distortions and make the record straight.

 

Obviously, the said article attempted to portray and present the state of Kano and its good people as cruel, naïve and heartless people in the Nigerian federation. Kano as important business and economic nerve centre of the North in particular has never produced and mothered a son that helped in paralyzing it status like Aliko Dangote. Most painful aspect of the said article is the attempt by Mallam Kabiru to use religion and ethnicity in his struggle to defend Aliko Dangote. It has been the tradition and strategy of the some section of northern elite, politicians and military class to use the weapons of religion and tribalism in deceiving their people anytime they are caught unawares by unfriendly regimes or administration. Their sadistic and reactionary interest always prevails and takes the centre stage when religious or regional issues are discussed.

 

I was surprised to read someone from Kano blaming some section of northern press and our Christians neighbors in depending Dangote as if the entire Kano or Hausa people come under attack. When Aliko Dangote did became a hero in the north or Kano in particular to warrant solidarity from the people of Kano? As a direct beneficiary of Obasanjo maladministration and theft, Dangote should have turn to the south western Nigeria for support and solidarity. Similarly, from where did Aliko Dangote expect solidarity in Kano? The merchant and traders he influence Obasanjo to destroy by confiscating their goods, the industrialist he helped to put off business by starving them of LPFO or the masses which his wicked and sadistic business policies and practice on essential commodities such as sugar, flour, cement impoverished and destroyed?

 

Sometimes in Between 2004 and 2005 I wrote some letters to Aliko Dangote advising him on the need and importance of relaxing his trading policies with regard to essential commodities, the two letters can be found in the gamji.com and amanaonline.com web archives. In the two letters, I humbly warned and advised Dangote on the dubious and fraudulent acquisition of public properties as well as the illegal waivers, exemptions and concessions extended to him by the greatest enemy of Kano state ever.

 

One cannot believe to read or listen to an empty argument put forward by Kabiru Mohammed in his effort to depend Aliko Dangote and Kano tradition and religion. It is therefore important to site some examples where Aliko Dangote helped tremendously in the destruction of Kano business activities and businessmen.

 

Immediately after the 2003 election and the total rejection of Obasanjo by the people of Kano, Kano merchants and traders were strangulated and put under high security surveillance by Dangote’s godfather. As at the time Yoruba importers and market women were freely importing rice into the country through seme boarder of Ogun state without any harassment and were enjoying waivers and exemptions from the department of custom courtesy of ‘our man is the president’. Dangote was busy reporting his people to Obasanjo. It was the time when EFCC unleashed terror on Kano traders and importers, many were arrested and their goods confiscated while others were force to pay unnecessary dues, something that was waived for their southwestern counterparts. All these atrocities were committed under the instruction of the former president as reported by Dangote. Mallam Kabiru may wish to confirm this assertion from Alhaji Dahiru Mangal or the EFCC.

 

Other example worth mention was the tactical destruction of our industries by Obasanjo using Dangote. Dangote monopolized the importation and distribution of LPFO popularly known as black oil; the few remaining industries working were starved of this product thereby leading to the closure of some textiles and few industries that relied heavily on the use of LPFO. Mallam Kabiru may wish to also confirm from the Association of Textile Workers, Kano branch. Sincerely speaking, apart from the small flour mill located at sharada industrial estate, I challenge Mallam Kabiru to come forward with any Dangote investment in Kano which will attract our support and solidarity for his (Dangote) present predicament. You may wish to refer to the media trust publication ‘Nigeria’s Emerging Leaders’ first edition, June 2007 and see clearly that Dangote has nothing to do with the economic well being of Kano state people.

 

To add salt to our injury, Dangote joined his master, Obasanjo in the campaign against Kano state. In one of the Dangote’s publication in 2004, titled Dangote; giant strides, Dangote openly condemned Kano business environment and termed it as not investment friendly state in Nigeria, he went on to site civil disorder, energy shortage as reasons why his birth place is not business friendly. Dangote has forgotten the fact that his new abode – Lagos experienced crisis (religious, ethnic etc) more than Kano between 1999 to 2004. He has also forgotten the fact that there are other patriotic businessmen and women of Kano state extraction that are still doing and are establishing new businesses in Kano.

 

That kind of campaign against Kano business environment by Dangote is one of many strategies employed by Obasanjo to destroy our state. Today one can only notice small shops operating as Leventis, CFAO, SCOA, NMI and lot of others have succumbed to the propaganda and close shops in the state.

 

It is laughable to refer Aliko Dangote as entrepreneur. Aliko is not one and lacks all the qualities to be one. Mallam Kabiru should read more about American Bill Gate and see where entrepreneur operates, and see where individual entrepreneur work hard to succeed without fraudulently buying public assets under the cover of privatization. Kabiru’s entrepreneur could not establish a single business venture without fronting or acting as agent of corrupt public servants. Kabiru’s entrepreneur more often a times dodge his constitutional responsibility by avoiding taxes and rates but rather insist on waivers, exemptions and concessions.

 

Mallam Kabiru has all the right to protect his mentor or pay master but he should at least spare our state from this kind of embarrassment. In the first part of his article, Mallam Kabiru listed some notable and respected Kano businessmen but he failed to realize that those people cannot be measured or sized with Dangote. At the time Dangote is creating jobs in Osun, Ogun and Lagos, notable Kano people like Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu, Isyaku Umar Tofa etc are struggling to establish something for their people.

 

Many argued as well that Dangote has created job opportunities for Nigerians, the question here is and does it make any economic sense for 5,000 Nigerians to enjoy the juicy Dangote employment at the expense of over 150 million Nigerians? How many people of Kano state origin are gainfully employed and better placed in Dangote group? Is Dangote group not synonymous to Odua Investment?

 

It is also pertinent to remind Mallam Kabiru that it was only after the courageous decision of His Excellency, President Umar Musa Yar’adua to revoke the MRS and Zenon oil importation contract that the good people of Kano started enjoying the availability of petroleum products and the disappearance of long queue at various petroleum filing stations across the state. Therefore, who on this earth can stop the people from jubilating and expressing their gratitude to God for bringing the messiah? Honestly, our people are happy and rejoicing for the presidential directives to reverse the criminal sale of the nation’s refineries to Dangote and Femi Otedola. We further call on His Excellency, President Umar Musa Yar’adua to fear God and act fairly to collect back all our national assets that are stolen by Obasanjo and his fronts Dangote and Otedola.

 

Mr. President Sir, we are not in doubt that Dangote is not close to such wealth to buy Oshogbo Rolling Mills, Savannah Sugar, and Kaduna Refinery etc. Considering the size of our economy as well as the poor economic infrastructure, it is close to impossible for any business venture to generate as much surplus as to warrant this purchase and investment as Dangote has done over the last seven years. We await Mallam Kabiru or Dangote himself to tell us the source of the money. No Nigerian bank can provide this huge amount of money, and if it was financed abroad, we are interested in knowing the financial institution, the country and which of the government agencies in Nigeria guarantee the transaction. We again call on the president to use his exalted office and put search light on the activities of these people in order to collect back our national asset. Recently, EFCC promised Nigerians to shift its attention to the private sector; it is therefore advisable to begin with all waivers, concessions and exemption extended fraudulently by the past administration in order to jail the culprit and to serve as deterrent to others.

 

Before concluding, it is important to thank the president for these courageous decisions, and to pray to God for his protection and continuous guidance. And it is time to let the people know that that time is over for any corrupt serving/retired military personnel, tradition ruler, corrupt and self seeking elite or dubious businessman to use religion, ethnicity or tribal sentiment to polarize and divide our northern unity. Mallam Kabiru should rather save his breath and allow Yorubas to fight and protect Dangote. And as he often said he is more of Yoruba than a Hausa man and more of a Lagosian than a Kano man so be it, but you can only fool some people sometime not all the people all the time. Ride on President Yar’adua, the entire people are with you.